AENEAS OF GAZA. - At the end of the 11th century a new center of artistic and intellectual culture had formed at Gaza. A. (ca. 450-534) carried on in this city, as a Christian philosopher, an activity comparable to that once carried on by Clement and Origen in Alexandria.

Although a disciple of the Neoplatonic philosopher Hierocles, he distinguishes clearly between Platonism and Christianity, affirming in his dialogue Theophrastus the immateriality of the soul, denying its pre-existence and combating the doctrine of the eternity of the world. It is significant that this writing also seeks to explain the resurrection of bodies. Thus the Platonic form and language of his writing must not deceive us as to the fundamentally Christian character of his thought. Twenty-five brief letters of his have also been preserved.

Bibliography

BIBL.: Edition of the dialogue in PG 85, 871-1004, of the Letters in R. Hercher, Epistolographi Graeci, Paris 1873, p. 24 ff. On his Christian philosophy: Basile Fatskik, La philosophie byzantine (= E. Brühler, Histoire de la philosophie, IIe fascicule suppimentaire), Paris 1949, p. 27 ff.

Erik Peterson

@incollection{ec5_enea_di_gaza, author = {Peterson, Erik}, title = {Enea di Gaza}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {V}, pages = {350}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1950}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/enea-di-gaza} }

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Aeneas of Gaza

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