This is the first full-scale publication dedicated to the study of friendship in Neo-Platonism. Based on his interpratation of the works of Plotinus, Iamblichus, Themistius, and Emperor Julian the author argues that friendship is the core concept within Neo-Platonic political philosophy. This study makes a valuable contribution to scholarship on neo-platonic ethics and political philosophy as well as the theory of governance ( Herrschaftstheorie ) in Late Antiquity.

Michael Schramm, Universität Leipzig.