the six enneads-第36节

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autiful　than　this　of　ours？　What　fire　could　be　a　nobler　reflection　of　the　fire　there　than　the　fire　we　know　here？　Or　what　other　earth　than　this　could　have　been　modelled　after　that　earth？　And　what　globe　more　minutely　perfect　than　this；　or　more　admirably　ordered　in　its　course　could　have　been　conceived　in　the　image　of　the　self…centred　circling　of　the　World　of　Intelligibles？　And　for　a　sun　figuring　the　Divine　sphere；　if　it　is　to　be　more　splendid　than　the　sun　visible　to　us；　what　a　sun　it　must　be。　　　　　5。　Still　more　unreasonably：　　　　　There　are　men；　bound　to　human　bodies　and　subject　to　desire；　grief；　anger；　who　think　so　generously　of　their　own　faculty　that　they　declare　themselves　in　contact　with　the　Intelligible　World；　but　deny　that　the　sun　possesses　a　similar　faculty　less　subject　to　influence；　to　disorder；　to　change；　they　deny　that　it　is　any　wiser　than　we；　the　late　born；　hindered　by　so　many　cheats　on　the　way　towards　truth。　　　　　Their　own　soul；　the　soul　of　the　least　of　mankind；　they　declare　deathless；　divine；　but　the　entire　heavens　and　the　stars　within　the　heavens　have　had　no　communion　with　the　Immortal　Principle；　though　these　are　far　purer　and　lovelier　than　their　own　souls…　yet　they　are　not　blind　to　the　order；　the　shapely　pattern；　the　discipline　prevailing　in　the　heavens；　since　they　are　the　loudest　in　complaint　of　the　disorder　that　troubles　our　earth。　We　are　to　imagine　the　deathless　Soul　choosing　of　design　the　less　worthy　place；　and　preferring　to　abandon　the　nobler　to　the　Soul　that　is　to　die。　　　　　Equally　unreasonable　is　their　introduction　of　that　other　Soul　which　they　piece　together　from　the　elements。　　　　　How　could　any　form　or　degree　of　life　come　about　by　a　blend　of　the　elements？　Their　conjunction　could　produce　only　a　warm　or　cold　or　an　intermediate　substance；　something　dry　or　wet　or　intermediate。　　　　　Besides；　how　could　such　a　soul　be　a　bond　holding　the　four　elements　together　when　it　is　a　later　thing　and　rises　from　them？　And　this　element…　soul　is　described　as　possessing　consciousness　and　will　and　the　rest…　what　can　we　think？　　　　　Furthermore；　these　teachers；　in　their　contempt　for　this　creation　and　this　earth；　proclaim　that　another　earth　has　been　made　for　them　into　which　they　are　to　enter　when　they　depart。　Now　this　new　earth　is　the　Reason…Form　＇the　Logos＇　of　our　world。　Why　should　they　desire　to　live　in　the　archetype　of　a　world　abhorrent　to　them？　　　　　Then　again；　what　is　the　origin　of　that　pattern　world？　It　would　appear；　from　the　theory；　that　the　Maker　had　already　declined　towards　the　things　of　this　sphere　before　that　pattern　came　into　being。　　　　　Now　let　us　suppose　the　Maker　craving　to　construct　such　an　Intermediate　World…　though　what　motive　could　He　have？…　in　addition　to　the　Intellectual　world　which　He　eternally　possesses。　If　He　made　the　mid…world　first；　what　end　was　it　to　serve？　　　　　To　be　a　dwelling…place　for　Souls？　　　　　How　then　did　they　ever　fall　from　it？　It　exists　in　vain。　　　　　If　He　made　it　later　than　this　world…　abstracting　the　formal…idea　of　this　world　and　leaving　the　Matter　out…　the　Souls　that　have　come　to　know　that　intermediate　sphere　would　have　experienced　enough　to　keep　them　from　entering　this。　If　the　meaning　is　simply　that　Souls　exhibit　the　Ideal…Form　of　the　Universe；　what　is　there　distinctive　in　the　teaching？　　　　　6。　And；　what　are　we　to　think　of　the　new　forms　of　being　they　introduce…　their　〃Exiles〃　and　〃Impressions〃　and　〃Repentings〃？　　　　　If　all　comes　to　states　of　the　Soul…　〃Repentance〃　when　it　has　undergone　a　change　of　purpose；　〃Impressions〃　when　it　contemplates　not　the　Authentic　Existences　but　their　simulacra…　there　is　nothing　here　but　a　jargon　invented　to　make　a　case　for　their　school：　all　this　terminology　is　piled　up　only　to　conceal　their　debt　to　the　ancient　Greek　philosophy　which　taught；　clearly　and　without　bombast；　the　ascent　from　the　cave　and　the　gradual　advance　of　souls　to　a　truer　and　truer　vision。　　　　　For；　in　sum；　a　part　of　their　doctrine　comes　from　Plato；　all　the　novelties　through　which　they　seek　to　establish　a　philosophy　of　their　own　have　been　picked　up　outside　of　the　truth。　　　　　From　Plato　come　their　punishments；　their　rivers　of　the　underworld　and　the　changing　from　body　to　body；　as　for　the　plurality　they　assert　in　the　Intellectual　Realm…　the　Authentic　Existent；　the　Intellectual…Principle；　the　Second　Creator　and　the　Soul…　all　this　is　taken　over　from　the　Timaeus；　where　we　read：　　　　　〃As　many　Ideal…Forms　as　the　Divine　Mind　beheld　dwelling　within　the　Veritably　Living　Being；　so　many　the　Maker　resolved　should　be　contained　in　this　All。