ABSTRACT
In his polemics against the Neoplatonist Porphyry, Augustine regularly refers to Timaeus 41ab. He claims, contrary to Porphyry and in accordance with the Christians, that Plato believed in the resurrection of the body. In the passage in question, Plato’s demiurge delivers a speech to the young (minor) divinities promising them eternal existence in their body, thereby seemingly defying the rules of nature. Augustine equates Plato’s demiurge with the Christian God-Creator. His views concerning the identity of the minor divinities underwent a spectacular development, however, ranging from characterizing them as idols and demons to angels and humans. This chapter discusses De civitate Dei book IX where Augustine employs parallels of this passage with the Psalms (49, 81, 94), claiming that Plato lets the Creator address human beings in resurrection. The Creator who acts as a speaker even calls his addressees ‘gods’, thereby implying a process of divinization. Augustine thus claims that if true, the Platonists appear to agree with the Christians. Yudin offers an in-depth examination of what Plato, the Neoplatonists, and Augustine mean with their peculiar theosis terminology.
