{"id":516,"date":"2026-05-11T20:59:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T20:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leshley.ca\/site\/?p=516"},"modified":"2026-05-11T21:11:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T21:11:10","slug":"iamblichus-the-architect-of-theurgical-neoplatonism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leshley.ca\/site\/blog\/iamblichus-the-architect-of-theurgical-neoplatonism\/","title":{"rendered":"Iamblichus: The Architect of Theurgical Neoplatonism"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Iamblichus: The Architect of Theurgical Neoplatonism\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/tube.leshley.ca\/videos\/embed\/sjnFw8CqAqnpSyRM997Y3F\" allow=\"fullscreen\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-forms\" style=\"border: 0px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Slide 1: Origins and Context<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Alright, let\u2019s talk about someone who doesn\u2019t get nearly enough attention in philosophy courses, but who absolutely deserves it. Iamblichus of Chalcis. And I want to start by really situating you in his world, because understanding the context is crucial for understanding why his philosophy took the shape it did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Born around 242 CE in Chalcis, which is in what we now call Syria\u2014part of the Roman Empire\u2019s eastern provinces. This isn\u2019t some backwater. This is one of the most culturally sophisticated regions of the ancient world. Greek philosophy, Syrian religious traditions, Egyptian mystery cults, Persian influences\u2014all of this is swirling around in the intellectual atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And Iamblichus comes from money. Not just comfortable\u2014aristocratic. His family has connections, resources, and most importantly for our purposes, they can afford to give him the absolute best education available. He\u2019s not some outsider trying to break into philosophical circles. He\u2019s born into the elite, with access to the texts, the teachers, the leisure time necessary for serious philosophical work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, here\u2019s what I want you to really grasp about the third century CE, because it\u2019s wild. Politically, the Roman Empire is in crisis. Between 235 and 284, there are something like 26 claimants to the imperial throne. The average reign is maybe two years. You\u2019ve got military coups, civil wars, invasions by Germanic tribes in the north and Persians in the east. The economy is tanking\u2014massive inflation, currency debasement. Plague sweeps through multiple times. Cities are shrinking, trade networks are disrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By any objective measure, this should be a dark age for philosophy. You\u2019d expect intellectual life to just shut down, right? People are worried about survival, not metaphysics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But here\u2019s what\u2019s remarkable: this is actually one of the most intellectually and spiritually creative periods in ancient history. Maybe precisely because the old certainties are collapsing, people are asking fundamental questions. What is the nature of reality? What gives life meaning? How do we find stability in a world of chaos? What\u2019s our relationship to the divine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And different movements are offering different answers. Christianity is growing rapidly\u2014it\u2019s still illegal, still persecuted periodically, but it\u2019s spreading through all levels of society. Traditional paganism is trying to defend itself, but it\u2019s increasingly on the defensive. Various mystery religions\u2014the cult of Isis, Mithraism, the Eleusinian Mysteries\u2014are offering paths to salvation through ritual initiation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Into this incredibly complex, spiritually hungry, intellectually fervent world steps Iamblichus. And he\u2019s going to try to do something audacious: create a philosophical system that can compete with Christianity, that can give traditional Greek religion intellectual respectability, that can offer a complete path to salvation grounded in both reason and ritual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Slide 2: Lineage of Thought<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Now, before we go any further, we need to understand where Iamblichus is coming from philosophically, because nobody works in a vacuum. Look at this intellectual lineage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plotinus\u2014he\u2019s the founder of what we call Neoplatonism, though he wouldn\u2019t have called it that. He\u2019s working in the mid-third century, dies in 270 CE. And Plotinus creates this brilliant synthesis of Plato\u2019s philosophy with Aristotelian logic and Stoic ethics, all oriented toward mystical union with the One, the absolute source of reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plotinus has students, but the most important is Porphyry. Now, Porphyry is fascinating in his own right. He\u2019s the one who edits Plotinus\u2019 writings into the text we know as the Enneads\u2014literally \u201cThe Nines,\u201d because he organized them into six groups of nine treatises. Without Porphyry, we might not have Plotinus\u2019 work at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Porphyry also develops Plotinus\u2019 philosophy in his own directions. He writes on logic, on ethics, on vegetarianism, on the philosophy of religion. He\u2019s trying to systematize Neoplatonism, make it more rigorous, defend it against Christian critics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And Porphyry\u2019s student? That\u2019s Iamblichus. So we\u2019re three generations deep into this tradition. Iamblichus isn\u2019t inventing Neoplatonism from scratch\u2014he\u2019s inheriting a sophisticated philosophical system that\u2019s already been developed over decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But here\u2019s where it gets interesting. That phrase on the slide\u2014\u201csecond founder of Neoplatonism\u201d\u2014that\u2019s not just an honorary title. What it means is that Iamblichus transforms the tradition so fundamentally that everything after him looks different than everything before him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of it this way: Plotinus is like the architect who designs a beautiful house based on Plato\u2019s blueprints. Porphyry is like the contractor who builds it and makes sure everything is structurally sound. But Iamblichus? He looks at this house and says, \u201cThis is a good start, but we need to add entire new wings. We need to redesign the foundation. We need to change what this building is actually for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And this matters because after Iamblichus, every major Neoplatonist works in his shadow. Proclus, who comes a century later and writes the most systematic exposition of Neoplatonism ever produced\u2014he\u2019s explicitly following Iamblichus\u2019 approach. The last heads of the Platonic Academy in Athens before it\u2019s closed in 529 CE\u2014Damascius, Simplicius\u2014they\u2019re all Iamblicheans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So