Elements of Theology

 as one subsisting, but according to participation not one, the one will be multiplied, just as the multiplicity is unified through the one. Therefore

 activity is better than that which is not self-sufficient but has the cause of its perfection dependent on another substance. For if all beings by nat

 it desires that also, how most of all the good? or if it does not desire, how does it not desire the cause of all things, having proceeded from it? Bu

 is itself, and the mover and the moved are one and the same. For either it moves in one part and is moved in another part, or as a whole it moves and

 beginning from a monad, it proceeds into a multitude coordinate with the monad, and the multitude of every order is led back to one monad. For the mon

 the one being divided. But if it is in one of all things, it will no longer be of all things, but of one. If, therefore, it is both common to those ab

 the thing produced is other than it. Therefore, that which begets is established as unchangeable and undiminished, multiplying itself through a genera

 from something and reverting has a cyclical activity. For if it reverts to that from which it proceeds, it joins the end to the beginning, and the mot

 procession. For since each occurs through likeness, that which has proceeded immediately from something has also reverted immediately to it (for the l

 has reverted to itself according to nature and is perfect in its reversion to itself, and would have its being from itself for that to which the reve

 the self-subsistent is set apart from things measured by time in respect to its substance. For if the self-subsistent is ungenerated, it would not be

 having received the power to produce from the cause which is superior to it, it has from that cause its being the cause of those things of which it is

 Thus the producer in relation to the produced, taken in relation to each other, but that which is able to do more has a greater and more universal pow

 a cause has pre-contained in itself the effect, being primarily what that is secondarily or in the thing produced the producer (for this too, partici

 suffers from the former) and when the second in turn acts, that also co-acts, because whatever the second does, the more causal also co-begets with i

 being, or needing it somehow in order to be, would be in this respect more imperfect than the effect. But that which is in the result is a co-cause ra

 passible, being in every way divisible, and in every way to infinity. But the incorporeal, being simple, is impassible for the indivisible can neithe

 undiminished it contains in itself. But surely infinity in respect to magnitude and in respect to multitude is a complete privation and a falling away

 set apart and if all things enter into it, yet it has something hidden and incomprehensible to secondary things and if it unfolds the powers within

 but nowhere for thus it would be divided and separate from itself, if indeed one part of it is everywhere and in all things, but the other part nowhe

 all things. For since each thing exists either according to cause or according to existence or according to participation, in the first the rest exist

 a turning back as if through similars, dissimilar <being>. For the one is similar as a particular to a particular, the other is kindred as being of th

 a hypostasis but no longer a henad, it would be assigned to another order on account of the alteration of its property. 115 Every god is supra-essenti

 supra-essential, being nothing other than the one for each is not one thing, and then good, but only good, just as it is not one thing, and then one,

 is and in beings has the power of apprehending truth (for it both grasps thoughts and has its subsistence in acts of intellection) but the gods are b

 having set the same before itself, is most self-sufficient and such is all that is divine. Therefore it needs neither other things, being goodness-it

 is more unified than beings. All divine genera, therefore, are bound together by their proper intermediaries, and the first do not proceed immediately

 of a henad working, with which it is connate. This, then, is that which in itself defines the being that partakes of it and shows essentially the supr

 to the gods so that, while they are present to all things in the same way, all things are not present to them in the same way, but as each is able, i

 For the one, having a most unitive power, sends itself through the entire union and unifies all from above, while remaining in itself. But the mean, s

 proceeds from the infinity of the divine power, multiplying itself and passing through all things, and pre-eminently demonstrating the unfailing in th

 presides over composites and of their order and of their division according to number, and is of the same series as the paternal in more partial produ

 they have intelligible [qualities]. In the same way, therefore, that those, by illuminating Being, are intelligible, so also these, by illuminating th

 and sees itself. But seeing that it is thinking and seeing, it knows that it is Intellect in actuality and knowing this, it knows that it thinks, and

 Therefore it has the causes of all things intellectually. So that every intellect is all things intellectually, both the things before it and the thin

 more akin, contracted in quantity, in power surpasses the things after it and conversely the things further from the one. Therefore, those that are h

 on the one hand, but being only intellectual, is participated by souls that are neither divine nor come to be in a state of change from intellect to u

 by its very being, if the participant is suitable, it immediately becomes ensouled and living, not by the soul reasoning and choosing, nor giving life

 and to the soul that substantiates the essential principles of all things in it for everything that produces by its being, which it is primarily, thi

 of the motions it will also have restorations for every period of the eternal things is restorative. 200 Every period of a soul is measured by time

 the relation to the secondary ones, which the divine has to the intellectual, and this to the psychical and the quantities of the lower ones are grea

 it admits of every kind of change, being moved together with their own ruling causes. But indeed that it is also indivisible, is clear. For everything

