Psellos and his traditions

Though Michael Psellos' work is now more accessible than ever before, there remains a great deal to be interpreted, and in particular two central questions require address: what is Psellos' relationship to Christianity? What is his relationship to Neoplatonism? On a first glance at his numerous surviving works, the answers to both might seem quite straightforward. With regard to Christianity, it is well known that Psellos was willing to become a monk, and that he wrote and lectured extensively on theological topics, besides writing hagiographic works and religious orations. His great admiration for Gregory of Nazianzus ought to be evident to any reader of the short texts collected as his Theologica. In terms of philosophical affiliation, Psellos' admiration for Proclus and (somewhat more reservedly) for other Neoplatonists is also evident. What then, one might wonder, is the problem? Closer investigation brings out several related issues concerning both his religious and philosophical positions and the relationship between the two.