Alexander J. Mazur (b. 1969, d. August 2016; also known as Zeke Mazur
) was an American scholar specializing in
Neoplatonism,
Gnosticism, and
mysticism. Mazur is noted for his work on the relationship between
Neoplatonism and Gnosticism.
Education and career
Mazur majored in Philosophy and Classical Studies with a minor in Religion at the
University of Massachusetts at Boston
The University of Massachusetts Boston (stylized as UMass Boston) is a public research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the only public research university in Boston and the third-largest campus in the five-campus University of Massa ...
, graduating ''
summa cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
'' with a B.A. in June 1999. He then attended the
University of Chicago for his graduate studies, where he obtained his M.A. in May 2002 and graduated with a Ph.D. from the
University of Chicago in August 2010. His doctoral thesis, ''The Platonizing Sethian Gnostic background of Plotinus' mysticism'', was supervised by
Michael Sells, Kevin Corrigan, and
John D. Turner.
Afterwards, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at
Université Laval.
Mazur died in August 2016. His book ''The Platonizing Sethian background of Plotinus's mysticism'' was published posthumously by
Brill
Brill may refer to:
Places
* Brielle (sometimes "Den Briel"), a town in the western Netherlands
* Brill, Buckinghamshire, a village in England
* Brill, Cornwall, a small village to the west of Constantine, Cornwall, UK
* Brill, Wisconsin, an uni ...
in 2021.
Published articles
A selection of Mazur's published articles:
*2013a. "The Platonizing Sethian Gnostic Interpretation of Plato's Sophist," pp. 469–493 in A. D. DeConick, G. Shaw, and J. D. Turner, eds. ''Practicing Gnosis: Ritual, Magic, Theurgy, and Other Ancient Literature. Essays in Honor of
Birger A. Pearson Birger A. Pearson (born 1934 in California, United States) is an American scholar and professor studying early Christianity and Gnosticism. He currently holds the positions of Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of California, ...
''.
ag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies 85 Leiden: Brill, 2013.
*2013b. "‘Those Who Ascend to the Sanctuaries of the Temples': The Gnostic Context of Plotinus' First Treatise, I.6
On Beauty," pp. 329–368 in K. Corrigan and T. Rasimus et al., eds. ''Gnosticism, Platonism, and the Late Ancient World. Essays in Honour of
John D. Turner''.
ag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies 82 Leiden: Brill, 2013.
*2013c."Traces of the Competition Between the Platonizing Sethian Gnostics and Plotinus' Circle: The Case of Zostrianos 44—46," in M. P. Marsola and L. Ferroni, eds. ''Estratégias anti-gnósticas nos escritos de Plotino. Atas do colóquio internacional realizado em São Paulo em 18-19 de março 2012''. São Paulo: Rosari et Paulus, 2013.
*2009. "Having Sex with the One: Erotic Mysticism in Plotinus and the Problem of Metaphor," pp. 67–83 in P. Vassilopoulou and S. R. L. Clark, eds. ''Late Antique Epistemology: Other Ways to Truth''. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
*2008a. "Harmonius Opposition (Part I): Pythagorean Themes of Cosmogonic Mediation in the Roman Mysteries of Mithras," pp. 203–222 in Á. Szábo and P. Vargyas, eds. ''Cultus Deorum. Studia Religionum ad Historiam, vol 2. De Rebus Aetatis Graecorum et Romanorum. In Memoriam István Tóth''.
kortudományi Dolgozatok nr. 2 Pécs — Budapest: University of Pécs, 2008.
*2008b. "Unio Intellectualis? A Response to Professor
Werner Beierwaltes
Werner Beierwaltes (* 8 May 1931, Klingenberg am Main; † 22 February 2019, Würzburg) was a German academic best known as a historian of philosophy. His most important areas of specialization were Neoplatonism and German Idealism. He was an Em ...
on Unio Magica," ''Dionysius'' 26 (2008): 193–200.
*2005. "Plotinus' Philosophical Opposition to Gnosticism and the Axiom of Continuous Hierarchy," pp. 95–112 in J. Finamore and R. Berchman, eds. ''History of Platonism: Plato Redivivus''. New Orleans: University Press of the South, 2005.
*2004. "Unio Magica, Part 2: Plotinus, Theurgy, and the Question of Ritual," ''Dionysius'' 22 (2004): 29–56.
*2003. "Unio Magica, Part 1: On the Magical Origins of Plotinus' Mysticism," ''Dionysius'' 21 (2003): 23–52.
Co-edited volumes
*
References
External links
Archived homepage of Alexander J. Mazur
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazur, Alexander J.
1969 births
2016 deaths
21st-century American philosophers
American religion academics
University of Chicago alumni
University of Massachusetts Boston alumni
Historians of Gnosticism
American historians of philosophy
Neoplatonism
American historians of religion
Mysticism scholars