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THE YOGA OF PLOTINUS. THE RACE OF GOD. Footnotes
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THE YOGA OF PLOTINUS
With these most instructive indications we may compare the intensely interesting passage of Plotinus in his essay “On Intelligible Beauty, ” where he gives his yoga-system, so to speak. It is perhaps the most important passage that has come down to us from the coryphæ us of Later Platonism, giving, as it does, in every probability, the method of the school whereby ecstasis was attained.
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“Let us, then, form a mental image of this cosmos with each of its parts remaining what it is, and yet interpenetrating one another, [imagining] them all together into one as much as we possibly can, —so that whatsoever one comes first into the mind as the ‘one’ (as for instance the outer sphere), there immediately follows also the sight of the semblance of the sun, and together with it that of the other stars, 1 and the earth, and sea, and all things living, as though in [one] transparent sphere, —in fine, as though all things could be seen in it.
“Let there, then, be in the soul some semblance of a sphere of light [transparent], having all things in it, whether moving or still, or some of them moving and others still.
“And, holding this [sphere] in the mind, conceive in thy self another [sphere], removing [from it all idea of] mass; take from it also [the idea of] space, and the phantom of matter in thy mind; and do not try to image another sphere [merely] less in bulk than the former.
“Then invoking God who hath made [that true sphere] of which thou holdest the phantom [in thy mind], pray that He may come.
“And may He come with his own cosmos, 2 with all the Gods therein—He being one and all, and each one all, united into one, yet different in their powers, and yet, in that one [power] of multitude all one.
“Nay, rather the One God is all [the Gods] for that He falleth not short [of Himself] though all of them are [from Him]; [and] they are all together, yet each again apart in [some kind of] an unextended state, possessing no form perceptible to sense.
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“For, otherwise, one would be in one place, another in another, and [each] be ‘each, ’ and not ‘all’ in itself, without parts other from the others and [other] from itself.
“Nor is each whole a power divided and proportioned according to a measurement of parts; but this [whole] is the all, all power, extending infinitely and infinitely powerful; —nay, so vast is that [divine world-order 1], that even its ‘parts’ are infinite. ” 2
THE RACE OF GOD
But to return to Philo. The rational soul or mind of man is potentially the Intelligible Cosmos or Logos; thus he writes:
“The great Moses did not call the species of the rational soul by a name resembling any one of the things created, but he called it the image of the Divine and Invisible, deeming it a true [image] brought into being and impressed with the soul of God, of which the Signet is the Eternal Reason (Logos). ” 3
All of which the disciplined soul shall realise in himself. Of such a man Abraham is a type, for:
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“Abandoning mortal things, he ‘is added to the people of God, ’ 4 plucking the fruit of immortality, having become equal to the angels. For the angels are the host of God, incorporeal and happy souls. ”
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The angels are the “people” of God; but there is a still higher degree of union, whereby a man becomes one of the “Race” or “Kin” of God. This “Race” is an intimate union of all them who are “kin to Him”; they become one. For this Race “is one, the highest one, but ‘people’ is the name of many. ”
“As many, then, as have advanced in discipline and instruction, and been perfected [therein], have their lot among this ‘many. ’
“But they who have passed beyond these introductory exercises, becoming natural Disciples of God, receiving wisdom free from all toil, migrate to this incorruptible and perfect Race, receiving a lot superior to their former lives in genesis. ” 1
And that the mind is immortal may be shown allegorically from the death of Moses, who, says Philo, migrated “by means of the Word (Logos) of the Cause, 2 by whom the whole cosmos was created. ”
This is said “in order that thou mayest learn that God regards the wise man as of equal honour with the cosmos; for it is by means of the same Reason (Logos) that He hath made the universe, and bringeth back the perfect man from earthly things unto Himself again. ” 3
But enough of Philo for the moment. Sufficient has been given to let the reader hear the Alexandrian speak for himself on the central idea of his cosmos. Much else could be added—indeed, volumes could be written on the subject—for it gives us one of the most important backgrounds of Christian origins, and without a thorough knowledge of Hellenistic theology it is impossible in any way to get our values of many things correctly.
Footnotes
199: 1 In all, upwards of sixty Philonean tractates are preserved to us; and in addition we have also numerous fragments from lost works.
200: 1 Philo is known to the Jews as Yedidyah ha-Alakhsanderi.
200: 2 Thus, in D. V. C., § 3; M. ii. 475, P. 893 (Ri. v. 309, C. 65), referring to his beloved Therapeuts, he himself says: “They have also works of ancient authors who were once heads of their school, and left behind them many monuments of the method used in allegorical works. ” Nor was this “allegorising” Jewish only; it was common. It was applied to Homer; it was the method of the Stoics. Indeed, this “treatment (θ ε ρ α π ε ί α ) of myths” was the only way in which the results of the philosophy and science of the time could be brought into touch with popular faith.
The text I use is that of Richter (M. C. E. ), Philonis Judæ i Opera Omnia, in Bibliotheca Sacra Patrum Ecclesiæ Græ corum (Leipzig, 1828-1830), 8 vols. M. refers to the edition of Mangey; P. to the Paris edition; Ri. stands for that of Richter—thus abbreviated so as not to be confused with R., which elsewhere stands for Reitzenstein; C. stands for Conybeare’s critical text of the D. V. C. (Oxford, 1895), the only really critical text of any tractate which we so far possess.
200: 3 “Philo, ” in Smith and Wace’s Dict. of Christ. Biog. (London, 1887), iv. 357-389—by far the best general study on the subject in English. Drummond’s (J. ) two volumes, Philo Judæ us, or The Alexandrian Philosophy (London, 1888), may also be consulted, but they leave much to be desired. The only English translation is that of Yonge (C. D. ), The Works of Philo Judæ us (London, 1854) in Bonn’s Library; but it is by no means satisfactory, and I have in every instance of quotation made my own version.
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202: 1 Or “divinely prompted” (De Vit. Mos., ii. 5-7).
203: 1 De Vit. Mos., iii. 23, 24.
204: 1 For a sketch of ancient Alexandria, see F. F. F., pp. 96-120.
205: 1 For a translation of the famous tractate on this subject, from the recent critical text of Conybeare, see F. F. F., pp. 66-82.
205: 2 D. V. C., § 3; M. ii. 474, P. 891 (Ri. v. 308, C. 56).
206: 1 De Sept., §§ 3, 4; M. ii. 279, P. 1175 (Ri. v. 21, 22).
207: 1 De Mut. Nom., § 4; M. i. 583, P. 1049 (Ri. iii. 163, 164).
208: 1 Quod Om. Prob. L., § 11; M. ii. 456, P. 876 (Ri. v. 284, 285).
208: 2 C., p. 146, 1. 13.
208: 3 D. V. C., § 9; M. ii. 482, P. 900 (Ri. v. 319, C. 111).
209: 1 Or shrine—a small room or closet.
209: 2 That is, a sanctuary or monastery, the latter in the sense of a place where one can be alone or in solitude. This is the first use of the term “monastery” known in classical antiquity, and, as we see, it bears a special and not a general meaning.
209: 3 Ibid., § 3; M. ii. 475, P. 892 (Ri. v. 309, C. 60).
210: 1 Grenfell and Hunt, New Sayings of Jesus (London, 1904), p. 18.
210: 2 Lit., ye mystæ and hierophants.
210: 3 Lit., orgies—that is, “burstings forth” of inspiration, or revealings.
210: 4 De Prof., § 16; M. i. 558, P. 462 (Ri. iii. 128).
210: 5 Leg. Alleg., i. 39, 4.
210: 6 δ ε ι σ ι δ α ί μ ο ν ε ς —here meaning the literalists; it generally signifies the religious in a good sense, and the superstitious in a bad one.
211: 1 De Cherub., § 12; M. i. 146, P. 115 (Ri. i. 208).
211: 2 Ibid., § 14; M. i. 147, P. 116 (Ri. i. 210).
211: 3 Cf. Leg. Alleg., ii. § 15; M. i. 76, P. 1097 (Ri. i. 105).
