Man, God and the Apotheosis of Man in Greek and Arabic Commentaries to the Pythagorean Golden Verses

Abstract

This paper focuses on the four preserved commentaries to a Pythagorean poem known as the Golden Verses. It deals with two Greek texts—Iamblichus’ Protrepticus and Hierocles’ Commentary to the Golden Verses—as well as two commentaries preserved in Arabic, attributed to Iamblichus and Proclus. The article analyses how each of these commentators understood the relationship between man and god in the context of the eschatological vision presented in the poem. It also demonstrates how differences in the interpretation of particular verses and ideas within the poem were dependent on an author’s philosophical views and cultural background.