Plotinus

Plotinus (c 203-270 CE) is generally regarded as the founder of Neo-Platonism and is, perhaps, its most important representative. At the age of 28, he turned to philosophy, seeking teachers in the intellectual climate of Alexandria. He was a pupil of Ammonius Saccas, who had been a teacher of Origen, the noted theologian. After 11 years with Ammonius, Plotinus traveled with Emperor Gordianus III to Persia, where he was exposed to Indian ideas. He fled from Persia to Antioch and then on to Rome immediately after the death of Gordianus, where he established a school of philosophy. Between 253 and 270, Plotinus wrote The Enneads, which were then catalogued and organized by his student, Porphyry. Plotinus was influenced by Platonism, Aristotelianism and Stoicism. In spite of his association with many Christians, Plotinus himself never became Christian.

Anthony F. Beavers