PROCLUS, THE PLATONIC SUCCESSOR

More documents

Recommendations

Info

therefore, must be admitted to be twofold; one being within the soul, and consisting either in improper imaginations, or vicious consent, or base choice; but the other subsisting externally, and becoming apparent in various actions, which are the effects either of anger or desire. 8. All such things, therefore, as these manifoldly possess good. For they are effected for the avengement of other natures. The action, also, is according to the desert of the agent; and that which acts badly, does not suffer the same punishment for every bad action, whatever it may be, nor does it require the same punishment for each. These deeds, therefore, are entirely good to that which suffers from them ; and they are also good to that which is effective of them, so far as it follows or acts in conformity to wholes ; but so far as it acts from itself, the deeds are evil, and detrimental to itself, and do not give completion to the great conceptions of the soul. This, however, is the beginning of salvation to the patient. For in many persons, the meditated [169] evil remaining within the soul is concealed, but at length a , as being base and improper, is benefited, and its nature then becomes evident when it exists in energy. This is manifested by the penitence and remorse of the soul, reproaching itself, as it were, for the evil deed. For the arts of physicians, also, by opening ulcers, and thus making the passion and the inwardly concealed cause of the disease evident, exhibit an image of the operations of Providence, who admits both the base deeds and depraved passions, in order that the latter being changed from the conception which they had formed, and from the habit which was caused and inflated by evils, may assume the principle of a better period and life. But whatever passions are within the soul, are accompanied by the good of the evil, so far as they always lead the soul to what is proper. For
it is not possible for that which chooses things of a worse nature to remain in such as are better, but it soon tends to that which is dark and base. And not actions only, but likewise without these, the elections of the soul contain in themselves [retributive] justice. For every election leads the soul to that which is similar to its choice. If, therefore, there is anything depraved and base and atheistical in the soul, the transferring it to that which is congenial to itself is soon attended with good, with the desert which is from Providence, and with the law inherent in souls, which a Tandem is omitted in this place in the version of Morbeka, but evidently ought to have been inserted. [170] leads each of them to what is appropriate. For Providence foreknows the life of the soul, and through this conjoins it to things similar to itself; but this is the same as uniting it with that which it deserves, or with that which is conformable to its difference with respect to other souls; this, again, unites it to what is imparted by Providence, and this [finally] to good. If, indeed, it were fit that souls which act unjustly should abide on high, which it is not lawful to assert, their choice would in no respect possess what is good; but being alone evil, it would be entirely atheistical and unjust. But if choice soon removes the elective soul from things of a better nature, it possesses good mingled with evil. For every soul naturally desires the supernal region. When souls, therefore, descend into the realms of mortality, their choice is directed to a degraded life; but it is necessary that everything should descend which does not [always] energise according to intellect, though the lapse is to some souls more, and to others less, because the choice in them varies. But after what manner is the evil that is in
Page 1 and 2:
TWO TREATISES OF PROCLUS, THE PLATO
Page 3 and 4:
PREFACE. —♦— NO subjects of d
Page 5 and 6:
February. His version also of the v
Page 7 and 8:
auditors of the Gods, is a most man
Page 9 and 10:
espect perfect, but the other being
Page 11 and 12:
to a part, is different from that w
Page 13 and 14:
kind, but also every particular thi
Page 15 and 16:
which is posterior to itself, but b
Page 17 and 18:
and as the salvation of all things;
Page 19 and 20:
one; but body, on account of the in
Page 21 and 22:
to the form of the incorporeal esse
Page 23 and 24:
than in a greater time, as if the i
Page 25 and 26:
And if it should be said, that they
Page 27 and 28:
divinity; but conformably to his na
Page 29 and 30:
participations should not be the sa
Page 31 and 32:
must be admitted. For that it is mo
Page 33 and 34:
conformably to its energy; and in m
Page 35 and 36:
a Semper is wanting in this place i
Page 37 and 38:
variation in the energy of the Gods
Page 39 and 40:
the guardian care of the former is
Page 41 and 42:
preternatural exists in order that
Page 43 and 44:
called preter-rational and not pret
Page 45 and 46:
y its recipients a . For neither wo
Page 47 and 48:
ecause they do not obtain the same
Page 49 and 50:
frequently oppose the amatory energ
Page 51 and 52:
invented vulgar prosperities as the
Page 53 and 54:
espect to those who are dissimilar
Page 55 and 56:
who prefer that which is mortal in
Page 57 and 58:
Providence, viz. why punishments do
Page 59 and 60:
about these bodies, is perfectly sm
Page 61 and 62:
a The latter part of this sentence
Page 63 and 64:
celebrated unity, knowing and reduc
Page 65 and 66:
suspended from illuminations which
Page 67 and 68:
should dare to assert, that [73] it
Page 69 and 70:
[76] being; but that which particip
Page 71 and 72:
some things, and produce others [co
Page 73 and 74:
greater good, as neither is what is
Page 75 and 76:
less excellent part of its unity. F
Page 77 and 78:
such natures did not exist. If thes
Page 79 and 80:
For that which is true non-entity,
Page 81 and 82:
oth those who assert that all thing
Page 83 and 84:
to intellect, expanding the winged
Page 85 and 86:
good is not congenial with non-good
Page 87 and 88:
it is requisite that what is first
Page 89 and 90:
that they are susceptive of transmu
Page 91 and 92:
who are not worthy to enter into th
Page 93 and 94:
equisite that evil, as we have freq
Page 95 and 96:
fabrication of things. 3. In the ne
Page 97 and 98: the soul in generation, and on this
Page 99 and 100: intellectual perception of itself,
Page 101 and 102: which the soul is filled with folly
Page 103 and 104: the image of the rational soul, mus
Page 105 and 106: aseness of itself, defalcates indee
Page 107 and 108: aseness of matter. For each organ o
Page 109 and 110: [123] ceed] ? If, indeed, each of t
Page 111 and 112: and verges to the earth. For when t
Page 113 and 114: every nature of the infinite from t
Page 115 and 116: says,—if this be the case, we mus
Page 117 and 118: subsistence to itself, and for the
Page 119 and 120: they are what they are; but when ab
Page 121 and 122: [137] also, is contrary to virtue,
Page 123 and 124: survey what evil itself is by itsel
Page 125 and 126: the fountain from which they are ge
Page 127 and 128: everything which perpetually exists
Page 129 and 130: [146] mortal nature, not in consequ
Page 131 and 132: account of another, and, as it were
Page 133 and 134: effective causes of evils, therefor
Page 135 and 136: evil is to be called a parhypostasi
Page 137 and 138: of this, one part of it is differen
Page 139 and 140: c The first monad of forms is what
Page 141 and 142: the energies and the works of evil;
Page 143 and 144: will, and is debile and inefficacio
Page 145 and 146: to turpitude, one kind subsists abo
Page 147: For this, in the first place, perha
Page 151 and 152: a In Morbeka, in this place, after
Page 153 and 154: therefore, extends itself about the
show all

PROCLUS, THE PLATONIC SUCCESSOR

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?