ABSTRACT
Since only a few fragments of the works of Posidonius have survived, it is necessary to reconstruct his philosophical system. Such a reconstruction was first attempted in the beginning of the 19th century after the fragments bad been collected.1 It was naturally restricted to the understanding of those testimonies. But then, from the end of the 19th century on, the fragments were supposed not to be sufficient material. Scholars therefore tried to replace the missing direct data by tracing down the influences of Posidonius on later philosophers. Many theories were granted as being indirectly Posidonian, because they seemed to fit either to one of the fragments itself or to the consequences to be drawn from it.' This method was applied even down to the most recent times: For in rege.rd to the basic principle, it is no essential alteration that the " inner form" of Posidonian thinking, felt intuitively rather than demonstrated, decided what theorie.~ could be attributed to Posidonius. •
The interpretation of the Posidonian philosophy changed a good deal with the modification of the method of reconstruction. First, the system was visualized as a Stoic theory inftuenced more or less by Plato and Aristotle. Posidonius was believed to be an eclectic thinker of not too great importance and in-
dividuality.•Butwhenthenewmethodoftracingdownthein1luenceawasintroduced,thePoaidonianphilosophywasregarded
asthestartingpointofNeoplatoniam.Poaidoniuapassedfor areligiousthinker,forthefirsttoconnectOrientalandGreek thought.AlmostallGreekphilosophyoflatercenturieswas
basedonhiswork.1Finally,Posidoniuawascharacterizedasa
philosopherwhosesystemisfoundedonsciences.Tohimspirit andnaturewereonlytwodifferentaspectsofthesamepower;
hewasamonistiethinker,thefirstvitalistofantiquity.PosidoniuawasnowconsideredtobethelastGreekphilosopher
before·thebeginningofthatepochduringwhichGreekand Orientalthoughtwereunited.•
ThesethreeconceptionsofPosidonianphilosophystandin oppositiontooneanother.Whichofthemreallyrepresentshis system?Atthemoment,thisquestioncannotbeanswered.
