the six enneads-第30章

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he　unembodied　Beings。　　　　　2。　We　are　obliged；　therefore；　at　the　start；　both　to　establish　the　existence　of　this　other　Kind　and　to　examine　its　nature　and　the　mode　of　its　Being。　　　　　Now　if　Matter　must　characteristically　be　undetermined；　void　of　shape；　while　in　that　sphere　of　the　Highest　there　can　be　nothing　that　lacks　determination；　nothing　shapeless；　there　can　be　no　Matter　there。　Further；　if　all　that　order　is　simplex；　there　can　be　no　need　of　Matter；　whose　function　is　to　join　with　some　other　element　to　form　a　compound：　it　will　be　found　of　necessity　in　things　of　derived　existence　and　shifting　nature…　the　signs　which　lead　us　to　the　notion　of　Matter…　but　it　is　unnecessary　to　the　primal。　　　　　And　again；　where　could　it　have　come　from？　whence　did　it　take　its　being？　If　it　is　derived；　it　has　a　source：　if　it　is　eternal；　then　the　Primal…Principles　are　more　numerous　than　we　thought；　the　Firsts　are　a　meeting…ground。　Lastly；　if　that　Matter　has　been　entered　by　Idea；　the　union　constitutes　a　body；　and；　so；　there　is　Body　in　the　Supreme。　　　　　3。　Now　it　may　be　observed；　first　of　all；　that　we　cannot　hold　utterly　cheap　either　the　indeterminate；　or　even　a　Kind　whose　very　idea　implies　absence　of　form；　provided　only　that　it　offer　itself　to　its　Priors　and　＇through　them＇　to　the　Highest　Beings。　We　have　the　parallel　of　the　Soul　itself　in　its　relation　to　the　Intellectual…Principle　and　the　Divine　Reason；　taking　shape　by　these　and　led　so　to　a　nobler　principle　of　form。　　　　　Further；　a　compound　in　the　Intellectual　order　is　not　to　be　confounded　with　a　compound　in　the　realm　of　Matter；　the　Divine　Reasons　are　compounds　and　their　Act　is　to　produce　a　compound；　namely　that　＇lower＇　Nature　which　works　towards　Idea。　And　there　is　not　only　a　difference　of　function；　there　is　a　still　more　notable　difference　of　source。　Then；　too；　the　Matter　of　the　realm　of　process　ceaselessly　changes　its　form：　in　the　eternal；　Matter　is　immutably　one　and　the　same；　so　that　the　two　are　diametrically　opposites。　The　Matter　of　this　realm　is　all　things　in　turn；　a　new　entity　in　every　separate　case；　so　that　nothing　is　permanent　and　one　thing　ceaselessly　pushes　another　out　of　being：　Matter　has　no　identity　here。　In　the　Intellectual　it　is　all　things　at　once：　and　therefore　has　nothing　to　change　into：　it　already　and　ever　contains　all。　This　means　that　not　even　in　its　own　Sphere　is　the　Matter　there　at　any　moment　shapeless：　no　doubt　that　is　true　of　the　Matter　here　as　well；　but　shape　is　held　by　a　very　different　right　in　the　two　orders　of　Matter。　　　　　As　to　whether　Matter　is　eternal　or　a　thing　of　process；　this　will　be　clear　when　we　are　sure　of　its　precise　nature。　　　　　4。　The　present　existence　of　the　Ideal…Forms　has　been　demonstrated　elsewhere：　we　take　up　our　argument　from　that　point。　　　　　If；　then；　there　is　more　than　one　of　such　forming　Ideas；　there　must　of　necessity　be　some　character　common　to　all　and　equally　some　peculiar　character　in　each　keeping　them　distinct。　　　　　This　peculiar　characteristic；　this　distinguishing　difference；　is　the　individual　shape。　But　if　shape；　then　there　is　the　shaped；　that　in　which　the　difference　is　lodged。　　　　　There　is；　therefore；　a　Matter　accepting　the　shape；　a　permanent　substratum。　　　　　Further；　admitting　that　there　is　an　Intelligible　Realm　beyond；　of　which　this　world　is　an　image；　then；　since　this　world…compound　is　based　on　Matter；　there　must　be　Matter　there　also。　　　　　And　how　can　you　predicate　an　ordered　system　without　thinking　of　form；　and　how　think　of　form　apart　from　the　notion　of　something　in　which　the　form　is　lodged？　　　　　No　doubt　that　Realm　is；　in　the　strict　fact；　utterly　without　parts；　but　in　some　sense　there　is　part　there　too。　And　in　so　far　as　these　parts　are　really　separate　from　each　other；　any　such　division　and　difference　can　be　no　other　than　a　condition　of　Matter；　of　a　something　divided　and　differentiated：　in　so　far　as　that　realm；　though　without　parts；　yet　consists　of　a　variety　of　entities；　these　diverse　entities；　residing　in　a　unity　of　which　they　are　variations；　reside　in　a　Matter；　for　this　unity；　since　it　is　also　a　diversity；　must　be　conceived　of　as　varied　and　multiform；　it　must　have　been　shapeless　before　it　took　the　form　in　which　variation　occurs。　