211: 4 Lit., orgies.
212: 1 De Gigan., § 12; M. i. 270, P. 291 (Ri. ii. 61).
212: 2 Philo, apparently, would have it that the sacrifice of the ram, which was a symbol of virility, signified the obligation of chastity prior to initiation into the higher rites.
212: 3 De Vit. Mos., iii. § 17; M. ii. 157, P. 675 (Ri. iv. 216). The Therapeuts, with Philo, then do not mean “Healers, ” as has been sometimes thought, but “Servants of God. ”
212: 4 D. V. C., § 2; M. ii. 473, P. 891 (Ri. v. 306, C. 41, 42).
212: 5 Quod Det. Pot. Insid., § 27; M. i. 211, P. 174 (Ri. i. 295).
213: 1 Ibid., § 48; M. i. 224, P. 186 (Ri. i. 314).
213: 2 Leg. Alleg., i. § 32; M. i. 64, P. 59 (Ri. i. 87).
214: 1 Leg. Alleg., ii. § xv.; M. i. 76, P. 1097 (Ri. i. 106).
214: 2 Which they brought out of Egypt—that is, the body.
214: 3 De Sacrif., § 16; M. i. 174, P. 139 (Ri. i. 245).
214: 4 Quæ st. in Gen., iv. § 2; P. Auch. 243 (Ri. vii. 61).
215: 1 Gen. xviii. 6.
215: 2 That is, apparently, the “good” = the “incorporeal, ” and the “subject” = the “corporeal. ”
216: 1 De Sacrif., § 15; M. i. 173, 174; P. 139 (Ri. i. 244, 245).
216: 2 De Cherub., § 12; M. i. 146, P. 115 (Ri. i. 208).
217: 1 Ibid., § 13; M. i. 147, P. 116, 117 (Ri. i. 209).
218: 1 Jer. iv. 3—where A. V. translates: “Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth? ”
219: 1 De Cherub., § 14, 15; M. i. 148, P. 116, 117 (Ri. i. 210, 211).
219: 2 In this, however, I venture to think that Conybeare is mistaken; it was a common dogma of the Hellenistic theology of the time.
219: 3 Op. sup. cit., pp. 302, 303.
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219: 4 De Execrat., § 7; M. ii. 435, P. 936 (Ri. v. 254). See “Myth of Man in the Mysteries, ” S. § 25 J.
220: 1 D. V. C., § 8; M. ii. 482, P. 899 (Ri. v. 318, C. 108).
220: 2 Elsewhere an epithet of the Logos.
220: 3 De Mut. Nom., § 23; M. i. 598, P. 1065 (Ri. iii. 183).
220: 4 Ibid., § 24; M. i. 599, P. 1065 (Ri. iii. 184).
220: 5 De Præ m. et Pæ n., § 18; M. ii. 425, P. 927 (Ri. v. 241).
220: 6 Leg. Alleg., iii. § 63; M. i. 122, 123, P. 94 (Ri. i. 175). Cf. Gen. xxx. 2: “Am I in God’s stead? ”
221: 1 Gen. xxi. 6. A. V.: “God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. ”
221: 2 Leg. Alleg., iii. § 77; M. i. 131, P. 101 (Ri. i. 187). Cf. also De Cherub., § 13; M. i. 147, P. 115 (Ri. i. 209).
222: 1 Gen. xxix. 31. Cong. Erud. Grat., § 2; M. i. 520, P. 425 (Ri. iii. 72).
223: 1 De Spec. Leg., § 7; M. ii. 275, P. 774 (Ri. v. 15, 16).
223: 2 De Som., i. § 35; M. i. 651, P. 595 (Ri. iii. 257).
224: 1 De Ser. Num. Vind., 565 C.; ed. Bern. iii. 459. See, for a translation of the whole Vision, my “Notes on the Eleusinian Mysteries, ” Theosophical Review (April, May, June, 1898), xxii. 145 ff., 232 ff., 312 ff.
224: 2 Gen. xxxviii. 11 ff.
