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Select Works of Plotinus · 159 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 166

Section 10 10. Under detailed investigation, many other tenets of this school- indeed we might say all- could be corrected with an abundance of proof. But I am withheld by regard for some of our own friends who fell in with this doctrine before joining our circle and, strangely, still cling to it. The school, no doubt, is free-spoken enough- whether in the set purpose of giving its opinions a plausible colour of verity or in honest belief- but we are addressing here our own acquaintances, not those people with whom we could make no way. We have spoken in the hope of preventing our friends from being perturbed by a party which brings, not proof- how could it?- but arbitrary, tyrannical assertion; another style of address would be applicable to such as have the audacity to flout the noble and true doctrines of the august teachers of antiquity. That method we will not apply; anyone that has fully grasped the preceding discussion will know how to meet every point in the system. Only one other tenet of theirs will be mentioned before passing the matter; it is one which surpasses all the rest in sheer folly, if that is the word. They first maintain that the Soul and a certain "Wisdom" [Sophia] declined and entered this lower sphere though they leave us in doubt of whether the movement originated in Soul or in this Sophia of theirs, or whether the two are the same to them- then they tell us that the other Souls came down in the descent and that these members of Sophia took to themselves bodies, human bodies, for example. Yet in the same breath, that very Soul which was the occasion of descent to the others is declared not to have descended. "It knew no decline," but merely illuminated the darkness in such a way that an image of it was formed upon the Matter. Then, they shape an image of that image somewhere below- through the medium of Matter or of Materiality or whatever else of many names they choose to give it in their frequent change of terms, invented to darken their doctrine- and so they bring into being what they call the Creator or Demiurge, then this lower is severed from his Mother [Sophia] and becomes the author of the Kosmos down to the latest of the succession of images constituting it. Such is the blasphemy of one of their writers.
Themes
◆Divine Sparkscosmology

Fragments of divine light or spirit trapped inside material bodies, awaiting liberation and return to their source.

The mention of immortal souls suggests an inner divine nature distinct from the mortal body.

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◇Body As Obstacleanthropology

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

[auto] Passions are described as a form of slavery, implying the lower human condition hinders the soul.

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◇Childlike Innocenceanthropology

The infant or child as symbol of the unfallen, undivided spiritual state; return to primordial simplicity.

[auto] Souls are explicitly compared to undeveloped children to explain failing and error.

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◇Cosmic Dualismtheology

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

[auto] A clear distinction is drawn between life on earth and the higher intellectual Principle or realm above.

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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.

[auto] The text references a highest intellectual Principle distinct from Souls, implying a hierarchical structure of being.

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◇Opposites Transcendedanthropology

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

[auto] The Sage does not view owning many things as being richer, transcending the opposition of wealth and poverty.

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◇Pneumatic Electsoteriology

A spiritual elite who possess the divine spark and are predestined for salvation, contrasted with psychic (faithful) and hylic (material) persons.

[auto] The text distinguishes between the Sage, those reminiscent of virtue, and the mere populace, establishing a hierarchy of spiritual status.

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◇Renunciation Of Wealthethics

The spiritual danger of attachment to material possessions; wealth as a spiritual obstacle.

[auto] The passage explicitly states that the Sage ignores inequalities of wealth and poverty, leaving such preoccupations to another kind of man.

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◇Return To Sourcesoteriology

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

[auto] The orientation of the Sage toward the realm above implies a journey back to the divine origin.

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◇Spiritual Ascentpraxis

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

[auto] The Sage is described as intent upon the sublimest and the realm above rather than earthly matters.

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Related passages · 5 parallels
◆greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Front Matter, p. 4 (part 8)
“43 these unnatural habits." As, therefore, it is not wonderful that the greatest part of those who inhabit a pestiferous region, should languish and decline, but that a very few should preserve their natural strength; so we ought not to won…”
Both passages discuss the concept of a supreme deity governing subordinate divine beings. They explore the idea of a hierarchy within the divine realm, where lesser gods or beings follow the lead of a higher, more transcendent deity. This parallel is evident in the references to the 'multitude of Gods subordinate to the One supreme' in both texts.
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 5 (part 1)
“p. 9 NOTES ON THE GOLDEN VERSES OF PYTHAGORAS FROM THE COMMENTARIES OF HIEROCLES. The Golden Verses may be divided into two parts, the first treating of the Practical or Human Virtues, whose aim is the making of Good Men; and the second,…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of striving for perfection and understanding the divine order. They discuss the role of the divine in the universe and the path to becoming more divine or god-like, highlighting the contemplation of higher intelligences and the structure of the cosmos.
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 6 (part 1)
“p. 18 THE GOLDEN SENTENCES OF DEMOCRATES 1. If anyone will give his mind to these sentences, he will obtain many things worthy of a man, and be free from many things that are base. 2. The perfection of the soul will correct the depravit…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of virtue, the pursuit of perfection, and the distinction between the higher, spiritual life and the mundane concerns of the material world. They also share a focus on the role of the divine and the importance of ethical conduct.
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 7 (part 1)
“p. 29 THE PYTHAGOREAN SENTENCES OF DEMOPHILUS 1. Request not of Divinity such things as, when obtained, you cannot preserve; for no gift of Divinity can ever be taken away; and on this account he does not confer that which you are unable…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine, the role of the wise or sage, and the importance of virtue and self-improvement. They also touch on the idea of divine order and the insignificance of material wealth or status.
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 10 (part 2)
“It is not proper to despise those things of which we shall be in want after the dissolution of the body. 36. You should not ask of divinity that which, when you have obtained, you will not perpetually possess. 37. Accustom your soul aft…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of focusing on the divine and the higher self, advocating for a life of virtue and contemplation. They share themes of divine order, the insignificance of material wealth, and the pursuit of perfection through alignment with the divine.