Overview
Marsilio Ficino, a leading scholar of the Italian Renaissance who translated all the works of Plato into Latin, examines Plato’s Timaeus, the most widely influential and hotly debated of the Platonic writings. Offering a probable account of the creation and nature of the cosmos, the discussion incorporates such questions as What is the function of arithmetic and geometry in the design of creation? What is the nature of mind, soul, matter, and time? and What is our place in the universe? To his main commentary Ficino adds an appendix, which amplifies and elucidates Plato’s meanings and reveals fascinating details about Ficino himself.Reviews
"All that we regard as the norm of Western European art—Botticelli's paintings, Monteverdi's music, Shakespeare's philosophical lovers, Berowne and Lorenzo, Jacques and Portia—has flowered from Ficino's Florence." —Kathleen Raine, Times
"Not a new translation of the Timaeus, but a commentary on it. Surprisingly, this is the first time it has been translated into English and Arthur Farndell has to be congratulated on offering the reader a rare chance to see how the Timaeus was viewed at the time of the Renaissance." —Contact
"Ficino was concerned to align the wisdom of Plato with Christian revelation ... That Ficino was a Christian Platonist is a major reason why he was so influential among the philosophers, theologians and artists of his time." –Temenos Academy Review 2012Author Biography
Arthur Farndell is the translator of Evermore Shall Be So, Gardens of Philosophy, and When Philosophers Rule and is the author of A Mahabharata Companion.