cannot be merely the sum of all such things (compare the Stoic doctrine of disbelief in non-material existence), but "is prior to all existents". Porphyry Porphyry (Greek: Πορφύριος, c. A.D. 233– c. 309) was a Syrian [4] Neoplatonist philosopher. He wrote widely on astrology, religion, philosophy, and musical theory. He produced