Thus the producer in relation to the produced, taken in relation to each other, but that which is able to do more has a greater and more universal power; and this is nearer to the cause of all things; and that which is nearer to it is a greater good, if indeed this is the Good. Therefore, the cause of more things is essentially superior to that which produces fewer. 61 Every power, while being undivided, is greater, but when divided is lesser. For if it is divided, it proceeds into multiplicity; and if this, it becomes more remote from the One; and if this, it will be able to do less, being removed from the One and that which holds it together; and imperfect, if indeed the good of each thing exists in accordance with unity. 62 Every multiplicity, being nearer to the One, is lesser in quantity than those more remote, but greater in power. For the nearer is more similar to the One; and the One was the cause of the subsistence of all things without multiplicity. Therefore that which is more similar to it, being the cause of more things, if indeed that is the cause of all things, will be more unelike and more indivisible, if indeed that is one. Therefore, as to the one, that which has less multiplicity is more akin, but as to the cause of all things, that which is productive of more things—and this is more powerful. From these things it is clear that bodily natures are more numerous than souls, and these are more numerous than intellects, and intellects are more numerous than the divine henads; and the same principle applies to all things. 63 Everything unparticipated establishes two orders of participated things, the one in those that sometimes participate, and the other in those that always and connately participate. For to the unparticipated, that which is always participated is more similar than that which is sometimes participated. Therefore before the sometimes participated subsists, the always participated will subsist, in being participated, differing not from that which is after it, but in always being more akin and more similar to the unparticipated. And there are not only things that are sometimes participated (for before these are the things always participated, through which these also are connected by a certain well-ordered procession to the unparticipated); nor only things that are always participated (for these also, having an unquenchable power, if indeed they always exist, are productive of other things that are sometimes participated; and unto these extends the remission). From these things it is clear that also the unities from the One that illuminate beings are some of them always participated, and others sometimes, and intellectual participations are likewise twofold, and the animations of souls, and similarly those of the other forms; for also beauty and likeness and rest and identity, being unparticipated, are participated by those that always participate and secondarily by those that sometimes participate according to the same order. 64 Every ruling monad establishes a twofold number, the one of self-complete hypostases, the other of illuminations that possess their hypostasis in others. For if the procession is by remission through things proper to the hypostatic causes, also from the all-perfect the perfect and through these as intermediates the imperfect proceed in a well-ordered manner; so that some will be self-complete hypostases, and others imperfect. And these now become properties of the participants (for being imperfect they require substrates for their own existence); but the others make the participants their own (for being perfect they fill those with themselves and are established in themselves, but they have no need of inferior things for their own hypostasis). Therefore, the self-complete hypostases, through the distinction into a multiplicity, being diminished from their ruling monad, through their self-complete existence are in a way made like unto it; but the imperfect ones, both by being in others, are remote from that which subsists by itself, and by their imperfection, from that which perfects all things. But the processions are through similars even unto the wholly dissimilar. Therefore each of the ruling monads establishes a twofold number. From these things it is clear that also of henads, some proceeded self-complete from the One, while others are illuminations of unities; and of intellects, some are self-complete substances, while others are certain intellectual perfections; and of souls, some belong to themselves, while others belong to the things being ensouled, being only as images of souls. And thus not every unity is a god, but the self-complete henad, nor is every intellectual property an intellect, but only the substantial one, nor is every illumination of soul a soul, but there are also images of souls. 65 Everything that subsists in any way is either according to cause in the manner of an archetype, or according to existence, or according to participation in the manner of an image. For either in the producer the produced is seen, as pre-existing in a cause, because every

