Select Works of Plotinus · 481 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor
Select Works, Section 456
Section 3 3. Thus we have here one identical Principle, the Intellect, which is the universe of authentic beings, the Truth: as such it is a great god or, better, not a god among gods but the Godhead entire. It is a god, a secondary god manifesting before there is any vision of that other, the Supreme which rests over all, enthroned in transcendence upon that splendid pediment, the Nature following close upon it. The Supreme in its progress could never be borne forward upon some soulless vehicle nor even directly upon the soul: it will be heralded by some ineffable beauty: before the great King in his progress there comes first the minor train, then rank by rank the greater and more exalted, closer to the King the kinglier; next his own honoured company until, last among all these grandeurs, suddenly appears the Supreme Monarch himself, and all- unless indeed for those who have contented themselves with the spectacle before his coming and gone away- prostrate themselves and hail him. In that royal progress the King is of another order from those that go before him, but the King in the Supreme is no ruler over externs; he holds that most just of governances, rooted in nature, the veritable kingship, for he is King of Truth, holding sway by all reason over a dense offspring his own, a host that shares his divinity, King over a king and over kings and even more justly called father of Gods. [Interpolation: Zeus (Universal Soul) is in this a symbol of him, Zeus who is not content with the contemplation of his father (Kronos, divine Intellect) but looks to that father's father (to Ouranos, the Transcendent) as what may be called the divine energy working to the establishment of a real being.]
Themes
◆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.
Rejects chance as the source of existence, asserting there 'must be an order' derived from the Principle of All.
All passages →◆Unity Of Beingtheology
The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.
Argues that if another such being existed, they would 'resolve into one,' affirming the ultimate unity of the Source.
All passages →◇Apophatic Theologytheology
Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.
[auto] The passage states the First debars telling and knowing, describing it only by what it transcends rather than positive attributes.
All passages →◇Divine Hiddennesstheology
The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.
[auto] The text emphasizes that the First is beyond telling and knowing, indicating a radical concealment from ordinary cognition.
All passages →◇Divine Simplicitytheology
The doctrine that God has no parts, divisions, or composite attributes; pure undivided being.
[auto] It describes the First as self-gathered, not inter-blended with forms, and untouched by multiplicity.
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 passage explicitly describes an order of secondaries and tertiaries arising from The First, establishing a downward chain of existence.
All passages →◇Monadcosmology
The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.
[auto] The text defines the First as a Simplex and authentically a unity, stating there can be only one such being from which all else flows.
All passages →◇Opposites Transcendedanthropology
The dissolution of binary oppositions (male/female, inner/outer, above/below) as a mark of spiritual completion.
[auto] The First is described as transcending Being and untouched by multiplicity, standing beyond standard categorical oppositions.
All passages →Related passages · 10 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 7 (part 3)
“2.) "The inner man stood in heaven; his essences were the Paradise; his body was indestructible.
He knew the language of God and the angels, and the language of nature, as may be seen by Adam giving names to all creatures, to each accordin…”
Both passages discuss the concept of a primordial, transcendent unity or first principle. Passage A describes The First as a simplex, self-sufficing being that is the source of all existence, while Passage B describes Adam in a state of divine unity and power, capable of understanding and naming all creatures. Both emphasize the idea of a primary, divine source from which all else emanates.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 7 (part 6)
“2.) There existed in man also the third principle, wherein resides sensual desire.
He was not endowed with this principle for the purpose of surrendering himself to it, but that he might introduce it into the light of God, and glorify Him…”
Both passages discuss the concept of a primary, divine principle from which all other things emanate. They explore the nature of this principle and its relationship to the secondary and tertiary elements that follow from it, highlighting the unity and perfection of the First.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 8 (part 6)
“1.) "The terrestrial consciousness corrupted the celestial one, and the former became the Turba of the latter.
Likewise, the Fiat made the earth and stones out of the eternal essentiality." ( Menschwerdung , i.
