Ficino and Golden Chain

Book Reviews / Comptes rendus / 91
B. Allen. Synoptic Art: Marsilio Ficino on the History of Platonic Interpretation. Istituto Nazionale di Studi sul Rinascimento. Studi e testi, 40.
Michael
J.
Florence:
Leo
S.
Olschki Editore, 1998. Pp.
xiv,
236.
With the passing of Paul Oskar
Kristeller in 1999,
Michael
J.
B. Allen has
become
of,
the leading expert on Marsilio Ficino in the world. Editor and translator
and commentator on, Ficino's In Phaedrum, In Philebum, In Sophistam, and part of Bk. 8 of In Republicam, Allen has also written a series of important articles on Ficino, which are now conveniently gathered together in a Variorum volume of 1995 called Plato's Third Eye. What we have in the present publication are five
fresh studies, loosely related to each other, but collectively and individually of
great value to students of Ficino.

In the first of the essays, Allen tackles
one of the leitmotifs of Ficino's
Platonism, the myth of the theologia prisca, in the context of the charge the
Augustinian
friar
lanus Pannonius laid against Ficino in 1484-85: that he was
irresponsible for having revived the pagan "ancient theology."
As
is
well known,
Ficino initially had this golden chain of six theologians begin with the Egyptian
Hermes Trismegistus, but

sources
for,
at a certain point
he shifted the honor to the Persian

Ficino chose to
Zoroaster. Allen offers us a wonderfully erudite and entertaining discussion of the
and ideological implications
of, the figures
make up
his golden chain. Seeing himself as the "divinely appointed" instrument for the
instauration of Platonic ingnia^ Ficino, in Allen's telling,

as a symbolic, not a chronological succession,
saw his theologia prisca

even
and
in his syncretistic fervor
envisaged Jesus Christ as the "new Zoroaster" (pp. 39-40). Allen contends (p. 40) that Ficino's faith in Zoroaster derives, not from the Byzantine Platonist George
Gemistos Pletho, as most believe, but rather from "Plato's own unimpeachable authority," i.e.. First Alcibiades 121e-122a. I myself remain skeptical because the passage hardly suggests the golden chain, though Ficino could have considered it as legitimizing an idea he got from Pletho. The second essay addresses the fascinating issues of what Ficino thought happened to the Platonic and, therefore, true theological tradition between Plato
and Plotinus and how he dealt with anti-Christian Neoplatonists such as Porphyry and Proclus after Plotinus. Allen sees Ficino as creating an extraordinarily original dialectic between Platonism and Christianity that resulted in Ficino's envisaging himself as a "Neoplatonic magus and seer, who thought and who believed like Plotinus" (p. 90) and who considered his translation of, and commentary on,
Plotinus "as a revival of patristic thought" (p. 92).
justified in scandalously expropriating Scripture to
It is
for that reason that he felt
"This
is
my
beloved son
in
whom I am
city.
image Plato saying of Plotinus, well pleased. Hear him."
In the third essay, Allen turned to the question of how Ficino addressed Plato's
expulsion of the poets from his
Ficino could not but uphold the Platonic edict.
But
to
this set
him
in opposition to a central current of
Renaissance humanism. Allen
takes us through a series of distinctions that Ficino implicitly and explicitly used
make sense of and, to a degree,
mitigate the Platonic decree. In a useful appendix
92 / Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance
et
Rforme
Allen surveys Ficino*s relationship with poets and poetry of the past and of his
own
time.
The key
to Ficino's thought,
it
turns out,
is
how
Socrates differed, not
just from the Sophists, but from the poets as well.
Not by chance,
therefore, Allen's fourth essay concerns "Socrates

is
Demon
Voice of Conscience." Allen's main text in the matter
and the Ficino's epitome
of the Apology. In an appendix he edits and translates Ficino's epitome and his
related letter to Paolo Ferobanti.
Allen's final essay explores Ficino's answer to the syllogistic and proposi-
permeated the curriculum and culture of contemporary Scholasticism. In contrast, Ficino sought to revive the Platonic method of division, a form
tional logic that
of logic which he believed transcended purely ratiocinative thought and penetrated

