This volume brings together the Letter to Markella and the Sentences of the Neoplatonist Porphyrios in a bilingual reader's edition with an introduction and notes, as well as a number of fragments that tie in with the content of both works. The Latin translation of the Sentences by Marsilio Ficino rounds off the selection. Thematically, the texts combine the consideration of the soul from different perspectives: concrete instructions on ethically correct behaviour; theoretical explanations on the nature of the soul; the relationship of the soul to the body and the spiritual realm; discussion of other schools of thought. Although the two main writings belong to different genres, the sententious character of the Letter to Markella also forms a bridge to the Sentences in addition to the thematic connections. The texts offer a compact overview of Neoplatonic principles as well as suggestions on the big questions about our own soul and how we want to live.

Natalia Pedrique, Georg August University, Göttingen, Germany.