9.) "But in the earth we fi…”
Both passages discuss the concept of a primary, divine source from which all other things emanate. Passage A describes The First as a simplex, self-sufficing entity that is the source of all being, while Passage B discusses the divine substantiality and the eternal essentiality that underlies all creation. Both texts explore the idea of a transcendent principle that gives rise to the multiplicity of the world.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 12 (part 2)
“1 "It was the will of God to transmute humanity, after it had become earthly, again into the celestial quality, to turn the human earth (material element) into heaven, to make out of the four elements only one, and to transform the wrath of…”
Both passages discuss the concept of a divine source or first principle that is beyond multiplicity and perfection. They also explore the idea of emanation or incarnation from this source to bring about transformation or creation.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 8 (part 9)
“The priests of Annu at a very early period grouped together the nine greatest gods of Egypt, forming what is called the paut neteru or "company of the gods," or as it is written in the pyramid texts, paut aat , "the great company of gods";…”
Both passages describe a hierarchical structure of divine beings and the process of creation. Passage A details the Egyptian pantheon and the creation myth involving Tmu and other gods, while Passage B discusses the Neoplatonic hierarchy of divine intellect and the Supreme Monarch. Both emphasize the order and progression of divine entities in their respective cosmologies.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 10 (part 1)
“THE GODS OF THE BOOK OF THE DEAD.
The following are the principal gods and goddesses mentioned in the pyramid texts and in the later versions of the Book of the Dead:-- Nu represents the primeval watery mass from which all the gods were ev…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divine principles and their roles in creation and governance. Passage A describes various Egyptian gods and their attributes, while Passage B discusses the hierarchy of divine beings in a Neoplatonic context, highlighting the Supreme Monarch and the divine Intellect. Both texts explore the concept of a supreme deity and its relationship to other divine entities.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 22 (part 1)
“PLATE XIV.
§F.
Vignette: The gods Osiris, Isis, and Ap-uat, and the TET.
Text [CHAPTER XVIII.]: (1) The great godlike rulers who are in Abtu are Osiris, Isis, and Ap-uat.
"Hail, Thoth, who madest Osiris victorious (2) over his enemies,…”
Both passages describe a hierarchy of divine beings and a supreme deity. Plotinus discusses the Intellect and the Supreme Monarch, while the Egyptian text describes various gods and their roles in the judgment of the dead. Both highlight the concept of a supreme being and a structured divine order.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 43 (part 74)
“The god Nu appeareth with the breath of the north wind in this hidden god who maketh for untold millions of men the decrees which abide for ever; his decrees [1.
Literally "his heart," ab-f .
2 I.e.
, Shu and Tefnut.
3 I.e.
, the Sun a…”
Both passages describe a hierarchical structure of divine beings, with a supreme deity at the apex. They also emphasize the divine order and the manifestation of the divine through various intermediaries.
◆gnosticism|Gospel of Thomas|Logion 30
“Jesus said, "Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with him."…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divinity and the relationship between different levels of being. The Gospel of Thomas emphasizes the presence of the divine in unity, while the Select Works passage describes a hierarchy of divine beings culminating in the Supreme Monarch. Both texts explore the concept of a higher, transcendent divinity.
◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|Fundamentals of Qabbalistic Cosmogonyf
“From C 2 came C 3, the third Understanding; the Hierarchy is the Thrones, Aralim , the Mighty Ones.
From C 3 came C 4, the third Mercy; the Hierarchy is the Dominations, Chashmalim , the Brilliant Ones.
From C 4 came C 5, the third Severi…”
Both passages describe a hierarchical structure of divine beings and cosmic principles. Passage A outlines the Qabbalistic hierarchy of the ten sefirot and the four worlds, while Passage B describes a Neoplatonic hierarchy of divine intellects and the Supreme Monarch. Both share the concept of a structured, ordered descent from the divine to the material.