Historical Versus Philosophical Context: Understanding Ancient Philosophy in Its Contexts

Through an examination of Eduard Zeller’s and Michael Frede’s historiographical approaches, I question the assumption that by placing philosophy in its historical context we can avoid anachronism. I argue that an exegetical approach that studies texts and places the discussions found therein in their philosophical contexts can minimize anachronism and offer a historically sensitive understanding. I clarify this claim through three case studies: the relation between John Philoponus’ philosophy and theology, Aristotle’s account of relatives, and Alexander of Aphrodisias’ notion of mixture. In so doing, I distinguish contextualization that facilitates judgment from contextualization that facilitates understanding and show how the latter furthers our understanding of philosophical views in different ways.