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Philosophy and Exegesis in Simplicius: The Methodology of a Commentator, 2008
By: Baltussen, Han

Title	Philosophy and Exegesis in Simplicius: The Methodology of a Commentator
Type	Monograph
Language	English
Date	2008
Publication Place	London
Publisher	Duckworth
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Baltussen, Han
Editor(s)
Translator(s)

This is the first book-length study in English of the interpretative and philosophical approach of the commentaries of Simplicius of Cilicia (c. AD 530). Simplicius' work, marked by doctrinal complexity and scholarship, is unusually self-conscious, learned and rich in its sources, and he is therefore one of those rare authors who is of interest to ancient philosophers, historians and classicists alike. Here, Han Baltussen argues that our understanding of Simplicius' methodology will be greatly enhanced if we study how his scholarly approach impacts on his philosophical exegesis. His commentaries are placed in their intellectual context and several case studies shed light on his critical treatment of earlier philosophers and his often polemical use of previous commentaries. "Philosophy and Exegesis in Simplicius" not only clarifies the objectives, pre-suppositions and impact of Simplicius' work, but also illustrates how, as a competent philosopher explicating Aristotelian and Platonic ideas, he continues and develops a method that pursues philosophy by way of exegetical engagement with earlier thinkers and commentators. The investigation opens up connections with broader issues, such as the reception of Presocratic philosophy within the commentary tradition, the nature and purpose of his commentaries, and the demise of pagan philosophy.

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/wBkXynZOo8rqAiB

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Simplicius of Kilikia, 2008
By: Baltussen, Han, Keyser, Paul T. (Ed.), Irby-Massie, Georgia L. (Ed.)

Title	Simplicius of Kilikia
Type	Book Section
Language	English
Date	2008
Published in	The Encyclopedia of Ancient Natural Scientist. The Greek tradition and its many heirs
Pages	743-745
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Baltussen, Han
Editor(s)	Keyser, Paul T. , Irby-Massie, Georgia L.
Translator(s)

This text provides an overview of Simplicius of Kilikia, a philosopher who wrote several commentaries on Aristotle's works in the 6th century CE. Simplicius fled to Persia with other philosophers after Justinian closed the school in 529 CE. His commentaries offer a Neo-Platonic perspective on Aristotle's philosophy, paraphrasing his dense prose and developing problems and themes from his own perspective. Simplicius made original contributions to scientific issues, such as altering Aristotle's cosmological account and adding to the understanding of time and place. He also wrote a commentary on a Hippocratic work, possibly the On Fractures. [whole text]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/FxCbU2j5VyEsaLb

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From Polemic to Exegesis: The Ancient Philosophical Commentary, 2007
By: Baltussen, Han

Title	From Polemic to Exegesis: The Ancient Philosophical Commentary
Type	Article
Language	English
Date	2007
Journal	Poetics Today
Volume	28
Issue	2
Pages	247–281
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Baltussen, Han
Editor(s)
Translator(s)

Commentary was an important vehicle for philosophical debate in late antiquity. Its antecedents lie in the rise of rational argumentation, polemical rivalry, literacy, and the canonization of texts. This essay aims to give a historical and typological outline of philosophical exegesis in antiquity, from the earliest allegorizing readings of Homer to the full-blown “running commentary” in the Platonic tradition (fourth to sixth centuries CE). Running commentaries are mostly on authoritative thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle. Yet they are never mere scholarly enterprises but, rather, springboards for syncretistic clarification, elaboration, and creative interpretation. Two case studies (Galen 129-219 CE, Simplicius ca. 530 CE) will illustrate the range of exegetical tools available at the end of a long tradition in medical science and in reading Aristotle through Neoplatonic eyes, respectively.

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/YAAcTSBkqDm5xCA

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Addenda Eudemea, 2006
By: Baltussen, Han

Title	Addenda Eudemea
Type	Article
Language	English
Date	2006
Journal	Leeds International Classical Studies
Volume	5
Issue	1
Pages	1-28
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Baltussen, Han
Editor(s)
Translator(s)

This paper presents 16 fragments of the Peripatetic philosopher Eudemus (c. 350-290 BC), which were not printed in the (still) standard edition of Wehrli (1955; revised 1969), but which had been signalled in passing by De Lacy (1957) and Gottschalk (1973). The aim is to provide a text with translation and brief annotation, to be included in a future edition, and to argue that context can add to our understanding of these passages. Their importance lies in bringing greater comprehensiveness to the collection, offering at least five additional (near) quotations, and illustrating the new trend in fragment studies to contextualize fragments on several levels in order to gain further insight into their value and reception. [Author's abstract]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/eI5Vl8PkHDDBXGU

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The Presocratics in the doxographical tradition. Sources, controversies, and current research, 2005
By: Baltussen, Han

Title	The Presocratics in the doxographical tradition. Sources, controversies, and current research
Type	Article
Language	English
Date	2005
Journal	Studia Humaniora Tartuensia
Volume	6
Issue	6
Pages	1-26
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Baltussen, Han
Editor(s)
Translator(s)

In this paper I present a synthetic overview of recent and ongoing research in the field of doxography, that is, the study of the nature, transmission and interrelations of sources for ancient Greek philosophy. The latest revisions of the theory of Hermann Diels (Doxographi Graeci 1879) regarding the historiography ought to be known more widely, as they still influence our understanding of the Presocratics and their reception. The scholarly study on the compilations of Greek philosophical views from Hellenistic and later periods has received a major boost by the first of a projected three-volume study by Mansfeld and Runia (1997). Taking their work as a firm basis I also describe my own work in this area and how it can be related to, and fitted into, this trend by outlining how two important sources for the historiography of Greek philosophy, Theo-phrastus (4th–3rd c. BCE) and Simplicius (early 6th c. AD) stand in a special relation to each other and form an important strand in the doxographical tradition. [Author's abstract]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/1UkxbgXu0jAuujr

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Porphyry: The first Platonist commentator on Aristotle, 2004
By: Karamanolis, George, Adamson, Peter (Ed.), Baltussen, Han (Ed.), Stone, Martin W. F. (Ed.)