when we study Iamblichus, we\u2019re not just studying one philosopher\u2019s ideas. We\u2019re studying the shape that Neoplatonism took for its last two centuries as a living philosophical school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, one more piece of context before we dive into the philosophy itself. Iamblichus is active until around 325 CE. Let me tell you what happens in 325: the Council of Nicaea. This is the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church, called by the Emperor Constantine, where they hammer out the Nicene Creed and establish Christian orthodoxy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Constantine had converted to Christianity in 312 CE. By the time Iamblichus dies, Christianity is well on its way to becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire. The old pagan world is dying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And Iamblichus knows this. He\u2019s watching it happen. And his response is fascinating\u2014he doesn\u2019t just defend traditional religion on the grounds of \u201cthis is what our ancestors did.\u201d Instead, he creates this incredibly sophisticated philosophical and theological system that tries to show that traditional Greek religion, properly understood, is intellectually superior to Christianity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He loses that battle, obviously. But the fact that he fought it with philosophy rather than just tradition\u2014that\u2019s significant. He\u2019s trying to meet Christianity on intellectual grounds, to show that you can have both philosophical rigor and religious devotion, both reason and ritual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alright, so now we know who Iamblichus was, when he lived, and what intellectual tradition he inherited. But here\u2019s the real question: What did he actually do with that inheritance? What makes him revolutionary?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To understand that, we need to look at what he inherited from Plotinus\u2014and then watch him systematically critique it and rebuild it into something new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><br>Slide 3: Plotinus\u2014The Mystic Intellectual<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Before we can appreciate what makes Iamblichus revolutionary, we need to really understand Plotinus\u2019 philosophy. And I mean really understand it, not just get a superficial sketch. Because Plotinus\u2019 system is beautiful, elegant, and in many ways deeply appealing. You need to feel its pull before you can understand why Iamblichus felt compelled to tear it apart and rebuild it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So let\u2019s start at the top\u2014literally. For Plotinus, everything begins with the One. Not \u201ca\u201d one, not the number one, but the One\u2014the absolute, transcendent source of all reality. And here\u2019s what\u2019s mind-bending about the One: it\u2019s beyond everything. Beyond being, beyond thought, beyond language, beyond comprehension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think about that for a second. If you say \u201cthe One exists,\u201d you\u2019ve already messed up, because existence is a limitation\u2014things that exist are defined by what they are, which means they\u2019re not other things. But the One is unlimited, infinite, absolute. It can\u2019t be defined because definition is limitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you say \u201cthe One is good,\u201d you\u2019ve messed up again, because now you\u2019re attributing a quality to it, and qualities are limitations. The One isn\u2019t good the way a person is good or an action is good. It\u2019s beyond goodness\u2014it\u2019s the source of goodness itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So how can we talk about it at all? Plotinus says we can only use negative theology\u2014saying what it\u2019s not. Or we can use metaphors, knowing they\u2019re inadequate. The One is like the sun\u2014it radiates light without diminishing itself. It\u2019s like a fountain overflowing\u2014it produces everything without losing anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, from the One comes the first emanation: the Intellect, or Nous in Greek. This is pure thought thinking itself. It\u2019s the realm of the Platonic Forms\u2014Beauty itself, Justice itself, the perfect archetypes of everything in the material world. The Intellect is still unified, but it\u2019s not absolutely simple like the One. It has multiplicity\u2014it contains all the Forms as distinct but interconnected realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And here\u2019s something crucial: for Plotinus, the Intellect doesn\u2019t come from the One by choice or decision. The One doesn\u2019t think \u201cI\u2019m going to create the Intellect now.\u201d That would make the One a thinking being, which would limit it. Instead, emanation is necessary and eternal. It\u2019s like how light necessarily radiates from the sun. The One, by its very nature as infinitely productive, overflows into the Intellect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the Intellect emanates the Soul\u2014the World Soul, which is the principle of life and motion. The Soul is less unified than the Intellect. It\u2019s turned both upward toward the Intellect (contemplating the Forms) and downward toward matter (giving life and order to the physical world). Individual souls\u2014your soul, my soul\u2014are like rays of this World Soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And finally, at the bottom of the chain, you have matter\u2014not really created by the Soul, but more like the final dimming of the light, the point where the emanation from the One becomes so weak that it\u2019s almost nothing. Matter is privation, absence, the limit of being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now here\u2019s the human situation according to Plotinus, and this is where it gets really interesting. We are souls that have descended into bodies. But\u2014and this is absolutely crucial for understanding Plotinus\u2014our descent isn\u2019t complete. The higher part of our soul, the part that contemplates the Forms, never actually descends. It remains up there in the intelligible realm, eternally contemplating, eternally unified with the Intellect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So right now, even as you\u2019re sitting here listening to this lecture, there\u2019s a part of you that\u2019s up there, contemplating eternal truths. You\u2019ve just forgotten about it. You\u2019re so identified with your body, your emotions, your sensory experiences, that you\u2019ve lost touch with your true self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s the solution? Philosophy. Contemplation. Turning inward. You need to detach from bodily concerns, purify your thinking, study mathematics and dialectic, contemplate the Forms. Gradually, through intellectual discipline, you ascend back up the chain of being. First you achieve ethical virtue, which brings order to the soul. Then you practice intellectual contemplation, which unifies the soul with the Intellect. And in rare, mystical moments\u2014Plotinus claims to have experienced this four times in his life\u2014you might even achieve union with the One itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s an intellectual path. You don\u2019t need temples, you don\u2019t need priests, you don\u2019t need rituals. Just you, your mind, and the cosmos. Philosophy is the only ladder you need to climb back to the divine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I have to say, there\u2019s something deeply appealing about this. It\u2019s empowering\u2014you\u2019re not dependent on external authorities. It\u2019s rational\u2014it respects human intelligence and our capacity to understand reality. It\u2019s optimistic\u2014it says we never really fell, we just forgot who we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beautiful system, right? Elegant. Intellectually satisfying. Philosophically rigorous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Iamblichus thought it was dangerously wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Slide 4: Iamblichus\u2014The Systematic Theologian<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Now, when I say Iamblichus thought Plotinus was wrong, I don\u2019t mean he rejected Neoplatonism entirely. He\u2019s still working within the Neoplatonic framework\u2014emanation from the One, the chain of being, the soul\u2019s return to its source. But he thinks Plotinus made some fundamental mistakes, and these mistakes have serious consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s start with the big one: this idea that part of our soul remains unfallen, eternally contemplating the divine. Iamblichus says no. Absolutely not. When the soul descends into a body, it really descends. All of it. There\u2019s no higher part that stays untouched by matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why does this matter? Because if Plotinus is right, then our situation isn\u2019t really that bad. We\u2019re not truly fallen\u2014we\u2019ve just temporarily forgotten our divine nature. We can wake ourselves up through philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if Iamblichus is right, then we\u2019re in serious trouble. We\u2019re genuinely entangled in matter, genuinely confused, genuinely separated from the divine. This isn\u2019t just a cognitive error we can correct by thinking harder. This is a real metaphysical crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And here\u2019s where Iamblichus makes his second major critique: Can pure intellectual contemplation really save us? If we\u2019re really as messed up as we actually are\u2014if our souls are genuinely embedded in matter, clouded by bodily passions, forgetful of their origin\u2014can we really pull ourselves up by our own intellectual bootstraps?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Iamblichus says no. Think about it practically. If you\u2019re drowning, can you save yourself just by thinking about swimming? If you\u2019re sick, can you cure yourself just by contemplating health? At some point, you need external help. You need someone to throw you a rope. You need medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Same with the soul\u2019s salvation. We need help from above. We need the gods to reach down to us, because we can\u2019t reach up to them on our own. Philosophy is necessary\u2014you need to understand what you\u2019re doing and why\u2014but it\u2019s not sufficient. You also need divine grace, divine intervention, divine power operating in your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a massive shift. For Plotinus, the philosopher is essentially self-sufficient in their spiritual journey. For Iamblichus, we absolutely need the gods\u2019 help. And this means we need ways to contact the gods, to invoke them, to create conditions where they can act in our lives. We need ritual. We need theurgy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But before we get to theurgy, there\u2019s a third major critique Iamblichus makes of Plotinus: the cosmos is way more complex than Plotinus described.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plotinus gives you three main levels: the One, the Intellect, the Soul. Clean. Simple. Elegant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Iamblichus looks at this and thinks: How can that possibly be right? Look at all the religious traditions around us. The Greeks worship dozens of gods\u2014Zeus, Apollo, Athena, Dionysus, and on and on. The Egyptians have their pantheon. The Chaldeans have their theology. Are all these gods just made up? Are they just poetic names for philosophical abstractions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Iamblichus says no. These gods are real. They\u2019re real divine beings operating at different levels of the cosmic hierarchy. And if they\u2019re real, then the cosmos must be complex enough to accommodate them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So Iamblichus embarks on this massive project of systematization. He\u2019s going to map out the entire divine realm in meticulous detail. He\u2019s going to show exactly how many levels there are, what kinds of beings exist at each level, how they relate to each other, how they mediate between the One and the material world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Where Plotinus gives you three levels, Iamblichus gives you dozens. He multiplies entities, creates elaborate hierarchies, develops intricate classifications. It\u2019s almost baroque in its complexity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And this isn\u2019t just intellectual showing off. Iamblichus thinks this complexity is necessary. The gap between the One\u2014absolute, infinite, transcendent\u2014and matter\u2014limited, finite, barely real\u2014is so vast that you need all these intermediate levels to bridge it. Each level mediates between the one above and below it. Each level makes the whole system work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plus, if you\u2019re going to practice theurgy\u2014if you\u2019re going to invoke the gods\u2014you need to know which gods to invoke for what purposes. You need to understand the cosmic hierarchy so you can work with it properly. You need a detailed map of the divine realm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So Iamblichus creates one. And it\u2019s this map, this elaborate cosmic architecture, that becomes the foundation for all later Neoplatonism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me give you a concrete example of how this works. Say you\u2019re a soul trying to ascend back to the One. In Plotinus\u2019 system, you basically contemplate your way up\u2014study philosophy, purify your thinking, achieve union with the Intellect, maybe touch the One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Iamblichus\u2019 system, you can\u2019t just leap from here to there. You have to go level by level, and at each level, you need help from the beings that naturally inhabit that level. So you might invoke certain heroes to help purify your lower soul. Then you invoke certain daemons to help elevate your intellectual soul. Then certain angels to help you approach the divine realm. Then certain gods to actually facilitate union with the higher principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not a solo journey anymore. It\u2019s a communal effort involving the entire cosmic hierarchy. You\u2019re not alone\u2014you\u2019re surrounded by divine