Ammonius Saccas facts for kids

Ammonius Saccas (born around 175 AD, died around 242 AD) was an important philosopher from Alexandria, a city in Roman Egypt. He taught himself about philosophy. Many people see him as a very early founder of a school of thought called Neoplatonism.

Ammonius Saccas is mostly famous for being the teacher of Plotinus. Plotinus studied with him for ten years, from 232 to 242 AD. Ammonius had a huge impact on Plotinus's ideas, which later became Neoplatonism. We don't know much about Ammonius's own philosophical views directly. Some early Christian writers thought Ammonius was a Christian. However, most experts today believe there was a different person named Ammonius of Alexandria who wrote Christian texts.

Life of Ammonius Saccas

The name "Saccas" is a bit of a mystery. Some scholars think it means he worked as a porter (someone who carries things) when he was young. An old writer named Theodoret supported this idea. Others say this might be a misunderstanding of the word.

Some historians have even suggested that "Saccas" might link him to an ancient Indian family called the "Śākyas." This would mean Ammonius Saccas was from India. This idea has been debated. Those who support it point out that his most famous student, Plotinus, was very interested in India. They also see similarities between Indian philosophy (like Vedanta) and Neoplatonism.

However, other scholars disagree. They note that Ammonius was from a part of Alexandria mainly lived in by Greeks. His name, "Ammonius," was also common among Greeks. It's possible he was of Greek origin. His name does relate to the Egyptian god Amun, which could suggest an Egyptian background.

Ammonius's Students

Most of what we know about Ammonius comes from writings by Porphyry, another philosopher. Ammonius Saccas's most famous student was Plotinus. Plotinus studied with him for eleven years.

Porphyry wrote that Plotinus, at age 28, went to Alexandria to study philosophy. He was not happy with the teachers he first met. A friend then suggested Ammonius. Plotinus went to hear Ammonius speak and immediately knew he had found the right teacher. He stayed with Ammonius and learned so much that he wanted to learn about Persian and Indian philosophy too.

Christian or Pagan?

Porphyry also claimed that Ammonius's parents were Christians. But Porphyry said Ammonius left Christianity for paganism after learning Greek philosophy.

However, Christian writers like Jerome and Eusebius disagreed. They said Ammonius remained a Christian his whole life. Eusebius wrote that Ammonius kept his Christian faith strong. He said Ammonius's writings proved this.

But another writer, Longinus, said Ammonius never wrote anything. If Ammonius was a big influence on Plotinus, who was a pagan, it seems unlikely Ammonius would have been a Christian.

This confusion might be because there were two people named Ammonius. One was Ammonius Saccas, who taught Plotinus. The other was Ammonius the Christian, who wrote about the Bible.

Ammonius also had two students named Origen. One was Origen the Christian, and the other was Origen the Pagan. It's possible Ammonius Saccas taught both of them. Other students of Ammonius included Herennius and Cassius Longinus.

Ammonius's Philosophy

A writer named Hierocles, who lived in the 400s, said that Ammonius believed Plato and Aristotle actually agreed on many things. Hierocles wrote that Ammonius was the first to truly seek truth in philosophy. He understood both Plato and Aristotle well. He taught philosophy without conflicts to his students, especially Plotinus and Origen.

Nemesius, a bishop and Neoplatonist around 400 AD, said that Ammonius believed the soul was not physical.

We don't know much about Ammonius's exact role in creating neoplatonism. Porphyry suggested that Ammonius helped Plotinus think about philosophy in new ways. Plotinus didn't just repeat what he read. He used Ammonius's ideas to explore new thoughts.

Some of Ammonius's students, like Origen the Pagan and Longinus, had ideas closer to "Middle Platonism" than to Neoplatonism. This might mean Ammonius's own teachings were also closer to Middle Platonism. However, Plotinus didn't seem to think he was changing his teacher's ideas much. Both Porphyry and Nemesius refer to Ammonius Saccas as Plotinus's teacher.

See also

In Spanish: Amonio Saccas para niños

• Theodidaktos
• Ancient Greece–Ancient India relations