Chapter I

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

The passage argues that touching dead bodies is unlawful because the vestige of divine life is extinguished by death.

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

The text distinguishes between Gods connected to animals and those who are pure from matter.

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

The passage emphasizes that the divine life is extinguished in the body by death, implying a hidden nature of the divine presence.

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.

Death is described as the extinguishing of a vestige of divine life rather than an ontological evil.

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

The passage discusses the ritual prohibition against touching dead bodies within the context of sacred rites and death.

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

The text describes Gods who are pure from matter and proximately connected with animals, indicating a dynamic divine presence.

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

The passage explicitly resolves the apparent contradiction of performing sacred operations through dead bodies by explaining that the opposition is only apparent.

The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.

The text establishes a distinction between impure and consecrated dead bodies regarding ritual touching.

Iamblichean ritual practice that engages the gods directly through consecrated material symbols and actions, on the premise that divine power descends into properly prepared matter — distinct from philosophical contemplation alone.

The passage discusses sacred rites and the proper use of consecrated material symbols (dead bodies) in invocation to Gods.