224: 3 Quod Deus Immut., § 29; M. i. 293, P. 313 (Ri. ii. 94).
224: 4 Lit., “sensible. ”
224: 5 De Ebriet., § 8; M. i. 361, P. 244 (Ri. i. 189).
225: 1 De Mut. Nom., § 2; M. i. 579, P. 1045 (Ri. iii. 159).
225: 2 De Mund. Op., § 2; M. i. 2, P. 2 (Ri. i. 6).
226: 1 De Agric., § 13; M. i. 308, P. 195 (Ri. ii. 116).
227: 1 Or Rising. Cf. Zech. vi. 12—where A. V. translates: “Behold the man whose name is The Branch. ” Philo, however, follows LXX., but reads ἄ ν θ ρ ω π ο ς instead of ἀ ν ή ρ. The Man-doctrine of the “Pœ mandres” and of the Naassene Document was a fundamental one with Philo.
227: 2 De Confus. Ling., § 14; M. i. 414, P. 329 (Ri. ii. 262).
227: 3 Cf. Lev. xxi. 11.
228: 1 τ ὸ ἡ γ ε μ ο ν ι κ ό ν —that is, the authoritative or responsible part of the soul, namely, the reason—a Stoic technical term.
228: 2 De Prof., § 20; M. i. 562, P. 466 (Ri. iii. 133). The quotations look back to Lev. xxi. 10, but the readings in the first two differ from the LXX.
229: 1 De Som., § 37; M. i. 653, P. 597 (Ri. iii. 260).
229: 2 That is the sensible and not the intelligible cosmos.
230: 1 Quod Deus Im., § 6; M. i. 277, P. 298 (Ri. ii. 72, 73).
230: 2 Leg. Alleg., § 21; M. i. 82, P. 1103 (Ri. i. 113).
230: 3 Cf. Gen. i. 27. Philo reads ἐ ν ε ἰ κ ό ν ι instead of the κ α τ ᾽ ε ἰ κ ό ν α of LXX., and ἐ π ο ί η σ α instead of ἐ π ο ί η σ ε.
230: 4 Namely, in His Reason. The Greek text is quoted by Eusebius, Præ p. Evang., vii. 13 (M. ii. 625, Ri. vi. 175), who gives it as from Bk. i. of Quæ st. et Solut. The original text is lost, but we have a Latin Version—q. v. ii. § 62 (Ri. vi. 356)—which, however, in this instance, has made sorry havoc of the original.
231: 1 Philo and LXX. both have: “ἐ γ ώ ε ἰ μ ι ὁ θ ε ὸ ς ὁ ὀ φ θ ε ί ς σ ο ι ἐ ν τ ό π ῳ θ ε ο ῦ ”; whereas A. V. translates: “I am the God of Beth-el”—that is, the “House or Place of El or God. ”
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231: 2 Here meaning the Inspiration of Scripture.
231: 3 De Som., § i. 39; M. i. 655, P. 599 (Ri. iii. 262, 263).
232: 1 De Mund. Op., § 8; M. i. 6, 7, P. 6 (Ri. i. 11).
232: 2 De Som., § 41; M. i. 657, P. 600 (Ri. iii. 264).
233: 1 This is the Race of the Logos.
233: 2 Cf. Ex. xxiv. 10. A. V. does not render this reading, but LXX. gives “The place where the God of Israel stood. ”
233: 3 Which here, as also above, Philo would equate with the “Place of God. ”
233: 4 De Confus. Ling., § 20; M. i. 419, P. 333, 334 (Ri. ii. 268, 269).
234: 1 Deut. xiv. 1. A. V.: “Ye are the children of the Lord your God. ” LXX.: “Ye are the sons of the Lord your God. ”
234: 2 Deut. xxxii. 18. A. V.: “God that formed thee. ” LXX. has the same reading as Philo.
234: 3 Deut. xxxii. 6.
234: 4 ἀ ρ χ ή, or Source, Beginning, as in the Proem to the Fourth Gospel.
234: 5 Gen. xlii. 11.