οὕτω τὸ παραγαγὸν πρὸς τὸ παραγαγόν, κατ' ἄλληλα ληφθέντα, τὸ δὲ πλείω δυνάμενον μείζονα δύναμιν ἔχει καὶ ὁλικωτέραν· τοῦτο δέ, ἐγγυτέρω τῆς πάντων αἰτίας· τὸ δὲ ἐγγυτέρω ταύτης μειζόνως ἐστὶν ἀγαθόν, εἴπερ αὕτη τὸ ἀγαθόν. τὸ ἄρα πλειόνων αἴτιον κατ' οὐσίαν κρεῖττον ὑπάρχει τοῦ ἐλάττονα παράγοντος. 61 Πᾶσα δύναμις ἀμέριστος μὲν οὖσα μείζων ἐστί, μεριζο μένη δὲ ἐλάττων. εἰ γὰρ μερίζεται, πρόεισιν εἰς πλῆθος· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, πορρωτέρω γίνεται τοῦ ἑνός· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, ἐλάττω δυνήσεται, τοῦ ἑνὸς καὶ τοῦ συνέχοντος αὐτὴν ἀφισταμένη· καὶ ἀτελής, εἴπερ τὸ ἑκάστου ἀγαθὸν ὑπάρχει κατὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν. 62 Πᾶν πλῆθος ἐγγυτέρω τοῦ ἑνὸς ὂν ποσῷ μέν ἐστι τῶν πορρωτέρω ἔλαττον, τῇ δυνάμει δὲ μεῖζον. ὅμοιον γὰρ τῷ ἑνὶ μᾶλλον τὸ ἐγγύτερον· τὸ δὲ ἓν πάντων ἦν ὑποστατικὸν ἀπληθύντως. τὸ ἄρα ὁμοιότερον αὐτῷ, πλειόνων αἴτιον ὑπάρχον, εἴπερ ἐκεῖνο πάντων, ἑνοειδέστερον ἔσται καὶ ἀμεριστότερον, εἴπερ ἐκεῖνο ἕν. ὡς μὲν οὖν ἑνὶ τὸ ἧττον πεπλη θυσμένον μᾶλλον συγγενές, ὡς δὲ πάντων αἰτίῳ τὸ πλειόνων παρακτικόν-τοῦτο δέ, δυνατώτερον. ἐκ δὴ τούτων φανερὸν ὅτι πλείους μὲν αἱ σωματικαὶ φύσεις τῶν ψυχῶν, πλείους δὲ αὗται τῶν νόων, οἱ δὲ νόες πλείους τῶν θείων ἑνάδων· καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων ὁ αὐτὸς λόγος. 63 Πᾶν τὸ ἀμέθεκτον διττὰς ὑφίστησι τῶν μετεχομένων τὰς τάξεις, τὴν μὲν ἐν τοῖς ποτὲ μετέχουσι, τὴν δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἀεὶ καὶ συμφυῶς μετέχουσι. τῷ γὰρ ἀμεθέκτῳ τὸ ἀεὶ μετεχόμενον ὁμοιότερον ἢ τὸ ποτέ. πρὶν ἄρα ὑποστῇ τὸ ποτὲ μεθεκτόν, τὸ ἀεὶ μεθεκτὸν ὑποστή σεται, τῷ μὲν μετέχεσθαι τοῦ μετ' αὐτὸ μὴ διενεγκόν, τῷ δὲ ἀεὶ συγγενέστερον ὂν τῷ ἀμεθέκτῳ καὶ ὁμοιότερον. καὶ οὔτε μόνα ἔστι τὰ ποτὲ μετεχόμενα (πρὸ γὰρ τούτων τὰ ἀεὶ μετεχόμενα, δι' ὧν καὶ ταῦτα συνδεῖται κατά τινα πρόοδον εὔτακτον τοῖς ἀμεθέκτοις)· οὔτε μόνα τὰ ἀεὶ μετεχόμενα (καὶ γὰρ ταῦτα, δύναμιν ἔχοντα ἄσβεστον, εἴπερ ἀεὶ ἔστιν, ἄλλων ἐστὶν οἰστικὰ τῶν ποτὲ μετεχομένων· καὶ μέχρι τούτων ἡ ὕφεσις). ἐκ δὴ τούτων φανερὸν ὅτι καὶ αἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἑνώσεις