Proclus, Philoponus, and Maximus

The chapter “Proclus, Philoponus, and Maximus: the Paradigm of the World and Temporal Beginning” is an investigation into the doctrine of creation. While the Neoplatonists argued that the world has always existed since the paradigm, according to which it is created, is eternal, the Christians claimed that the world has a beginning a definite number of time-units ago. The world is created from nothing, by the will of God, and it is created “recently,” as said by Maximus. The chapter has two foci: Tollefsen treats first the Alexandrine Christian philosopher John Philoponus’ critique of the Neoplatonist Proclus’ cosmology. Then he focuses on Maximus the Confessor’s doctrine of creation and asks whether one may detect any influence on Maximus from Philoponus.