234: 6 De Confus. Ling., § 28; M. i. 426, 427, P. 341 (Ri. ii. 279).
234: 7 De Monarch., ii. § 5; M. ii. 225, P. 823 (Ri. iv. 302).
235: 1 Or the cosmos, which is comprehensible by the intellect alone.
235: 2 Or Paradigm.
235: 3 De Mund. Op., § 6; M. i. 5, P. 5 (Ri. i. 9).
235: 4 De Cherub.,, § 35; M. i. 162, P. 129 (Ri. i. 228).
236: 1 De Monarch., ii. § 5; M. ii. 225, P. 823 (Ri. iv. 302).
236: 2 Gen. i. 26.
236: 3 Leg. Alleg., iii. 31; M. i. 106, 107, P. 79 (Ri. i. 152, 153).
236: 4 Sc. the essence.
236: 5 Sc. elements. Quis Rer. Div. Her., § 27; M. i. 492, P. 500 (Ri. iii. 32).
236: 6 John, to whom the Master is speaking.
237: 1 F. F. F., 436.
237: 2 De Prof., § 18; M. i. 560, P. 464 (Ri. iii. 130). There is unfortunately a lacuna in the text, so that we do not learn the characteristics of the fifth potency; but this is explained elsewhere, —the Legislative Providence being a twofold potency, namely, the Enjoining and the Forbidding.
238: 1 Ex. xxv. 22.
238: 2 This plainly refers to the Mercabah or Chariot of the Vision of Ezechiel.
238: 3 De Prof., § 19; M. i. 561, P. 465 (Ri. iii. 131).
238: 4 De Agric., § 12; M. i. 308, P. 195 (Ri. ii. 116).
239: 1 De Som., i. § 11; M. i. 630, P. 574 (Ri. iii. 227).
239: 2 Ibid., § 12; M. i. 631, P. 575 (Ri. iii. 229).
239: 3 Ibid., § 13.
240: 1 Sc. the souls.
240: 2 Lev. xxvi. 12.
240: 3 De Som., § 23; M. i. 642, 643, P. 587 (Ri. iii. 245, 246).
241: 1 Ps. xxvii. 1. A. V. “salvation. ” LXX. reads φ ω τ ι σ μ ό ς, “illumination”—a technical term among the mystics of Early Christendom for baptism—instead of the φ ῶ ς of Philo.
241: 2 That is, the Logos as Pleroma.
241: 3 De Som., § 13.
241: 4 Sc. the vices of the soul.
241: 5 Ibid., § 15; M. i. 363, P. 578 (Ri. iii. 232).
241: 6 This seems to be somewhat reminiscent of the custom of evening prayer in the Therapeut and other similar communities, when, at the time of the setting of the sun, it was enjoined that “rational” praises should be restored or given back to God, for benefits received.
Philo, however, is here somewhat laboriously commenting, in allegorical fashion, on the pawnbroking bye-law in Ex. xxii. 26, 27: “But if thou takest in pledge thy neighbour’s garment, thou shalt give it him back before the going down of the sun. For this is his covering; this is the only garment of his indecency. In what [else] shall he sleep? If, then, he shall cry unto me, I will give ear to him; for I am pitiful. ” (See § 16. ) The A. V. translates otherwise.
242: 1 Cf. the well-known logos from the Gospel according to the Egyptians, “Unless ye tread on the garment of shame. ”
242: 2 De Som., § 18; M. i. 637, P. 582 (Ri. iii. 238).
242: 3 Or Rational.
243: 1 Ibid., § 19; M. i. 638, P. 582 (Ri. iii. 239).
243: 2 Ibid., 20; M. i. 639, P. 584 (Ri. iii. 241). Cf. C. H., x. (xi. ) 24.
243: 3 De Som., ii. § 36; M. i. 690, P. 1140 (Ri. iii. 312).
244: 1 Lit., Olympian.
244: 2 ἀ ρ χ α ὶ mean sources, but also principles and sovereignties. It is, however, impossible to keep the word-play in English.
244: 3 Or kingdom, namely, “of the heavens, ” or rulership of the celestial realms, or rather of one’s self.