〃　　　　　Misunderstanding　their　text；　they　conceived　one　Mind　passively　including　within　itself　all　that　has　being；　another　mind；　a　distinct　existence；　having　vision；　and　a　third　planning　the　Universe…　though　often　they　substitute　Soul　for　this　planning　Mind　as　the　creating　Principle…　and　they　think　that　this　third　being　is　the　Creator　according　to　Plato。　　　　　They　are　in　fact　quite　outside　of　the　truth　in　their　identification　of　the　Creator。　　　　　In　every　way　they　misrepresent　Plato's　theory　as　to　the　method　of　creation　as　in　many　other　respects　they　dishonour　his　teaching：　they；　we　are　to　understand；　have　penetrated　the　Intellectual　Nature；　while　Plato　and　all　those　other　illustrious　teachers　have　failed。　　　　　They　hope　to　get　the　credit　of　minute　and　exact　identification　by　setting　up　a　plurality　of　intellectual　Essences；　but　in　reality　this　multiplication　lowers　the　Intellectual　Nature　to　the　level　of　the　Sense…Kind：　their　true　course　is　to　seek　to　reduce　number　to　the　least　possible　in　the　Supreme；　simply　referring　all　things　to　the　Second　Hypostasis…　which　is　all　that　exists　as　it　is　Primal　Intellect　and　Reality　and　is　the　only　thing　that　is　good　except　only　for　the　first　Nature…　and　to　recognize　Soul　as　the　third　Principle；　accounting　for　the　difference　among　souls　merely　by　diversity　of　experience　and　character。　Instead　of　insulting　those　venerable　teachers　they　should　receive　their　doctrine　with　the　respect　due　to　the　older　thought　and　honour　all　that　noble　system…　an　immortal　soul；　an　Intellectual　and　Intelligible　Realm；　the　Supreme　God；　the　Soul's　need　of　emancipation　from　all　intercourse　with　the　body；　the　fact　of　separation　from　it；　the　escape　from　the　world　of　process　to　the　world　of　essential…being。　These　doctrines；　all　emphatically　asserted　by　Plato；　they　do　well　to　adopt：　where　they　differ；　they　are　at　full　liberty　to　speak　their　minds；　but　not　to　procure　assent　for　their　own　theories　by　flaying　and　flouting　the　Greeks：　where　they　have　a　divergent　theory　to　maintain　they　must　establish　it　by　its　own　merits；　declaring　their　own　opinions　with　courtesy　and　with　philosophical　method　and　stating　the　controverted　opinion　fairly；　they　must　point　their　minds　towards　the　truth　and　not　hunt　fame　by　insult；　reviling　and　seeking　in　their　own　persons　to　replace　men　honoured　by　the　fine　intelligences　of　ages　past。　　　　　As　a　matter　of　fact　the　ancient　doctrine　of　the　Divine　Essences　was　far　the　sounder　and　more　instructed；　and　must　be　accepted　by　all　not　caught　in　the　delusions　that　beset　humanity：　it　is　easy　also　to　identify　what　has　been　conveyed　in　these　later　times　from　the　ancients　with　incongruous　novelties…　how　for　example；　where　they　must　set　up　a　contradictory　doctrine；　they　introduce　a　medley　of　generation　and　destruction；　how　they　cavil　at　the　Universe；　how　they　make　the　Soul　blameable　for　the　association　with　body；　how　they　revile　the　Administrator　of　this　All；　how　they　ascribe　to　the　Creator；　identified　with　the　Soul；　the　character　and　experiences　appropriate　to　partial　be　beings。　　　　　7。　That　this　world　has　neither　beginning　nor　end　but　exists　for　ever　as　long　as　the　Supreme　stands　is　certainly　no　novel　teaching。　And　before　this　school　rose　it　had　been　urged　that　commerce　with　the　body　is　no　gain　to　a　Soul。　　　　　But　to　treat　the　human　Soul　as　a　fair　presentment　of　the　Soul　of　the　Universe　is　like　picking　out　potters　and　blacksmiths　and　making　them　warrant　for　discrediting　an　entire　well…ordered　city。　　　　　We　must　recognize　how　different　is　the　governance　exercised　by　the　All…Soul；　the　relation　is　not　the　same：　it　is　not　in　fetters。　Among　the　very　great　number　of　differences　it　should　not　have　been　overlooked　that　the　We　＇the　human　Soul＇　lies　under　fetter；　and　this　in　a　second　limitation；　for　the　Body…Kind；　already　fettered　within　the　All…Soul；　imprisons　all　that　it　grasps。　　　　　But　the　Soul　of　the　Universe　cannot　be　in　bond　to　what　itself　has　bound：　it　is　sovereign　and　therefore　immune　of　the　lower　things；　over　which　we　on　the　contrary　are　not　masters。　That　in　it　which　is　directed　to　the　Divine　and　Transcendent　is　ever　unmingled；　knows　no　encumbering；　that　in　it　which　imparts　life　to　the　body　admits　nothing　bodily　to　itself。　It　is　the　general　fact　that　an　inset　＇as　the　Body＇；　necessarily　shares　the　conditions　of　its　containing　principle　＇as　the　Soul＇；　and　does　not　communicate　its　own　conditions　where　that　principle　has　an　independent　life：　thus　a　graft　will　die　if　the　stock　dies；　but　the　stock　will　live　on　by　its　proper　life　though　the　graft　wither。　The　fire　within　your　own　self　may　be　quenched；　but　the　thing；　fire；　will　exist　still；　and　if　fire　itself　were　annihilated　that　would　make　no　difference　to　the　Soul；　the　Soul　in　the　Supreme；　but　only　to　the　plan　of　the　material　world；　and　if　the　other　elements　s