Title	Porphyry: The first Platonist commentator on Aristotle
Type	Book Section
Language	English
Date	2004
Published in	Philosophy, Science and Exegesis in Greek, Arabic and Latin commentaries, Volume 1
Pages	97-120
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Karamanolis, George
Editor(s)	Adamson, Peter , Baltussen, Han , Stone, Martin W. F.
Translator(s)

In this paper I shall argue that Porphyry was the first Platonist philosopher to write commentaries on Aristotle’s works. Previous scholars have come close to maintaining such a view, but to my knowledge, this has never been expressly argued. They usually hold that Porphyry was the first of the Neoplatonists (ie. the Platonists after Plotinus) to write commentaries on Aristotle, but not the first of the entire Platonist tradition. One reason for this is that Porphyry’s estimation of Aristotle’s philosophy has not been sufficiently appreciated. In addition, I think, the particular nature of philosophical commentary, composed systematically in late antiquity by philosophers such as Alexander of Aphrodisias, Porphyry, or Iamblichus remains in need of clarification, as does its philosophical motivation. As a result, scholars have tended to credit several Platonists before Porphyry with the writing of commentaries on Aristotelian works, simply because they appear to have made various sorts of comments on one or more of his works. I will argue that these Platonists did not, however, produce commentaries of the sort that Porphyry did, which I consider to be ‘commentaries’ in the proper sense of the term. Their failure to do so, I will argue, owes to their particular shared philosophical background, one which, as I will argue, changes with Porphyry. In the first part of my paper (I) I will outline the difference between the various forms of commentary and the specific form of commentary written by Porphyry. I will claim that in the latter case the author sets out to write a commentary in order to facilitate and encourage its study and assist in its teaching. This presupposes acceptance of the views expressed by the source text and implies an assertion of its authority. The examination of the evidence concerning the Platonists before Porphyry shows that none of them can be credited with a commentary on Aristotle of the sort written by Porphyry (II). I will then try to explain why Porphyry wrote commentaries on Aristotle in the first place (III), which leads me to conjecture that he considered Aristotle’s views in the Categories (IV), the Physics (V), and on first principles (VI) compatible with those of Plato and also sufficiently philosophically valuable as to deserve serious study. I will conclude that Porphyry wrote commentaries on Aristotle because, given his interpretations of Aristotle’s views, he accepted him as an authority next to Plato, and this represented something new in the Platonic tradition (VII). [introduction, p. 97]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/N41MQStD4wulva1

Aristotelianism as a commentary tradition, 2004
By: Fazzo, Silvia, Adamson, Peter (Ed.), Baltussen, Han (Ed.), Stone, Martin W. F. (Ed.)

Title	Aristotelianism as a commentary tradition
Type	Book Section
Language	English
Date	2004
Published in	Philosophy, Science and Exegesis in Greek, Arabic and Latin commentaries, Volume 1
Pages	1-19
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Fazzo, Silvia
Editor(s)	Adamson, Peter , Baltussen, Han , Stone, Martin W. F.
Translator(s)

[Conclusion, p. 14]: We have seen that it was only in the twentieth century, after the two World Wars, that the study of Commentaria in Aristotelem Graeca began to come into its own as a field of research.44 Among the first to make profitable use of the CAG were those Orientalists, chiefly from Germany, who were interested in Greek-Arabic connections and translations. In the case of Alexander, the availability of critical editions of the texts made it possible to identify the Greek counterparts of many short pieces transmitted in Arabic under his name but with titles different from those familiar to us.

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/ARmAVVKwXAN0Dk6

Exegesis in the Derveni Papyrus, 2004
By: Betegh, Gábor, Adamson, Peter (Ed.), Baltussen, Han (Ed.), Stone, Martin W. F. (Ed.)

Title	Exegesis in the Derveni Papyrus
Type	Book Section
Language	English
Date	2004
Published in	Philosophy, Science and Exegesis in Greek, Arabic and Latin commentaries, Volume 1
Pages	37-50
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Betegh, Gábor
Editor(s)	Adamson, Peter , Baltussen, Han , Stone, Martin W. F.
Translator(s)

The text of the Derveni papyrus has often been labeled ‘a commentary’, or a hypomnema and its unidentified author has habitually been called ‘the Derveni commentator.’ The roll, which was found among the remains of the funeral pyre of a Macedonian tomb, has been dated to the last third of the fourth century BC on the basis of the archeological evidence. Moreover, there is an overriding consensus among scholars that the text was composed sometime around the end of the Presocratic period.1 Given this early dating of the text, it appears to be most significant for our knowledge of the early, pre-Hellenistic phase of the commentary tradition. Indeed, if both the dating and the above characterization is correct, the Derveni text is probably the earliest surviving specimen of this genre, and certainly the earliest document providing first-hand evidence of sufficient length for direct textual analysis.Alas, things with the Derveni papyrus are never so clear-cut. Most importantly, it is not entirely evident whether it is legitimate to call the whole text a ‘commentary’ at all, and, if so, with what qualifications. This is the basic question that I shall try to examine in this paper. I shall tackle the issue by breaking it down into two, more or less independent, sets of problems. The first of the two is largely formal and relatively simple. It amounts to asking whether or not the Derveni text, or more precisely what has survived of it, conforms with certain formal and structural features that we normally expect from a commentary. The second set of problems is considerably more complex. To put it bluntly, I shall ask why the Derveni author set out in the first place to interpret the object of his exegesis. This question thus pertains to both the author’s cognitive and pragmatic attitude towards the object of his interpretative enterprise, and, closely related to these, to the specific cultural and sociological context in which the author pursues his exegesis. It is also in this second part that I shall try to present a sympathetic rendering of the so-called ‘allegorical’ method of the Derveni author. [Introduction, p. 37]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/GJjS0gyR2rIo9Cj

The Aristotelian Commentators: A Bibliographical Guide, 2004
By: Sellars, J. T., Adamson, Peter (Ed.), Baltussen, Han (Ed.), Stone, Martin W. F. (Ed.)

