original_language_of_work enneads
Turkey , officially the Republic of Turkey ( ___MASK66___ : ), is a transcontinental country in Eurasia , mainly in Anatolia in Western Asia , with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe . Turkey is a democratic , secular , unitary , parliamentary republic with a diverse cultural heritage . Turkey is bordered by eight countries : Greece to the west ; Bulgaria to the northwest ; Georgia to the northeast ; Armenia , the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan and Iran to the east ; and Iraq and Syria to the south . The Aegean Sea is to the west , the Black Sea to the north , and the Mediterranean Sea to the south . The Bosphorus , the Sea of Marmara , and the Dardanelles , which together form the ___MASK66___ Straits , divide Thrace and Anatolia ; they also separate Europe and Asia . Turkey ' s location has given it geopolitical and strategic importance throughout history . A Christian ( or ) is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity , an Abrahamic , monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ . " Christian " derives from the ___MASK87___ word " Christós " (  ), a translation of the Biblical Hebrew term " mashiach ". Plato ( ___MASK60___ : " Plátn ", in Classical Attic ; 428 / 427 or 424 / 423  348 / 347 BCE ) was a philosopher in Classical Greece and the founder of the Academy in Athens , the first institution of higher learning in the Western world . He is widely considered the most pivotal figure in the development of philosophy , especially the Western tradition . Unlike nearly all of his philosophical contemporaries , Plato ' s entire " œuvre " is believed to have survived intact for over 2 , 400 years . The Six Enneads , sometimes abbreviated to The Enneads or Enneads ( ___MASK60___ :  ) , is the collection of writings of Plotinus , edited and compiled by his student Porphyry ( c . 270 AD ) . Plotinus was a student of Ammonius Saccas and they were founders of Neoplatonism . His work , through Augustine of Hippo , the Cappadocian Fathers , Pseudo - Dionysius the Areopagite and several subsequent Christian and Muslim thinkers , has greatly influenced Western and Near - Eastern thought . Syria , officially known as the Syrian Arab Republic (""), is a country in Western Asia , bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west , Turkey to the north , Iraq to the east , Jordan to the south , and ___MASK81___ to the southwest . Syria ' s capital and largest city is Damascus . Plotinus ( 204 / 5  270 ) was a major ___MASK60___ - speaking philosopher of the ancient world . In his philosophy there are three principles : the One , the Intellect , and the Soul . His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition . Historians of the 19th century invented the term Neoplatonism and applied it to him and his philosophy which was influential in Late Antiquity . Much of the biographical information about Plotinus comes from Porphyry ' s preface to his edition of Plotinus ' " Enneads ". His metaphysical writings have inspired centuries of Pagan , Christian , Islamic and Gnostic metaphysicians and mystics . Philosophy ( from ___MASK60___ , " philosophia ", literally " love of wisdom ") is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence , knowledge , values , reason , mind , and language . The term was probably coined by Pythagoras ( c . 570  c . 495 BC ). Philosophical methods include questioning , critical discussion , rational argument and systematic presentation . Classic philosophical questions include : Is it possible to know anything and to prove it ? What is most real ? However , philosophers might also pose more practical and concrete questions such as : Is there a best way to live ? Is it better to be just or unjust ( if one can get away with it )? Do humans have free will ? Western philosophy is the philosophical thought and work of the Western world . Historically , the term refers to the philosophical thinking of Western culture , beginning with Hellenic ( i . e . ___MASK60___ ) philosophy of the Pre - Socratics such as Thales ( c . 624  c . 546 BC ) and Pythagoras ( c . 570  c . 