Select Works of Plotinus · 350 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 334

Section 14 14. Of the corporeal thus brought into being by Nature the elemental materials of things are its very produce, but how do animal and vegetable forms stand to it? Are we to think of them as containers of Nature present within them? Light goes away and the air contains no trace of it, for light and air remain each itself, never coalescing: is this the relation of Nature to the formed object? It is rather that existing between fire and the object it has warmed: the fire withdrawn, there remains a certain warmth, distinct from that in the fire, a property, so to speak, of the object warmed. For the shape which Nature imparts to what it has moulded must be recognized as a form quite distinct from Nature itself, though it remains a question to be examined whether besides this [specific] form there is also an intermediary, a link connecting it with Nature, the general principle. The difference between Nature and the Wisdom described as dwelling in the All has been sufficiently dealt with.

Themes

◆Divine Simplicitytheology

The doctrine that God has no parts, divisions, or composite attributes; pure undivided being.

The administrator acts on the basis of principle without calculation or deliberation, implying a simple and undivided mode of operation.

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◆Logoscosmology

The divine reason, word, or ordering principle through which the universe was created; mediates between the transcendent God and the material world.

The passage references an internal 'principle' that determines action without deliberation, aligning with the concept of divine reason.

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◇Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

[auto] The text focuses on the 'administration of the kosmos' and how the administrator follows Nature rather than deliberation, defining the active ordering of the universe.

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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] It describes how all Kinds in the universe are dominated by a single Kind from which they develop and grow out.

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◇Living Godtheology

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

[auto] The text describes the cosmic administrator (Nature/Soul) as acting dynamically like a living organism rather than through mechanical calculation.

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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.

[auto] The passage centrally argues that the cosmos is a 'living unit' where all members are circumscribed by one Soul and dominated by one Kind.

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Related passages · 2 parallels

◆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 discuss the unity and administration of the cosmos, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all parts within a living unity. They share a conceptual parallel in their views on the harmony and order of the universe, though they come from different mystical traditions.

◆jewish_mysticism|Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Formation)|Section 1e

“He produced Oin, predominant in Anger, crowned, combined, and formed Capricornus in the world, Tebet in the year, and the liver in man. 11. He produced Tzaddi, predominant in Taste, crowned, combined, and formed Aquarius in the world, Seb…”

Both passages discuss the interconnectedness and unity of the cosmos, with Passage A focusing on the administration of the kosmos as a living unit and Passage B describing the structure and covenants within the universe, year, and man. Both emphasize the underlying unity and order in the diversity of creation.