Preface
Introduction: Suhrawardi and the Orient
1. The Lure of Oriental Wisdom
The Greek Pseudepigrapha and Platonic Orientalism
The Basis of Platonic Orientalism
Suhrawardi as Orientalizing Neoplatonist
2. Hermes of Egypt: God and Philosopher
Hermes as Universal Sage: Greece, Egypt, Chaldaea
The Problem of Philosophy and the Greek Gods
The Sabians of Harran
The Hermetic in Suhrawardi's Thought
3. Light, Darkness, and the Kings of Ancient Iran
The Philosophical History of Light
Ghazali, the Ghost at Suhrawardi's Feast
Light, Darkness, and the Persians
4. Buddha's Gate of Gates: The Problem of Reincarnation
Buddhism and the Muslims
The Indian Sages and the Ancients
The Problem of Reincarnation
Recapitulation
5. The Past as Orient: The Ideological Heritage of Suhrawardi
Hermes and the Miraculous Preservation of the Avesta
The Commentators and the Persian Side of Suhrawardi
India: The Ancient Sages from Akbar to the Raj
Zoroaster and the Magi: Bruno, Voltaire, and Anquetil
Suhrawardi and Iranian Nationalism: The Persian Sages Return
to Iran
Notes
Bibliography
Index