This book is a commentary on the Pythagorean Golden Verses, a neglected, but once very popular poem of the Hellenistic period. The goal of the poem is to introduce its readers to the basic moral, religious and philosophical doctrines of the Pythagorean sect and to guide them to spiritual maturity. The first part of the book treats still unresolved introductory matters such as the date, authorship, genre, composition, and the historical locus of the poem. This is followed by a text with translation on facing pages, and a detailed commentary containing a wealth of comparative material from the Greco-Roman period, including early Christianity and Judaism. Particularly valuable are the extensive discussions of the moral topoi and religious themes encountered in the poem.

The Golden Verses are a collection of moral exhortations comprised of 71 lines, written in dactylic hexameter and dating to the third century B.C.E. They were used by the Neoplatonists as part of their preparatory program of moral instructions. Presented here are five different translations of this classic text.

Of all existing things, some are in our power, and others are not in our power. So begins the Enchiridion or Manual on the Art of Living of Epictetus, a collection of precepts that together provide a powerful philosophy for daily life. With practical grace and wisdom, the Manual addresses living with integrity, self-management, and personal freedom. The Manual is considered to be the pinnacle of Stoic philosophy, a school of Greek thought originating in the early third century BC, that holds that destructive emotions are the result of errors in judgement and taught an active relationship between individual will and cosmic determinism.

A small collection of three pieces exploring the impact and legacy that Pythagoras has left on both Freemasonry, as well as modern, esoteric, philosophical thought. Includes "The Influence of Pythagoras on Freemasonry" by Albert G. Mackey, "The Golden Verses of Pythagoras" which is traditionally attributed to Pythagoras himself and "The Life and Philosophy of Pythagoras" by Manly P. Hall. This is a nice primer for someone becoming interested in Pythagoras.

For the first time, the reader can have a synoptic view of the reception of Pythagoras and Pythagoreanism in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, East and West, in a multicultural perspective. All the major themes of Pythagoreanism are addressed, from mathematics, number philosophy and metaphysics to ethics and religious thought.