In this episode we explore one of the most fascinating texts in the history of Western esotericism: Porphyry's Commentary on the Cave of the Nymphs. Written in the 3rd century, this short but remarkable work interprets a mysterious passage from Homer's Odyssey as a profound allegory for the soul's descent into matter and its eventual return to the divine. We explore how Porphyry reads the cave, its nymphs, its looms and its two gates as a complete symbolic map of the cosmos, drawing on Platonic metaphysics, ancient astrology, and even the Cult of Mithras.
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Translations of the commentary:
Lamberton, Robert (translated by) (1983). "Porphyry: On the Cave of the Nymphs". Station Hill Press.
Thomas Taylor's translation (from the 1800's) is a classic. It is available through Lamp of Trismegistus.
John M. Duffy, Philip F. Sheridan, Leendert G. Westerink, and Jeffrey A. White (ed.) (1969). "Porphyry: The Cave of the Nymphs in the Odyssey". State University of New York.
Secondary sources:
Akçay, Nilüfer (2019). "Porphyrys On the Cave of the Nymphs in its Intellectual Context". Brill.
Beck, Roger (2006). "The Religion of the Mithras Cult in the Roman Empire: Mysteries of the Unconquered Sun". OUP Oxford.
Cooper, John M. (ed.) (1997). "Plato: Complete Works". Hackett Publishing Company.
Dillon, John (1996). "The Middle Platonists". Bristol Classical Press.
Gerson, Loyd P. (ed.) (2019). "Plotinus: The Enneads". Cambridge University Press. (This is the translation of the Enneads I have been using in this episode).
Gerson, Loyd P (2008). "Cambridge Companion to Plotinus". Cambridge University Press.
Gregory, John (ed.) (1998). "The Neoplatonists: a reader". Routledge.
Iamblichus "On the Mysteries". Tranlsated by Emma C. Clarke, John M. Dillon & Jackson P. Hershell. Writings from the Graeco-Roman World. Society of Biblical Literature.
Proclus "The Elements of Theology: A Revised Text with Translation, Introduction, and Commentary". Translated by E.R. Dodds. Second Edition. Oxford University Press.
O'Meara, Dominic J. (1999). "Plotinus: An Introduction to the Enneads". Oxford University Press.
Shaw, Gregory (2014). "Theurgy and the Soul: The Neoplatonism of Iamblichus". Angelico Press/Sophia Perennis.
Wallis, R.T. (1998). "Neoplatonism". Second Edition. Bristol Classical Paperbacks. Hackett Publishing Company.
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