The manner of the entry of souls, and likewise of their release or separation from hence, both are most difficult or hard to explain; for of the first union of our mixture not one at all preserves the memory, and the dissolution of each of the living beings is something future and in the process of happening. How then could one give an account of things which one neither remembers nor has experienced? But since nothing is unconquerable by philosophy, but even unspoken things are spoken by it and secrets are set forth, from it must be gathered the solutions to the difficulties. And first, do not suppose the entry to be corporeal, nor think the soul, being borne from above, is necessarily coupled with the body, nor breathed into it through a temporal motion nor drawn up from below or inhaled nor snatched from the air, but not even as introducing itself through the openings of the passages of the nose or the mouth or other unseen ones. Nor does the revolution of the heaven, bringing like things together with like, thrust the soul into bodies, nor does a celestial stream proceeding from the east drive it in or push it in; for not as from a distance nor through a period of time nor moving little by little is it coupled with the body. But that I may use an example for you, just as the progression from non-being to being is instantaneous and without motion, and just as from the rising sun all things are suddenly illumined, and especially the surrounding air, and just as tuned strings immediately partake of harmony, and just as naphtha is ignited 99 by the fire of the intervening ignited air, so indeed is the body at once kindled and illumined by the soul and becomes full of that one's cognitive and generative powers, not with it being diffused little by little into its parts, nor being first established in the heart or in the liver or in the brain, and then flowing out from there, but at once taking hold of the whole and illumining it instantly. And its bond to the body is harmonic principles and hypostases of forms, both from the whole of nature and from the particular, and from the paternal principles and the animations and the entelechies, and of the coherence of the form and of the fitness of the body, fashioned by superior powers. And at the union are active the supervisions of angels, at once setting the soul in order and guarding it. And this is the manner of the entry. But that of the dissolution: the angel entrusted with its guardianship, having received from above the permission for the release, having ineffably shone upon it with intelligible light, when the body has now become unfit for its reception, the symphony having been completely dissolved and the harmonic principles having withdrawn, at once he both gathered it and drew it to the kindred light, having gathered it from material indefiniteness and caused it to rush toward the super-luminous radiance and having made it full of the divine fire; for now I do not dispute for you the differences of souls, but I describe accurately for you the best one. Therefore, just as the union happens at once, so indeed also the separation. And I would not dare to say the soul is easily circumscribed nor entirely motionless, but indivisible and quickly changing and for its ascents or descents not requiring an extension of time. Concerning the soul You asked concerning the soul being released from the body, whether it immediately proceeds to its own allotments or uses certain guides for its restoration to them. Concerning this, then, I answer you with confidence, that 100 just as certain powers, superior to that life of it {of the body} with the body, preside over it and, as it is being fitted for generation, guardians are sent from God, so indeed also, when it is separated, other powers, better than the former, lead it up, being both attendants of the creation and ministers of the restorations to the proper allotments for each. not so

