the six enneads-第34部分

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ate　it；　becomes　the　matter　of　boorish　insolence　upon　things　divine。　　　　　A　man's　one　task　is　to　strive　towards　making　himself　perfect…　though　not　in　the　idea…　really　fatal　to　perfection…　that　to　be　perfect　is　possible　to　himself　alone。　　　　　We　must　recognize　that　other　men　have　attained　the　heights　of　goodness；　we　must　admit　the　goodness　of　the　celestial　spirits；　and　above　all　of　the　gods…　those　whose　presence　is　here　but　their　contemplation　in　the　Supreme；　and　loftiest　of　them；　the　lord　of　this　All；　the　most　blessed　Soul。　Rising　still　higher；　we　hymn　the　divinities　of　the　Intellectual　Sphere；　and；　above　all　these；　the　mighty　King　of　that　dominion；　whose　majesty　is　made　patent　in　the　very　multitude　of　the　gods。　　　　　It　is　not　by　crushing　the　divine　unto　a　unity　but　by　displaying　its　exuberance…　as　the　Supreme　himself　has　displayed　it…　that　we　show　knowledge　of　the　might　of　God；　who；　abidingly　what　He　is；　yet　creates　that　multitude；　all　dependent　on　Him；　existing　by　Him　and　from　Him。　　　　　This　Universe；　too；　exists　by　Him　and　looks　to　Him…　the　Universe　as　a　whole　and　every　God　within　it…　and　tells　of　Him　to　men；　all　alike　revealing　the　plan　and　will　of　the　Supreme。　　　　　These；　in　the　nature　of　things；　cannot　be　what　He　is；　but　that　does　not　justify　you　in　contempt　of　them；　in　pushing　yourself　forward　as　not　inferior　to　them。　　　　　The　more　perfect　the　man；　the　more　compliant　he　is；　even　towards　his　fellows；　we　must　temper　our　importance；　not　thrusting　insolently　beyond　what　our　nature　warrants；　we　must　allow　other　beings；　also；　their　place　in　the　presence　of　the　Godhead；　we　may　not　set　ourselves　alone　next　after　the　First　in　a　dream…flight　which　deprives　us　of　our　power　of　attaining　identity　with　the　Godhead　in　the　measure　possible　to　the　human　Soul；　that　is　to　say；　to　the　point　of　likeness　to　which　the　Intellectual…Principle　leads　us；　to　exalt　ourselves　above　the　Intellectual…Principle　is　to　fall　from　it。　　　　　Yet　imbeciles　are　found　to　accept　such　teaching　at　the　mere　sound　of　the　words　〃You；　yourself；　are　to　be　nobler　than　all　else；　nobler　than　men；　nobler　than　even　gods。〃　Human　audacity　is　very　great：　a　man　once　modest；　restrained　and　simple　hears；　〃You；　yourself；　are　the　child　of　God；　those　men　whom　you　used　to　venerate；　those　beings　whose　worship　they　inherit　from　antiquity；　none　of　these　are　His　children；　you　without　lifting　a　hand　are　nobler　than　the　very　heavens〃；　others　take　up　the　cry：　the　issue　will　be　much　as　if　in　a　crowd　all　equally　ignorant　of　figures；　one　man　were　told　that　he　stands　a　thousand　cubic　feet；　he　will　naturally　accept　his　thousand　cubits　even　though　the　others　present　are　said　to　measure　only　five　cubits；　he　will　merely　tell　himself　that　the　thousand　indicates　a　considerable　figure。　　　　　Another　point：　God　has　care　for　you；　how　then　can　He　be　indifferent　to　the　entire　Universe　in　which　you　exist？　　　　　We　may　be　told　that　He　is　too　much　occupied　to　look　upon　the　Universe；　and　that　it　would　not　be　right　for　Him　to　do　so；　yet；　when　He　looks　down　and　upon　these　people；　is　He　not　looking　outside　Himself　and　upon　the　Universe　in　which　they　exist？　If　He　cannot　look　outside　Himself　so　as　to　survey　the　Kosmos；　then　neither　does　He　look　upon　them。　　　　　But　they　have　no　need　of　Him？　　　　　