the six enneads-第43章

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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　Nature　and　the　Universe；　and　even　at　the　present　stage　the　partial　things　brought　into　being　by　the　natural　Kinds　do　not　follow　any　such　order…　first　fire；　then　the　several　other　elements；　then　the　various　blends　of　these…　on　the　contrary　the　living　organism　entire　is　encompassed　and　rounded　off　within　the　uterine　germ。　Why　should　not　the　material　of　the　Universe　be　similarly　embraced　in　a　Kosmic　Type　in　which　earth；　fire　and　the　rest　would　be　included？　We　can　only　suppose　that　these　people　themselves；　acting　by　their　more　authentic　Soul；　would　have　produced　the　world　by　such　a　process；　but　that　the　Creator　had　not　wit　to　do　so。　　　　　And　yet　to　conceive　the　vast　span　of　the　Heavens…　to　be　great　in　that　degree…　to　devise　the　obliquity　of　the　Zodiac　and　the　circling　path　of　all　the　celestial　bodies　beneath　it；　and　this　earth　of　ours…　and　all　in　such　a　way　that　reason　can　be　given　for　the　plan…　this　could　never　be　the　work　of　an　Image；　it　tells　of　that　Power　＇the　All…Soul＇　next　to　the　very　Highest　Beings。　　　　　Against　their　will；　they　themselves　admit　this：　their　〃outshining　upon　the　darkness；〃　if　the　doctrine　is　sifted；　makes　it　impossible　to　deny　the　true　origins　of　the　Kosmos。　　　　　Why　should　this　down…shining　take　place　unless　such　a　process　belonged　to　a　universal　law？　　　　　Either　the　process　is　in　the　order　of　Nature　or　against　that　order。　If　it　is　in　the　nature　of　things；　it　must　have　taken　place　from　eternity；　if　it　is　against　the　nature　of　things；　then　the　breach　of　natural　right　exists　in　the　Supreme　also；　evil　antedates　this　world；　the　cause　of　evil　is　not　the　world；　on　the　contrary　the　Supreme　is　the　evil　to　us；　instead　of　the　Soul's　harm　coming　from　this　sphere；　we　have　this　Sphere　harmed　by　the　Soul。　　　　　In　fine；　the　theory　amounts　to　making　the　world　one　of　the　Primals；　and　with　it　the　Matter　from　which　it　emerges。　　　　　The　Soul　that　declined；　they　tell　us；　saw　and　illuminated　the　already　existent　Darkness。　Now　whence　came　that　Darkness？　　　　　If　they　tell　us　that　the　Soul　created　the　Darkness　by　its　Decline；　then；　obviously；　there　was　nowhere　for　the　Soul　to　decline　to；　the　cause　of　the　decline　was　not　the　Darkness　but　the　very　nature　of　the　Soul。　The　theory；　therefore；　refers　the　entire　process　to　pre…existing　compulsions：　the　guilt　inheres　in　the　Primal　Beings。　　　　　13。　Those；　then；　that　censure　the　constitution　of　the　Kosmos　do　not　understand　what　they　are　doing　or　where　this　audacity　leads　them。　They　do　not　understand　that　there　is　a　successive　order　of　Primals；　Secondaries；　Tertiaries　and　so　on　continuously　to　the　Ultimates；　that　nothing　is　to　be　blamed　for　being　inferior　to　the　First；　that　we　can　but　accept；　meekly；　the　constitution　of　the　total；　and　make　our　best　way　towards　the　Primals；　withdrawing　from　the　tragic　spectacle；　as　they　see　it；　of　the　Kosmic　spheres…　which　in　reality　are　all　suave　graciousness。　　　　　And　what；　after　all；　is　there　so　terrible　in　these　Spheres　with　which　it　is　sought　to　frighten　people　unaccustomed　to　thinking；　never　trained　in　an　instructive　and　coherent　gnosis？　　　　　Even　the　fact　that　their　material　frame　is　of　fire　does　not　make　them　dreadful；　their　Movements　are　in　keeping　with　the　All　and　with　the　Earth：　but　what　we　must　consider　in　them　is　the　Soul；　that　on　which　these　people　base　their　own　title　to　honour。　　　　　And；　yet；　again；　their　material　frames　are　pre…eminent　in　vastness　and　beauty；　as　they　cooperate　in　act　and　in　influence　with　the　entire　order　of　Nature；　and　can　never　cease　to　exist　as　long　as　the　Primals　stand；　they　enter　into　the　completion　of　the　All　of　which　they　are　major　Parts。　　　　　If　men　rank　highly　among　other　living　Beings；　much　more　do　these；　whose　office　in　the　All　is　not　to　play　the　tyrant　but　to　serve　towards　beauty　and　order。　The　action　attributed　to　them　must　be　understood　as　a　foretelling　of　coming　events；　while　the　causing　of　all　the　variety　is　due；　in　part　to　diverse　destinies…　for　there　cannot　be　one　lot　for　the　entire　body　of　men…　in　part　to　the　birth　moment；　in　part　to　wide　divergencies　of　place；　in　part　to　states　of　the　Souls。　　　　　Once　more；　we　have