Title	The Aristotelian Commentators: A Bibliographical Guide
Type	Book Section
Language	English
Date	2004
Published in	Philosophy, Science and Exegesis in Greek, Arabic and Latin commentaries, Volume 1
Pages	239-268
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Sellars, J. T.
Editor(s)	Adamson, Peter , Baltussen, Han , Stone, Martin W. F.
Translator(s)

In what follows I offer a bibliographical guide to the ancient commentators on Aristotle, outlining where one may find texts, translations, studies, and more detailed bibliographies containing further references.* It is designed to supplement the existing bibliography in: [l] R. Sorabji, ed., Aristotle Transformed: The Ancient Commentators and Their Influence (London: Duckworth, 1990), 485-524. The focus here is on the ancient commentators, but reference will also be made to Byzantine commentators. For a list of around 300 commentators on Aristotle - ancient, Byzantine, Islamic, medieval, and renaissance - see the final pages of [ 2 ] Operum Aristotelis Stagiritae Philosophorum Omnium, ed. I Casaubon (Lugduni, apud Guillelmum Laemarium, 1590). This list is followed by a detailed inventory of individual commentaries arranged by the Aristotelian text upon which they comment. This very useful second list is reprinted in: [3] Aristotelis Opera Omnia quae extant Uno Volumine Comprehensa, ed. C. H. Weise (Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1843), 1013-18. Note also the more recent list of ancient commentaries by R. Goulet in D P h A 1,437-41 (1993), now supplemented by M. Chase in DPhA Suppl., 113-21 (2003). [Introduction, p. 239]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/sYbkNe4lpIE1WVb

The κοινη αισθεσις in Proclus and Ps.-Simplicius, 2004
By: Lautner, Peter, Stone, Martin W. F. (Ed.), Baltussen, Han (Ed.), Adamson, Peter (Ed.)

Title	The κοινη αισθεσις in Proclus and Ps.-Simplicius
Type	Book Section
Language	English
Date	2004
Published in	Philosophy, Science and Exegesis in Greek, Arabic and Latin commentaries, Volume 1
Pages	163-174
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Lautner, Peter
Editor(s)	Stone, Martin W. F. , Baltussen, Han , Adamson, Peter
Translator(s)

Although the metaphysical systems of the Neoplatonists at Athens were much the same, their views on the human soul, particularly on its activities, showed great divergence. This is all the more striking because they were all heavily influenced by Iamblichus. But the mode and extent of that influence varied a great deal, and their theories of the human soul varied accordingly. As a case study, I shall examine the position of Proclus and Pseudo-Simplicius on the koinê aisthêsis. Both authors took Aristotle's views as the point of departure; that is obvious in Pseudo-Simplicius' commentary on the De anima and easily detectable in Proclus' commentary on the Timaeus. Moreover, both of them paid special attention to the problem of whether this sense is separate from the five particular senses or just a joint activity of the senses. My aim is to show that the different conceptions are signs of a deeper divergence. Despite the similarity of their metaphysical outlook, their views on the structure of the human soul were considerably different, and this left its mark on their accounts of the koinê aisthêsis. [Introduction, p. 163]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/mmogdVPzGKbtNc8

PAGE 2 OF 3

Priscianus of Ludia, 2008
By: Baltussen, Han, Keyser, Paul T. (Ed.), Irby-Massie, Georgia L. (Ed.)

Title	Priscianus of Ludia
Type	Book Section
Language	English
Date	2008
Published in	The Encyclopedia of Ancient Natural Scientist. The Greek tradition and its many heirs
Pages	695-696
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Baltussen, Han
Editor(s)	Keyser, Paul T. , Irby-Massie, Georgia L.
Translator(s)

This text provides a brief overview of Priscianus of Ludia, a Neo-Platonic philosopher who was active in Athens during Justinian's reign. [whole text]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/phcZUzffGVrwQFw

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Simplicius and Aristotle's Dialectic, 2023
By: Baltussen, Han, Muzala, Melina (Ed.)

Title	Simplicius and Aristotle's Dialectic
Type	Book Section
Language	English
Date	2023
Published in	Ancient Greek Dialectic and Its Reception
Pages	441-456
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Baltussen, Han
Editor(s)	Muzala, Melina
Translator(s)

The focus of this chapter is one aspect of Aristotle’s dialectic which has been
under-explored until recently and may throw some light on the approach of the
late Platonist philosopher and scholar Simplicius (c. 480–c. 540 CE), in particular
his Aristotelian tendencies when it comes to constructing his huge commentaries.
I am referring to one of the possible applications of the dialectical method as
sketched by Aristotle in his first and eighth books of the Topics. In my previous
work I have been studying this aspect of Aristotle’s methodology, emphasizing
the important distinction between propaedeutic and applied dialectic. At the core of those efforts was an attempt to show how one can take Aristotle’s claims
for a scientific use of dialectic seriously, so long as we have a proper understanding of the status of propaedeutic dialectic as it is expounded in his Topics (school practice and exercises) against the applied form of (evolved) dialectic which goes far beyond this early form, debating skills which have become transformed into an internalized form of dialectic. [author's abstract]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/qrKKk0yO57h5GCh

