Why did Middle Platonism stress the soul’s ascent from the body toward the divine?

In Middle Platonism, the emphasis on the soul’s ascent from the body toward the divine was rooted in a strongly otherworldly philosophical attitude that demanded a "flight from the body". This perspective was driven by several key factors:1

• Dualistic View of Reality: Middle Platonists maintained a hierarchy of divine principles and often viewed the individual, earthly body as a hindrance to the spiritual and intellectual life. While they generally viewed the material universe as a noble image of the intelligible, they regarded the human body as a weight that hampered the soul's ascent.12
• The Soul’s Origin and Nature: Drawing on themes from Plato’s Timaeus, the soul was seen as having a celestial origin. Its union with the body was often interpreted as a fall or a descent, necessitating a return to its divine source.32
• Intellectual and Moral Purification: The ascent was not a physical journey but an awakening to a higher awareness. It required a "tremendous intellectual and moral effort" to turn away from the distractions of sensation and desire, allowing the mind to rise toward the eternal and divine.21