Select Works of Plotinus · 115 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor
Select Works, Section 121
Section 18 18. Are the evils in the Universe necessary because it is of later origin than the Higher Sphere? Perhaps rather because without evil the All would be incomplete. For most or even all forms of evil serve the Universe- much as the poisonous snake has its use- though in most cases their function is unknown. Vice itself has many useful sides: it brings about much that is beautiful, in artistic creations for example, and it stirs us to thoughtful living, not allowing us to drowse in security. If all this is so, then [the secret of creation is that] the Soul of the All abides in contemplation of the Highest and Best, ceaselessly striving towards the Intelligible Kind and towards God: but, thus absorbing and filled full, it overflows- so to speak- and the image it gives forth, its last utterance towards the lower, will be the creative puissance. This ultimate phase, then, is the Maker, secondary to that aspect of the Soul which is primarily saturated from the Divine Intelligence. But the Creator above all is the Intellectual-Principle, as giver, to the Soul that follows it, of those gifts whose traces exist in the Third Kind. Rightly, therefore, is this Kosmos described as an image continuously being imaged, the First and the Second Principles immobile, the Third, too, immobile essentially, but, accidentally and in Matter, having motion. For as long as divine Mind and Soul exist, the divine Thought-Forms will pour forth into that phase of the Soul: as long as there is a sun, all that streams from it will be some form of Light.
Themes
◆Body As Obstacleanthropology
The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.
Matter is depicted as producing 'the less good' and preventing Reason-Principles from reaching 'complete actuality,' functioning as an impediment to perfection.
All passages →◆Monadcosmology
The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.
The reference to the ultimate 'Unity' at the end of the process alludes to the singular first principle or Monad from which existence flows.
All passages →◆Return To Sourcesoteriology
The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.
The description of Matter being 'overruled towards the better' implies a cosmic movement reversing deficiency back toward the divine source.
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.
[auto] The text describes a clear hierarchy where Reason-Principles mould existence, Soul acts upon them but reaches a limit, and Matter produces the less good elements below.
All passages →◇Logoscosmology
The divine reason, word, or ordering principle through which the universe was created; mediates between the transcendent God and the material world.
[auto] The passage explicitly identifies the 'Reason-Principle' as the force that moulds elements into existence and functions as the ordering principle mediating between higher principles and phenomena.
All passages →◇Opposites Transcendedanthropology
The dissolution of binary oppositions (male/female, inner/outer, above/below) as a mark of spiritual completion.
[auto] The text states that Matter is 'continuously overruled towards the better,' resolving the clash between Principles and Matter into a final Unity.
All passages →◇Unity Of Beingtheology
The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.
[auto] The passage concludes that despite modifications by Soul and Matter, 'there is, in the end, a Unity' encompassing the total of things.
All passages →Related passages · 14 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1s
“And if any one says that it is productive, and that by the destruction of one thing it giveth birth to somewhat else, the true answer is that it doth not so qua destructive.
Qua destructive and evil it only destroys and debases; but it tak…”
Both passages explore the nature of evil and its relationship to the Good or the Divine. They agree that evil is not inherently creative or good, but its existence is somehow intertwined with the Good, which ultimately prevails.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1v
“cannot be free from pain, nor without a feeling of ill, since there would be something causing Him trouble, yea, all things must in that case be in a state of disorder and perpetual strife; whereas the Good imparts a principle of harmony to…”
Both passages discuss the role of evil in the context of a divine or higher order. They explore how evil can serve a purpose within the broader framework of creation and the divine plan, though they do so from different theological perspectives.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1w
“For, were they such, they would not have sprung from the Good, nor have a place amongst existent creatures, nor have fallen from Goodness (being by their very nature always evil).
Moreover, are they evil with respect to themselves or to ot…”
Both passages explore the nature of evil and its role within the universe. They share a conceptual parallel in considering evil as a necessary and potentially beneficial aspect of creation, though they approach the topic from different theological perspectives.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1x
“Hence if they are always in the same condition, they are not evil; for to remain always the same is a property of the Good.
But if they are not always evil, then they are not evil by their natural constitution, but only through a lack of a…”
Both passages explore the nature of evil and its relationship to the Good. They agree that evil is a lack or deficiency of the Good, and that even in evil, there is an underlying goodness that allows for existence and desire.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1y
“(which are not in their essential nature evil, although alleged to be so), the lion, having lost its savage wildness, will be a lion no longer; and the dog, if it become gentle to all, will cease to be a dog, since the virtue of a dog is to…”
Both passages discuss the nature of evil within the context of a broader cosmic or natural order. They share the insight that evil is not inherently opposed to the natural or divine order but rather serves a purpose or arises from a deficiency in fulfilling natural functions.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1z
“And if they say that matter is necessary for the whole world to fulfil its development, how can that be evil which depends for its existence upon the Good?
