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swearing by God, the ruler of all things that are and that shall be, and by the Lord, the father of the ruler and cause; whom, if we philosophize rightly, we shall all know clearly, to the extent of the capacity of happy men.” 11.16.3 Does it seem to you that Plato, in saying these things, has followed the doctrines of the Hebrews, or from what other source did it occur to him to name another God superior to the cause of all created things, who is also the father of the universal ruler? And from where did he get the idea to assign the name of Lord to the Father of the creator, when none of the Greeks before him had heard, nor even conceived, these things? 11.16.4 But if we need other witnesses again for an undisputed presentation of both the philosopher's thought and the structure of the argument, listen to what Plotinus makes clear for you in what he wrote concerning the three primary hypostases, writing:

11.17.1 18. FROM PLOTINUS CONCERNING THE SECOND CAUSE “If anyone marvels at this sensible cosmos, looking at its size and its beauty and the order of its eternal motion, and the gods within it, some visible and others invisible, and daemons and all animals and plants, let him ascend to its archetype and its truer reality, and there let him see all things intelligible and eternal in their own understanding and life, and of these the pure Mind as their leader and an unimaginable wisdom.” 11.17.2 Then, following this, he adds, saying: “Who then is he that begat this? The simple one and the one before such as this, the cause of this being both what it is and abundant, the one who makes number; for number is not primary; for before the dyad is the one; and the dyad is second and comes from the one.” 11.17.3 And again, proceeding, he adds: “How then and what must one think concerning that which remains? A radiance from it, but from it as it remains; like the brilliant light of the sun that runs around it, ever begotten from it, while it remains. 11.17.4 And all things that are, so long as they remain, from their own substance give a necessary hypostasis around them, external to them, dependent on them from their present power, being an image, as it were, of the archetypes 11.17.5 from which they grew. Fire gives off its own heat, and snow does not only keep the cold within. And most of all, whatever is fragrant bears witness to this; for as long as it exists, something goes forth from them around them, which whatever is near enjoys when it subsists. 11.17.6 And all things that are already perfect beget; that which is always perfect always and eternally begets; 11.17.7 and it begets something lesser than itself. What then must one say about the most perfect? Nothing from it, or the greatest things after it. And greatest after it is Mind, and second. For Mind sees that one and needs it alone, but that one needs this one not at all. And that which is begotten from something better than Mind is Mind; and Mind is better than all things, because the others are after it.” 11.17.8 Following these things, he adds, saying: “Everything that begets longs for what it has begotten and loves this, especially when the begetter and the begotten are the only ones. And when the begetter is also the best, of necessity it is with it, being separated only by otherness. And we say that Mind is an image of that one; for one must speak more clearly.” 11.17.9 And again to these things he adds: “And for this reason Plato’s teachings are threefold; he says that all things are about the king of all—the first things; and second about the second things; and about the third things, third. And he says that there is a father of the cause, meaning Mind as the cause; for Mind is the creator for him. 11.17.10 And this one, he says, makes the soul in that mixing bowl. And the cause being Mind, he says its father is the Good and that which is beyond Mind and beyond substance. And in many places he calls Being and Mind the Idea. So Plato knew that from the Good comes Mind, and from Mind comes the soul, and that these doctrines are not new, nor of today, but were spoken of long ago, though not

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πάντων θεὸν ἡγεμόνα τῶν τε ὄντων καὶ τῶν μελλόντων τοῦ τε ἡγεμόνος καὶ αἰτίου πατέρα κύριον ἐπομνύντας· ὅν, ἐὰν ὀρθῶς φιλοσοφῶμεν, εἰσόμεθα πάντες σαφῶς εἰς δύναμιν ἀνθρώπων εὐδαιμόνων.» 11.16.3 Ἆρά σοι δοκεῖ ταῦτα λέγων ὁ Πλάτων τοῖς Ἑβραίων ἐπηκολουθηκέναι δόγμασιν, ἢ πόθεν ἄλλοθεν ἐπῆλθεν αὐτῷ τοῦ πάντων τῶν γενητῶν αἰτίου κρείττονα ἄλλον θεόν, τὸν δὴ καὶ πατέρα τοῦ πανηγεμόνος, προσειπεῖν; πόθεν δ' αὐτῷ τὸ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τάξαι ὄνομα, μηδενός πω πρὸ αὐτοῦ Ἑλλήνων ἀκοαῖς, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ εἰς νοῦν ταῦτα 11.16.4 καταβεβλημένου; εἰ δὲ καὶ ἑτέρων ἡμῖν πάλιν μαρτύρων δεῖ εἰς ἀναμφίλεκτον παράστασιν τῆς τε τοῦ φιλοσόφου διανοίας καὶ τῆς τοῦ λόγου κατασκευῆς, ἐπάκουσον οἷά σοι Πλωτῖνος ἐν οἷς περὶ τῶν τριῶν ἀρχικῶν ὑποστάσεων συνέταξε διασαφεῖ γράφων·