{"_index":"sire","_type":"_doc","_id":"1578","_score":null,"_ignored":["booksection.book.abstract.keyword"],"_source":{"id":1578,"authors_free":[{"id":2757,"entry_id":1578,"agent_type":"person","is_normalised":1,"person_id":39,"institution_id":null,"role":{"id":1,"role_name":"author"},"free_name":"Baltussen, Han","free_first_name":"Han","free_last_name":"Baltussen","norm_person":{"id":39,"first_name":"Han","last_name":"Baltussen","full_name":"Baltussen, Han","short_ident":"","is_classical_name":null,"dnb_url":"http:\/\/d-nb.info\/gnd\/136236456","viaf_url":"","db_url":"","from_claudius":null}},{"id":2758,"entry_id":1578,"agent_type":"person","is_normalised":1,"person_id":573,"institution_id":null,"role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"},"free_name":"Muzala, Melina","free_first_name":"Melina","free_last_name":"Muzala","norm_person":{"id":573,"first_name":"Melina","last_name":"Muzala","full_name":"Muzala, Melina","short_ident":"","is_classical_name":null,"dnb_url":"https:\/\/d-nb.info\/gnd\/1229010815","viaf_url":"","db_url":"","from_claudius":null}}],"entry_title":"Simplicius and Aristotle's Dialectic","main_title":{"title":"Simplicius and Aristotle's Dialectic"},"abstract":"The focus of this chapter is one aspect of Aristotle\u2019s dialectic which has been\r\nunder-explored until recently and may throw some light on the approach of the\r\nlate Platonist philosopher and scholar Simplicius (c. 480\u2013c. 540 CE), in particular\r\nhis Aristotelian tendencies when it comes to constructing his huge commentaries.\r\nI am referring to one of the possible applications of the dialectical method as\r\nsketched by Aristotle in his first and eighth books of the Topics. In my previous\r\nwork I have been studying this aspect of Aristotle\u2019s methodology, emphasizing\r\nthe important distinction between propaedeutic and applied dialectic. At the core of those efforts was an attempt to show how one can take Aristotle\u2019s claims\r\nfor a scientific use of dialectic seriously, so long as we have a proper understanding of the status of propaedeutic dialectic as it is expounded in his Topics (school practice and exercises) against the applied form of (evolved) dialectic which goes far beyond this early form, debating skills which have become transformed into an internalized form of dialectic. [author's abstract]","btype":2,"date":"2023","language":"English","online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/qrKKk0yO57h5GCh","doi_url":null,"categories":[],"authors":[{"id":39,"full_name":"Baltussen, Han","role":{"id":1,"role_name":"author"}},{"id":573,"full_name":"Muzala, Melina","role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"}}],"book":null,"booksection":{"id":1578,"section_of":1577,"pages":"441-456","is_catalog":null,"book":{"id":1577,"bilderberg_idno":null,"dare_idno":null,"catalog_idno":null,"entry_type":"bibliography","type":4,"language":"no language selected","title":"Ancient Greek Dialectic and Its Reception","title_transcript":"","title_translation":"","short_title":"","has_no_author":null,"volume":null,"date":"2023","edition_no":null,"free_date":null,"abstract":"The volume focusses on ancient Greek dialectic and its impact on later philosophical thought, up to Byzantium. The contributions are written by distinguished scholars in their respective fields of study and shed light on the relation of ancient Greek dialectic to various aspects of human life and soul, to self-knowledge and self-consciousness, to science, rhetoric, and political theory. ","republication_of":null,"online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/MoGCt68R9BNx3zl","translation_of":null,"new_edition_of":null,"is_catalog":0,"in_bibliography":0,"is_inactive":0,"notes":null,"doi_url":null,"book":{"id":1577,"pubplace":"Berlin\/Boston","publisher":"De Gruyter","series":"Topics in Ancient Philosophy\/ Themen der antiken Philosophie","volume":"10","edition_no":"","valid_from":null,"valid_until":null}}},"article":null},"sort":["Simplicius and Aristotle's Dialectic"]}

Simplicius and the Commentator's Task: Clarifying Exegeses and Exegetical Techniques, 2019
By: Baltussen, Han, Strobel, Benedikt (Ed.)

Title	Simplicius and the Commentator's Task: Clarifying Exegeses and Exegetical Techniques
Type	Book Section
Language	English
Date	2019
Published in	Die Kunst der philosophischen Exegese bei den spätanitken Platon- und Aristoteles Kommentatoren. Akten der 15. Tagung der Karl und Gertrud Abel-Stiftung vom 4. bis 6. Oktober 2012 in Trier
Pages	159-183
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Baltussen, Han
Editor(s)	Strobel, Benedikt
Translator(s)

Simplicius’ exegetical strategies are explicitly and implicitly formed by what he was reading. What we still have shows him reading Aristotle and
his interpreters. His isolation resulting from Justinian’s prohibition on pagan teaching activity may have contributed to the length of his expositions – which makes it plausible, therefore, that both historical and ideological reasons help to explain the size and approach of his works. In broad terms, we can characterise his method as close reading of texts, the use of multiple texts
and authors, based on lemmata and an overall mixed agenda (pedagogy, philosophy, ideology). At a more detailed level we saw that he is capable of
handling text variations and different manuscripts, speaks in a self-effacing way (a personal voice is rare), and uses advanced exegetical strategies (majority views important; letter vs. spirit; technical terminology). All these features
justify the conclusion that his work was a synthesis of both philosophical views and their exegetical clarifications. Overall, Simplicius’ aim to annotate Aristotle’s work and preserve Greek philosophy with its exegetical tradition makes for a truly polymathic program driven by different, and sometimes competing, agendas. [conclusion, p. 180]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/STp0MwNou2BN74m