495 BC ), and eventually covering a large area of the globe . The word " philosophy " itself originated from the Hellenic : " philosophia " (  ), literally , " the love of wisdom " (  " philein ", " to love " and  " sophia ", " wisdom "). A philosopher is someone who practices philosophy , which involves rational inquiry into areas that are outside of either theology or science . The term " philosopher " comes from the ___MASK25___ (" philosophos ") meaning " lover of wisdom ". The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek thinker Pythagoras ( 6th century BC ). Western Christianity consists of the ___MASK17___ Church of the Catholic Church and a variety of Protestant denominations . It has been applied in order to distinguish these from Eastern Christianity . Pseudo - Dionysius the Areopagite , also known as Pseudo - Denys , was a Christian theologian and philosopher of the late 5th to early 6th century ( writing before 532 ), probably Syrian , the author of the set of works commonly referred to as the " Corpus Areopagiticum " or " Corpus Dionysiacum ". The author pseudonymously identifies himself in the corpus as " Dionysios ", portraying himself as the figure of Dionysius the Areopagite , the Athenian convert of Paul of Tarsus mentioned in . This false attribution to the earliest decades of Christianity resulted in the work being given great authority in subsequent theological writing in both East and West , with its influence only decreasing in the West with the fifteenth century demonstration of its later dating . Augustine of Hippo ( 13 November 354  28 August 430 ) was an early Christian theologian and philosopher whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy . He was the bishop of Hippo Regius ( within modern - day Annaba , Algeria ), located in Numidia ( Roman province of Africa ). Augustine is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers in Western Christianity for his writings in the Patristic Era . Among his most important works are " The City of God " and " Confessions ." Alexandria ( or ; ___MASK26___ : '; '; "") is the second largest city and a major economic centre in Egypt , extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country . Its low elevation on the Nile delta makes it highly vulnerable to rising sea levels . Alexandria is Egypt ' s largest seaport , serving approximately 80 % of Egypt ' s imports and exports . It is an important industrial center because of its natural gas and oil pipelines from Suez . Alexandria is also an important tourist destination . The Cappadocian Fathers , also traditionally known as the Three Cappadocians , are Basil the Great ( 330  379 ), who was bishop of Caesarea ; Basil ' s younger brother Gregory of Nyssa ( c . 332  395 ), who was bishop of Nyssa ; and a close friend , Gregory of Nazianzus ( 329  389 ), who became Patriarch of Constantinople . The Cappadocia region , in modern - day Turkey , was an early site of Christian activity , with several missions by Paul in this region . An academy ( Attic ___MASK60___ :  ; ___MASK87___  ) is an institution of secondary education , higher learning , research , or honorary membership . Ammonius Saccas ( fl . 3rd century AD ) was a ___MASK60___ philosopher from Alexandria who was often referred to as one of the founders of Neoplatonism . He is mainly known as the teacher of Plotinus , whom he taught for eleven years from 232 to 243 . He was undoubtedly the biggest influence on Plotinus in his development of Neoplatonism , although little is known about his own philosophical views . Later Christian writers stated that Ammonius was a Christian , but it is now generally assumed that there was a different Ammonius of Alexandria who wrote biblical texts . Dionysius the Areopagite ( ___MASK60___ ) was a judge of the Areopagus who , as related in the " Acts of the Apostles ",, was converted to Christianity by the preaching of the Apostle Paul during the Areopagus sermon . According to Dionysius of Corinth , quoted by Eusebius , this Dionysius then became the first Bishop of Athens . Neoplatonism is a modern term used to designate a tradition of philosophy that arose in the 3rd century AD and persisted until shortly after the closing of the Platonic Academy in Athens in AD 529 by Justinian I . Neoplatonists were heavily influenced by Plato , but also by the Platonic tradition that thrived during the six centuries which separated the first of the Neoplatonists from Plato . The Academy ( ___MASK25___ :  ) was founded by Plato ( 428 / 427 BC  348 / 347 BC ) in ca . 387 BC in Athens . Aristotle ( 384  322 BC ) studied there for twenty years ( 367  347 BC ) before founding his own school , the Lyceum . The Academy persisted throughout the Hellenistic period as a skeptical school , until coming to an end after the death of Philo of Larissa in 83 BC . Although philosophers continued to teach Plato ' s philosophy in Athens throughout the Roman era , it was not until 410 AD that a revived Academy was established as a center for Neoplatonism , persisting until 529 AD when it was finally closed by Justinian I .