The　Universe　has　need　of　Him；　and　He　knows　its　ordering　and　its　indwellers　and　how　far　they　belong　to　it　and　how　far　to　the　Supreme；　and　which　of　the　men　upon　it　are　friends　of　God；　mildly　acquiescing　with　the　Kosmic　dispensation　when　in　the　total　course　of　things　some　pain　must　be　brought　to　them…　for　we　are　to　look　not　to　the　single　will　of　any　man　but　to　the　universe　entire；　regarding　every　one　according　to　worth　but　not　stopping　for　such　things　where　all　that　may　is　hastening　onward。　　　　　Not　one　only　kind　of　being　is　bent　upon　this　quest；　which　brings　bliss　to　whatsoever　achieves；　and　earns　for　the　others　a　future　destiny　in　accord　with　their　power。　No　man；　therefore；　may　flatter　himself　that　he　alone　is　competent；　a　pretension　is　not　a　possession；　many　boast　though　fully　conscious　of　their　lack　and　many　imagine　themselves　to　possess　what　was　never　theirs　and　even　to　be　alone　in　possessing　what　they　alone　of　men　never　had。　　　　　10。　Under　detailed　investigation；　many　other　tenets　of　this　school…　indeed　we　might　say　all…　could　be　corrected　with　an　abundance　of　proof。　But　I　am　withheld　by　regard　for　some　of　our　own　friends　who　fell　in　with　this　doctrine　before　joining　our　circle　and；　strangely；　still　cling　to　it。　　　　　The　school；　no　doubt；　is　free…spoken　enough…　whether　in　the　set　purpose　of　giving　its　opinions　a　plausible　colour　of　verity　or　in　honest　belief…　but　we　are　addressing　here　our　own　acquaintances；　not　those　people　with　whom　we　could　make　no　way。　We　have　spoken　in　the　hope　of　preventing　our　friends　from　being　perturbed　by　a　party　which　brings；　not　proof…　how　could　it？…　but　arbitrary；　tyrannical　assertion；　another　style　of　address　would　be　applicable　to　such　as　have　the　audacity　to　flout　the　noble　and　true　doctrines　of　the　august　teachers　of　antiquity。　　　　　That　method　we　will　not　apply；　anyone　that　has　fully　grasped　the　preceding　discussion　will　know　how　to　meet　every　point　in　the　system。　　　　　Only　one　other　tenet　of　theirs　will　be　mentioned　before　passing　the　matter；　it　is　one　which　surpasses　all　the　rest　in　sheer　folly；　if　that　is　the　word。　　　　　They　first　maintain　that　the　Soul　and　a　certain　〃Wisdom〃　＇Sophia＇　declined　and　entered　this　lower　sphere　though　they　leave　us　in　doubt　of　whether　the　movement　originated　in　Soul　or　in　this　Sophia　of　theirs；　or　whether　the　two　are　the　same　to　them…　then　they　tell　us　that　the　other　Souls　came　down　in　the　descent　and　that　these　members　of　Sophia　took　to　themselves　bodies；　human　bodies；　for　example。　　　　　Yet　in　the　same　breath；　that　very　Soul　which　was　the　occasion　of　descent　to　the　others　is　declared　not　to　have　descended。　〃It　knew　no　decline；〃　but　merely　illuminated　the　darkness　in　such　a　way　that　an　image　of　it　was　formed　upon　the　Matter。　Then；　they　shape　an　image　of　that　image　somewhere　below…　through　the　medium　of　Matter　or　of　Materiality　or　whatever　else　of　many　names　they　choose　to　give　it　in　their　frequent　change　of　terms；　invented　to　darken　their　doctrine…　and　so　they　bring　into　being　what　they　call　the　Creator　or　Demiurge；　then　this　lower　is　severed　from　his　Mother　＇Sophia＇　and　becomes　the　author　of　the　Kosmos　down　to　the　latest　of　the　succession　of　images　constituting　it。　　　　　Such　is　the　blasphemy　of　one　of　their　writers。　　　　　11。　Now；　in　the　first　place；　if　the　Soul　has　not　actually　come　down　but　has　illuminated　the　darkness；　how　can　it　truly　be　said　to　have　declined？　The　outflow　from　it　of　something　in　the　nature　of　light　does　not　justify　the　assertion　of　its　decline；　for　that；　it　must　make　an　actual　movement　towards　the　object　lying　in　the　lower　realm　and　illuminate　it　by　contact。　　　　　