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Content archived on 2024-06-18

Plotinus against Gnostics: a New Survey

Final Report Summary - PAGANS (Plotinus against Gnostics: a New Survey)

Comprehensive Summary Overview of Scientific Results

Here follows a list of the scientific achievements carried out during the project research activity.

Plotinus, Treatise 30 (III.8) On Contemplation. Revision of the manuscript tradition, with special focus on the so-called branch z (the most important witnesses of which are the Marc. Gr. 242, the Ambr. Gr. 667, and the Vind. Phil. Gr. 102), which appears to be in need of a new serious stemmatic evaluation. Analysis of the indirect tradition, constitution of the critical text, preparation of the three apparatus layers (testium, fontium, and criticus), drafting of an Italian working translation, revision of the new French translation (prepared by Prof. Jean-Marc Narbonne, Université Laval, Québec), preparation of the philological/philosophical commentary (with the collaboration of Prof. Jean-Marc Narbonne).

Plotinus, Treatise 31 (V.8) On the Intelligible Beauty. Revision of the manuscript tradition, with special focus on the so-called branch z (the most important witnesses of which are the Marc. Gr. 242, the Ambr. Gr. 667, and the Vind. Phil. Gr. 102), which appears to be in need of a new serious stemmatic evaluation. Analysis of the indirect tradition, constitution of the critical text, preparation of the three apparatus layers (testium, fontium, and criticus), drafting of an Italian working translation, revision of the new French translation (prepared by Dr Simon Fortier, Université de Liège, and Prof. Jean-Marc Narbonne), preparation of the philological/philosophical commentary (with the collaboration of Prof. Kevin Corrigan, Emory University, Atlanta, and Prof. John Turner, University of Nebraska-Lincoln).

Plotinus, Treatise 32 (V.5) That the Intellectual Beings are not Outside the Intellect, and on the Good. Revision of the manuscript tradition, with special focus on the so-called branch z (the most important witnesses of which are the Marc. Gr. 242, the Ambr. Gr. 667, and the Vind. Phil. Gr. 102), which appears to be in need of a new serious stemmatic evaluation. Analysis of the indirect tradition, constitution of the critical text, preparation of the three apparatus layers (testium, fontium, and criticus), drafting of an Italian working translation, revision of the new French translation (prepared by Dr Francis Lacroix, Université Laval, and Prof. Jean-Marc Narbonne), preparation of the philological/philosophical commentary (with the collaboration of Prof. Kevin Corrigan, Emory University, Atlanta, and Prof. John Turner, University of Nebraska-Lincoln).

The described research activity on Plotinus’ Treatises 30-32 is a crucial step in the preparation of the next Projet Plotin volume, the publication of which is expected within the C.U.F. series of the Parisian Les Belles Lettres in 2018. The manuscript will be sent to the publisher in the late fall 2017. It is to be underlined that the research activity is perfectly respecting the scheduled milestones and that this book will have a very strong impact in the field of Plotinian studies.

Progress of the researcher training activities/transfer of knowledge activities/integration activities.

Research stays abroad:
November 2015, Université Laval, Québec, Canada. Constitution of the critical text and preparation of the philological commentary of Plotinus, Treatise 30 (III.8) On Contemplation. Revision of the new French translation and commentary of the same treatise, prepared by Jean-Marc Narbonne.

August 2016, Université Laval, Québec, Canada. Constitution of the critical text and preparation of the philological commentary of Plotinus, Treatise 30 (III.8) On Contemplation. Revision of the new French translation of the same treatise, prepared by Jean-Marc Narbonne. Constitution of the critical text and preparation of the philological commentary of Plotinus, Treatise 31 (V.8) On the Intelligible Beauty. Revision, with Jean-Marc Narbonne, of the new French translation of the same treatise, prepared by Simon Fortier and Jean-Marc Narbonne. Revision of the new philosophical commentary of the treatise, prepared by Kevin Corrigan and John Turner.