Ὁ τῆς εἰσκρίσεως τῶν ψυχῶν τρόπος, ὣς δὲ καὶ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν τούτων ἀπολύσεως ἢ διαιρέσεως, ἀπορώτατα ἄμφω ἢ δυσδιάλυτα· τῆς τε γὰρ πρώτης συζυγίας τοῦ κράματος ἡμῶν <οὐδ>εὶς τῶν πάντων διασώζει τὴν μνήμην, ἥ τε λύσις ἑκάστου τῶν ζῴων μέλλουσά ἐστι καὶ γινομένη. πῶς οὖν ἄν τις ἀποδοίη λόγον ὧν μήτε μέμνηται μήτε πεπείραται; ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐδὲν ἀνάλωτον φιλοσοφίᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἄρρητα ταύτῃ ῥητὰ καὶ ἐκκείμενα τὰ ἀπόρρητα, παρ' αὐτῆς συλληπτέον τῶν ἠπορημένων τὰς ἐπιλύσεις. Καὶ πρῶτόν γε τὴν εἴσκρισιν μὴ σωματοειδῆ ὑπολάμβανε, μηδὲ οἴου τὴν ψυχὴν φερομένην ἄνωθεν ἐξ ἀνάγκης τῷ σώματι συνδυάζεσθαι, μηδὲ διὰ χρονικῆς τούτῳ εἰσπνεομένην κινήσεως μηδὲ κάτωθεν ἑλκομένην ἢ ἀναπνεομένην μηδ' ἐξ ἀέρος ἁρπαζομένην, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ὡς διὰ θυρωμάτων τῆς ῥινὸς ἢ τοῦ στόματος πόρων ἢ τῶν ἀδήλων εἰσάγουσαν αὑτήν. οὐδὲ ἡ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ περιδίνησις τὰ ὅμοια τοῖς ὁμοίοις συνάγουσα συνωθεῖ τὴν ψυχὴν εἰς τὰ σώματα, οὐδὲ ῥεῦμα οὐράνιον ἐξ ἀνατολῆς προϊὸν εἰσελαύνει ταύτην ἢ εἰσωθεῖ· οὐ γὰρ ὥσπερ ἐξ ἀποστήματος οὐδὲ διὰ περιόδου οὐδὲ κατὰ βραχὺ κινουμένη τῷ σώματι συνδυάζεται. ἀλλ' ἵνα σοι παραδείγματι χρήσομαι, ὥσπερ ἡ ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι πρόοδος ἀθρόα τίς ἐστι καὶ ἄνευ κινήσεως, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐξ ἡλίου ἀνατείλαντος ἐξαπιναίως πάντα πεφώτισται καὶ μάλιστα ὁ περιέχων ἀήρ, καὶ ὥσπερ αἱ ἡρμοσμέναι χορδαὶ αὐτίκα τῆς ἁρμονίας μετειλήχασιν, καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ νάφθας ἐξάπτεται 99 τῷ πυρὶ τοῦ μέσου πυρωθέντος ἀέρος, οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἀθρόον ὑπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀνάπτεται καὶ καταλάμπεται καὶ πλῆρες τῶν γνωστικῶν ἐκείνης καὶ γονίμων δυνάμεων γίνεται, οὐ κατὰ βραχὺ διαχεομένης αὐτῆς εἰς τὰ τούτου μέρη, οὐδὲ πρῶτον ἐνιδρυμένης εἰς καρδίαν ἢ εἰς ἧπαρ ἢ εἰς ἐγκέφαλον, εἶτ' ἐκεῖθεν διαρρεούσης, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ τὸ σύμπαν διαλαβούσης καὶ ἀθρόον καταλαμψάσης. ὁ δὲ πρὸς τὸ σῶμα ταύτης δεσμὸς λόγοι ἁρμονικοὶ καὶ εἰδῶν ὑποστάσεις ἀπό τε τῆς ὅλης φύσεως ἀπό τε μερικῆς ἀπό τε τῶν πατρικῶν λόγων καὶ τῶν ἐμψυχιῶν καὶ τῶν ἐντελεχειῶν, τῆς τε συνοχῆς τοῦ εἴδους καὶ τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἐπιτηδειότητος κρείττοσι κατεσκευασμένων δυνάμεσιν. ἐνεργοῦσιν δὲ παρὰ τὴν σύνοδον ἀγγέλων ἐπιστασίαι, ὁμοῦ τε κατατάττουσαι τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ φυλάττουσαι. καὶ ὁ μὲν τῆς εἰσκρίσεως τρόπος οὗτος. Ὁ δέ γε τῆς διαλύσεως· ὁ τὴν φυλακὴν ταύτης ἐμπεπιστευμένος ἄγγελος ἄνωθεν εἰληφὼς τῆς λύσεως τὸ ἐνδόσιμον νοητῷ φωτὶ ἀρρήτως ἐπιλάμψας αὐτῇ, τοῦ σώματος ἤδη ἀνεπιτηδείου γεγονότος πρὸς τὴν ταύτης ὑποδοχήν, ἀποδιαλυθείσης τῆς συμφωνίας καὶ τῶν ἁρμονικῶν λόγων ὑποχωρησάντων, ὁμοῦ τε συνήγαγε καὶ τῷ συγγενεῖ φωτὶ ἐφελκύσατο ἀπὸ τῆς ὑλικῆς αὐτὴν συνελὼν ἀοριστίας καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὑπέρφωτον ἐκροιζήσας αὐγὴν καὶ πλήρη τοῦ θείου πυρὸς ἐργασάμενος· νῦν γάρ σοι οὐ φιλοκρινῶ τὰς διαφορὰς τῶν ψυχῶν, ἀλλ' ἐξακριβοῦμαί σοι τὴν ἀρίστην. ὥσπερ οὖν ἀθρόα ἡ σύνοδος γίνεται, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡ διάζευξις. καὶ εὐπερίγραφον μὲν οὐκ ἂν θαρρήσας εἴποιμι τὴν ψυχὴν οὐδ' ἀκίνητον παντάπασιν, ἀμερῆ δὲ καὶ ταχὺ ἐξαλλάττουσαν καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἀνόδους ἢ καθόδους μὴ δεομένην χρονικῆς παρατάσεως. Περὶ ψυχῆσ Ἠρώτησας περὶ τῆς ἀπολυομένης ψυχῆς τοῦ σώματος, εἴτε αὐτίκα πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους κλήρους χωρεῖ εἴτε τισὶν ὁδηγοῖς χρῆται πρὸς τὴν τούτων ἀποκατάστασιν. περὶ γοῦν τούτου θαρρούντως δὴ ἀποκρίνομαί σοι, ὅτι 100 ὥσπερ δυνάμεις τινὲς κρείττους ἐκείνης {τοῦ σώματος} τῆς μετὰ σώματος αὐτῇ ζωῆς προΐστανται καὶ συναρμοζομένης πρὸς γένεσιν κηδεμόνες παρὰ θεοῦ πέμπονται, οὕτω δὴ καὶ διαιρεθεῖσαν ἕτεραι τῶν προτέρων βελτίους ἀνάγουσι, τῆς τε δημιουργίας ὑπηρέτιδες καὶ διάκονοι τῶν εἰς τὰς οἰκείας ἑκάστῃ λήξεις ἀποκαταστάσεων. οὐχ οὕτω