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Select Works of Plotinus · 741 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 707 (part 2)

Note, similarly, that, when we speak of this First as Cause, we are affirming something happening not to it but to us, the fact that we take from this Self-Enclosed: strictly we should put neither a This nor a That to it; we hover, as it were, about it, seeking the statement of an experience of our own, sometimes nearing this Reality, sometimes baffled by the enigma in which it dwells.
Themes
Apophatic Theologytheology

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

The Supreme is defined by what it is not, such as being 'without part' and not subject to chance or reasonless arrangement.

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Correspondencecosmology

The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.

The text states the secondary must be 'correspondent' to the prior and participate in it, reflecting the higher structure in the lower.

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Cosmic Sympathycosmology

The Stoic and Plotinian doctrine that all parts of the cosmos are bound by hidden affinities, so that a movement in one part resonates through the whole; the metaphysical basis for astrology, magic, and divination.

The universe is described as a 'concordance' where particulars are gathered into union, implying hidden affinities binding the whole.

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Divine Hiddennesstheology

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

The Intellectual-Principle exists 'not expressed in the outer' before the universe, indicating a concealed divine source.

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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 Intellectual-Principle is presented as the reason-principle and archetype mediating between the Source and the expressed universe.

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Monadcosmology

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

The text refers to the Supreme as a 'One greater than its product' and 'one number,' aligning with the concept of an undivided first principle.

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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.

The passage emphasizes that the multiple particulars are ordered into oneness and consist of Reason-Principles gathered into closest union.

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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 passage explicitly discusses 'Providence' as the design of the maker reasoning with purpose and prevision to order the universe.

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Divine Simplicitytheology

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

[auto] The Supreme is described as 'without part or interval' and 'self-related,' indicating a lack of composition or division.

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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 describes a descending order from the Source to the Intellectual-Principle to the universe, where the secondary participates in the prior.

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Related passages · 6 parallels
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 13, Section 1d
And hence, when we speak of the All-Transcendent Godhead as an Unity and a Trinity, It is not an Unity or a Trinity such as can be known by us or any other creature, though to express the truth of Its utter Self-Union and Its Divine Fecundi…”
Both passages discuss the ineffable nature of the divine, emphasizing that human language and understanding are insufficient to fully grasp or describe the ultimate reality. They both use negative theology to approach the divine, acknowledging the limitations of human concepts and names.
christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 1 (part 1)
p. 33 THE DOCTRINES OF JACOB BOEHME. "Our whole doctrine is nothing else but an instruction to show how man may create a kingdom of light within himself. . . . He in whom this spring of divine power flows, carries within himself the d…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to the world and human understanding. Plotinus emphasizes the Intellectual-Principle as the source of all things, while Boehme focuses on the divine principle within man. Both traditions explore the idea of a higher, rational order that transcends mere chance or intellectual speculation.
christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 3 (part 7)
171.) When the power of the light becomes revealed it manifests its activity first of all in the Fifth Quality , which is evolved by means of the preceding four as sweet love, or a luminous water-spirit. "The first three principles are mer…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divine principles and their manifestation in the universe. Passage A from Plotinus describes the Intellectual-Principle and its role in the cosmos, while Passage B from the Christian mystic Jacob Boehme discusses the qualities and principles of divine light and their manifestation. Both explore the idea of a higher, ordering principle that underlies 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 and its relationship to creation, emphasizing the primacy and self-sufficiency of the divine source. They explore the idea of a higher, intellectual principle that underlies all existence, though they use different terminology and frameworks.
christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 4 (part 3)
7.) "We cannot reasonably suppose any formation or differentiation to have existed in the eternal One from which, or according to which (formation) something could have been made; for if such a form, or predisposition to making a form, had…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation, emphasizing the eternal and unchangeable nature of the divine source and the ordered, reasoned nature of creation. They both explore the idea of a higher principle that is the source of all things, though they use different terminology and frameworks.
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 nature of divine beings and their role in the universe, emphasizing the order, purpose, and interconnectedness of all things. They both explore the idea of a higher, rational principle governing the cosmos, though from different philosophical and religious traditions.