Gregory Shaw

_Theurgy and the Soul_ is a study of Iamblichus of Syria (ca. 240–325), whose teachings set the final form of pagan spirituality prior to the Christianization of the Roman Empire. Gregory Shaw focuses on the theory and practice of theurgy, the most controversial and significant aspect of Iamblichus's Platonism. Theurgy literally means "divine action." Unlike previous Platonists who stressed the elevated status of the human soul, Iamblichus taught that the soul descended completely into the body and thereby required the performance of theurgic rites—revealed by the gods—to unite the soul with the One. Iamblichus was once considered one of the great philosophers whose views on the soul and the importance of ritual profoundly influenced subsequent Platonists such as Proclus and Damascius. The Emperor Julian followed Iamblichus's teachings to guide the restoration of traditional pagan cults in his campaign against Christianity. Although Julian was unsuccessful, Iamblichus's ideas persisted well into the Middle Ages and beyond. His vision of a hierarchical cosmos united by divine ritual became the dominant world view for the entire medieval world and played an important role in the Renaissance Platonism of Marsilio Ficino. Even Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that he expected a reading of Iamblichus to cause a "revival in the churches." But modern scholars have dismissed him, seeing theurgy as ritual magic or "manipulation of the gods." Shaw, however, shows that theurgy was a subtle and intellectually sophisticated attempt to apply Platonic and Pythagorean teachings to the full expression of human existence in the material world.

Iamblichus of Chalcis was one of the most important figures in the later Platonic Academy. His influence derived from his commentaries on the works of Plato, Aristotle, and Pythagorean writings, but Iamblichus' most significant contribution was to place religious rituals at the center of his Platonic school in Syria. Iamblichus called these rituals "theurgy" and explained them as divine works, the activity of the gods shared with man through acts of worship. Without understanding the importance of theurgy and its role in the soul's education, the thinking of the later Platonists cannot be understood. Nevertheless, no one yet has examined the relationship between theurgy and Platonism or explained how Iamblichus defended the practice of religious rituals. The present dissertation will attempt to do this. ;The most important resource for understanding theurgy is Iamblichus' treatise, the de Mysteriis, an apology for the performance of sacred rites. I have cited this text extensively to demonstrate that Iamblichus' theurgical interests were perfectly consistent with his philosophical interest and I believe that his other writings bear this out. Using Iamblichus' own arguments, I have attempted to show that a rigorous Platonist and mathematician, without contradiction, could be a theurgist and mystagogue at the same time. The categories of rational vs. irrational employed by modern scholars to explain theurgy have been less than inadequate--they tend to obfuscate the entire issue. In contrast, I explain Neoplatonic theurgy according to Iamblichus' own categories, and I believe his thinking on the matter is clear and coherent. ;The dissertation is divided into three parts, each dealing with issues that Iamblichus addressed in his defense of theurgy. Part I discusses the importance of Iamblichus' view of matter and how this relates to his understanding of embodiment and the role of theurgy. Part II discusses the limits of the embodied soul and how they contribute to its participation in theurgy. Finally, Part III discusses the correspondences between the cosmos and human society and how, according to Iamblichus, theurgy employs these correspondences to provide the embodied soul access to the divine life