helpers at every level, if you know how to contact them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that brings us to the heart of Iamblichus\u2019 innovation: How exactly do you contact these divine beings? How do you get their help? The answer is theurgy\u2014and we need to understand this in depth, because it\u2019s the most distinctive and controversial part of Iamblichus\u2019 philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><br>Slide 5: The Divine Architecture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Alright, now we\u2019re going to build Iamblichus\u2019 cosmos from the ground up. And I want you to really pay attention here, because this is intricate, and every piece matters. This isn\u2019t just abstract metaphysics\u2014this is the architecture of reality itself, according to Iamblichus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the very summit, we have the One. No disagreement with Plotinus there. The One is absolutely transcendent, beyond being, beyond thought, the source of everything. You can\u2019t say anything positive about it. It\u2019s the absolute principle that grounds everything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But immediately\u2014and this is where Iamblichus starts diverging\u2014we need to ask: How does anything come from the One? Plotinus says it just emanates necessarily, like light from the sun. But Iamblichus thinks we need intermediate principles to explain this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So he brings in Pythagorean concepts: Limit and the Unlimited. These aren\u2019t just abstract ideas\u2014they\u2019re real metaphysical principles. The Unlimited is pure potentiality, infinite possibility, formless power. Limit is what gives definition, structure, form, determination. And all of reality is the interplay between these two principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of it like this: The Unlimited is like infinite clay\u2014formless, shapeless, pure potential. Limit is like the sculptor\u2019s hands\u2014giving shape, creating definition, producing actual things. You need both. Pure Unlimited would just be chaos, formless possibility. Pure Limit would be empty form with nothing to shape. Reality is what happens when Limit acts on the Unlimited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, these principles somehow mediate between the One and the next level, which is the realm of Intellect. But here\u2019s where it gets complicated. Plotinus has one Intellect containing all the Forms. Iamblichus says no\u2014the realm of Intellect itself has multiple levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, there\u2019s the purely intelligible realm\u2014this is the Forms in their most transcendent state, closest to the One. These are the Forms as they exist in themselves, in their purest unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then there\u2019s the intellectual realm\u2014this is the Forms as they\u2019re actively thought by divine Intellect. Here they have more differentiation, more multiplicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then there\u2019s the intelligible-and-intellectual realm\u2014a kind of intermediate zone where the Forms exist both in their pure unity and in their differentiated multiplicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why all these distinctions? Because Iamblichus is trying to explain how you get from absolute unity (the One) to the multiplicity we see in the world. You can\u2019t just jump from one to many. You need gradual stages of increasing differentiation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And at each of these levels of Intellect, there are gods. Not metaphorical gods, not poetic personifications\u2014real divine beings. Zeus operates at one level, Apollo at another, Athena at another. Each god has their own sphere of influence, their own powers, their own place in the hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below the realm of Intellect, we have the realm of Soul. But again, not just one World Soul. Iamblichus distinguishes between:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Divine souls\u2014the souls of the gods themselves<br>Daemonic souls\u2014intermediate beings between gods and humans<br>Heroic souls\u2014elevated human souls that have achieved a semi-divine status<br>Human souls\u2014that\u2019s us<br>Animal souls\u2014yes, animals have souls too, just less developed<br>Each type of soul has its own nature, its own capacities, its own role in the cosmic order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And threading through all of this\u2014this is important\u2014are what Iamblichus calls \u201cchains\u201d or \u201cseries.\u201d Each major god has a chain of beings that proceeds from them, all the way down to the material level. So there\u2019s a Dionysian chain, an Apollonian chain, a Hermetic chain, and so on. Each chain participates in the character of its ruling deity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This matters practically because when you\u2019re doing theurgy, you need to know which chain you\u2019re working with. If you\u2019re invoking Dionysian powers, you use Dionysian symbols, Dionysian hymns, Dionysian rites. You\u2019re working within that specific chain of being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Slide 6: From the One to Matter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Now, look at this diagram showing the full descent from the One to matter. What I want you to grasp is that this isn\u2019t just a static structure\u2014it\u2019s a dynamic system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything proceeds from the One. That\u2019s the downward movement\u2014procession, or proodos in Greek. The One overflows into Limit and the Unlimited. They interact to produce the realm of Intellect. The Intellect overflows into the realm of Soul. The Soul gives life and order to matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there\u2019s also an upward movement\u2014return, or epistrophe. Everything has a natural desire to return to its source. Matter seeks to participate in Soul. Soul seeks to contemplate Intellect. Intellect seeks union with the One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The whole cosmos is engaged in this double rhythm: out and back, procession and return, systole and diastole, like a cosmic heartbeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And here\u2019s where it becomes personal: We are souls that have descended all the way down into matter. We\u2019re at the bottom of this chain, embedded in bodies, entangled in physical existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Plotinus\u2019 system, remember, part of us never really descended. But Iamblichus says no\u2014we really fell. All the way. Our entire soul is down here, confused, forgetful, struggling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our task is to ascend back up. But we can\u2019t just leap from matter to the One. That\u2019s like trying to jump from the ground floor to the roof of a skyscraper. You have to take the stairs. You have to go level by level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And at each level, you need help. This is crucial. You can\u2019t ascend on your own power. You need the beings at each level to help lift you