244: 4 Ps. lxv. 9. So also LXX.; but A. V., “Thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water. ”
245: 1 Ps. xlvi. 4. LXX. has the plural, rivers or streams. A. V. translates: “There is a river the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God. ”
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245: 2 The physical Jerusalem in Palestine.
245: 3 κ ρ α τ ῆ ρ α —lit., crater or mixing-bowl.
245: 4 A lacuna occurs here in the text.
245: 5 A loose quotation of Lev. xxvi. 12, as already cited above.
245: 6 λ ο γ ι σ μ ό ν.
245: 7 ἔ κ π ω μ α.
246: 1 De Som., ii. §§ 37-39; M. i. 690-692, P. 1141, 1142 (Ri. iii. 312-315).
246: 2 Leg. Alleg., iii. § 34; M. i. 108, P. 80 (Ri. i. 155).
246: 3 Ibid., § 56; M. i. 119, P. 90 (Ri. i. 170).
247: 1 The grain of mustard seed of the Gospels and of the “Gnostics. ”
247: 2 Ibid., § 59; M. i. 121, 122, P. 92 (Ri. i. 172, 173).
247: 3 A gloss on Ex. xiv. 15.
247: 4 ῥ ῆ μ α.
247: 5 λ ό γ ο ς.
247: 6 Leg. Alleg., iii., § 0; M. i. 121, P. 92 (Ri. i. 173).
248: 1 The reading seems to be faulty.
248: 2 Ibid., § 59.
248: 3 Cf. Deut. viii. 13.
248: 4 Num. xiv. 4.
248: 5 ῥ ή μ α τ ι.
248: 6 Deut. viii. 3.
248: 7 Leg. Alleg., iii. § 61; M. i. 121, P. 93 (Ri. i. 174).
250: 1 Cf. the “Gnostic” Horos (not the Egyptian Hō rus) as referred to previously.
250: 2 Perhaps a reflection of Num. xvi. 48.
250: 3 Quis Rer. Div. Her., § 42; M. i. 501, 502, P. 504 (Ri. iii. 45, 46).
251: 1 π α ρ α κ λ ή τ ῳ —as paraclete, or intercessor, or defender (a term of the law courts), or comforter.
251: 2 ἀ μ ν η σ τ ε ί α ν —lit., amnesty, or forgetfulness of wrong.
251: 3 τ ὸ ν τ ο ῦ θ ε ο ῦ θ ε ρ α π ε υ τ ή ν —the Therapeut.
251: 4 The dress of the High Priest, then, symbolised the cosmos—the elements, etc. May we deduce from this that in one of the Therapeut initiations the approyed candidate was clothed in such a symbolic robe?
251: 5 Sc. the Logos as cosmos.
251: 6 Signifying a religious scruple as referring to a matter of initiation.
251: 7 De Vit. Mos., iii. § 14; M. ii. 155, P. 673 (Ri. iv. 212, 213).
252: 1 Presumably the seven “planetary spheres” of “difference, ” as set forth in Plato’s Timæ us.
252: 2 Sc. the intelligible or spiritual world-order.
253: 1 Intelligible cosmos.
253: 2 Ennead, V. viii. (cap. ix. ), 550 A-D.; Plot. Op. Om., ed. F. Creuzer (Oxford, 1835), ii. 1016, 1017. M. N. Bouillet—in Les Enné ades de Plotin (Paris, 1861), iii. 122, 123—gives, as usual, an excellently clear rendering, but it is not easy to recognise some of his sentences in the text.
253: 3 De Plant. Noe, § 5; M. i. 332, P. 216, 217 (Ri. ii. 148).
253: 4 A gloss on Gen. xxv. 8: “And was added (A. V. gathered) to his people. ”
254: 1 De Sacrif., § 2; M. i. 164, P. 131 (Ri. i. 233).
254: 2 Deut. xxxiv. 5. A. V.: “According to the word of the Lord. ”
254: 3 De Sacrif., § 3; M. i. 165, P. 131 (Ri. i. 233).
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