the realm of intuition. the
title
It is
this "synoptic art" of Ficino that
provides Allen with
of his book. Allen shows
how Ficino used this
divine dialectic to penetrate
Parmenides (a large part of the essay consists of Allen's analysis of Ficino's commentary on the dialogue), and to link the Parmenides to the theology of that most sublime of Christian authors, the
the
texts, Plato's
most abstruse of Platonic
virtually apostolic Dionysius the Areopagite.
Allen has focused on Ficino less as a Platonic exegete than as a "chosen

instrument"
(p. 13),
highly conscious of his role in the cosmic drama. Thus, for

the book,
it
the overarching
scheme of
was important
life.
for Allen to translate
and
analyze in depth lanus Pannonius'

to Ficino to
letter
questioning Ficino's goals and Ficino's
response justifying his special mission in
Thus
it
was
also critically important
make
sense of the Platonic tradition

Christianity.
after, as
well as before, Plato in
way
that
Socrates,
meshed amicably with who was not a part of
The
sanctifiable, if not sainted,
the golden chain of "ancient theologians,"
especially needed to be explained.

relates to
The
status of poets in the Platonic tradition

artistic tradition
how
Ficino fitted Socrates and the pagan religious and
whole into his historic vision, especially since one of the theologi prisci, Orpheus, was himself a poet and a musician. The odd piece in the volume is that on Ficino's theory of Platonic division as a higher form of logic transcending the level of mere ratiocination. But since it elucidates Ficino's understanding of the Parmenides, we should be glad to have it here or in any other volume. The one serious flaw of the book is that it lacks an index locorum and a
as a
detailed subject/name index.

to say
No
index could capture Allen's
many
arresting, not
memorable
phrases, but indices
would
in other
ways increase
significantly
the usability of the book. Allen's analyses are dense with stimulating ideas, fresh
references, and
to the
its
comments on
the conclusions of others. Scholars will
book time and again for leads and opinions. Yet even if margins and the rear cover with notes, as I have done, consultation
in fact
want to refer one has marked up

will not
always result in one's finding an item that may
be
in the
book.
JOHN MONFASANI, State
University of New York
-Albany

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Book Reviews / Comptes rendus / 91

Olschki Editore, 1998. Pp.

With the passing of Paul Oskar

great value to students of Ficino.

one of the leitmotifs of Ficino's

lanus Pannonius laid against Ficino in 1484-85: that he was

irresponsible for having revived the pagan "ancient theology."

Hermes Trismegistus, but

he shifted the honor to the Persian

Zoroaster. Allen offers us a wonderfully erudite and entertaining discussion of the

and ideological implications

of, the figures

instauration of Platonic ingnia^ Ficino, in Allen's telling,

saw his theologia prisca

in his syncretistic fervor

for that reason that he felt

image Plato saying of Plotinus, well pleased. Hear him."

expulsion of the poets from his

Ficino could not but uphold the Platonic edict.

in opposition to a central current of

Renaissance humanism. Allen

make sense of and, to a degree,

mitigate the Platonic decree. In a useful appendix

92 / Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance

Socrates differed, not

just from the Sophists, but from the poets as well.

therefore, Allen's fourth essay concerns "Socrates

Voice of Conscience." Allen's main text in the matter

and the Ficino's epitome

of logic which he believed transcended purely ratiocinative thought and penetrated

this "synoptic art" of Ficino that

provides Allen with

of his book. Allen shows

how Ficino used this

divine dialectic to penetrate

most abstruse of Platonic

virtually apostolic Dionysius the Areopagite.

Allen has focused on Ficino less as a Platonic exegete than as a "chosen

highly conscious of his role in the cosmic drama. Thus, for

for Allen to translate

analyze in depth lanus Pannonius'

questioning Ficino's goals and Ficino's

response justifying his special mission in

also critically important

sense of the Platonic tradition

well as before, Plato in

meshed amicably with who was not a part of

sanctifiable, if not sainted,

the golden chain of "ancient theologians,"

especially needed to be explained.

status of poets in the Platonic tradition

Ficino fitted Socrates and the pagan religious and

detailed subject/name index.

index could capture Allen's

phrases, but indices

the conclusions of others. Scholars will

want to refer one has marked up

always result in one's finding an item that may

JOHN MONFASANI, State

University of New York