the six enneads-第168部分

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　prior　has　produced　the　multiplicity　by　which　it　is　constituted　Intellectual…Principle：　that　prior　has　no　movement；　it　generates　Intellectual…Principle　by　its　sheer　wealth。　　　　　Such　a　power；　author　of　Intellectual…Principle；　author　of　being…　how　does　it　lend　itself　to　chance；　to　hazard；　to　any　〃So　it　happened〃？　　　　　What　is　present　in　Intellectual…Principle　is　present；　though　in　a　far　transcendent　mode；　in　the　One：　so　in　a　light　diffused　afar　from　one　light　shining　within　itself；　the　diffused　is　vestige；　the　source　is　the　true　light；　but　Intellectual…Principle；　the　diffused　and　image　light；　is　not　different　in　kind　from　its　prior；　and　it　is　not　a　thing　of　chance　but　at　every　point　is　reason　and　cause。　　　　　The　Supreme　is　cause　of　the　cause：　it　is　cause　preeminently；　cause　as　containing　cause　in　the　deepest　and　truest　mode；　for　in　it　lie　the　Intellective　causes　which　are　to　be　unfolded　from　it；　author　as　it　is　not　of　the　chance…　made　but　of　what　the　divine　willed：　and　this　willing　was　not　apart　from　reason；　was　not　in　the　realm　of　hazard　and　of　what　happened　to　present　itself。　　　　　Thus　Plato；　seeking　the　best　account　of　the　necessary　and　appropriate；　says　they　are　far　removed　from　hazard　and　that　what　exists　is　what　must　exist：　if　thus　the　existence　is　as　it　must　be　it　does　not　exist　without　reason：　if　its　manner　of　being　is　the　fitting；　it　is　the　utterly　self…disposing　in　comparison　with　its　sequents　and；　before　that；　in　regard　to　itself：　thus　it　is　not　〃as　it　happened　to　be〃　but　as　it　willed　to　be：　all　this；　on　the　assumption　that　God　wills　what　should　be　and　that　it　is　impossible　to　separate　right　from　realization　and　that　this　Necessary　is　not　to　God　an　outside　thing　but　is；　itself；　His　first　Activity　manifesting　outwardly　in　the　exactly　representative　form。　Thus　we　must　speak　of　God　since　we　cannot　tell　Him　as　we　would。　　　　　19。　Stirred　to　the　Supreme　by　what　has　been　told；　a　man　must　strive　to　possess　it　directly；　then　he　too　will　see；　though　still　unable　to　tell　it　as　he　would　wish。　　　　　One　seeing　That　as　it　really　is　will　lay　aside　all　reasoning　upon　it　and　simply　state　it　as　the　self…existent；　such　that　if　it　had　essence　that　essence　would　be　subject　to　it　and；　so　to　speak；　derived　from　it；　none　that　has　seen　would　dare　to　talk　of　its　〃happening　to　be；〃　or　indeed　be　able　to　utter　word。　With　all　his　courage　he　would　stand　astounded；　unable　at　any　venture　to　speak　of　This；　with　the　vision　everywhere　before　the　eyes　of　the　soul　so　that；　look　where　one　may；　there　it　is　seen　unless　one　deliberately　look　away；　ignoring　God；　thinking　no　more　upon　Him。　So　we　are　to　understand　the　Beyond…Essence　darkly　indicated　by　the　ancients：　is　not　merely　that　He　generated　Essence　but　that　He　is　subject　neither　to　Essence　nor　to　Himself；　His　essence　is　not　His　Principle；　He　is　Principle　to　Essence　and　not　for　Himself　did　He　make　it；　producing　it　He　left　it　outside　of　Himself：　He　had　no　need　of　being　who　brought　it　to　be。　Thus　His　making　of　being　is　no　〃action　in　accordance　with　His　being。〃　　　　　20。　The　difficulty　will　be　raised　that　God　would　seem　to　have　existed　before　thus　coming　into　existence；　if　He　makes　Himself；　then　in　regard　to　the　self　which　He　makes　He　is　not　yet　in　being　and　as　maker　He　exists　before　this　Himself　thus　made。　　　　　