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Select Works of Plotinus · 586 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 559 (part 2)

Clearly nothing may legitimately be excluded [from Being], for the whole must be complete in the higher sphere which, otherwise, would not be the whole. Life, too, burst upon Being, or rather was inseparably bound up with it; and thus it was that all living things of necessity came to be. Body too was there, since Matter and Quality were present. Everything exists forever, unfailing, involved by very existence in eternity. Individuals have their separate entities, but are at one in the [total] unity. The complex, so to speak, of them all, thus combined, is Intellect; and Intellect, holding all existence within itself, is a complete living being, and the essential Idea of Living Being. In so far as Intellect submits to contemplation by its derivative, becoming an Intelligible, it gives that derivative the right also to be called "living being."
Themes
◇Divine Simplicitytheology

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

[auto] It discusses how a genus exists as a whole in each particular without being broken into parts, addressing the metaphysical nature of undivided unity.

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◇Monadcosmology

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

[auto] The text centers on 'unity' as the fundamental source of perfection for beings and genera, reflecting the Neoplatonic principle of the One or Monad.

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◇Numerical Mysticismtheology

Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.

[auto] The passage explicitly investigates how the perfection and goodness of numbers depend on their particular unity, treating mathematical entities as having ontological significance.

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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 considers beings specifically from the aspect of their unity, suggesting an underlying oneness to existence and perfection.

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Related passages · 5 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 13, Section 1c
“Emily Brontë: “Every existence would exist in Thee.”) And if all things be conceived as being ultimately unified with each other, then all things taken as a whole are One. 507 507 All things possess the same Super-Essence, and that is why…”
Both passages discuss the unity and interconnectedness of all existence, emphasizing the concept of a singular, all-encompassing essence or intellect that binds everything together. They share a mystical perspective on the nature of being and the ultimate unity of all things.
◆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 existence and the unity of all things within a divine or higher sphere. They emphasize the interconnectedness of being, life, and intellect, and the eternal, unchanging nature of these concepts.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1j
“For from It and through It are all Being and life of spirit and of soul; and hence in the realm of nature magnitudes both small, co-equal and great; hence all the measured order and the proportions of things, which, by their different harmo…”
Both passages discuss the unity and interconnectedness of all existence, emphasizing the role of a higher, transcendent principle (Intellect in Passage A, the Beautiful and Good in Passage B) that encompasses and sustains all being and life.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 6, Section 1b
“And wherever (under the form of intelligence, reason, sensation, nutrition, growth, or any mode whatsoever) you find life or the 146 Principle of life or the Essence of life, there you find that which lives and imparts life from the Life tr…”
Both passages discuss the interconnectedness of life and being, emphasizing a unified, eternal existence that encompasses all individual entities. They share a mystical perspective on the nature of life and intellect, though they come from different traditions.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 11: The Hymn|Section 1c
“It must, then, be that such a one as this must be some one who's wholly One. 9. For as the many motions of them [all] are different, and as their bodies are not like, yet has one speed been ordered for them all, it is impossible that ther…”
Both passages explore the concept of unity and perfection in different forms of existence. Plotinus discusses the unity and perfection of numbers and inanimate objects, while the Hermetic text discusses the unity of God and the singularity of the divine creator. Both texts emphasize the importance of unity in understanding the nature of existence and perfection.