This brief sketch suggests several aspects of the
philosopher's approach to holiness that are worth noting. The philosopher's
positive attitude toward culture determined both the day-to-day life within the
philosophical school as well as the particular exercises followed in the quest
for holiness. Plotinus and his circle practiced a traditional, moderate form of
asceticism, which had as its goal the increasing attainment of virtue, both
personal and civic, as the basis for acquiring self-knowledge. At the center of
his circle's exercices spirituels was
his penetrating dialogue with disciples based on an "existential"
interpretation of the ancient philosophical texts, especially those of Plato.
Plotinus encouraged among his disciples a rigorous inner dialectic the goal of
which was self-knowledge and union with "the One." The inner freedom
gained through this process enabled the pagan philosopher to occupy an important
role in late antique society. Yet the pagan philosopher's position as a
"saint" in late antiquity and his ability to act with power in that
world derived not only from his spiritual achievement. It also depended upon on
his place in his world, including his knowledge of its culture and his easy
dealings with his peers. "He summed up in his person ideals shared by the
educated classes as a whole, and was admired for having acted these out in such
a way as to transcend and stand outside the inconsistencies and the conflicts
that were the stuff of public life ... His mind was the most pure and so, in his
dealings with others, his hand could be counted on as the most unsullied.[42]
The pagan philosopher's position as a "saint" and as an "honest
broker" within his world came both because of his spiritual achievement and
because it was achieved from within the core of his culture.
