Neoplatonism · Translation
On the Mysteries of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Assyrians
Iamblichus; translated from Greek by Thomas Taylor; includes Porphyry’s Epistle to Anebo
A sustained argument about divine beings, ritual, divination and theurgy, preceded here by Porphyry’s questions. Taylor’s introduction and notes are additional authored layers around his English translation.
Open the edition page ↗Where to begin
Begin with Porphyry’s questions, printed pp. 1–3 / PDF pp. 29–31. Then read Section II, Chapter XI, printed pp. 108–111 / PDF pp. 136–139, on knowledge, symbols and theurgic union.
Keep in mind
Distinguish Porphyry’s questions from the reply, and Taylor’s introduction and footnotes from the translated argument. The claim that divine symbols act beyond human thought belongs to the text’s account of theurgy; it is not an experimentally established mechanism. This scan has imperfect embedded OCR, and the translation has not been collated against a Greek critical edition.