The Letters of Marsilio Ficino: Volume 9 Volume 9

Covering late 1489 to spring 1491 when Ficino was translating the Enneads of Plotinus, these letters to a wide circle of influential correspondents in church and state reveal the immortality of the soul as central to the Plotinus' teaching. They also give an insight into the political context and precarious social condition in which he was working.

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Spanning from the end of 1489 to the spring of 1491, this compilation of letters by Marsilio Ficino—one of the most influential humanist philosophers of the early Italian Renaissance—dates to what is to become the final decade of his life. As they provide insight into how Ficino drew on Platonic philosophy and Christian theology to advise his correspondents on how to deal with the practical affairs of life, these letters are written to the likes of Lorenzo de Medici and well-established members of the ecclesiastical hierarchy who would be able to protect him from future action from the Curia—the Church had recently cleared him of the charges of involvement with magic and predictive astrology. Intriguing and enlightening, this volume exemplifies Ficino’s ability to rise above the limits of time, place, and individuality.