Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

THE NEOPLATONIC PHILOSOPHY AND EPOCH 275their unity the Mind, as theorems in their unity makea science. Plato's Ideas become to Plotinus, as toPhilo, intelligences which are embraced by the Mindas universal intelligence. These the Mind works outin itself, and of these it consists: spiritual powers,thinking or spirits, * which are contained in it and underit, as species in genus, or as particular sciences inscience as a whole. Thus the conception of Mind,inasmuch as it contains in itself a multiplicity offorms and powers, broadens into that of the intelligibleworld. It is the very Living eing whichcontains the archetypes of all living beings in itself.In it the multifold intelligible powers are one power,the many gods one god.As the Second proceeds from the First,2 so by thesame necessity a Third proceeds from the Second, whichstands in the same relation to it as it to the First, - 7 andits generation is no more in the one case than in theother a work of intention or purpose, or connectedwith change in the Producer. This production of theMind is the Soul.The conception of the Soul is determined in generalby its being the next to the Mind. The mean betweenit and the world of appearance, being on the one sidefilled, moved, and illumined by the Mind, on the otherside touching the corporeal which is produced byit. It stands, however, nearer to the Intelligible,and with it is reckoned to belong to " the Divine.In its essence it is Number and Form, like the Idea,Life, and Activity, like the Mind : the outermostof the light-circles which surround the Primal Light.Beyond it darkness begins. In its nature it is eternaland outside of time, though it produces time. Pro-1 Zeller, v. 471, 473. dvro^ov, 475. 2 Zeller, v. 476.