Algis Uždavinys (1962–2010) was a prolific Lithuanian philosopher and scholar. His work pioneered the hermeneutical comparative study of Egyptian and Greek religions, especially their esoteric relations to Semitic religions, and in particular the inner aspect of Islam (Sufism). His books have been published in Lithuanian, Russian, English and French, including translations of

Plotinus Plotinus (; grc-gre, Πλωτῖνος, ''Plōtînos''; – 270 CE) was a philosopher in the Hellenistic tradition, born and raised in Roman Egypt. Plotinus is regarded by modern scholarship as the founder of Neoplatonism. His teacher wa ...

Frithjof Schuon Frithjof Schuon (, , ; 18 June 1907 – 5 May 1998) was a Swiss metaphysician of German descent, belonging to the Perennialist or Traditionalist School of thought. He was the author of more than twenty works in French on metaphysics, spiritual ...

and

Ananda Coomaraswamy Ananda Kentish Muthu Coomaraswamy ( ta, ஆனந்த குமாரசுவாமி, ''Ānanda Kentiś Muthū Kumāraswāmī''; si, ආනන්ද කුමාරස්වාමි ''Ānanda Kumārasvāmī''; 22 August 1877 − 9 Septem ...

into Russian and Lithuanian.

Early life

Brought up in

Druskininkai Druskininkai (; pl, Druskieniki; be, Друскенiкi; yi, דרוזגעניק, translit=Druzgenik) is a spa town on the Nemunas River in southern Lithuania, close to the borders of Belarus and Poland. The city of Druskininkai has a population ...

, by the

Nemunas River The Neman, Nioman, Nemunas or MemelTo bankside nations of the present: Lithuanian: be, Нёман, , ; russian: Неман, ''Neman''; past: ger, Memel (where touching Prussia only, otherwise Nieman); lv, Nemuna; et, Neemen; pl, Niemen; ...

in southern Lithuania, Uždavinys moved to

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

to pursue studies at the former State Art Institute of Lithuania, now

Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts The Vilnius Academy of Arts ( lt, Vilniaus dailės akademija, previously ''State Art Institute of Lithuania'') in Vilnius, Lithuania, grants a variety of degrees in the arts. History The Academy traces its roots back to the creation of the Arc ...

.Kazimieras Seibutis, "In memoriam Algis Uždavinys", ''Acta Orientalia Vilnensia'' 9.2: 185–187.

Career

Upon graduation he came in contact with the writings and authors of the Traditionalist or

Perennialist The perennial philosophy ( la, philosophia perennis), also referred to as perennialism and perennial wisdom, is a perspective in philosophy and spirituality that views all of the world's religious traditions as sharing a single, metaphysical trut ...

school, and this influenced his comparative exegesis, notably his studies on Sufism, the Ancient Egyptian religion, and his assertion of the substantial continuity of Greek philosophical tradition from

Pythagoras Pythagoras of Samos ( grc, Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος, Pythagóras ho Sámios, Pythagoras the Samian, or simply ; in Ionian Greek; ) was an ancient Ionian Greek philosopher and the eponymous founder of Pythagoreanism. His politi ...

down to the latest

Neoplatonic Neoplatonism is a strand of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a chain of thinkers. But there are some id ...

authors.See hi
Introduction
to ''The Golden Chain''. In this last claim he was expressly indebted to

Pierre Hadot Pierre Hadot (; ; 21 February 1922 – 24 April 2010) was a French philosopher and historian of philosophy specializing in ancient philosophy, particularly Neoplatonism. Life In 1944, Hadot was ordained, but following Pope Pius XII’s e ...

