Top of page

Book/Printed Material On the Life of Plotinus. The Six Enneads.

About this Item

Title

  • On the Life of Plotinus. The Six Enneads.

Summary

  • Under the influence of Italian humanism and of his book-collector tutor János Vitéz, the Archbishop of Esztergom, Matthias Corvinus of Hungary (1443--1490), developed a passion for books and learning. Elected king of Hungary in 1458 at the age of 14, Matthias won great acclaim for his battles against the Ottoman Turks and his patronage of learning and science. He created the Bibliotheca Corviniana, in its day one of Europe's finest libraries. After his death, and especially after the conquest of Buda by the Turks in 1541, the library was dispersed and much of the collection was destroyed, with the surviving volumes scattered all over Europe. This codex, one of eight manuscripts originally in the Corvinus Library and now preserved in the Bavarian State Library, contains the collected philosophical works, the so-called Enneads, of Plotinus (circa 204--70), known as the founder of Neoplatonic philosophy. Also included in the codex is the biography of Plotinus by Porphyrios (234--circa 305), one of the philosopher's most prominent disciples and the compiler of the Enneads. Copied by two different scribes who are well known to modern scholarship, the codex most likely was bought by Corvinus shortly after its production. The Bibliotheca Corviniana Collection was inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2005.

Names

  • Plotinus Contributor.
  • Porphyry, circa 234-circa 305 Contributor.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [1464 to 1465]

Headings

  • -  Greece
  • -  200 to 300
  • -  Codex
  • -  Memory of the World
  • -  Neoplatonism
  • -  Philosophers, Ancient
  • -  Plotinus

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  "BSB Shelfmark Cod.graec. 449"--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: 297 sheets, paper : 28 x 19 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: Bavarian State Library.
  • -  Content in Ancient Greek (to 1453).
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Bibliotheca Corviniana

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021667748

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Plotinus Contributor, and Circa 234-Circa 305 Contributor Porphyry. On the Life of Plotinus. The Six Enneads. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1465, 1464] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667748/.

APA citation style:

Plotinus Contributor & Porphyry, C. 2. 3. C. (1464) On the Life of Plotinus. The Six Enneads. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1465] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667748/.

MLA citation style:

Plotinus Contributor, and Circa 234-Circa 305 Contributor Porphyry. On the Life of Plotinus. The Six Enneads. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1465, 1464] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021667748/>.