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Ammonius Saccas ( 3rd century AD) was a Greek philosopher of Alexandria, often called the founder of the Neoplatonic school.Of humble origin, he appears to have earned a livelihood as a porter; hence his nickname of "Sack-bearer" (Sakkas, for sakkoforos). The details of his life are unknown. After long study and meditation, Ammonius opened a school of philosophy in Alexandria. His principal pupils were Herennius, the two Origens, Cassius Longinus and Plotinus. As he designedly wrote nothing, and, with the aid of his pupils, kept his views secret, after the manner of the Pythagoreans, his philosophy must be inferred mainly from the writings of Plotinus. As Zeller points out, however, there is reason to think that his doctrines were closer to those of the earlier Platonists than to those of Plotinus. Hierocles, writing in the 5th century AD, states that his fundamental doctrine was an eclecticism, derived from a critical study of Plato and Aristotle. His admirers credited him with having reconciled the quarrels of the two great schools. His death is variously given between AD 240 and 245.
See also Neo-Platonism and Origen.
The details of the life of the philosopher Ammonius Saccas are so unclear that he has frequently been confused with a Christian philosopher of the same name. EusebiusEusebius of Caesarea (~ 275 May 30, 339) (often called Eusebius Pamphili "Eusebius [the friend of] Pamphilus") was a bishop of Caesarea in Palestine and is often referred to as the father of church history because of his work in recording the history of t (Church History, vi. 19), who is followed by JeromeFor other uses see: Jerome (disambiguation Jerome (about 340 September 30, 420), (full name Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus is best known as the translator of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. Jerome's edition, the Vulgate, is still the official, asserts that he was born a ChristianChristian cross and its many variations are widely recognized as an ancient Christian symbol. Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament. Although Christians generally chara, remained faithful to Christianity throughout his life, and even produced two works called The Harmony of Moses and Jesus and the DiatessaronThe Diatessaron was a harmony of the four Gospels, that is, the story of the four Gospels rewritten as a continuous narrative, produced in the 2nd century, by Tatian, a Syrian Christian. There is disagreement about what language Tatian used for its origin, or Harmony of the Four Gospels. PorphyryPorphyry (c. 233 AD c. 305) was born Malchus ("king") in either Tyre or Batanaea in Syria, but his teacher in Athens, Cassius Longinus, gave him the name Porphyrius (clad in purple), a jesting allusion to the color of the imperial robes. Under Longinus he, quoted by EusebiusEusebius of Caesarea (~ 275 May 30, 339) (often called Eusebius Pamphili "Eusebius [the friend of] Pamphilus") was a bishop of Caesarea in Palestine and is often referred to as the father of church history because of his work in recording the history of t, however, says that he apostatized in later life and left no writings behind him. There seems no reason, therefore, to doubt that Eusebius is here referring to the Christian philosopher.
See also
Neoplatonists
Roman era philosophers
