Fragments of Numenius of Apamea

Text, translation and commentary by Robert Petty. With a foreword by Gregory Shaw. Numenius of Apamea was, according to John Dillon, the “most fascinating figure in second-century philosophy” and an important forerunner of what is commonly known as Neoplatonism—so much so that at one point Plotinus was accused of merely appropriating Numenius’ ideas. Unfortunately none of his works survive intact, so his full influence upon the development of Platonism must remain largely a matter of conjecture. Here, the extant Greek fragments of Numenius are presented, along with the first-ever English translation, and a detailed commentary.  The text followed here is that established by Des Places in his Budé edition.  The translation includes all surviving fragments, but the commentary deals only with those fragments which are directly related to Numenius’ own philosophy. 280 pages. Hardcover.