ἐλλαμπό μεναι τοῖς οὖσιν αἱ μὲν ἀεὶ μετέχονται, αἱ δὲ ποτέ, καὶ αἱ νοεραὶ μεθέξεις διτταὶ ὡσαύτως, καὶ αἱ τῶν ψυχῶν ψυχώσεις, καὶ αἱ τῶν ἄλλων εἰδῶν ὁμοίως· καὶ γὰρ τὸ κάλλος καὶ ἡ ὁμοιότης καὶ ἡ στάσις καὶ ἡ ταυτότης, ἀμέθεκτα ὄντα, ὑπό τε τῶν ἀεὶ μετ εχόντων μετέχεται καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ποτὲ δευτέρως κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν τάξιν. 64 Πᾶσα ἀρχικὴ μονὰς διττὸν ὑφίστησιν ἀριθμόν, τὸν μὲν αὐτοτελῶν ὑποστάσεων, τὸν δὲ ἐλλάμψεων ἐν ἑτέροις τὴν ὑπόστασιν κεκτημένων. εἰ γὰρ καθ' ὕφεσιν ἡ πρόοδος διὰ τῶν οἰκείων τοῖς ὑποστα τικοῖς αἰτίοις, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν παντελείων τὰ τέλεια καὶ διὰ τούτων μέσων τὰ ἀτελῆ πρόεισιν εὐτάκτως· ὥστε αἱ μὲν ἔσονται αὐτο τελεῖς ὑποστάσεις, αἱ δὲ ἀτελεῖς. καὶ αὗται μὲν γίνονται ἤδη τῶν μετεχόντων (ἀτελεῖς γὰρ οὖσαι δέονται τῶν ὑποκειμένων εἰς τὴν ἑαυτῶν ὕπαρξιν)· αἱ δὲ ἑαυτῶν ποιοῦσι τὰ μετέχοντα (τέλειαι γὰρ οὖσαι πληροῦσι μὲν ἑαυτῶν ἐκεῖνα καὶ ἑδράζουσιν ἐν ἑαυταῖς, δέονται δὲ οὐδὲν τῶν καταδεεστέρων εἰς τὴν ὑπό στασιν τὴν ἑαυτῶν). αἱ μὲν οὖν αὐτοτελεῖς ὑποστάσεις, διὰ τὴν εἰς πλῆθος διάκρισιν ἠλαττωμέναι τῆς ἀρχικῆς αὐτῶν μονάδος, διὰ τὴν αὐτοτελῆ ὕπαρξιν ὁμοιοῦνταί πῃ πρὸς ἐκείνην· αἱ δὲ ἀτελεῖς καὶ τῷ ἐν ἄλλοις εἶναι τῆς καθ' αὑτὴν ὑφεστώσης καὶ τῷ ἀτελεῖ τῆς πάντα τελειούσης ἀφεστήκασιν. αἱ δὲ πρόοδοι διὰ τῶν ὁμοίων ἄχρι τῶν πάντῃ ἀνομοίων. διττὸν ἄρα ὑφίστη σιν ἀριθμὸν ἑκάστη τῶν ἀρχικῶν μονάδων. ἐκ δὴ τούτων φανερὸν ὅτι καὶ ἑνάδες αἱ μὲν αὐτοτελεῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑνὸς προῆλθον, αἱ δὲ ἐλλάμψεις ἑνώσεων· καὶ νόες οἱ μὲν οὐσίαι αὐτοτελεῖς, οἱ δὲ νοεραί τινες τελειότητες· καὶ ψυχαὶ αἱ μὲν ἑαυτῶν οὖσαι, αἱ δὲ τῶν ψυχουμένων, ὡς ἰνδάλματα μόνον οὖσαι ψυχῶν. καὶ οὕτως οὔτε πᾶσα ἕνωσις θεός, ἀλλ' ἡ αὐτοτελὴς ἑνάς, οὔτε πᾶσα νοερὰ ἰδιότης νοῦς, ἀλλ' ἡ οὐσιώδης μόνον, οὔτε πᾶσα ψυχῆς ἔλλαμψις ψυχή, ἀλλ' ἔστι καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα τῶν ψυχῶν. 65 Πᾶν τὸ ὁπωσοῦν ὑφεστὸς ἢ κατ' αἰτίαν ἔστιν ἀρχοειδῶς ἢ καθ' ὕπαρξιν ἢ κατὰ μέθεξιν εἰκονικῶς. ἢ γὰρ ἐν τῷ παράγοντι τὸ παραγόμενον ὁρᾶται, ὡς ἐν αἰτίᾳ προϋπάρχον, διότι πᾶν τὸ