For　if　we　abstract　from　the　Intellectual…Principle　the　variety　and　the　particular　shapes；　the　Reason…Principles　and　the　Thoughts；　what　precedes　these　was　something　shapeless　and　undetermined；　nothing　of　what　is　actually　present　there。　　　　　5。　It　may　be　objected　that　the　Intellectual…Principle　possesses　its　content　in　an　eternal　conjunction　so　that　the　two　make　a　perfect　unity；　and　that　thus　there　is　no　Matter　there。　　　　　But　that　argument　would　equally　cancel　the　Matter　present　in　the　bodily　forms　of　this　realm：　body　without　shape　has　never　existed；　always　body　achieved　and　yet　always　the　two　constituents。　We　discover　these　two…　Matter　and　Idea…　by　sheer　force　of　our　reasoning　which　distinguishes　continually　in　pursuit　of　the　simplex；　the　irreducible；　working　on；　until　it　can　go　no　further；　towards　the　ultimate　in　the　subject　of　enquiry。　And　the　ultimate　of　every　partial…thing　is　its　Matter；　which；　therefore；　must　be　all　darkness　since　light　is　a　Reason…Principle。　The　Mind；　too；　as　also　a　Reason…Principle；　sees　only　in　each　particular　object　the　Reason…Principle　lodging　there；　anything　lying　below　that　it　declares　to　lie　below　the　light；　to　be　therefore　a　thing　of　darkness；　just　as　the　eye；　a　thing　of　light；　seeks　light　and　colours　which　are　modes　of　light；　and　dismisses　all　that　is　below　the　colours　and　hidden　by　them；　as　belonging　to　the　order　of　the　darkness；　which　is　the　order　of　Matter。　　　　　The　dark　element　in　the　Intelligible；　however；　differs　from　that　in　the　sense…world：　so　therefore　does　the　Matter…　as　much　as　the　forming…Idea　presiding　in　each　of　the　two　realms。　The　Divine　Matter；　though　it　is　the　object　of　determination　has；　of　its　own　nature；　a　life　defined　and　intellectual；　the　Matter　of　this　sphere　while　it　does　accept　determination　is　not　living　or　intellective；　but　a　dead　thing　decorated：　any　shape　it　takes　is　an　image；　exactly　as　the　Base　is　an　image。　There　on　the　contrary　the　shape　is　a　real…existent　as　is　the　Base。　Those　that　ascribe　Real　Being　to　Matter　must　be　admitted　to　be　right　as　long　as　they　keep　to　the　Matter　of　the　Intelligible　Realm：　for　the　Base　there　is　Being；　or　even；　taken　as　an　entirety　with　the　higher　that　accompanies　it；　is　illuminated　Being。　　　　　But　does　this　Base；　of　the　Intellectual　Realm；　possess　eternal　existence？　　　　　The　solution　of　that　question　is　the　same　as　for　the　Ideas。　　　　　Both　are　engendered；　in　the　sense　that　they　have　had　a　beginning；　but　unengendered　in　that　this　beginning　is　not　in　Time：　they　have　a　derived　being　but　by　an　eternal　derivation：　they　are　not；　like　the　Kosmos；　always　in　process　but；　in　the　character　of　the　Supernal；　have　their　Being　permanently。　For　that　differentiation　within　the　Intelligible　which　produces　Matter　has　always　existed　and　it　is　this　cleavage　which　produces　the　Matter　there：　it　is　the　first　movement；　and　movement　and　differentiation　are　convertible　terms　since　the　two　things　arose　as　one：　this　motion；　this　cleavage；　away　from　the　first　is　indetermination　＇=　Matter＇；　needing　The　First　to　its　determination　which　it　achieves　by　its　Return；　remaining；　until　then；　an　Alienism；　still　lacking　good；　unlit　by　the　Supernal。　It　is　from　the　Divine　that　all　light　comes；　and；　until　this　be　absorbed；　no　light　in　any　recipient　of　light　can　be　authentic；　any　light　from　elsewhere　is　of　another　order　than　the　true。　　　　　6。　We　are　led　thus　to　the　question　of　receptivity　in　things　of　body。　　　　　An　additional　proof　that　bodies　must　have　some　substratum　different　from　themselves　is　found　in　the　changing　of　the　basic…constituents　into　one　another。　Notice　that　the　destruction　of　the　elements　passing　over　is　not　complete…　if　it　were　we　would　have　a　Principle　of　Being　wrecked　in　Non…being…　nor　does　an　engendered　thing　pass　from　utter　non…being　into　Being：　what　happens　is　that　a　new　form　takes　the　place　of　an　old。　There　is；　then；　a　stable　element；　that　which　puts　off　one　form　to　receive　the　form　of　the　incoming　entity。　　　　　The　same　fact　is　clearly　established　by　decay；　a　process　implying　a　compound　object；　where　there　is　decay　there　is　a　distinction　between　Matter　and　Form。　　　　　And　the　reasoning