← Home
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries · 58 of 218 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Chapter XII

It appears, therefore, that the divination of oracles accords with all the hypotheses which we have before adduced concerning prediction. For if a power of this kind was inseparable from the nature of places, and of the bodies which are the subjects of it, or proceeded [65] according to a motion defined by number, it would not be able to foreknow, with invariable sameness, things which exist every where and always. But being separate and liberated from places and things which are measured by the numbers of time, and also from those which are detained in place, it is equally present with all things wherever they may be, and subsists simultaneously with all the natures that are produced 146 according to time. It likewise comprehends in one the truth of all things, through its separate and transcendent essence. Hence, if this is rightly asserted by us, the prophetic power of the Gods is not partibly comprehended by any place, or partible human body, nor by the soul, which is detained in one certain species of divisible natures; but being separate and indivisible, it is wholly every where present with the natures which are capable of receiving it. It likewise externally illuminates and fills all things, pervades through all the elements, comprehends earth and air, fire and water, and leaves nothing destitute of itself, neither animals nor any of the productions of nature, but imparts from itself a certain portion of foreknowledge, to some things in a greater, and to others in a less, degree. Moreover, existing itself prior to all things, by its own separate nature, it becomes sufficient to fill all things, so far as each is able to partake of it.
Themes
Apophatic Theologytheology

Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.

The divine is described by negation as separate from places and bodies, transcending all categories.

All passages →
Cosmic Sympathycosmology

The Stoic and Plotinian doctrine that all parts of the cosmos are bound by hidden affinities, so that a movement in one part resonates through the whole; the metaphysical basis for astrology, magic, and divination.

The prophetic power is said to be present with all natures simultaneously and pervades through all elements.

All passages →
Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

The oracle's power is described as separate from places and bodies, implying a concealed nature beyond ordinary perception.

All passages →
Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

The text explicitly states that the divine power 'externally illuminates and fills all things'.

All passages →
Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The passage centrally argues that this transcendent power actively orders the unfolding of cosmic natures and foreknows events.

All passages →
Divine Simplicitytheology

The doctrine that God has no parts, divisions, or composite attributes; pure undivided being.

The oracle is described as 'separate and indivisible' and 'wholly every where present'.

All passages →
Emanation Hierarchycosmology

A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.

The distinction between the transcendent oracle and lower natures implies a hierarchical relationship of power.

All passages →
Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

The text emphasizes the oracle's 'foreknowledge' as a direct divine attribute rather than derived from human reasoning.

All passages →
Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

The oracle is depicted as an active, present, and dynamic divine power that illuminates and fills all things.

All passages →
Monadcosmology

The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.

The oracle's indivisible nature suggests a singular first principle from which multiplicity flows.

All passages →
Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

The oracle is described as being 'wholly every where present' and simultaneously subsisting with all natures.

All passages →
Numerical Mysticismtheology

Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.

The text references a 'motion defined by number' as a prior condition for divine foreknowledge.

All passages →
Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

The oracle is said to 'comprehend in one the truth of all things' through its separate essence.

All passages →
Related passages · 2 parallels
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 7, Section 1b
(2) Wisdom as a whole = Wisdom embodied in the universe as a whole. (3) Wisdom in each individual instance = Wisdom as shown in the structure of some particular plant or animal, or part of a plant or animal. (1) Is an Emanation; (2) and (…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divine wisdom or prophetic power as being separate, transcendent, and pervading all things. They emphasize the unity and omnipresence of this divine essence, which is beyond the limitations of material and temporal existence.
platonism|Plato: Phaedrus|Section 1m
For prophecy is a madness, and the prophetess at Delphi and the priestesses at Dodona when out of their senses have conferred great benefits on Hellas, both in public and private life, but when in their senses few or none. And I might also…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divine inspiration and prophecy, emphasizing the transcendent and separate nature of the prophetic power. They both highlight the idea that divine inspiration is not bound by physical or temporal constraints and is present in all things.