up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So let\u2019s trace a soul\u2019s ascent. You start down here in matter, identified with your body, caught up in sensory pleasures and pains, driven by passions and appetites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First step: ethical purification. You need to get control of your lower soul, your passions. You practice virtue\u2014courage, temperance, justice. This begins to free you from being enslaved to bodily desires. And you might invoke certain heroes or lower daemons to help with this. These are beings who\u2019ve mastered the passions and can help you do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Second step: intellectual purification. You study mathematics, logic, philosophy. You train your mind to think about immaterial realities. You begin to contemplate the Forms. And you might invoke certain higher daemons or lower angels to help illuminate your intellect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Third step: approaching the divine realm. You begin to have direct contact with the gods themselves. Your soul is becoming more unified, more divine. You\u2019re participating in the life of the Intellect. And here you need the gods themselves to lift you up, because you can\u2019t cross this threshold on your own power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Final step: union with the One. This is rare, maybe impossible for most souls while still embodied. But it\u2019s the ultimate goal\u2014complete return to the source, dissolution of all multiplicity into absolute unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But here\u2019s the thing: You can\u2019t do any of this alone. At every step, you need divine help. And how do you get that help? How do you contact these beings? How do you invoke their assistance?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s where theurgy comes in. And we need to understand theurgy deeply, because it\u2019s the most distinctive, controversial, and influential part of Iamblichus\u2019 philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><br>Slide 7: What Is Theurgy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><br>The word \u201ctheurgy\u201d comes from Greek: theos meaning \u201cgod\u201d and ergon meaning \u201cwork.\u201d So literally, \u201cgod-working\u201d or \u201cdivine work.\u201d But what does that actually mean in practice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Iamblichus, theurgy is a complete system of ritual practices designed to bring about real, ontological contact with the gods. Not metaphorical contact. Not psychological symbolism. Not just feeling inspired or uplifted. Actual, metaphysical union with divine beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, you might be thinking: \u201cWait, isn\u2019t this just religion? Isn\u2019t this what people have always done in temples?\u201d And yes, there are similarities. But Iamblichus is doing something different. He\u2019s taking traditional religious practices\u2014sacrifices, prayers, hymns, invocations\u2014and giving them a philosophical justification. He\u2019s showing why they work, how they work, what metaphysical principles they\u2019re based on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me give you his core argument, because it\u2019s fascinating and it gets to the heart of why he thinks theurgy is necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Premise one: We are souls embedded in matter, genuinely fallen, genuinely separated from the divine. This is the critique of Plotinus we already discussed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Premise two: The human intellect, by itself, is limited, finite, embedded in matter. No matter how hard we think, no matter how much we study philosophy, we can\u2019t transcend our own limitations through thinking alone. Our intellect is a created thing, dependent on higher realities. It can\u2019t lift itself up to the level of the gods by its own power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Premise three: But the gods want to help us. It\u2019s in their nature to be beneficent, to overflow with goodness, to help lower beings ascend. The problem isn\u2019t that the gods are unwilling\u2014it\u2019s that we don\u2019t know how to receive their help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Conclusion: We need a way to create conditions that allow the gods to act in our lives. We need to open channels through which divine power can flow down to us. That\u2019s what theurgy does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of it like this: Philosophy is us trying to climb up to the gods. We\u2019re down here in the valley, and we\u2019re trying to scale the mountain. We can climb a certain distance through our own effort\u2014studying, thinking, contemplating. But at some point, the mountain gets too steep. We can\u2019t go any higher on our own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Theurgy is the gods reaching down to lift us up. It\u2019s them throwing us a rope, or better yet, descending to where we are and carrying us upward. Both movements are necessary. You need the philosophical understanding to know what you\u2019re doing and why. But you also need the ritual practice to actually accomplish the transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, let\u2019s get concrete. What does theurgy actually involve?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, there are verbal elements\u2014sacred names, hymns, invocations. The gods have specific names that embody their essence. When you speak these names correctly, with the right intention, at the right time, you\u2019re not just making sounds. You\u2019re activating real metaphysical connections. The names participate in the divine realities they represent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Second, there are material elements\u2014stones, herbs, animals, specific substances that have natural affinities with certain gods. This isn\u2019t arbitrary symbolism. Iamblichus believes the cosmos is bound together by what he calls \u201csympathies\u201d\u2014real connections between things at different levels of reality. Certain stones naturally resonate with certain divine powers. When you use them in ritual, you\u2019re working with the structure of reality itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Third, there are actions\u2014specific gestures, movements, dances, sacrifices. These aren\u2019t just external performances. They\u2019re ways of aligning your whole being\u2014body, soul, and spirit\u2014with divine realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fourth, there\u2019s timing\u2014certain rituals must be performed at specific times when the cosmic conditions are right, when certain planets are in certain positions, when the divine powers you\u2019re invoking are most accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of this together creates what Iamblichus calls a \u201cvehicle\u201d for divine presence. You\u2019re constructing a kind of metaphysical channel through which the gods can enter the material world and act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Slide 8: Bridging the Divine and Human<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Now, look at this quote from Iamblichus\u2019 most important work, On the Mysteries: \u201cIt is not pure thought that unites us to the gods\u2014it is the ineffable acts of sacred ritual, performed in silence beyond all understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s unpack this carefully, because every word matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt is not pure thought\u201d\u2014this is the direct rejection of Plotinus\u2019 intellectualism. Thinking, by itself, cannot save you. Contemplation, by itself, cannot unite you with the divine. Why? Because thought is an activity of the human intellect, and the human intellect is limited. You\u2019re trying to grasp the infinite with finite tools. It doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cthat unites us to the gods\u201d\u2014notice the plural. Not \u201cthe One,\u201d not \u201cthe Intellect,\u201d but \u201cthe gods.