The golden statue of the soul: Plato, Plotinus, and John Chrysostom

Abstract

This article examines the images of the rudimentary golden element of the soul and the soul as a golden statue found in the Platonic tradition, particularly in the works of Plato and Plotinus. In Plato’s dialogues, gold is repeatedly mentioned in reflections on the nature of the soul. In his treatise “On Beauty”(ch. 5), Plotinus compares the soul’s authentic beauty and its acquired ugliness to gold that has fallen into mud. In Plato’s “Republic” (611 b–612 a), Socrates likens the condition of the soul in this life to the figure of the sea god Glaucus encrusted with shells. Although the discussion refers to the deity himself, it reads as if a sculptural image is being described (“some of his original body parts have broken off, others have worn away”). A memorable reflection on the inner work of shaping (or restoring) the beautiful statue of the soul is found in Plotinus (On Beauty, ch. 9). These Platonic images and the associated considerations on the true nature and beauty of the soul are compared to the Christian treatment of the theme in the “Catechetical Homilies” of John Chrysostom.