Plotinus and Augustine on the Mid-Rank of Soul

In this book, Joseph Torchia, OP, explores the mid-rank of the soul theme in Plotinus and Augustine with a special focus on its metaphysical, epistemological, and moral implications for each thinkers intellectual outlooks. For both, human existence assumes the character of a prolonged journeyor, in the nautical imagery they both employ, an extended voyage. Augustines account incorporates theological significance, addressing the ontological difference between God and creatures. As a rational creature, the soul stands mid-way between God and corporeal natures and, in broader terms, between eternity and temporality. Plotinus and Augustine on the Mid-Rank of Soul: Navigating Two Worlds encompasses two parts: Part I addresses the significance that Plotinus attributes to the souls mid-rank within the broader context of his understanding of universal order, and Part II delineates Augustines interpretation of the intermediary status of the soul with an ongoing reference to his spiritual and intellectual peregrinatio, as recounted in the Confessions.