Iamblichus and Julian"s "Third Demiurge": A Proposition
Résumé
In the Emperor Julian's Oration To the Mother of the Gods, a philosophical interpretation of the myth of Cybele and Attis, reference is made to an enigmatic "third Demiurge". Contrary to a common opinion identifying him to the visible Helios (the Sun), or to tempting identifications to Amelius' and Theodorus of Asine's three Demiurges, I suggest that a better idea would be to compare Julian's text to Proclus' system of Demiurges (as exposed and explained in a Jan Opsomer article, "La démiurgie des jeunes dieux selon Proclus", Les Etudes Classiques, 71, 2003, pp. 5-49). In this system, liable to be inherited from another source, three demiurgic entities are forced into hierarchy: Zeus, Dionysus and Adonis. The close parallels between Julian, Proclus and some texts by Damascius suggest that the Apostate had a construction of this sort in mind while writing his work: attempts are then made at describing the philosophical patterns shared by the two authors, as well as the archetypal Iamblichean system of Demiurges and some of the concepts that rule it: in particular, the need to distinguish hypostases so that the highest classes of gods may not receive alteration from contact with matter is emphasized, as is its corollary: the introduction into Neoplatonic philosophy of gods closely associated with generation. It is suggested that the Iamblichean concepts of Limit and the Unlimited, as well as the strive towards the distinction of several levels of Forms (among which the “enmattered Forms” or ἔλπια εἴδε), form the philosophical background to Julian‟s Oration.
While the lack of numerous Iamblichean sources must lead us to circumspection when it comes to drawing clear and irrefutable conclusions, there is hope that this study may help understand some aspects of the revolution which Iamblichus must be held accountable for, in the field of Neoplatonic theology.
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