{"_index":"sire","_type":"_doc","_id":"655","_score":null,"_ignored":["booksection.book.abstract.keyword"],"_source":{"id":655,"authors_free":[{"id":943,"entry_id":655,"agent_type":null,"is_normalised":null,"person_id":39,"institution_id":null,"role":{"id":1,"role_name":"author"},"free_name":"Baltussen, Han","free_first_name":"Han","free_last_name":"Baltussen","norm_person":{"id":39,"first_name":"Han","last_name":"Baltussen","full_name":"Baltussen, Han","short_ident":"","is_classical_name":null,"dnb_url":"http:\/\/d-nb.info\/gnd\/136236456","viaf_url":"","db_url":"","from_claudius":null}},{"id":944,"entry_id":655,"agent_type":null,"is_normalised":null,"person_id":326,"institution_id":null,"role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"},"free_name":"Strobel, Benedikt","free_first_name":"Benedikt","free_last_name":"Strobel","norm_person":{"id":326,"first_name":" Benedikt","last_name":"Strobel,","full_name":"Strobel, Benedikt","short_ident":"","is_classical_name":null,"dnb_url":"http:\/\/d-nb.info\/gnd\/173882056","viaf_url":"","db_url":"","from_claudius":null}}],"entry_title":"Simplicius and the Commentator's Task: Clarifying Exegeses and Exegetical Techniques","main_title":{"title":"Simplicius and the Commentator's Task: Clarifying Exegeses and Exegetical Techniques"},"abstract":"Simplicius\u2019 exegetical strategies are explicitly and implicitly formed by what he was reading. What we still have shows him reading Aristotle and\r\nhis interpreters. His isolation resulting from Justinian\u2019s prohibition on pagan teaching activity may have contributed to the length of his expositions \u2013 which makes it plausible, therefore, that both historical and ideological reasons help to explain the size and approach of his works. In broad terms, we can characterise his method as close reading of texts, the use of multiple texts\r\nand authors, based on lemmata and an overall mixed agenda (pedagogy, philosophy, ideology). At a more detailed level we saw that he is capable of\r\nhandling text variations and different manuscripts, speaks in a self-effacing way (a personal voice is rare), and uses advanced exegetical strategies (majority views important; letter vs. spirit; technical terminology). All these features\r\njustify the conclusion that his work was a synthesis of both philosophical views and their exegetical clarifications. Overall, Simplicius\u2019 aim to annotate Aristotle\u2019s work and preserve Greek philosophy with its exegetical tradition makes for a truly polymathic program driven by different, and sometimes competing, agendas. [conclusion, p. 180]","btype":2,"date":"2019","language":"English","online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/STp0MwNou2BN74m","doi_url":null,"categories":[],"authors":[{"id":39,"full_name":"Baltussen, Han","role":{"id":1,"role_name":"author"}},{"id":326,"full_name":"Strobel, Benedikt","role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"}}],"book":null,"booksection":{"id":655,"section_of":289,"pages":"159-183","is_catalog":null,"book":{"id":289,"bilderberg_idno":null,"dare_idno":null,"catalog_idno":null,"entry_type":null,"type":4,"language":"de","title":"Die Kunst der philosophischen Exegese bei den sp\u00e4tanitken Platon- und Aristoteles Kommentatoren. Akten der 15. Tagung der Karl und Gertrud Abel-Stiftung vom 4. bis 6. Oktober 2012 in Trier","title_transcript":"","title_translation":"","short_title":"Strobel2019","has_no_author":null,"volume":null,"date":"2018","edition_no":null,"free_date":"2018","abstract":"This volume uses prominent case examples to examine the amalgam of exegetical and philosophical interests that characterize the literature of Neoplatonist commentary in late antiquity. The essays consistently reveal the linguistic difficulties encountered by the commentators due to the complex relationship between Platonic and Aristotelian theory.","republication_of":null,"online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/T1HDXUI5JWMgcGy","translation_of":null,"new_edition_of":null,"is_catalog":0,"in_bibliography":0,"is_inactive":0,"notes":null,"doi_url":null,"book":{"id":289,"pubplace":"Berlin \u2013 Boston","publisher":"De Gruyter","series":"Philosophie der Antike","volume":"36","edition_no":"","valid_from":null,"valid_until":null}}},"article":null},"sort":["Simplicius and the Commentator's Task: Clarifying Exegeses and Exegetical Techniques"]}

Simplicius and the Subversion of Authority, 2010
By: Baltussen, Han

Title	Simplicius and the Subversion of Authority
Type	Article
Language	English
Date	2010
Journal	Antiquorum Philosophial
Volume	3
Pages	121-136
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Baltussen, Han
Editor(s)
Translator(s)

Simplicius’ elaborate commentaries, written after 532 c.e., have always stood apart
in the post-Plotinian tradition of  late Platonism.1 Unlike many philosophical com-
mentaries from 300-500 ad (Porphyry, Syrianus, Iamblichus, Proclus, Damascius), they
are not notes taken in class ‘from the voice of  the teacher’ (apo phônês), they are not
short on clear source references, nor are they, on the whole, cavalier in representing oth-
er people’s views. Instead, they are very scholarly due to lavish source materials, full of
actual quotations, and make use of  source referencing. These features illustrate how he
aims to be well-documented, responsible and comprehensive in his clarification of  Aris-
totle’s text. One other peculiarity which has been noted by students of  late Platonism
(also clarified in my recent study of  his methodology),2 is his attempt to counteract the
intellectual influence of  Christianity and their accusations of  disunity among pagans,
against which they placed the unified theology of  the Trinity: he aims to present the
Greek philosophical tradition as unified. [p. 121]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/9To60zNZe4T1kFt

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Simplicius of Cilicia, 2010
By: Baltussen, Han, Gerson, Lloyd P. (Ed.)