If；　on　the　other　hand；　the　Soul　keeps　to　its　own　place　and　illuminates　the　lower　without　directing　any　act　towards　that　end；　why　should　it　alone　be　the　illuminant？　Why　should　not　the　Kosmos　draw　light　also　from　the　yet　greater　powers　contained　in　the　total　of　existence？　　　　　Again；　if　the　Soul　possesses　the　plan　of　a　Universe；　and　by　virtue　of　this　plan　illuminates　it；　why　do　not　that　illumination　and　the　creating　of　the　world　take　place　simultaneously？　Why　must　the　Soul　wait　till　the　representations　of　the　plan　be　made　actual？　　　　　Then　again　this　Plan…　the　〃Far　Country〃　of　their　terminology…　brought　into　being；　as　they　hold；　by　the　greater　powers；　could　not　have　been　the　occasion　of　decline　to　the　creators。　　　　　Further；　how　explain　that　under　this　illumination　the　Matter　of　the　Kosmos　produces　images　of　the　order　of　Soul　instead　of　mere　bodily…nature？　An　image　of　Soul　could　not　demand　darkness　or　Matter；　but　wherever　formed　it　would　exhibit　the　character　of　the　producing　element　and　remain　in　close　union　with　it。　　　　　Next；　is　this　image　a　real…being；　or；　as　they　say；　an　Intellection？　　　　　If　it　is　a　reality；　in　what　way　does　it　differ　from　its　original？　By　being　a　distinct　form　of　the　Soul？　But　then；　since　the　original　is　the　reasoning　Soul；　this　secondary　form　must　be　the　vegetative　and　generative　Soul；　and　then；　what　becomes　of　the　theory　that　it　is　produced　for　glory's　sake；　what　becomes　of　the　creation　in　arrogance　and　self…assertion？　The　theory　puts　an　end　also　to　creation　by　representation　and；　still　more　decidedly；　to　any　thinking　in　the　act；　and　what　need　is　left　for　a　creator　creating　by　way　of　Matter　and　Image？　　　　　If　it　is　an　Intellection；　then　we　ask　first　〃What　justifies　the　name？〃　and　next；　〃How　does　anything　come　into　being　unless　the　Soul　give　this　Intellection　creative　power　and　how；　after　all；　can　creative　power　reside　in　a　created　thing？〃　Are　we　to　be　told　that　it　is　a　question　of　a　first　Image　followed　by　a　second？　　　　　But　this　is　quite　arbitrary。　　　　　And　why　is　fire　the　first　creation？　　　　　12。　And　how　does　this　image　set　to　its　task　immediately　after　it　comes　into　being？　　　　　By　memory　of　what　it　has　seen？　　　　　But　it　was　utterly　non…existent；　it　could　have　no　vision；　either　it　or　the　Mother　they　bestow　upon　it。　　　　　Another　difficulty：　These　people　come　upon　earth　not　as　Soul…Images　but　as　veritable　Souls；　yet；　by　great　stress　and　strain；　one　or　two　of　them　are　able　to　stir　beyond　the　limits　of　the　world；　and　when　they　do　attain　Reminiscence　barely　carry　with　them　some　slight　recollection　of　the　Sphere　they　once　knew：　on　the　other　hand；　this　Image；　a　new…comer　into　being；　is　able；　they　tell　us…　as　also　is　its　Mother…　to　form　at　least　some　dim　representation　of　the　celestial　world。　It　is　an　Image；　stamped　in　Matter；　yet　it　not　merely　has　the　conception　of　the　Supreme　and　adopts　from　that　world　the　plan　of　this；　but　knows　what　elements　serve　the　purpose。　How；　for　instance；　did　it　come　to　make　fire　before　anything　else？　What　made　it　judge　fire　a　better　first　than　some　other　object？　　　　　Again；　if　it　created　the　fire　of　the　Universe　by　thinking　of　fire；　why　did　it　not　make　the　Universe　at　a　stroke　by　thinking　of　the　Universe？　It　must　have　conceived　the　product　complete　from　the　first；　the　constituent　elements　would　be　embraced　in　that　general　conception。　　　　　The　creation　must　have　been　in　all　respects　more　according　to　the　way　of　Nature　than　to　that　of　the　arts…　for　the　arts　are　of　later　origin　than　Na