THE Emperor Julian, the author of the two following Orations, is well known in the character of a Sovereign and an Apostate which he once sustained, but very few are acquainted with him in the characters of a Theologist and Philosopher, which he displays through the whole of his works, in a manner by no means contemptible or weak. It is true, indeed, that his philosophical and theological attainments are not to be compared with those of Pythagoras, Plato, and Proclus, who appear to have ar...

At the very beginnings of the Archaic Age, the great singer Orpheus taught a new religion that centred around the immortality of the human soul and its journey after death. He felt that achieving purity by avoiding meat and refraining from committing harm further promoted the pursuit of a peaceful life. Elements of the worship of Dionysus, such as shape-shifting and ritualistic ecstasy, were fused with Orphic beliefs to produce a powerful and illuminating new religion that found expression...

Thomas Taylor was an English translator who was greatly influenced by Plato. Taylor wrote an in depth book analyzing the works of Plato. A table of contents is included.

First published in 1825, "Fragments of the Lost Writings of Proclus" is a short book of translations of fragments of Proclus by Thomas Taylor, the English Neoplatonist and translator of Aristotle, Plato and Orpheus.Proclus Lycaeus (412 - 485), surnamed "The Successor" or "diadochos" was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher, one of the last major Classical philosophers. He set forth one of the most elaborate and fully developed systems of Neoplatonism. He stands near the end of the clas...

"Fragments of the Lost Writings of Proclus" is a book written by the 18th-century English philosopher and translator Thomas Taylor. The book contains a collection of fragments from the writings of Proclus, an ancient Greek philosopher and Neoplatonist who lived in the 5th century AD.Proclus was one of the most important philosophers of the Neoplatonic tradition, which sought to reconcile the philosophy of Plato with the ideas of the ancient Greeks and the teachings of the Eastern religions...

"Philosophy," says Hierocles, "is the purification and perfection of human life. It is the purification, indeed, from material irrationality, and the mortal body; but the perfection, in consequence of being the resumption of our proper felicity, and a reaction to the divine likeness.

A quirky, creepy fantasy set in Eerie-on-Sea finds a colorful cast of characters in hot pursuit of a sea monster thought to convey a surprising gift.It’s winter in the town of Eerie-on-Sea, where the mist is thick and the salt spray is rattling the windows of the Grand Nautilus Hotel. Inside, young Herbert Lemon, Lost and Founder for the hotel, has an unexpected visitor. It seems that Violet Parma, a fearless girl around his age, lost her parents at the hotel when s...

"Iamblichus' Life of Pythagoras" is a biographical work written by the Neoplatonic philosopher Iamblichus in the 3rd or 4th century AD, translated into English by the 18th-century scholar Thomas Taylor. The book tells the story of Pythagoras, the ancient Greek philosopher, mathematician, and mystic who is credited with founding the Pythagorean school of philosophy.The work covers Pythagoras's life and teachings, including his theories on mathematics, music, and the soul. The book also desc...

Thomas Taylor (1758-1835) was an English Neoplatonic philosopher, translator, and scholar. He is well-known for his translations and interpretations of ancient Greek philosophical and mystical texts, including the works of Plato, Aristotle, and the Neoplatonists.In "The Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries," Taylor delves into the rites, symbols, and teachings associated with the Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries. These were ancient Greek religious initiatory rituals and secret ceremonies that ...

"The Hymns of Orpheus" is a collection of hymns and verses attributed to the legendary Greek musician and poet Orpheus, translated and compiled by the 18th-century English philosopher and scholar Thomas Taylor. Orpheus was considered a master of music and poetry in ancient Greek mythology, and his works were revered as sacred texts.Taylor's translation of the hymns was part of a larger effort to revive interest in ancient Greek philosophy and religion in 18th-century England. Taylor believ...

Thomas Taylor was born in the City of London on 15 May 1758, the son of a staymaker Joseph Taylor and his wife Mary (born Summers). He was educated at St. Paul's School, and devoted himself to the study of the classics and of mathematics. After first working as a clerk in Lubbock's Bank, he was appointed Assistant Secretary to the Society for the Encouragement of Art (precursor to the Royal Society of Arts), in which capacity he made many influential friends, who furnished the means for pu...

In The Life of St. Samson of Dol, historian and translator Thomas Taylor presents a vivid and faithful rendition of one of the earliest and most important hagiographies of the Celtic Church. Based on a sixth-century Latin text, this work recounts the remarkable life of Saint Samson — monk, missionary, and abbot — whose journey carried the light of Christianity from Wales to Brittany during the dawn of medieval Europe. Taylor's translation restores the freshness and dignity of the ...