PRO'CLUS (Lat., from Gk. IltiosNot,Proklot) (a.n. 410-485). The last important teacher among the Greek Neo-Platonists. He was born at Constantinople, brought up at Xanthus in Lyeia, and first trained in philosophy at Alex andria by the Aristotelian Olympiodorus. In Athens lie was a disciple of the Neo-Platonists Plutarch and Syrianus. and about 450 he suc ceeded the latter in the chair of philosophy. Hence he received the name Distdoehos, the `Sue cessor.' Among his contemporaries he is said to have had the greatest influence because of his learning and piety. He is sometimes known as 'the Scholastic among Greek philosophers,' be cause of his having labored to collate, arrange, and reduce to a rigidly scientific system the mass of older philosophy which had come down to him. ills teaching was a development of that of his master, Plotinns, but is still more mystical and difficult to understand, combining the most tran scendental speculation with the common super stitions of his age. Certain features remind us strongly of Gnosticism, and his teaching on evil seems to have been the source of the doctrine of Dionysins Areopagita. He taught, like his pre decessors, a primordial essence, an ineffable unity, from which, unlike Plotinus and Iambli elms, lie believed a plurality of other unities to proceed. These returned to their source and issued again in an unending cycle of emanations, but each time' with a less perfect result, so that the tendency of his philosophy was ultimately pessimistic. Among his works, of which there is
as yet no complete edition, the most important arc his commentaries to certain of Plato's dia logiies and also his work on Platonic Theology. His and Theological Institutions in 211 chapters is a compendium of the principles of Neo-Platonism. Important are his treatises on Proridence and Fate, Doubts About Prori denee, the Nature of Eril, etc. his work in eighteen books against the Christians. mentioned by Suidas. has now been last. He also produced certain encyclopaslie works, including a commen tary on Hesiod. Euclid, and Ptolemy, and a book On the Sphere. Certain hymns have also been preserved. Sonic of these writings are known to us only in translation. Among the partial edi tions of his works may be named: Procli Opera, edited by Cousin (6 vols.. Paris. 1820-27: 2d ed. 1864) : a commentary on Plato's Puri/loth/es. ed. Stallbamn (Leipzig, 1839. 1848) ; on Plato's nutria. ed. Schneider (Breslau, 1847) ; on Plato's Republic. ed. Sehdhl (Berlin. 1886) ; ed. Kroll (2 vols., Leipzig, 1899-1901). There are English translations of the Philosophical and Mathematical Commentaries by Taylor (2 vols., London, 1792) the Ph/tonic Th vlagy. and minor philosophical and theological treatises by the same (2 vols., London, 1816) : and of the Commentary on the Timmus (2 vols., London, 1820). See Zeller, Philosophic der Griechen (3d ed., Leipzig., 1881).