Proclus is regarded as a Neoplatonist with a systemic philosophy that remains the same throughout his works and offers little to no autonomous parts. Instead Proclus deliberately aligns himself with previous authors, such as Homer, Plato, Plotinus and many others, to present himself as the custodian and teacher of neoplatonic thought. While he explicitly refers to predecessors in some of his works, mainly his commentaries, he does not mention them in his systemic work: The Elements of Theology. This research project aims to analyse these differences. When and why does Proclus refer to other authors? How and in what relations to their previous custodians and original thinkers are philosophical thoughts presented? What impact do these decisions have on the text?

Since the works of Proclus are vast both in volume of preserved text and philosophical intricacies, these questions will be analysed in regards to a specific subsection of the neoplatonic system: the body-soul relation. This subsection was chosen because it includes the philosophical thoughts of which Proclus has been suggested as the originator, small though they might be. It thus provides the opportunity to also analyse how Proclus presents original thought, and how that presentation differs. The textual basis will thus consist of the main works in which Proclus discusses the body-soul relation and its implications: the commentaries on the Timaeus and the Republic, The Elements of Theology, and The Platonic Theology. Other works of Proclus will be included when they offer additional insight.