The　answer　is　that　we　utterly　must　not　speak　of　Him　as　made　but　sheerly　as　maker；　the　making　must　be　taken　as　absolved　from　all　else；　no　new　existence　is　established；　the　Act　here　is　not　directed　to　an　achievement　but　is　God　Himself　unalloyed：　here　is　no　duality　but　pure　unity。　Let　no　one　suspect　us　of　asserting　that　the　first　Activity　is　without　Essence；　on　the　contrary　the　Activity　is　the　very　reality。　To　suppose　a　reality　without　activity　would　be　to　make　the　Principle　of　all　principles　deficient；　the　supremely　complete　becomes　incomplete。　To　make　the　Activity　something　superadded　to　the　essence　is　to　shatter　the　unity。　If　then　Activity　is　a　more　perfect　thing　than　essence　and　the　First　is　all　perfect；　then　the　Activity　is　the　First。　　　　　By　having　acted；　He　is　what　He　is　and　there　is　no　question　of　〃existing　before　bringing　Himself　into　existence〃；　when　He　acted　He　was　not　in　some　state　that　could　be　described　as　〃before　existing。〃　He　was　already　existent　entirely。　　　　　Now　assuredly　an　Activity　not　subjected　essence　is　utterly　free；　God's　selfhood；　then；　is　of　his　own　Act。　If　his　being　has　to　be　ensured　by　something　else；　He　is　no　longer　the　self…existent　First：　if　it　be　true　to　say　that　He　is　his　own　container；　then　He　inducts　Himself；　for　all　that　He　contains　is　his　own　production　from　the　beginning　since　from　the　beginning　He　caused　the　being　of　all　that　by　nature　He　contains。　　　　　If　there　had　been　a　moment　from　which　He　began　to　be；　it　would　be　possible　assert　his　self…making　in　the　literal　sense；　but；　since　what　He　is　He　is　from　before　all　time；　his　self…making　is　to　be　understood　as　simultaneous　with　Himself；　the　being　is　one　and　the　same　with　the　making　and　eternal　〃coming　into　existence。〃　　　　　This　is　the　source　also　of　his　self…disposal…　strictly　applicable　if　there　were　a　duality；　but　conveying；　in　the　case　of　a　unity；　a　disposing　without　a　disposed；　an　abstract　disposing。　But　how　a　disposer　with　nothing　to　dispose？　In　that　there　is　here　a　disposer　looking　to　a　prior　when　there　is　none：　since　there　is　no　prior；　This　is　the　First…　but　a　First　not　in　order　but　in　sovereignty；　in　power　purely　self…controlled。　Purely；　then　nothing　can　be　There　that　is　under　any　external　disposition；　all　in　God　is　self…willing。　What　then　is　there　of　his　content　that　is　not　Himself；　what　that　is　not　in　Act；　what　not　his　work？　Imagine　in　Him　anything　not　of　his　Act　and　at　once　His　existence　ceases　to　be　pure；　He　is　not　self…disposing；　not　all…powerful：　in　that　at　least　of　whose　doing　He　is　not　master　He　would　be　impotent。　　　　　21。　Could　He　then　have　made　Himself　otherwise　than　as　He　did？　　　　　If　He　could　we　must　deny　Him　the　power　to　produce　goodness　for　He　certainly　cannot　produce　evil。　Power；　There；　is　no　producer　of　the　inapt；　it　is　that　steadfast　constant　which　is　most　decidedly　power　by　inability　to　depart　from　unity：　ability　to　produce　the　inapt　inability　to　hold　by　the　fitting；　that　self…making　must　be　definite　once　for　all　since　it　is　the　right；　besides；　who　could　upset　what　is　made　by　the　will　of　God　and　is　itself　that　will？　　　　　But　whence　does　He　draw　that　will　seeing　that　essence；　source　of　will；　is　inactive　in　Him？　　　　　The　will　was　included　in　the　essence；　they　were　identical：　or　was　there　something；　this　will　for　instance；　not　existing　in　Him？　All　was　will；　nothing　unwilled　in　Him。　There　is　then　nothing　before　that　will：　God　and　will　were　primally　identical。　　　　　God；　therefore；　is　what　He　willed；　is　such　as　He　willed；　and　all　that　ensued　upon　that　willing　was　what　that　definite　willing　engendered：　but　it　engendered　nothing　new；　all　existed　from　the　first。　　　　　