Chapter II

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

The text explicitly states that communion with body is 'noxious' for a partial soul.

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 passage describes the soul presiding over the mundane body and Gods ascending into celestial bodies without impediment.

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

The Gods are described as 'exempt transcendency' above men, implying their radical concealment from ordinary perception.

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 text references celestial Gods ascending into a vehicle and distinguishes between superior beings and men.

Augustinian and Plotinian doctrine that evil has no positive being of its own but is a lack, distortion, or absence of the good — denying ontological dualism while preserving moral seriousness.

The passage frames the bond with body as 'noxious' rather than an ontological evil.

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

The text emphasizes that dissolving opposition requires 'demonstrating the dignity of wholes' and recalling the exempt transcendency of Gods.

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

The Gods are described as having 'intellections' that are not impeded by their celestial bodies.

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

The soul is said to preside over the mundane body, suggesting a divine presence within the material realm.

The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror.

The passage equates the soul of the universe with the human soul, asserting that the human soul presides over all mundane bodies.

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

The text describes Gods ascending into celestial bodies without injury, implying a state of union with their divine form.

The dissolution of binary oppositions (male/female, inner/outer, above/below) as a mark of spiritual completion.

The passage explicitly states that hostile oppositions may be dissolved by recognizing the dignity of wholes over parts.

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

The text uses a hypothetical doubt about the bond between body and soul to illustrate deeper truths.

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

The passage advocates recalling the exempt transcendency of Gods above men as a means to dissolve oppositions.

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

The text implies that knowing one's own true nature (the soul's dignity) is key to resolving spiritual doubts.

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

The text describes celestial Gods ascending into a vehicle and emphasizes the transcendence of men over Gods.