Gott, Götter, Dämonen

Krämer, Benedikt

Abstract

This chapter presents Plotinus’ theology and demonology. In a first step the article considers Plotinus’ notion of god and divinity. The (at least in modern eyes) somewhat surprising multitude of gods in Plotinus’ philosophy (including the One, Intellect, the world soul and even the cosmos) is based on a wide notion of theos/theion. The One as the highest principle plays a paramount role in Plotinus’ theology. Due to its perfect unity and simplicity the One is neither grasped by language nor by intellection. Therefore, Plotinus puts much effort into adapting traditional ways to speak about god. He develops them into negative and positive ways to say the unsayable. The closing section deals with Plotinus’ demonology. Contrary to most Platonic philosophers Plotinus favors a strongly allegorical reading of Plato’s reflections on demons – the reason for this is probably Plotinus’ ‘optimistic’ psychology.