For evil abhors the very nature of the Good.
And how can matter, if it is evil, pr…”
Both passages explore the nature of evil and its relationship to the Good or the Divine. They discuss the necessity and origin of evil, and how it interacts with the higher principles of existence. The passages share a mystical perspective on the nature of evil and its role in the universe.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1{
“127 There remains but one alternative: Evil is a weakness and deficiency of Good.
31.
Good things have all one cause.
If evil is opposed to the Good, then hath evil many causes.
The efficient causes of evil results, however, are not any…”
Both passages discuss the nature and role of evil within a cosmic framework. Plotinus suggests that evil is necessary for the completeness of the Universe and serves a purpose, while the second passage argues that evil is a deficiency of good and has no substantial being, yet it can be turned to a kindly purpose by Providence.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1
“Good cannot have produced it because a thing cannot produce its own opposite; evil cannot have produced itself because evil is always destructive and never productive.
All things that exist are produced by the Good or the desire for the Go…”
Both passages discuss the nature of good and evil, their origins, and their roles in the universe. They both argue that evil is not a primary force but is dependent on the good for its existence and that evil serves a necessary function in the cosmos.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1
“also “I have said, Ye are Gods.” 344 i.
e.
If totally and essentially by very nature evil with respect to themselves.
In so far as they continue to exist they are good with respect to themselves.
345 Evil is the contrary of the Good.
H…”
Both passages explore the nature of evil and its role in the universe, arguing that evil is not inherently necessary or permanent. They both suggest that evil arises from imperfections or failures in fulfilling true nature, and that it can serve a purpose in the broader scheme of things.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 5 (part 11)
“Man must know evil for the purpose of becoming able to realise the good, after which he returns to the latter; but as everything seeks for its own corresponding principle, he in whom evil has become paramount will remain in evil.
p.
121 "…”
Both passages explore the necessity of evil within the framework of creation and the divine. They discuss how evil serves a purpose and is intertwined with the good, though they come from different mystical traditions and use different metaphors and concepts.
4 more
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 7 (part 10)
“6.) God had ordered mankind not to eat from the fruits of the tree of temptation; but the devil thought of inducing them to disobey the command, and they were, moreover, p.
160 incited to do so by the spirit of the world, and by their own…”
Both passages explore the theme of evil and its role in the universe, with Passage A focusing on the fall of man and the influence of the devil, while Passage B discusses the necessity and utility of evil in the cosmos. Both texts recognize the complex interplay between good and evil, though from different theological perspectives.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 4: The Epistles|Section 1c
“It is Itself Its Source, since It may have no other Source.
The Oneness then being Source, containeth every number, but is contained by none; engendereth every number, but is engendered by no other one.
11.
Now all that is engendered is…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between a higher, perfect principle (Reason-Principle in Plotinus, the Oneness in the second passage) and the imperfect, divisible nature of the created world. They both emphasize the primacy and unity of the higher principle as the source of all things.
◆jewish_mysticism|The Kabbalah Unveiled|Introduction, Section 1p
“66 the sins of the inferiors, no influx can come into the universe in a proper manner.) [Following out the symbol of the equilibrium in the Sephiroth, the sin of the inferior paths would be the introduction of unbalanced force.
The reader…”
Both passages discuss the role of evil or imbalance within the universe, suggesting that it serves a necessary function. The Kabbalah passage speaks of unbalanced forces disrupting the equilibrium of the Sephiroth, while the other passage argues that evil is necessary for the completeness of the universe and serves useful purposes.
◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi)|10. The Kabalahb
“MALKUTH.-The Kingdom, meaning the universe, entire creation, the work and mirror of God, the proof of supreme reason, the formal consequence which compels us to have recourse to virtual premises, the enigma which has God for its answer - th…”
Both passages discuss the nature of creation and the role of evil or imperfection within it. Plotinus describes how evil serves a purpose in the universe and is part of the creative process, while the Kabalah passage explains how the devil is a degraded reflection of God, serving a role in the divine order. Both texts explore the idea that seemingly negative aspects are integral to the broader divine plan.