Title	Simplicius of Cilicia
Type	Book Section
Language	English
Date	2010
Published in	The Cambridge History of Philosophy in Late Antiquity, Volume II
Pages	711-732
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Baltussen, Han
Editor(s)	Gerson, Lloyd P.
Translator(s)

The text discusses the life and works of Simplicius of Cilicia, a philosopher from the 6th century CE. Little is known about his life, but he received education from prominent figures such as Ammonius in Alexandria and Damascius in Athens. Simplicius' philosophical outlook was influenced by Porphyry, Iamblichus, and Proclus. The expulsion of Platonists from Athens in 532 CE halted school activities, and Simplicius' life span is estimated to be around 480-560 CE. The abstract mentions the debates about where Simplicius went after his trip to Persia, with some suggesting Harran in Syria as a possible safe haven. The works attributed to Simplicius include commentaries on Aristotle's Categories, Physics, and On the Heavens, and possibly Metaphysics (lost) and De Anima. He also wrote a commentary on Epictetus' Handbook and a summary version of Theophrastus' Physics. Simplicius' importance as a source for ancient Greek philosophy and science has sometimes overshadowed his contributions as an independent thinker. The methodology of Simplicius' vast output is discussed, highlighting his role in transmitting Greek philosophy and science. While he is known for using quotations to substantiate and clarify his work, he is not merely seen as a conduit of earlier thinkers. The text emphasizes the need to view Simplicius as an independent thinker and not just a commentator. The neglectful view of Simplicius in the past is attributed to a focus on fragment-hunting and the recovery of early Greek philosophy. [introduction]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/dqDtt1zG1ifPfb9

{"_index":"sire","_type":"_doc","_id":"965","_score":null,"_ignored":["booksection.book.abstract.keyword"],"_source":{"id":965,"authors_free":[{"id":1449,"entry_id":965,"agent_type":null,"is_normalised":null,"person_id":39,"institution_id":null,"role":{"id":1,"role_name":"author"},"free_name":"Baltussen, Han","free_first_name":"Han","free_last_name":"Baltussen","norm_person":{"id":39,"first_name":"Han","last_name":"Baltussen","full_name":"Baltussen, Han","short_ident":"","is_classical_name":null,"dnb_url":"http:\/\/d-nb.info\/gnd\/136236456","viaf_url":"","db_url":"","from_claudius":null}},{"id":2091,"entry_id":965,"agent_type":"person","is_normalised":1,"person_id":46,"institution_id":null,"role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"},"free_name":"Gerson, Lloyd P.","free_first_name":"Lloyd P.","free_last_name":"Gerson","norm_person":{"id":46,"first_name":"Lloyd P.","last_name":"Gerson","full_name":"Gerson, Lloyd P.","short_ident":"","is_classical_name":null,"dnb_url":"http:\/\/d-nb.info\/gnd\/131525573","viaf_url":"","db_url":"","from_claudius":null}}],"entry_title":"Simplicius of Cilicia","main_title":{"title":"Simplicius of Cilicia"},"abstract":"The text discusses the life and works of Simplicius of Cilicia, a philosopher from the 6th century CE. Little is known about his life, but he received education from prominent figures such as Ammonius in Alexandria and Damascius in Athens. Simplicius' philosophical outlook was influenced by Porphyry, Iamblichus, and Proclus. The expulsion of Platonists from Athens in 532 CE halted school activities, and Simplicius' life span is estimated to be around 480-560 CE. The abstract mentions the debates about where Simplicius went after his trip to Persia, with some suggesting Harran in Syria as a possible safe haven. The works attributed to Simplicius include commentaries on Aristotle's Categories, Physics, and On the Heavens, and possibly Metaphysics (lost) and De Anima. He also wrote a commentary on Epictetus' Handbook and a summary version of Theophrastus' Physics. Simplicius' importance as a source for ancient Greek philosophy and science has sometimes overshadowed his contributions as an independent thinker. The methodology of Simplicius' vast output is discussed, highlighting his role in transmitting Greek philosophy and science. While he is known for using quotations to substantiate and clarify his work, he is not merely seen as a conduit of earlier thinkers. The text emphasizes the need to view Simplicius as an independent thinker and not just a commentator. The neglectful view of Simplicius in the past is attributed to a focus on fragment-hunting and the recovery of early Greek philosophy. [introduction]","btype":2,"date":"2010","language":"English","online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/dqDtt1zG1ifPfb9","doi_url":null,"categories":[],"authors":[{"id":39,"full_name":"Baltussen, Han","role":{"id":1,"role_name":"author"}},{"id":46,"full_name":"Gerson, Lloyd P.","role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"}}],"book":null,"booksection":{"id":965,"section_of":964,"pages":"711-732","is_catalog":null,"book":{"id":964,"bilderberg_idno":null,"dare_idno":null,"catalog_idno":null,"entry_type":null,"type":4,"language":"en","title":"The Cambridge History of Philosophy in Late Antiquity, Volume II","title_transcript":"","title_translation":"","short_title":"Gerson2011","has_no_author":null,"volume":null,"date":"2011","edition_no":null,"free_date":"2010","abstract":"The Cambridge History of Philosophy in Late Antiquity comprises over forty specially commissioned essays by experts on the philosophy of the period 200\u2013800 CE. Designed as a successor to The Cambridge History of Later Greek and Early Medieval Philosophy (edited by A. H. Armstrong), it takes into account some forty years of scholarship since the publication of that volume. The contributors examine philosophy as it entered literature, science and religion, and offer new and extensive assessments of philosophers who until recently have been mostly ignored. The volume also includes a complete digest of all philosophical works known to have been written during this period. It will be an invaluable resource for all those interested in this rich and still emerging field. [author's abstract]","republication_of":null,"online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/m4jubd6IQgEk4Bo","translation_of":null,"new_edition_of":null,"is_catalog":0,"in_bibliography":0,"is_inactive":0,"notes":null,"doi_url":null,"book":{"id":964,"pubplace":"Cambridge","publisher":"Cambridge University Press","series":"","volume":"2","edition_no":"","valid_from":null,"valid_until":null}}},"article":null},"sort":["Simplicius of Cilicia"]}

Simplicius of Kilikia, 2008
By: Baltussen, Han, Keyser, Paul T. (Ed.), Irby-Massie, Georgia L. (Ed.)