\u201d Iamblichus is insisting on the reality of multiple divine beings, each with their own nature, each requiring their own forms of approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cit is the ineffable acts of sacred ritual\u201d\u2014\u201cineffable\u201d means beyond speech, beyond explanation. Theurgy works at a level deeper than rational comprehension. You can\u2019t fully explain why it works, because it operates through principles that transcend human understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cperformed in silence beyond all understanding\u201d\u2014this is crucial. The most powerful theurgical acts happen in silence. Not because you\u2019re being secretive, but because what\u2019s happening is beyond words. You\u2019re making contact with realities that language can\u2019t capture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, here\u2019s what\u2019s really radical about this: Iamblichus is saying that the symbols used in theurgy aren\u2019t conventional. They\u2019re not arbitrary signs that humans invented. They\u2019re natural symbols, embedded in the structure of reality itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think about language for a second. The word \u201cdog\u201d refers to dogs because we all agree it does. It\u2019s a convention. In French, they use \u201cchien.\u201d In German, \u201cHund.\u201d The connection between the word and the thing is arbitrary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But theurgic symbols aren\u2019t like that. When you use a specific stone in a ritual, or speak a specific divine name, or perform a specific gesture, you\u2019re not working with convention. You\u2019re working with natural connections that exist in the cosmos itself. That stone really does participate in the divine power you\u2019re invoking. That name really does embody the essence of that god. Those connections are built into the fabric of reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why theurgy has to be done correctly. If you use the wrong stone, or mispronounce the name, or perform the ritual at the wrong time, it doesn\u2019t work. Not because the gods are picky or demanding, but because you\u2019re not actually making the connection. It\u2019s like trying to tune a radio\u2014if you\u2019re off by even a little bit, you don\u2019t get the signal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When a theurgist performs a ritual correctly, something really happens. The god is really present. The divine power really flows down. The soul is really purified and elevated. This isn\u2019t psychological\u2014it\u2019s not just that you feel better or more inspired. It\u2019s ontological\u2014your soul is actually being transformed, actually being lifted up the chain of being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me give you a concrete example. Say you want to invoke Apollo for intellectual illumination. You would:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Choose the right time\u2014maybe Sunday, Apollo\u2019s day, at dawn when the sun is rising<br>Use the right materials\u2014gold (solar metal), laurel (Apollo\u2019s sacred plant), perhaps a lyre<br>Speak the right names and hymns\u2014traditional invocations of Apollo, perhaps from the Orphic hymns<br>Perform the right actions\u2014gestures associated with Apollo, offerings of incense<br>Most importantly, align your whole being with Apollo\u2019s nature\u2014intellectual clarity, harmony, order, light<br>When you do all this correctly, you\u2019re not just performing a ceremony. You\u2019re creating a real metaphysical connection with the Apollonian chain of being. You\u2019re opening yourself to receive Apollo\u2019s influence. And if you\u2019re properly prepared, if your soul is pure enough, Apollo\u2019s power really does flow into you. Your intellect really is illuminated. You really do receive insight that you couldn\u2019t have achieved through study alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, I know what some of you are thinking: \u201cThis sounds like magic. How is this different from sorcery or witchcraft?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Iamblichus would insist on a crucial distinction. Magic, as he understands it, is about humans manipulating natural or supernatural forces for their own purposes. It\u2019s coercive\u2014you\u2019re trying to force spirits to do your bidding, or you\u2019re exploiting natural sympathies to get what you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Theurgy is completely different. It\u2019s not coercive\u2014you\u2019re not forcing the gods to do anything. You\u2019re submitting to them. You\u2019re aligning yourself with their will. You\u2019re creating conditions where they can act, but whether they actually do act is up to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s cooperative, not manipulative. You\u2019re working with the gods, not trying to control them. And the goal isn\u2019t personal gain\u2014it\u2019s salvation, purification, ascent to the divine. You\u2019re not doing theurgy to get rich or powerful. You\u2019re doing it to become divine yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This distinction matters enormously to Iamblichus. He\u2019s trying to defend traditional pagan religion against both Christian critics who say it\u2019s demonic and philosophical critics like Plotinus who say it\u2019s unnecessary. He\u2019s saying: No, this is the highest form of religious practice. This is philosophy in action. This is how you actually achieve what philosophy talks about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And here\u2019s the thing: this works. Not in the sense that you can prove it scientifically, but in the sense that practitioners report real transformations, real experiences of divine presence, real progress in their spiritual development. Whether you believe those experiences are genuinely metaphysical or just psychological, the phenomenology is real. People who practice theurgy report that something happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And for Iamblichus, that\u2019s what matters. Philosophy without practice is just talk. Theurgy is philosophy lived, philosophy embodied, philosophy that actually transforms you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there\u2019s another dimension to Iamblichus we haven\u2019t fully explored yet\u2014his deep engagement with Pythagoreanism and mathematics. Because for Iamblichus, theurgy isn\u2019t separate from intellectual life. It\u2019s integrated with a