Food for the Soul, Bodies for Virtue. On Porphyry’s Vegetarianism in De Abstinentia

• Autor: Costero-Quiroga, Sonsoles
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 2025
• Institución: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
• Repositorio: Revistas - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
• Lenguaje: español
• OAI Identifier: oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/31759
• Enlace del recurso: http://revistas.pucp.edu.pe/index.php/arete/article/view/31759
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: Porphyry; Neoplatonism; Rituals; Vegetarianism; Animals; Porfirio; Neoplatonismo; Rituales; Vegetarianismo; Animales

“Food for the Soul, Bodies for Virtue. On Porphyry’s Vegetarianism in De Abstinentia”. This paper examines the treatise De Abstinentia ab esu animalium by the Neoplatonic philosopher Porphyry, with a focus on the figure of the philosopher-priest. This figure is characterized as one who strives to attain an ascetic lifestyle through adherence to certain precepts, including the performance of humble sacrifices to the gods, abstention from animal-derived foods, the practice of austerity in all aspects of life, and the cultivation of that what is truly important: the purification (kátharsis) of the soul and the assimilation to the divine (homoí?sis the?i). Furthermore, this article explores the arguments presented by Porphyry to promote a positive model for the individual subject. It also discusses how a choice of life based on dietary restrictions and an ethic of self-control can be seen not only as a path to divinity but also as a defining characteristic of the true philosopher—namely, one who establishes himself as a model worthy of emulation (the?os anér). This perspective highlights the role of the philosopher-priest as both an active follower and adherent of philosophy and a living example of virtue and wisdom, serving as an ethical reference point that inspires others to emulate this ideal and to reflect on our own daily practices.