Title	Simplicius of Kilikia
Type	Book Section
Language	English
Date	2008
Published in	The Encyclopedia of Ancient Natural Scientist. The Greek tradition and its many heirs
Pages	743-745
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Baltussen, Han
Editor(s)	Keyser, Paul T. , Irby-Massie, Georgia L.
Translator(s)

This text provides an overview of Simplicius of Kilikia, a philosopher who wrote several commentaries on Aristotle's works in the 6th century CE. Simplicius fled to Persia with other philosophers after Justinian closed the school in 529 CE. His commentaries offer a Neo-Platonic perspective on Aristotle's philosophy, paraphrasing his dense prose and developing problems and themes from his own perspective. Simplicius made original contributions to scientific issues, such as altering Aristotle's cosmological account and adding to the understanding of time and place. He also wrote a commentary on a Hippocratic work, possibly the On Fractures. [whole text]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/FxCbU2j5VyEsaLb

Simplicius on elements and causes in Greek philosophy: critical appraisal or philosophical synthesis?, 2015
By: Baltussen, Han, Marmodoro, Anna (Ed.), Prince, Brian (Ed.)

Title	Simplicius on elements and causes in Greek philosophy: critical appraisal or philosophical synthesis?
Type	Book Section
Language	English
Date	2015
Published in	Causation and Creation in Late Antiquity
Pages	111-128
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Baltussen, Han
Editor(s)	Marmodoro, Anna , Prince, Brian
Translator(s)

M y aim in this chapter is to examine Sim plicius’ technique o f com pos
ition and how it helps structure his evaluative com m ents. Such an investi
gation will clarify  how  his  remarkably  inclusive  selection  procedure  seeks 
to  draw  on  w hatever  sources  he  thinks  useful  for  his  purpose. [p. 111]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/Qu7Nf9sjlkOyAUF

{"_index":"sire","_type":"_doc","_id":"912","_score":null,"_ignored":["booksection.book.abstract.keyword"],"_source":{"id":912,"authors_free":[{"id":1343,"entry_id":912,"agent_type":null,"is_normalised":null,"person_id":39,"institution_id":null,"role":{"id":1,"role_name":"author"},"free_name":"Baltussen, Han","free_first_name":"Han","free_last_name":"Baltussen","norm_person":{"id":39,"first_name":"Han","last_name":"Baltussen","full_name":"Baltussen, Han","short_ident":"","is_classical_name":null,"dnb_url":"http:\/\/d-nb.info\/gnd\/136236456","viaf_url":"","db_url":"","from_claudius":null}},{"id":2089,"entry_id":912,"agent_type":"person","is_normalised":1,"person_id":47,"institution_id":null,"role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"},"free_name":"Marmodoro, Anna","free_first_name":"Anna","free_last_name":"Marmodoro","norm_person":{"id":47,"first_name":"Anna","last_name":"Marmodoro","full_name":"Marmodoro, Anna","short_ident":"","is_classical_name":null,"dnb_url":"http:\/\/d-nb.info\/gnd\/1043592326","viaf_url":"","db_url":"","from_claudius":null}},{"id":2090,"entry_id":912,"agent_type":"person","is_normalised":1,"person_id":48,"institution_id":null,"role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"},"free_name":"Prince, Brian","free_first_name":"Brian","free_last_name":"Prince","norm_person":{"id":48,"first_name":"Brian","last_name":"Prince","full_name":"Prince, Brian","short_ident":"","is_classical_name":null,"dnb_url":"","viaf_url":"","db_url":"","from_claudius":null}}],"entry_title":"Simplicius on elements and causes in Greek philosophy: critical appraisal or philosophical synthesis?","main_title":{"title":"Simplicius on elements and causes in Greek philosophy: critical appraisal or philosophical synthesis?"},"abstract":"M y aim in this chapter is to examine Sim plicius\u2019 technique o f com pos\u00ad\r\nition and how it helps structure his evaluative com m ents. Such an investi\u00ad\r\ngation will clarify how his remarkably inclusive selection procedure seeks \r\nto draw on w hatever sources he thinks useful for his purpose. [p. 111]","btype":2,"date":"2015","language":"English","online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/Qu7Nf9sjlkOyAUF","doi_url":null,"categories":[],"authors":[{"id":39,"full_name":"Baltussen, Han","role":{"id":1,"role_name":"author"}},{"id":47,"full_name":"Marmodoro, Anna","role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"}},{"id":48,"full_name":"Prince, Brian","role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"}}],"book":null,"booksection":{"id":912,"section_of":155,"pages":"111-128","is_catalog":null,"book":{"id":155,"bilderberg_idno":null,"dare_idno":null,"catalog_idno":null,"entry_type":null,"type":4,"language":"en","title":"Causation and Creation in Late Antiquity","title_transcript":"","title_translation":"","short_title":"Marmodoro\/Prince2015","has_no_author":null,"volume":null,"date":"2015","edition_no":null,"free_date":"2015","abstract":"Written by a group of leading scholars, this unique collection of essays investigates the views of both pagan and Christian philosophers on causation and the creation of the cosmos. Structured in two parts, the volume first looks at divine agency and how late antique thinkers, including the Stoics, Plotinus, Porphyry, Simplicius, Philoponus and Gregory of Nyssa, tackled questions such as: is the cosmos eternal? Did it come from nothing or from something pre-existing? How was it caused to come into existence? Is it material or immaterial? The second part looks at questions concerning human agency and responsibility, including the problem of evil and the nature of will, considering thinkers such as Plotinus, Porphyry, Proclus and Augustine. Highlighting some of the most important and interesting aspects of these philosophical debates, the volume will be of great interest to upper-level students and scholars of philosophy, classics, theology and ancient history.","republication_of":null,"online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/kmaeEwrlY6zOmkp","translation_of":null,"new_edition_of":null,"is_catalog":0,"in_bibliography":0,"is_inactive":0,"notes":null,"doi_url":null,"book":{"id":155,"pubplace":"Cambridge","publisher":"Cambridge University Press","series":"","volume":"","edition_no":null,"valid_from":null,"valid_until":null}}},"article":null},"sort":["Simplicius on elements and causes in Greek philosophy: critical appraisal or philosophical synthesis?"]}