complete philosophical system that includes mathematics, ethics, metaphysics, and theology all working together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><br>Slide 9: Pythagoreanism and Mathematics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Now we need to talk about an aspect of Iamblichus that often gets overlooked, but which is absolutely central to understanding his complete vision: his deep engagement with Pythagoreanism and mathematical philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Iamblichus wrote an entire Collection on Pythagorean Philosophy\u2014a massive work, parts of which survive, that tried to preserve and systematize all of Pythagorean teaching. Why was he so invested in this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because for Iamblichus, Pythagoras wasn\u2019t just an ancient mathematician who discovered some geometric theorems. Pythagoras was a divine sage, a revealer of sacred wisdom, someone who understood the fundamental structure of reality itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s go back to that Pythagorean motto: \u201cAll things are number.\u201d What does that mean? It\u2019s not just saying that you can count things, or that mathematics is useful for measuring the world. It\u2019s making a metaphysical claim: Number is the fundamental structure of reality. The cosmos is literally built out of mathematical relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think about music for a second. The Pythagoreans discovered that musical harmony is based on mathematical ratios. An octave is a 2:1 ratio. A perfect fifth is 3:2. A perfect fourth is 4:3. These aren\u2019t arbitrary\u2014they\u2019re built into the nature of sound itself. When you play two notes in one of these ratios, they sound harmonious. When you play them in other ratios, they sound dissonant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the Pythagoreans went further. They said: If music is based on mathematical ratios, and music is harmonious and beautiful, then maybe the whole cosmos is based on mathematical ratios. Maybe the universe itself is a kind of harmony, a cosmic music, a mathematical symphony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And Iamblichus takes this seriously. Remember those principles we discussed\u2014Limit and the Unlimited? These are mathematical concepts. Limit is what gives definition, measure, proportion. The Unlimited is that which can be measured, proportioned, defined. All of reality is the interplay between these mathematical principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So when Iamblichus maps out his cosmic hierarchy, he\u2019s not just making stuff up. He\u2019s trying to show the mathematical structure underlying everything. Each level of reality has its own numerical relationships, its own proportions, its own harmony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The One is absolute unity\u2014the number one in its metaphysical sense. The realm of Intellect involves duality\u2014the knower and the known, subject and object. The realm of Soul involves triadic relationships\u2014remaining, procession, and return. The material world involves the number four\u2014the four elements, the four qualities, the tetrad that generates all physical reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This isn\u2019t just numerology or mystical symbolism. For Iamblichus, these numerical relationships are real. They\u2019re the actual structure of reality. Understanding them is understanding how the cosmos works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And this has practical implications. If you\u2019re going to practice theurgy effectively, you need to understand these mathematical relationships. You need to know which numbers correspond to which gods, which geometric figures have affinity with which divine powers, which proportions create harmony between different levels of reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, the Tetraktys\u2014the triangular figure made of ten dots arranged in four rows (1+2+3+4=10)\u2014this isn\u2019t just a pretty pattern. It\u2019s a representation of how unity unfolds into multiplicity, how the One generates the many. It contains all the basic ratios of musical harmony. It\u2019s a key to understanding cosmic structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or take the golden ratio\u2014approximately 1.618, the ratio that appears throughout nature in spiral patterns, plant growth, proportions of the human body. The Pythagoreans knew about this ratio. They saw it as evidence that nature itself follows mathematical laws, that the cosmos is rationally ordered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Iamblichus, studying mathematics isn\u2019t just practical training for engineers or merchants. It\u2019s spiritual practice. When you contemplate mathematical truths, you\u2019re training your soul to think about immaterial realities. Numbers don\u2019t exist in the physical world\u2014you can\u2019t touch the number three or taste the square root of two. They\u2019re intelligible realities, objects of pure thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So mathematical study purifies the soul. It lifts your mind away from sensory things and toward the intelligible realm. It\u2019s preparation for philosophy, and ultimately for theurgy. You\u2019re learning to think about realities that transcend matter, and that\u2019s exactly what you need to do to ascend the cosmic hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moreover, mathematics provides certainty. In a world of change and uncertainty, mathematical truths are eternal and unchanging. Two plus two equals four, always has, always will, in every possible world. The Pythagorean theorem is true not just on Earth but throughout the cosmos. These truths participate in the eternal realm of Forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So when Iamblichus writes about Pythagoreanism, he\u2019s not just being a historian of philosophy. He\u2019s showing how mathematical philosophy integrates with his entire system. Mathematics, ethics, metaphysics, theology, theurgy\u2014they all fit together into a complete way of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Slide 10: A Synthesis of Philosophy, Theology, and Ritual<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Alright, let\u2019s step back and see the complete picture of what Iamblichus accomplished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He created one of the most comprehensive, systematic philosophical visions in all of ancient philosophy. It\u2019s a complete worldview that tries to account for everything: Where does reality come from? What\u2019s the structure of the cosmos? What are we? Why are we here? How should we live? How can we be saved?