Daemonology

Analyze Diotima's speech in the 'Symposium' on Eros as a great daimon.

Describe the cosmological role and nature of daimones in Plato's 'Timaeus'.

Explain the function of daimones in the civic religion of Plato's 'Laws'.

Interpret the Myth of Er from the 'Republic' in relation to souls and their guiding daimones.

Connect Plato's daimonology to his broader theory of the tripartite soul.

Describe Plotinus's concept of the three primary hypostases: the One, the Intellect (Nous), and the World Soul.

Explain the role of daimones in Plotinus's system as beings intermediate between the World Soul and individual human souls.

Outline Porphyry's classification of daimones and their moral qualities.

Describe Iamblichus's concept of theurgy and the active role of daimones in achieving divine ascent.

Analyze Proclus's systematic daimonology and its hierarchical structure.

Compare the ethical status and function of daimones across Plotinus, Porphyry, and Iamblichus.

Define 'nekuomanteia' (necromancy) in its original Greek context.

Explain Greek concepts of the 'psyche' and its fate after death.

Analyze the Nekyia in Homer's 'Odyssey' as a foundational literary model for consulting the dead.

Describe the function and typical practices of a 'nekuomanteion' (oracle of the dead).

Identify key ritual elements in Greek necromantic practice, such as offerings, invocations, and sacred locations.

Describe the historical context and syncretic nature of the Greek Magical Papyri from Roman Egypt.

Analyze a representative spell from the Papyri to understand its practical daimonology and goals.

Distinguish Roman concepts of spirits of the dead, such as 'manes', 'lemures', and 'larvae'.

Analyze Apuleius's philosophical account of daimones in 'De Deo Socratis' in relation to his Neoplatonic sources.

Describe Roman literary treatments of necromancy, using Lucan's 'Pharsalia' as an example.

Compare the 'practical' daimonology of the Papyri with the more structured philosophical accounts of the era.

Explain the early Christian polemic against pagan gods, framing them as deceptive daimones.

Describe how Patristic writers synthesized this view with Judeo-Christian concepts of fallen angels to construct the figure of the 'demon'.

Analyze Augustine's influential demonology in 'City of God' and its impact on Western thought.

Outline scholastic debates on the nature, knowledge, and power of demons prior to Aquinas.

Explain Aquinas's key arguments on demonic nature and capabilities in the 'Summa Theologica'.

Describe how 'necromancy' was reframed as a demonic pact in medieval Christian theology.

Describe the revival of Neoplatonic daimonology by Renaissance humanists like Marsilio Ficino.

Define key concepts from Kabbalah that influenced Renaissance philosophy, such as the Sephirot and angelic hierarchies.

Explain how Pico della Mirandola integrated Neoplatonic and Kabbalistic hierarchies.

Analyze how Agrippa synthesized classical daimonology, Neoplatonism, and Kabbalah in 'De Occulta Philosophia'.

Compare Agrippa's classification of spirits with his Neoplatonic and medieval sources.

Analyze a key tension in Agrippa's work (e.g., Christian doctrine vs. Neoplatonic theurgy) and his attempted resolution.

Evaluate Agrippa's synthesis by tracing the evolution of the 'intermediary spirit' concept from Plato through to the Renaissance.