Iamblichus: On the Mysteries · 101 of 218 · tr. Thomas Taylor
Chapter VI
But the greatest thing in sacrifices, viz. their efficacious power, and why especially they are so very beneficial that without them we are neither liberated from pestilence, nor famine, nor sterility of fruits, nor obtain seasonable showers of rain, nor things of much greater consequence than these, I mean such as contribute to the purification of the soul, or an emancipation from generation; these are not at all indicated by such modes of sacrifices as you adduce. Hence no one can justly approve of them, because they assign a cause of the works performed in sacrifices unadapted to their dignity. And if some one should approve of them it will be only in a secondary way, and as suspended from primary, more ancient, and venerable causes.
Themes
◆Divine Hiddennesstheology
The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.
The text emphasizes that true causes are 'primary, more ancient, and venerable' and not indicated by secondary sacrifices.
All passages →◆Ritual Puritypraxis
The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.
The passage explicitly lists purification of the soul as one of the key benefits of sacrifices that are not achieved through ordinary modes.
All passages →Related passages · 2 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 10 (part 9)
“"All sacrificing without faith and divine desire is an p.
219 abomination before God, and does not reach the gate of divine glory; but if man enters therein with the power of faith, he surrenders to it his free will, and desires by that me…”
Both passages discuss the importance of the inner state or intention behind sacrificial acts, emphasizing that external rituals are ineffective without the proper inner disposition or divine connection. They share a focus on the spiritual and purificatory aspects of sacrifice.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 10 (part 11)
“At the same time it made one fire out of the combination of the human life-fire and the divine love-fire, and therewith was constituted a true sacrifice of sin and restitution, because the sin was sacrificed to the fire of divine wrath, to…”
Both passages discuss the transformative power of sacrifices and their role in spiritual purification and liberation. They share a common theme of the soul's transformation through sacrificial fire, though they come from different mystical traditions.