. Uždavinys was an active member of the editorial board of the journal ''Acta Orientalia Vilnensia'' and head of the Department of Humanities at the

, Kaunas Faculty; as an art critic, philosopher and intellectual he was a prominent figure in Lithuanian cultural life. In 2008 he spent time as a research fellow at

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria a ...

in Bendigo, Australia. He was a member of the

International Society for Neoplatonic Studies The International Society for Neoplatonic Studies (ISNS) is a learned society established in 1973 to support teaching and research relating to Neoplatonism. ''The International Journal of the Platonic Tradition'' is published under its auspices b ...

and The

Lithuanian Artists' Association The Lithuanian Artists' Association (Lietuvos dailininkų sąjunga) is a creative voluntary artistic organization in Lithuania, uniting professional painters and artists. It is the official association for artists in the country. The association w ...

, and a regular contributor to journals such as ''Sacred Web'',

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, and ''Sophia'',

Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Death

Uždavinys died in his sleep of an apparent

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

on 25 July 2010 in his native village of Kabeliai.

Works

Books

*''The Golden Chain: An Anthology of Platonic and Pythagorean Philosophy'' (

World Wisdom World Wisdom is an independent American publishing company established in 1980 in Bloomington, Indiana. World Wisdom publishes religious and philosophical texts, including the work of authors such as Frithjof Schuon, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Titus Bu ...

, 2004)
Introduction
*''Philosophy as a Rite of Rebirth: From Ancient Egypt to Neoplatonism'' (

The Matheson Trust The Matheson Trust is an educational charity based in London dedicated to further and disseminate the study of comparative religion, especially from the point of view of the underlying harmony of the major religious and philosophical traditions ...

and Prometheus Trust, 2004)
A free sizeable excerpt
*''The Heart of Plotinus: The Essential Enneads'' (

, 2009) . *''Philosophy and Theurgy in Late Antiquity ( Sophia Perennis, 2010) *''Ascent to Heaven in Islamic and Jewish Mysticism'' (

, 2011)
PDF excerpt
*''Orpheus and the Roots of Platonism'' (

, 2011)
PDF excerpt

Academic Monographs in Lithuanian

*''Labyrinth of Sources. Hermeneutical Philosophy and Mystagogy of Proclus'', Vilnius: Lithuanian State Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Eurigmas, 2002. (). *''Hellenic Philosophy from Numenius to Syrianus'', Vilnius: Lithuanian State Institute of Culture, Philosophy, and Arts, 2003. (). *''The Egyptian Book of the Dead'', Kaunas: Ramduva. (). *''Hermes Trismegistus: The Way of Wisdom'', Vilnius: Sophia, 2005. ().

Chapters

*"From Homer to the Glorious Qur’an: Hermeneutical Strategies in the Hellenistic and Islamic Traditions," ''Sacred Web'', vol. 11, 2003. *"The Egyptian Book of the Dead and Neoplatonic Philosophy," ''History of Platonism, Plato Redivivus'', eds. Robert Berchman and John Finamore. New Orleans: University Press of the South, 2005. *"Chaldean Divination and the Ascent to Heaven," in ''Seeing with Different Eyes: Essays in Astrology and Divination'', eds. Patrick Curry and Angela Voss, Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2007.

Articles

"Putting on the Form of the Gods: Sacramental Theurgy in Neoplatonism"
''Sacred Web'' vol. 5, 2000, pp.107-120.

Research Institute of Culture, Philosophy, and Arts, 2007.
"Voices of Fire: Understanding Theurgy"
''Eye of the Heart'', Vol 1, 2008.
"Metaphysical symbols and their function in theurgy"
''Eye of the Heart'', Vol 2, 2008.

References

External links

*Kazimieras Seibutis
"In memoriam Algis Uždavinys"
''Acta Orientalia Vilnensia'' 9.2: 185–187.
World Wisdom author bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uzdavinys, Algis 1962 births 2010 deaths Classical philologists Comparative religion Academic staff of the Vilnius Academy of Arts 20th-century Lithuanian philosophers Traditionalist School Lithuanian scholars of ancient Greek philosophy 21st-century Lithuanian philosophers People from Druskininkai Vilnius Academy of Arts alumni