Arianism and Platonism: Traces of Eusebius' Praeparatio Evangelica in Cudworth?s The True Intellectual System

NATALIA STROK

Olomouc

Conferencia; 15 ISNS Conference Olomouc; 2017

The present paper intends to study the Trinity that Ralph Cudworth (1617-1688) introduces in Chapter 4 of his True Intellectual System of the Universe. There the author examines the diverse conceptions of God that can be found throughout history; and, in paragraph XXXVI, he focuses on Arianism with the intention of proving that Ario and his followers are not Platonists at all, in opposition to what Denis Péteau (1583-1652) has affirmed. For that reason, Cudworth presents the Platonic Trinity as very close to Christianity. Through this path the English author deals with several sources, which include not only Plato but also other later Platonists, such as Plotinus, Porphyry, Proclus, Iamblichus, and Simplicius; and although he quotes them through his text, he also criticizes them in some respects, which leaves the author in an odd position giving place to much criticism toward his argumentation. He also sets different kinds of Platonism and, for that reason, Amelius, Moderatus, and Numenius are presented as another branch, different from that of the later Platonists, and indeed he points out some difference between those as well. One main theme is that Cudworth sustains that the divine Trinity has its origin in Egypt and that it has had different interpretations throughout history, but the important thing for this Cambridge Platonist is that it is a product of mere human wit and reason. A source that Cudworth uses in order to present the mosaic Trinity in this section is Eusebius of Caesarea's Praeparatio Evangelica. This time I want to compare Cudworth's argumentation with Books VII and XI of the Praeparatio in order to find some resemblance. I will also compare the different pieces of secondary bibliography on this theme and I will present some conclusions.