A Matter of Belief? Remarks on Calcidius’ Theology and Cosmology

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to study the theology and cosmogony in Calcidius’ Commentary on Plato’s Timaeus, with the aim of proposing the need to reevaluate his religious allegiance, typically assumed as Christian. Calcidius, author of a translation and a Commentary on Plato’s Timaeus is a key figure in the transmission of Platonic (and Greek) thought in the Latin-speaking world. Since the early Middle Ages he has been considered a Christian, whose orthodoxy is rather flexible, a position that has rarely been challenged. Recent studies have examined the possibility of Calcidius being a pagan rather than a Christian, although no conclusive evidence has been found because of the difficulties associated with the subject. Accordingly, our aim is to present evidence based on his theology (certain polytheist elements, for example) and cosmogony (its fundamental incompatibility with creatio ex nihilo) to show that there are compelling reasons to be skeptical about his religious affiliation. Thus, our intention is to propose the need to reexamine Calcidius’ work considering the possibility of a pagan identity, to improve the understanding of his role as a bridge between the pagan and Christian worlds.