As　for　his　〃self…containing；〃　this　rightly　understood　can　mean　only　that　all　the　rest　is　maintained　in　virtue　of　Him　by　means　of　a　certain　participation；　all　traces　back　to　the　Supreme；　God　Himself；　self…existing　always；　needs　no　containing；　no　participating；　all　in　Him　belongs　to　Him　or　rather　He　needs　nothing　from　them　in　order　to　being　Himself。　　　　　When　therefore　you　seek　to　state　or　to　conceive　Him；　put　all　else　aside；　abstracting　all；　keep　solely　to　Him；　see　that　you　add　nothing；　be　sure　that　your　theory　of　God　does　not　lessen　Him。　Even　you　are　able　to　take　contact　with　Something　in　which　there　is　no　more　than　That　Thing　itself　to　affirm　and　know；　Something　which　lies　away　above　all　and　is…　it　alone…　veritably　free；　subject　not　even　to　its　own　law；　solely　and　essentially　That　One　Thing；　while　all　else　is　thing　and　something　added。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　NINTH　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ON　THE　GOOD；　OR　THE　ONE。

　　　　1。　It　is　in　virtue　of　unity　that　beings　are　beings。　　　　　This　is　equally　true　of　things　whose　existence　is　primal　and　of　all　that　are　in　any　degree　to　be　numbered　among　beings。　What　could　exist　at　all　except　as　one　thing？　Deprived　of　unity；　a　thing　ceases　to　be　what　it　is　called：　no　army　unless　as　a　unity：　a　chorus；　a　flock；　must　be　one　thing。　Even　house　and　ship　demand　unity；　one　house；　one　ship；　unity　gone；　neither　remains　thus　even　continuous　magnitudes　could　not　exist　without　an　inherent　unity；　break　them　apart　and　their　very　being　is　altered　in　the　measure　of　the　breach　of　unity。　　　　　Take　plant　and　animal；　the　material　form　stands　a　unity；　fallen　from　that　into　a　litter　of　fragments；　the　things　have　lost　their　being；　what　was　is　no　longer　there；　it　is　replaced　by　quite　other　things…　as　many　others；　precisely；　as　possess　unity。　　　　　Health；　similarly；　is　the　condition　of　a　body　acting　as　a　co…ordinate　unity。　Beauty　appears　when　limbs　and　features　are　controlled　by　this　principle；　unity。　Moral　excellence　is　of　a　soul　acting　as　a　concordant　total；　brought　to　unity。　　　　　Come　thus　to　soul…　which　brings　all　to　unity；　making；　moulding；　shaping；　ranging　to　order…　there　is　a　temptation　to　say　〃Soul　is　the　bestower　of　unity；　soul　therefore　is　the　unity。〃　But　soul　bestows　other　characteristics　upon　material　things　and　yet　remains　distinct　from　its　gift：　shape；　Ideal…Form　and　the　rest　are　all　distinct　from　the　giving　soul；　so；　clearly；　with　this　gift　of　unity；　soul　to　make　things　unities　looks　out　upon　the　unity　just　as　it　makes　man　by　looking　upon　Man；　realizing　in　the　man　the　unity　belonging　to　Man。　　　　　Anything　that　can　be　described　as　a　unity　is　so　in　the　precise　degree　in　which　it　holds　a　characteristic　being；　the　less　or　more　the　degree　of　the　being；　the　less　or　more　the　unity。　Soul；　while　distinct　from　unity's　very　self；　is　a　thing　of　the　greater　unity　in　proportion　as　it　is　of　the　greater；　the　authentic；　being。　Absolute　unity　it　is　not：　it　is　soul　and　one　soul；　the　unity　in　some　sense　a　concomitant；　there　are　two　things；　soul　and　soul's　unity　as　there　is　body　with　body's　unity。　The　looser　aggregates；　such　as　a　choir；　are　furthest　from　unity；　the　more　compact　are　the　nearer；　soul　is　nearer　yet　but　still　a　participant。　　　　　Is　soul　to　be　identified　with　unity　on　the　ground　that　unless　it　were　one　thing　it　could　not　be　soul？　No；　unity　is　equally　necessary　to　every　other　thing；　yet　unity　stands　distinct　from　them；　body　and　unity　are　not　identical；　body；