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Ammonius Saccas (; ; fl. 3rd century AD) was a Greek philosopher from Alexandria who was often referred to as one of the founders of Neoplatonism. He is mainly known as the teacher of Plotinus, whom he taught for eleven years from 232 to 243. He was undoubtedly the biggest influence on Plotinus in his development of Neoplatonism, although little is known about his own philosophical views. Later Christian writers stated that Ammonius was a Christian, but it is now generally assumed that there was a different Ammonius of Alexandria who wrote biblical texts. ==Life== Not much is known about the life of Ammonius Saccas. His cognomen "Sakkas" has been interpreted to indicate that he was a porter in his youth.〔(Mozley, J.R., "Ammonius Saccas", ''Dictionary of Early Christian Biography'', (Henry WAce, ed.), John Murrary & Co., London, 1911 )〕 This seems to be a misreading of "Sakkas" for "sakkophoros" (porter) which is grammatically incorrect. However Erich Seeberg〔Seeberg, Erich, "Ammonius Sakas", in: Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte, vol. LX, 1941, pp. 136 - 170〕 argued that the cognomen refers to the "Śākyas" of India, the ruling clan to which Gautama Buddha also belonged. The "Śākyas" (related to Iranian Saka, Scythians and Indo-Scythians) were known in antiquity.〔see art.: "India" in: Pauly-Wissova, col. 1924〕 The cognomen "Sakkas" therefore referred to India 〔Benz, Ernst, "Indische Einflüsse auf die frühchristliche Theologie" in: Abhandlungen der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaftlichen Klasse, Jahrgang 1951, no. 3, Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz, pp. 1 - 34, pp. 30ff.〕 as a marker of ethnic identity. This is, according to this interpretation, supported by the fact that Ammianus Marcellinus refers to him as "Saccas Ammonius", thus as the "Sacian Ammonius",〔ibidem〕 which makes any reading as denoting "sakkos" impossible. This interpretation of the name, which has subsequently been contested,〔Clifford Hindley: ''Ammonios Sakkas. His Name and Origin''. In: ''Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte'' 75, 1964, pp. 332–336.〕 would corroborate Porphyry's report that Plotinus, Ammonius' foremost student, acquired his high esteem for Indian philosophy and his eager desire to travel to India from Ammonius.〔ibidem, cf. Porphyry's Vita Plotini, chapt. 3〕 The interpretation that "Saccas" denotes ethnic northern Indian origin, rather than alluding to Gautama Buddha, supports the possibility that Ammonius may have been raised a Christian, who reverted to paganism, as reported by Eusebius,〔Eusebius, Historia eccl. VI, 9〕 drawing on Porphyry's Contra Christianos. In this case Ammonius may have been a second-generation Indian who remained in contact with the philosophy of his ancestral country. The intensity of commerce of goods and ideas between Alexandria and India makes this a wholly possible option. The link to India however is not only consistent with Plotinus' passion for India, but also helps to explain the often noted substantial agreements and shared ideas between Vedanta and Neoplatonism which are increasingly attributed to direct Indian influence.〔Harris, R. Baine (ed.), Neoplatonism and Indian Thought, Norfolk Va., 1982: The International Society for Neoplatonic Studies〕 Most details of his life come from the fragments left from Porphyry's writings. The most famous pupil of Ammonius Saccas was Plotinus who studied under Ammonius for eleven years. According to Porphyry, in 232, at the age of 28, Plotinus went to Alexandria to study philosophy: In his twenty-eighth year he () felt the impulse to study philosophy and was recommended to the teachers in Alexandria who then had the highest reputation; but he came away from their lectures so depressed and full of sadness that he told his trouble to one of his friends. The friend, understanding the desire of his heart, sent him to Ammonius, whom he had not so far tried. He went and heard him, and said to his friend, "This is the man I was looking for." From that day he stayed continually with Ammonius and acquired so complete a training in philosophy that he became eager to make acquaintance with the Persian philosophical discipline and that prevailing among the Indians.〔Porphyry, ''Life of Plotinus'', from Reale, G., (1990), ''A History of Ancient Philosophy IV: The Schools of the Imperial Age.'' Page 298. SUNY Press.〕 According to Porphyry, the parents of Ammonius were Christians, but upon learning Greek philosophy, Ammonius rejected his parents' religion for paganism. This conversion is contested by the Christian writers Jerome and Eusebius, who state that Ammonius remained a Christian throughout his lifetime: () plainly utters a falsehood (for what will not an opposer of Christians do?) when he says that ... Ammonius fell from a life of piety into heathen customs. ... Ammonius held the divine philosophy unshaken and unadulterated to the end of his life. His works yet extant show this, as he is celebrated among many for the writings which he has left.〔Eusebius, ''History of the Church'', vi, 19.〕 However, we are told by Longinus that Ammonius wrote nothing,〔Longinus, quoted by Porphyry, ''Life of Plotinus'', xx.〕 and if Ammonius was the principal influence on Plotinus, then it is unlikely that Ammonius would have been a Christian. One way to explain much of the confusion concerning Ammonius is to assume that there were two people called Ammonius: Ammonius Saccas who taught Plotinus, and an Ammonius the Christian who wrote biblical texts. Another explanation might be that there was only one Ammonius but that Origen, who found the Neo-Platonist views of his teacher essential to his own beliefs about the essential nature of Christianity, chose to suppress Ammonius' choice of Paganism over Christianity. The insistence of Eusebius, Origen's pupil, and Jerome, all of whom were recognized Fathers of the Christian Church, that Ammonius Saccas had not rejected his Christian roots would be easier for Christians to accept than the assertion of Prophyry, who was a Pagan, that Ammonius had chosen Paganism over Christianity. To add to the confusion, it seems that Ammonius had two pupils called Origen: Origen the Christian, and Origen the Pagan.〔 It is quite possible that Ammonius Saccas taught both Origens. And since there were two Origens who were accepted as contemporaries it was easy for later Christians to accept that there were two individuals named Ammonius, one a Christian and one a Pagan. Among Ammonius' other pupils there were Herennius and Cassius Longinus. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ammonius Saccas」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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