Nicholas of Methone, Procopius of Gaza and Proclus of Lycia

Abstract

The Refutation of Proclus' Elements of Theology (Ἀνάπτυξις τῆς Θεολογικῆς Στοιχειώσεως Πρόκλου τοῦ Λυκίου = Refutatio Procli) attributed to the twelfth-century Byzantine theologian Nicholas of Methone (died between 1160-1166) is an important witness to the circulation and reception of Proclus' work in eleventh-and twelfth-century Byzantium.*The work analyses the text of Proclus' Elements of Theology from the point of view of twelfth-century Byzantine orthodoxy and provides for each topic discussed by Proclus its Christian counterpart.1However, the paternity of this work has occasionally stirred some controversy as two fourteenth-century Vatican manuscripts ascribe two of the many sections composing this work to the late antique rhetor and theologian Procopius of Gaza (ca.465/470-526/530CE).The dispute appeared to be settled in 1984 with the publication of the editio princeps of Nicholas' work.2However, recently, Eugenio Amato has defended again the Procopian authorship of the text in an erudite article that brings forth new historical and textual arguments favoring this view.3Eventually Amato went further than this in editing the two sections of the Refutatio Procli ascribed to Procopius as authentic Procopian fragments.4According to Amato, Nicholas of Methone * Michele Trizio was responsible for drafting chapters 1-7; Anna Gioffreda for chapter 8.The conclusions were jointly written. 1 For a general presentation of the work, see Robinson 2014 and Robinson 2017.We would like to thank Joshua Robinson for reading an earlier draft of this essay.2 Angelou 1984.3 Amato 2010a.4

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