11.17.1 ιηʹ. ΠΛΩΤΙΝΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ∆ΕΥΤΕΡΟΥ ΑΙΤΙΟΥ «Κόσμον αἰσθητὸν τόνδε εἴ τις θαυμάζει, εἴς τε τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τὸ κάλλος καὶ τὴν τάξιν τῆς φορᾶς τῆς ἀϊδίου βλέπων καὶ θεοὺς τοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ, τοὺς μὲν ὁρωμένους, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἀφανεῖς ὄντας, καὶ δαίμονας καὶ ζῷα φυτά τε πάντα, ἐπὶ τὸ ἀρχέτυπον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ἀληθινώτερον ἀναβὰς κἀκεῖ πάντα ἰδέτω νοητὰ καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν ἀΐδια ἐν οἰκείᾳ συνέσει καὶ ζωῇ καὶ τούτων τὸν ἀκήρατον νοῦν προστάτην καὶ σοφίαν ἀμήχανον.» 11.17.2 Εἶθ' ἑξῆς τούτοις ἐπιφέρει λέγων· «Τίς οὖν ὁ τοῦτον γεννήσας; ὁ ἁπλοῦς καὶ ὁ πρὸ τοῦ τοιούτου, ὁ αἴτιος τοῦ καὶ εἶναι καὶ πολὺν εἶναι τοῦτον, ὁ τὸν ἀριθμὸν ποιῶν· ὁ γὰρ ἀριθμὸς οὐ πρῶτος· καὶ γὰρ πρὸ τῆς δυάδος τὸ ἕν· δεύτερον δὲ δυὰς καὶ παρὰ τοῦ ἑνὸς γενομένη.» 11.17.3 Καὶ πάλιν ὑποβὰς ἐπιλέγει· «Πῶς οὖν καὶ τί δεῖ νοῆσαι περὶ ἐκεῖνο μένον; περίλαμψιν ἐξ αὐτοῦ μέν, ἐξ αὐτοῦ δὲ μένοντος· οἷον ἡλίου τὸ περὶ αὐτὸν λαμπρὸν φῶς περιθέον ἐξ αὐτοῦ 11.17.4 τε αἰεὶ γεννώμενον, μένοντος δέ. καὶ πάντα τὰ ὄντα ἕως μένει, ἐκ τῆς αὑτῶν οὐσίας ἀναγκαίαν τὴν περὶ αὐτὰ πρὸς τὸ ἔξω αὐτῶν ἐκ τῆς παρούσης δυνάμεως δίδωσιν αὐτῶν ἐξηρτημένην ὑπόστασιν, εἰκόνα οὖσαν οἷον ἀρχετύ11.17.5 πων, ὧν ἐξέφυ. πῦρ μὲν τὴν παρ' αὑτοῦ θερμότητα καὶ χιὼν οὐκ εἴσω μόνον τὸ ψυχρὸν κατέχει. μάλιστα δὲ ὅσα εὐώδη μαρτυρεῖ τούτῳ· ἕως γάρ ἐστι, πρόεισί τι ἐξ αὐτῶν περὶ αὐτά, ὧν ἀπολαύει ὑποστάντων ὅ τι πλησίον. 11.17.6 καὶ πάντα δὲ ὅσα ἤδη τέλεια γεννᾷ· τὸ δὴ αἰεὶ τέλειον αἰεὶ καὶ ἀΐδιον γεννᾷ· 11.17.7 καὶ ἔλαττον δὲ ἑαυτοῦ γεννᾷ. τί οὖν χρὴ περὶ τοῦ τελειοτάτου λέγειν; μηδὲν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἢ τὰ μέγιστα μετ' αὐτό. μέγιστον δὲ μετ' αὐτὸ νοῦς καὶ δεύτερον. καὶ γὰρ ὁρᾷ ὁ νοῦς ἐκεῖνον καὶ δεῖται αὐτοῦ μόνου, ἐκεῖνος δὲ τούτου οὐδέν. καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἀπὸ κρείττονος νοῦ νοῦν εἶναι· καὶ κρείττων ἁπάντων νοῦς, ὅτι τἄλλα μετ' αὐτόν.» 11.17.8 Τούτοις ἑξῆς ἐπιφέρει λέγων· «Ποθεῖ δὲ πᾶν τὸ γεννῆσαν τὸ γεγεννημένον καὶ τοῦτο ἀγαπᾷ, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν ὦσι μόνοι τὸ γεννῆσαν καὶ τὸ γεγεννημένον. ὅταν δὲ καὶ τὸ ἄριστον ᾖ τὸ γεννῆσαν, ἐξ ἀνάγκης σύνεστιν αὐτῷ, ὡς τῇ ἑτερότητι μόνον κεχωρίσθαι. εἰκόνα δὲ ἐκείνου εἶναι λέγομεν τὸν νοῦν· δεῖ γὰρ σαφέστερον λέγειν.» 11.17.9 Καὶ πάλιν τούτοις ἐπιλέγει· «Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὰ Πλάτωνος τριττά· πάντα περὶ τὸν πάντων βασιλέα φησὶ τὰ πρῶτα καὶ δεύτερον περὶ τὰ δεύτερα καὶ περὶ τὰ τρίτα τρίτον. λέγει δὲ καὶ τοῦ αἰτίου εἶναι πατέρα, αἴτιον μὲν τὸν νοῦν λέγων· δημιουργὸς γὰρ ὁ 11.17.10 νοῦς αὐτῷ. τοῦτον δέ φησι τὴν ψυχὴν ποιεῖν ἐν τῷ κρατῆρι ἐκείνῳ. τοῦ δὲ αἰτίου νοῦ ὄντος πατέρα φησὶ τἀγαθὸν καὶ τὸ ἐπέκεινα νοῦ καὶ ἐπέκεινα οὐσίας. πολλαχοῦ δὲ τὸ ὂν καὶ τὸν νοῦν τὴν ἰδέαν λέγει. ὥστε Πλάτωνα εἰδέναι ἐκ μὲν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τὸν νοῦν, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ νοῦ τὴν ψυχήν, καὶ εἶναι τοὺς λόγους τούσδε μὴ καινοὺς μηδὲ νῦν, ἀλλὰ πάλαι μὲν εἰρῆσθαι μὴ