Iamblichus

Iamblichus (c. 250-c. 330), Syrian philosopher, a major figure and exponent of Neoplatonism. Born in Chalcis, Coele-Syria, Iamblichus, while a student of the philosopher Porphyry in Rome, came under the influence of the Greek Neoplatonist philosopher Plotinus. In Syria he established his own school, which attempted to fuse the ideas of Plato, those of the Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras, and certain mystic and even magical elements of Oriental religion into a single coherent system.

Iamblichus succeeded in transforming the intellectual and purely spiritual Neoplatonism of Plotinus into an even more intricate form of pagan religious philosophy that included myths, rites, and magical formulas. Among his works are On the Egyptian Mysteries (trans. 1821) and On the Pythagorean Life (trans. 1937).