Iamblichus: On the Mysteries · 137 of 218 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Chapter II

Prior to truly existing beings and total principles [or principles that rank as wholes], there is one God, prior to [that deity who is generally believed to be] the first God and king, [133] immoveable, and abiding in the solitude of his own unity. For neither is the intelligible connected with him, nor any thing else; but he is established as the paradigm of the God who is the father of himself, is self begotten, is father alone, and is truly good. For he is something even greater and prior to this, is the fountain of all things, and the root of the first intelligible forms. But from this one deity, the God who is sufficient to himself unfolds himself, into light. For this divinity, also, is the principle and God of Gods, a monad from the one , prior to essence, and the principle of essence. For from him entity and essence are derived; and hence, also, he is denominated the principle of intelligibles. These, therefore, are the most ancient principles of all things, which Hermes 302 arranges prior to the etherial, empyrean, and celestial Gods. He likewise delivered to us the history of the empyrean Gods in one hundred books; of the etherial in an equal number; and of the celestial in a thousand books.

Themes

◆Apophatic Theologytheology

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

The text describes God by negation, stating he is not connected to intelligible things or essence.

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◆Cosmic Consciousnessanthropology

A state of awareness transcending ordinary human consciousness, often involving unity with the universe or higher dimensions.

The reference to 'etherial, empyrean, and celestial Gods' implies a higher level of cosmic awareness.

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◆Divine Hiddennesstheology

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

The text emphasizes God's abiding in the solitude of his own unity and prior to all other deities.

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◆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 passage explicitly describes a chain of divine beings flowing from the one God into light and then into etherial, empyrean, and celestial Gods.

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◆Monadcosmology

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

The text identifies a singular 'one God' prior to all other deities who is the fountain of all things.

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◆Unity Of Beingtheology

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

The passage asserts that from the one deity, entity and essence are derived, implying a unified source of existence.

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Related passages · 4 parallels

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 1 (part 1)

“p. 33 THE DOCTRINES OF JACOB BOEHME. "Our whole doctrine is nothing else but an instruction to show how man may create a kingdom of light within himself. . . . He in whom this spring of divine power flows, carries within himself the d…”

Both passages discuss the concept of a divine principle that is prior to and the source of all other beings and intelligibles. They emphasize the transcendence and unity of this divine principle, which is beyond human intellect and can only be known through a higher form of perception or spiritual experience.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 6 (part 8)

“They are fire-flames, illumined by the light of God, but we attain the great fountain of meekness and love which is welling up within the holy essentiality of God." 1 ( Menschwerdung , i. 5.) Man comprises all three principles: the princip…”

Both passages discuss the tripartite nature of existence and the divine, with a focus on the interplay between darkness, light, and substance. They also explore the concept of humanity as a microcosm of the larger universe, reflecting divine principles.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 6 (part 9)

“Thus he was in possession of divine and terrestrial essentiality; but the terrestrial one was in the divine one like consumed or impotent (latent). The substance or the matter from which the body was made or created contained itself also t…”

Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the material world, emphasizing the divine origin of creation and the latent potential within it. They also explore the concept of a higher, transcendent principle that underlies all existence.

◆greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Hymn XXIV. PROTEUS

“XXIV. TO PROTEUS * . The FUMIGATION from STORAX. PROTEUS I call, whom Fate decrees, to keep The keys which lock the chambers of the deep; First-born, by whose illustrious pow'r alone All Nature's principles are clearly shewn: Matter to chan…”

Both passages describe a primordial, all-encompassing divine being that is the source of all creation and forms. The Orphic Hymn to Proteus and the passage from the Hermetic tradition both emphasize the divine's role in the generation and maintenance of the cosmos, highlighting its wisdom and foundational nature.