Simplicius, On Aristotle ‘Physics 1.5–9’, 2012
By: Simplicius , Baltussen, Han (Ed.), Atkinson, Michael (Ed.), Share, Michael (Ed.), Mueller, Ian (Ed.)

Title	Simplicius, On Aristotle ‘Physics 1.5–9’
Type	Monograph
Language	English
Date	2012
Publication Place	London
Publisher	Bloomsbury
Series	Ancient Commentators on Aristotle
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	, Simplicius
Editor(s)	Baltussen, Han , Atkinson, Michael , Share, Michael , Mueller, Ian
Translator(s)	Baltussen, Han(Baltussen, Han) , Atkinson, M.(Atkinson, Michael ) , Share, Michael (Share, Michael ) , Mueller, Ian(Mueller, Ian) ,

Simplicius' greatest contribution in his commentary on Aristotle on Physics 1.5-9 lies in his treatment of matter. The sixth-century philosopher starts with a valuable elucidation of what Aristotle means by 'principle' and 'element' in Physics. Simplicius' own conception of matter is of a quantity that is utterly diffuse because of its extreme distance from its source, the Neoplatonic One, and he tries to find this conception both in Plato's account of space and in a stray remark of Aristotle's. Finally, Simplicius rejects the Manichaean view that matter is evil and answers a Christian objection that to make matter imperishable is to put it on a level with God. This is the first translation of Simplicius' important work into English. [official abstact]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/oDOpblWQWChcrih

The Aristotelian Commentators: A Bibliographical Guide, 2004
By: Sellars, J. T., Adamson, Peter (Ed.), Baltussen, Han (Ed.), Stone, Martin W. F. (Ed.)

Title	The Aristotelian Commentators: A Bibliographical Guide
Type	Book Section
Language	English
Date	2004
Published in	Philosophy, Science and Exegesis in Greek, Arabic and Latin commentaries, Volume 1
Pages	239-268
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Sellars, J. T.
Editor(s)	Adamson, Peter , Baltussen, Han , Stone, Martin W. F.
Translator(s)

In  what follows I offer a bibliographical guide to the ancient commentators on Aristotle, 
outlining where one may find texts, translations, studies, and more detailed bibliographies 
containing further references.* It  is designed to supplement the  existing bibliography in: 
[l] R.  Sorabji, ed., Aristotle  Transformed: The Ancient Commentators and Their Influence 
(London: Duckworth, 1990), 485-524. 
The  focus  here  is  on  the  ancient  commentators, but  reference  will  also  be  made  to 
Byzantine commentators. For  a  list of  around 300 commentators on Aristotle - ancient, 
Byzantine,  Islamic,  medieval,  and  renaissance  - see  the  final  pages  of  [ 2 ]   Operum 
Aristotelis Stagiritae Philosophorum Omnium,  ed.  I Casaubon  (Lugduni,  apud 
Guillelmum Laemarium, 1590). This list is followed by  a detailed inventory of  individual 
commentaries  arranged  by  the  Aristotelian  text  upon  which  they  comment.  This  very 
useful  second list is reprinted in:  [3] Aristotelis  Opera Omnia quae  extant  Uno Volumine 
Comprehensa, ed. C. H.  Weise (Leipzig: Tauchnitz, 1843), 1013-18. Note also the more 
recent  list  of ancient  commentaries  by R.  Goulet  in  D P h A   1,437-41  (1993),  now 
supplemented by  M. Chase in DPhA Suppl., 113-21 (2003). [Introduction, p. 239]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/sYbkNe4lpIE1WVb

The Presocratics in the doxographical tradition. Sources, controversies, and current research, 2005
By: Baltussen, Han

Title	The Presocratics in the doxographical tradition. Sources, controversies, and current research
Type	Article
Language	English
Date	2005
Journal	Studia Humaniora Tartuensia
Volume	6
Issue	6
Pages	1-26
Categories	no categories
Author(s)	Baltussen, Han
Editor(s)
Translator(s)

In this paper I present a synthetic overview of recent and ongoing research in the field of doxography, that is,  the  study  of  the  nature,  transmission  and  interrelations  of  sources  for  ancient  Greek  philosophy.  The  latest revisions of the theory of Hermann Diels (Doxographi Graeci 1879) regarding the historiography ought to be known more widely, as they still influence our understanding of the Presocratics and their reception. The scholarly study on the compilations of Greek philosophical views from Hellenistic and later periods has received a major boost by the first of a projected three-volume study by Mansfeld and Runia (1997). Taking their work as a firm basis I also describe my own work in this area and how it can be related to, and fitted into, this trend by outlining how two important sources for the historiography of Greek philosophy, Theo-phrastus (4th–3rd c. BCE) and Simplicius (early 6th c. AD) stand in a special relation to each other and form an important strand in the doxographical tradition. [Author's abstract]

Online Resources

https://uni-koeln.sciebo.de/s/1UkxbgXu0jAuujr

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