This man took over Proclus' school and taught Isidore the philosopher the doctrine of Aristotle. When Isidore came to Athens for the second time, after their common teacher had died,[1] he showed him a commentary composed by him at great length on Plato's Philebus, bidding him to read and criticize it, [to decide] whether the book should be published. When [Isidore] read it carefully he did not hide any of his opinions, yet uttered no unseemly word, but said only this, that the master's commentary on the dialogue was sufficient. Marinus understood and immediately destroyed the book.[2]
He had already earlier shared with him by letter his opinion of the hypotheses and explanations on [Plato's] Parmenides; and he wrote out his proofs, by which Marinus was convinced that the dialogue was not about the gods but about the forms. On this he also wrote commentaries, explaining Parmenides' dialectical hypotheses in this manner. But [Isidore] replied to this letter, writing with innumerable proofs that the theological interpretation of the dialogue was the truest, so that if the book had not already been published, perhaps [Marinus] would have destroyed this one also. Perhaps also a night-time vision prevented him: Proclus used to say that he had beheld that there would be commentaries on Parmenides by Marinus himself.[3]