KAZIMIERZ PAWŁOWSKI, The Ontological and Social Conception of God in Plutarch’s “Dialogues” (Against the Background of Greek Theological Tradition)

SUMMARY

The paper deals with two inconspicuous theological ideas put forward by Plutarch of Chaeronea in his two dialogues of the so-called ‘Delphi series’: one is the ‘ontological’ idea, pertaining to being or existence (On the E at Delphi), and the other is the ‘social’ conception of god (On the Obsolescence of Oracles). In the former dialogue, Plutarch describes god as a fulfilled, self-existent, and unchangeable being, in opposition to the incomplete, dependent, and changeable being of material things that are in continuous process of becoming. In the latter dialogue, Plutarch characterizes god as a being able to love and maintain social relationships marked by love. Both conceptions appear to anticipate theological ideas of some Christian philosophers. Plutarch’s theological conceptions are depicted against the background of Greek theological tradition.