Ioannes Philoponus - Industrious Jack - was a Christian Neoplatonist who worked in Greek Alexandria in the sixth century AD. He was a tireless author. His vast oeuvre, considerable portions of which survive, included commentaries on Aristotle, philosophical treatises, and works of Christian theology and Christian polemic. As a theologian, he was embroiled in the doctrinal disputes of the time, championing the monophysite cause and espousing tritheism. As a philosopher, he was most remarkable - as the title of Richard Sorabji's splendid book indicates - for his rejection of various parts of the dominant Aristotelian view of the physical universe.

LRB 9 July 1987 | PDF Download