High Priests of the Highest God: Third-Century Platonists as Ritual Experts
Journal of Early Christian Studies, (2010)Abstract
This paper explores the way in which third-century philosophers, especially Platonists, portrayed themselves as high priests or "priests of the god who rules all." It argues that figures such as Origen, Porphyry, and Iamblichus incorporated this hieratic status into their identity at the expense of the reputations of more ordinary, local priests. Furthermore, they grounded their authority on theological and ritual matters in their knowledge of the nature of various kinds of spiritual beings inhabiting the cosmos, beings which they tended to order in systematic and hierarchical ways. Finally, this paper presents evidence that these intellectuals endeavored to use their authority in these matters to position themselves socially as potential advisors to provincial and imperial leaders.