I'm looking, ideally, for a comprehensive work on the history of the intellectual milieu of Late Antiquity. Does anybody know a work that deals both with the rise of various Christianities and the pagan religious movements of the same time?
Alternatively, i'd also be interested in good recommendations on books that deal with Christianity (arian, athanasian etc) and Neoplatonism - Plotinus but also Iamblichus and Proclus - separately.
What i'm really interested in is attaining an overview of the intellectual milieu of the Late Roman Empire.
Thanks in advance!
I'd recommend 'The Cambridge History of Philosophy in Late Antiquity' as a starting point. It just came out a few years ago and is a good comprehensive overview.
The Cambridge History of Philosophy in Late Antiquity comprises over forty specially commissioned essays by experts on the philosophy of the period 200-800 CE. Designed as a successor to The Cambridge History of Later Greek and Early Medieval Philosophy (ed. A. H. Armstrong), it takes into account some forty years of scholarship since the publication of that volume. The contributors examine philosophy as it entered literature, science and religion, and offer new and extensive assessments of philosophers who until recently have been mostly ignored. The volume also includes a complete digest of all philosophical works known to have been written during this period. It will be an invaluable resource for all those interested in this rich and still emerging field.
If you want to read a book on Proclus, I'd recommend 'Proclus' by Radek Chlup. While still kinda heavy, it is the most accessible introduction to the philosophy of Proclus.
To get a better grasp of Iamblichus, I would recommend 'Theurgy and the Soul: The Neoplatonism of Iamblichus' by Gregory Shaw.