 Simplicius’ Commentary on the Heavens ends with a prayer to the demiurge. In this prayer, the whole work is termed a “hymn” (humnos) to the creator god. Several recent studies have pointed out that the later Neoplatonists considered theology and ritual (theurgy) an integral part of their philosophy. For instance, Proclus composed several hymns and begins his Commentary on the Parmenides with a long prayer. Both he and his teacher Syrianus were eager to show that Plato was in harmony with most ancient religious traditions such as the Orphics, the Pythagoreans and the Chaldaean Oracles. Simplicius’ extant commentaries all end with a prayer, the only exception being the Commentary on the De anima, where we find a small prayer at the beginning of the work: