Onatas (philosopher)

5th century BCE Pythagorean philosopher

Onatas

Ὀνάτας
Born| c. 5th century BCE

Croton or Tarentum

Philosophical work
Era| Ancient philosophy
Region| Ancient Greek philosophy
School| Pythagoreanism

Onatas (Ancient Greek: Ὀνάτας) was a Pythagorean philosopher who lived in or around the 5th century BC,[1] possibly in either Croton[2] or Tarentum[3] in Magna Graecia. Nothing more is known about his life, but he is credited by Stobaeus as the author of a pseudonymous Neo-Pythagorean work from the 1st century BC or AD entitled On God and the Divine (Ancient Greek: Περὶ θεοῦ καὶ θείου), which Stobaeus excerpts a long passage from.[4] The author of the passage ("Pseudo-Onatas") argues against the belief in a single deity, on the basis that the universe itself is not God but only divine,[5] but that God is a governing part of the universe.[6] He argues that since there are many "powers" in the universe, therefore they must belong to different gods.[7] Pseudo-Onatas also claimed that the earthy mixture of the body defiles the purity of the soul.[8]

## Notes

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1. ^ Trevor Curnow, (2006), The philosophers of the ancient world: an A to Z guide, page 201
2. ^ Iamblichus, Vit. Pyth. 267
3. ^ Joannes Laurentius Lydus, De Mens. 2\. 12
4. ^ Stobaeus, i. 1. 39
5. ^ P. L. Reynolds, "The Essence, Power and Presence of God" in Édouard Jeauneau, Haijo Jan Westra, (1992), From Athens to Chartres: neoplatonism and medieval thought, page 355. BRILL
6. ^ Documenti e studi sulla tradizione filosofica medievale, (1999), Volume 10, page 3. Società internazionale per lo studio del Medioevo latino, Centro italiano di studi sull'alto Medioevo.
7. ^ James M. Reese, (1970), Hellenistic influence on the Book of Wisdom and its consequences, page 56. Pontificium Institutum Biblicum
8. ^ James M. Reese, (1970), Hellenistic influence on the Book of Wisdom and its consequences, page 87. Pontificium Institutum Biblicum

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