Plotinus and Augustine on the Mid-Rank of Soul: Navigating Two Worlds

In Plotinus and Augustine on the Mid-Rank of Soul: Navigating Two Worlds, Joseph Torchia, OP, explores the mid-rank of the soul theme in Plotinus and Augustine with a special focus on its metaphysical, epistemological, and moral implications for each thinker's intellectual outlooks. For both, human existence assumes the character of a prolonged journey or an extended voyage. Augustine infuses Plotinus' vision of reality with a profound theological significance rooted in the ontological difference between God and creatures. As a rational creature, the soul stands mid-way between God and corporeal natures, between eternity and temporality. This book encompasses two parts: Part I addresses the significance that Plotinus attributes to the soul's mid-rank within the broader context of his understanding of universal order, and Part II delineates Augustine's interpretation of the intermediary status of the soul with an ongoing reference to his spiritual and intellectual peregrinatio, as recounted in the Confessions.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction Abbreviations Part I. Plotinus: Wayfaring Stranger Chapter 1. Plotinus' Vision of Reality: A Broad Sketch Chapter 2: The Order of the Whole Chapter 3: The Mediation of Soul Chapter 4: Between Two Worlds Chapter 5: Soul's Homeward Odyssey Part II. Augustine: Peregrinatio Animi Chapter 6: Tranquillitas ordinis Chapter 7: In Medio Paradisi Chapter 8: Pondus Meum Amor Meus Chapter 9: Voluntas medium bonum Chapter 10: Civitas Peregrina Conclusion: The Journeys of Embodied Spirits

About the Author :
Joseph Torchia, OP, is professor of philosophy at Providence College.

Review :
The book is a informative work that successfully intertwines both scholarly rigor and philosophical insight. Torchia's ambitious scope and fruitful comparisons deserve recognition as an important addition to the literature on late antique philosophy and its ongoing relevance to contemporary thought. In this stunningly lucid and evocative book, Joseph Torchia offers a masterclass on the interplay of early Christianity and Neoplatonic philosophy. Torchia contributes to the renewed scholarly interest in the thought of Plotinus (204-270 AD) and its influence upon Augustine (354-430 AD), arguing in favor of a 'plausible hypothesis' that successfully demonstrates the impact of Plotinus on Augustine without conflating the two. This distinction without separation or confusion can and ought to serve as a model for scholarship on early Christian theology and philosophy. This is only one part of the achievement of this volume, for the first part of the book on Plotinus' metaphysics, psychology, and anthropology could stand on its own, just as the second part on Augustine's understanding of the mid-rank of the soul, the will, human love, and the church on pilgrimage is of immense value for students and scholars alike. Anyone interested in ancient philosophy, metaphysics, theological anthropology, or early Christianity will be rewarded greatly by reading this groundbreaking book. Essential reading. While Plotinus and Augustine have long been acknowledged as the foundational thinkers of late antiquity, a precise understanding of their respective philosophies remains a desideratum in contemporary scholarship. This authoritative study - the culmination of a lifetime of research and publication in the field - explores Plotinus and Augustine on an equal basis and highlights their affinities and divergences. By not reading Augustine as just philosophically derivative from Plotinus, Torchia is able instead to accentuate Augustine's creative adaption of Platonism and to discover the salient elements of their shared vision. Plotinus and Augustine on the Mid-Rank of Soul is an excellent work that ties together two of the greatest thinkers of Late Antiquity. It builds on the preceding decades of scholarship that recognize Augustine's debt to Plotinian philosophy. It also defends Augustine's uniqueness despite that indebtedness, highlighting the biblical dimension to Augustine's elusive and alluring hermeneutic. Anyone who has an interest in the philosophies of Late Antiquity and the theological thought of Augustine will benefit tremendously from this work.