Neoplatonism
Neoplatonism,a philosophical and religious system, combining Platonic ideas with oriental mysticism, which originated at Alexandria in the 3rd cent. and is especially represented in the writings of Plotinus , Porphyry , and Proclus . This system of thought, which thanks to Augustine left a deep mark on Christianity, combined in the 5th and 6th cents AD with survivals of Gnosticism and persisted in this form through the Middle Ages. It experienced a notable revival in the 15th cent., associated with Ficino , Pico della Mirandola , Agrippa , and Paracelsus . The conglomeration of ideas found in the works of these writers extends well beyond Neoplatonism, but is often given that name, and it influenced literature in a number of distinct ways.
(1) The ‘Neoplatonic’ theory of love rested on the beliefs that earthly beauty was an image of absolute beauty and that spiritual graces in a beloved were even more...
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