September-October 2016, Université Laval, Québec, Canada. Constitution of the critical text and preparation of the philological commentary of Plotinus, Treatise 31 (V.8) On the Intelligible Beauty. Revision, with Jean-Marc Narbonne, of the new French translation of the same treatise, prepared by Simon Fortier and Jean-Marc Narbonne. Revision of the new philosophical commentary of the treatise, prepared by Kevin Corrigan and John Turner.

February 16-March 4 2017, Université Laval, Québec, Canada. Constitution of the critical text and preparation of the philological commentary of Plotinus, Treatise 32 (V.5) That the Intellectual Beings are not Outside the Intellect, and on the Good. Revision, with Jean-Marc Narbonne, of the new French translation of the same treatise, prepared by Francis Lacroix and Jean-Marc Narbonne. Revision of the new philosophical commentary of the treatise, prepared by Kevin Corrigan and John Turner.

June 9-20 2017, Université Laval, Québec, Canada. Constitution of the critical text and preparation of the philological commentary of Plotinus, Treatise 32 (V.5) That the Intellectual Beings are not Outside the Intellect, and on the Good. Revision, with Jean-Marc Narbonne, of the new French translation of the same treatise, prepared by Francis Lacroix and Jean-Marc Narbonne. Revision of the new philosophical commentary of the treatise, prepared by Kevin Corrigan and John Turner.

Research missions abroad:
Milan and Venice, April 7-8 2016. Inspection, analysis, and collation of manuscripts Ambr. Gr. 667 (olim Q 13 Sup.) and Marc. Gr. 242, crucial witnesses of the so-called status z of the textual tradition of Plotinus.
Vienna, April 17-20 2017. Inspection, analysis, and collation of manuscript Vind. Phil. Gr. 102, crucial witnesses of the so-called status z of the textual tradition of Plotinus.

Organization, with Prof. Tiziano Dorandi, of an international conference held in Paris (École Normale Supérieure) on May 10-12 2017. Conference title: Tempus quaerendi. Nouvelles expériences philologiques dans le domaine de la pensée de l’Antiquité tardive. Speakers (other than the organizers): Prof. Gerard J. Boter (Amsterdam), Dr. Christian Förstel (Paris, BNF), Prof. Richard Goulet (CNRS), Prof. Philippe Hoffmann (CNRS), Prof. Pavlos Kalligas (Athens), Dr. Adrien Lecerf (CNRS), Prof. Carlo Martino Lucarini (Palermo), Dr. Concetta Luna (Pisa, SNS), Dr. Mariella Menchelli (Pisa), Dr. Federico Maria Petrucci (Pisa, SNS), Dr. Thomas Riesenweber (Bonn), Prof. Carlos Steel (Leuven), Prof. Daniela P. Taormina (Pisa), Prof. Gerd Van Riel (Leuven).
Paper presented in the context of this event: L’état z de Henry-Schwyzer dans le traité III.8 [30] de Plotin.
Provisional title of the proceedings:
Ferroni, L., Dorandi, T. [ed.]. Tempus quaerendi. Nouvelles expériences philologiques dans le domaine de la pensée de l’Antiquité tardive. Actes du colloque international tenu à Paris du 10 au 12 mai 2017. Les Belles Lettres. Paris. [Forthcoming Summer 2018]

Scientific fields of training, as scheduled: Greek Philology; Greek Palaeography; Codicology; Plotinus’ thought and, in general, the history of Neoplatonic thought; Gnostic thought and Gnostic religious production; History of religions. Other fields of training: Team-working and team-leading; Creating and establishing international scientific connections; Organization of scientific events; Management of financial resources; Problem solving skills and strategies.

All described activities cooperate in a) transferring to others (in the first place, to the members of the Centre ‘Jean Pépin’ research team) the knowledge acquired during the scheduled research activity, and in b) allowing the researcher, and the scheduled research activity, to integrate in the workplace, and, in general, in the French academic milieu. Particularly effective, to these purposes, is the organization of the mentioned Tempus quaerendi international conference.