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Select Works of Plotinus · 495 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 471

Section 4 4. Another consideration is that if The Good [and First] is simplex and without need, it can neither need the intellective act nor possess what it does not need: it will therefore not have intellection. (Interpolation or corruption: It is without intellection because, also, it contains no duality.) Again; an Intellectual-Principle is distinct from The Good and takes a certain goodness only by its intellection of The Good. Yet again: In any dual object there is the unity [the principle of identity] side by side with the rest of the thing; an associated member cannot be the unity of the two and there must be a self-standing unity [within the duality] before this unity of members can exist: by the same reasoning there must be also the supreme unity entering into no association whatever, something which is unity-simplex by its very being, utterly devoid of all that belongs to the thing capable of association. How could anything be present in anything else unless in virtue of a source existing independently of association? The simplex [or absolute] requires no derivation; but any manifold, or any dual, must be dependent. We may use the figure of, first, light; then, following it, the sun; as a third, the orb of the moon taking its light from the sun: Soul carries the Intellectual-Principle as something imparted and lending the light which makes it essentially intellective; Intellectual-Principle carries the light as its own though it is not purely the light but is the being into whose very essence the light has been received; highest is That which, giving forth the light to its sequent, is no other than the pure light itself by whose power the Intellectual-Principle takes character. How can this highest have need of any other? It is not to be identified with any of the things that enter into association; the self-standing is of a very different order.
Themes
◆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 First is called the 'source and principle of Being', implying a downward flow of existence.

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◇Apophatic Theologytheology

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

[auto] The text defines the divine by negation, stating it has no parts, forms no shape, and stands outside of number.

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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] Material extension is called 'least real' and mortal eyes are deemed insufficient for seeing the divine.

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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] The passage contrasts the 'thing of extension' (material world) as least real with the 'unseen First' as supremely real.

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◇Divine Hiddennesstheology

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

[auto] The First is described as 'unseen' and impossible to see with 'mortal eyes', indicating radical concealment.

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◇Divine Simplicitytheology

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

[auto] It asserts the divine has 'no constituent parts' and accepts no pattern or shape, emphasizing pure undivided being.

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◇Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

[auto] Salvation or reality is accessed through 'Reason recognising it' rather than mortal eyes or sense perception.

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◇Monadcosmology

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

[auto] The passage explicitly describes the divine as 'Absolutely One', 'pure unity', and the 'unseen First' from which Being flows.

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◇Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

[auto] The goal is to have a 'share in the sanctities' and vision of the God who is to be honoured.

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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 One is described as having nothing towards which to direct partial content, avoiding the dual.

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◇Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

[auto] The text uses the paradox that what passes for most truly existent (extension) is most truly non-existent.

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◇Rejection Of Hypocrisyethics

Critique of outward religious observance that lacks inner transformation; form without substance.

[auto] It critiques those who hold material goods to be more real than the vision of God, valuing form over substance.

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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 instruction to 'turn appearances about' implies a reversal of direction back toward the divine source.

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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 text urges the reader to 'turn appearances about' and go to the gods rather than remaining void of God.

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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 One is identified as the 'source and principle of Being', implying all existence derives from this single unity.

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Related passages · 10 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 1, Section 1b
“For even as things which are intellectually discerned 52 52 i. e. The Transcendent Truths which are beyond ordinary knowledge. νοητά . The word νοῦς = Mind in the sense not merely of abstract intellect but of the spiritual personality.…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as being beyond intellect and association, emphasizing the simplicity and transcendence of the ultimate reality. They share a conceptual parallel in their exploration of the ineffable and unifying aspects of the divine.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 11, Section 1f
“472 Contemplation, Act of Contemplation, and Object Contemplated are all united together, and so imply a fundamental Unity which exists ultimately in God. 473 Cf. p. 174, n. 3. 474 D.‘s paradox is the paradox of sanity. We must hold a…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to other aspects of reality, emphasizing unity and the emanation of being or light from a supreme source. They share a mystical perspective on the ultimate reality and its manifestations.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1a
“CHAPTER IV Concerning ” Good ,” ” Light ,” ” Beautiful ,” “ Desire ,” ” Ecstasy ,” “ Jealousy .” Also that Evil is neither existent nor Sprung from anything existent nor inherent in existent things . 1. Now let us consider the name of “Go…”
Both passages discuss the nature of The Good as a simplex, self-standing entity that is the source of light and intellect. They also explore the relationship between The Good and other beings, emphasizing the independence and transcendence of The Good.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 7, Section 1b
“(2) Wisdom as a whole = Wisdom embodied in the universe as a whole. (3) Wisdom in each individual instance = Wisdom as shown in the structure of some particular plant or animal, or part of a plant or animal. (1) Is an Emanation; (2) and (…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to intellect and wisdom. They explore the idea of a supreme, simplex entity that transcends intellect and the limitations of material existence, showing a genuine conceptual parallel across different mystical traditions.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 7, Section 1e
“i and more especially because the Divine Reason is more simple than all simplicity, and, in the transcendence of Its Super-Essential Being, is independent of all things. 419 419 God is called Reason: (1) because He is the Giver of reason;…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as a simple, unchanging, and transcendent unity that is beyond intellection or reason. They explore the relationship between the divine and the intellect or reason, emphasizing the independence and simplicity of the divine.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 2 (part 1)
“p. 58 CHAPTER II. THE UNITY OF THE ALL. "We are all one body in Christ, and have all the Spirit of Christ within our reach. If, then, we enter into the Christ, we may see and know everything by the power of His Spirit." ( Forty Question…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as infinite and beyond human comprehension, emphasizing the limitations of human perception and understanding in grasping the divine reality.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 4 (part 1)
“p. 89 CHAPTER IV. CREATION. Everything we see in nature is manifested truth; only we are not able to recognise it as such, unless the truth is manifest within ourselves. God is the supreme, fundamental, universal, self-existent eternal…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as being beyond human perception and understanding, emphasizing the transcendence and unity of God. They also touch on the idea that the material world is less real than the divine reality.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 9 (part 1)
“p. 180 CHAPTER IX. GENERATION. "Let every Brahman, with fixed attention, consider all nature, both visible and invisible, as existing in the Divine Spirit. For when he contemplates the boundless universe in the Divine Spirit, he cannot…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as an infinite, unseen reality that transcends the physical world and human perception. They emphasize the need to turn away from material reality to perceive the divine, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 43 (part 70)
“He giveth life to man, He breatheth the breath of life into his nostrils--God is father and mother, the father of fathers, and the mother of mothers. He begetteth, but was never begotten; He produceth, but was never produced; He begat hims…”
Both passages discuss the concept of a supreme, infinite, and unseen God who is beyond human comprehension and exists outside of the material world. They emphasize the unity and eternity of this divine being, which is a central theme in both mystical traditions.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 5: The Discourse of Hermes to Asclepius|Section 1c
“And for this cause hath He all names, in that they are one Father's. And for this cause hath He Himself no nome, in that He's Father of [them] all. Who, then, may sing Thee praise of Thee, or [praise] to Thee? Whither, again, am I to tur…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as an infinite, formless unity that transcends physical perception and human comprehension. They emphasize the divine as the source of all being and reality, though they use different metaphors and theological frameworks.