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But more than that\u2014and this is what makes Iamblichus distinctive\u2014he created a path. Not just a theory about reality, but a practical way of life oriented toward divine union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You study philosophy to understand the cosmic structure. You need to know where you are in the chain of being, where you\u2019re trying to go, what obstacles you face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You practice mathematics to purify your thinking. You train your soul to contemplate immaterial realities, to think about eternal truths, to lift your mind above the sensory world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You cultivate ethical virtue to gain control over your passions. You practice courage, temperance, justice, wisdom. This brings order to your lower soul and prepares you for higher pursuits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You perform theurgy to receive divine grace. You invoke the gods, you participate in sacred rituals, you create conditions for divine power to flow into your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of this fits together. It\u2019s not a collection of separate activities\u2014it\u2019s a unified path of ascent. Every element supports every other element.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And here\u2019s what I find remarkable: Iamblichus was working at a moment of profound cultural transition. The old pagan world was dying. Christianity was rising. The traditional gods were being abandoned, the old temples were closing, the ancient rites were being forgotten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He could have just defended tradition on traditional grounds: \u201cThis is what our ancestors did, so we should keep doing it.\u201d That\u2019s what a lot of pagan intellectuals did. But Iamblichus took a different approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said: Let me show you why these traditions are philosophically justified. Let me give you a rational, systematic account of how the gods exist, how theurgy works, why ritual matters. Let me show you that you can have both philosophical rigor and religious devotion, both reason and ritual, both intellect and piety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In one sense, he failed. Paganism lost. Christianity won. By the sixth century, the Platonic Academy is closed, pagan temples are destroyed or converted to churches, traditional religion is effectively dead in the Mediterranean world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But in another sense, Iamblichus succeeded brilliantly. His ideas survived. When Neoplatonic texts were translated into Arabic in the ninth century, Iamblichean concepts influenced Islamic philosophy\u2014Al-Farabi, Avicenna, even aspects of Sufism show his influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Neoplatonic texts were translated into Latin during the Renaissance, Iamblichus\u2019 fusion of philosophy and ritual shaped Christian mysticism. Figures like Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, the whole Florentine Academy\u2014they\u2019re working with Iamblichean ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Western esoteric tradition\u2014Kabbalah, alchemy, ceremonial magic, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry\u2014all of this bears the stamp of Iamblichus\u2019 vision. The idea that ritual can effect metaphysical change, that symbols have real power, that there are hierarchies of spiritual beings we can contact\u2014these are all Iamblichean ideas that continue to resonate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even in contemporary philosophy, when people talk about the limits of pure rationalism, when they discuss the role of embodied practice in spiritual development, when they explore non-Western traditions that integrate philosophy and ritual\u2014they\u2019re often rediscovering insights that Iamblichus articulated seventeen hundred years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But beyond his historical influence, I think there\u2019s something valuable in Iamblichus\u2019 vision for us today. We live in a culture that tends to split things apart. We separate reason from emotion, mind from body, theory from practice, the intellectual from the spiritual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Iamblichus offers a vision of integration. He says: You don\u2019t have to choose between being intellectually rigorous and being spiritually engaged. You don\u2019t have to choose between philosophy and religion, between reason and ritual, between the life of the mind and the life of the spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can have both. In fact, you need both. A purely intellectual philosophy that doesn\u2019t transform how you live is just empty abstraction. A purely ritual religion that doesn\u2019t engage your intellect is just superstition. But when you bring them together\u2014when you integrate understanding and practice, philosophy and theurgy, reason and ritual\u2014then you have something powerful. You have a complete path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you accept Iamblichus\u2019 specific metaphysics or not\u2014whether you believe in his elaborate cosmic hierarchies, his theurgical practices, his Pythagorean mathematics\u2014I think his fundamental insight remains valid: Transformation requires more than just thinking. It requires practice. It requires engagement with something beyond yourself. It requires both ascending through your own effort and receiving help from above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s a vision worth taking seriously, even seventeen hundred years later. Iamblichus reminds us that philosophy isn\u2019t just about having correct opinions. It\u2019s about becoming a different kind of person. It\u2019s about transformation, about ascent, about reaching toward the divine\u2014however you understand that term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that, ultimately, is why we still study Iamblichus. Not just as a historical curiosity, not just as one more name in the history of philosophy, but as someone who took the deepest questions seriously and tried to answer them with a complete, integrated vision of reality and our place in it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Slide 1: Origins and Context Alright, let\u2019s talk about someone who doesn\u2019t get nearly enough attention in philosophy courses, but who absolutely deserves it. Iamblichus of Chalcis. And I want to start by really situating you in his world, because understanding the context is crucial for understanding why his philosophy took the shape it did. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":4,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"federated","footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[248,249,23],"class_list":["post-516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-philosophy","tag-iamblichus","tag-neoplatonism","tag-philosophy"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leshley.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leshley.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leshley.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leshley.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leshley.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=516"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/leshley.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":517,"href":"https:\/\/leshley.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516\/revisions\/517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leshley.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leshley.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leshley.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}