On the Divine Names and the Mystical Theology — trans. C. E. Rolt
The translator’s English as printed (C. E. Rolt). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
17. Words of the same, from the same Hymns of Yearning. “Let us once more collect these powers into one and declare that there is but One Simple Power Which of Itself moveth all things to be mingled in an unity, starting from the Good and going unto the lowest of the creatures and thence again returning through all stages in due order unto the Good, and thus revolving from Itself, and through Itself and upon Itself1 and towards Itself, in an unceasing orbit.”
18. Now some one, perhaps, will say: “If the
1 “That which is not” — formless matter. Plotinus (Zzz. i. 8. 3) defines the Non-Existent as the world of sense-perception. It is, as it were, the stuff of which all things perceived by the senses are made. This stuff cannot exist without some kind of ‘‘ form,” and therefore, if entirely bereft of all ‘‘ form,” would simply disappear into nothingness. Thus, apart from that element of ‘‘ form” which it derives from the Good, it is sheer Non-Entity. Each individual thing consists of ‘‘ matter’ and ‘‘ form”—i.e. of this indeterminate “stuff” and of the particular qualities belonging to that thing. Remove those qualities and the thing is destroyed: e.g. remove the colours, shape, etc., of a tree, and the tree becomes nonexistent. It crumbles into dust, and thus the ‘‘ stuff” takes on a new form. If, as M. Le Bon maintains, material particles sometimes lose their material qualities and are changed into energy, in such a case the ‘ stuff” takes on yet another kind of form. The individual thing, in every case, becomes non-existent when it loses its ‘‘ form,” or the sum total of its individual qualities, but the ‘‘ stuff” persists because it at once assumes another ‘‘ form.” Hence this ‘‘ stuff,” being non-existent per se, draws its existence from the Good Which is the Source of all ‘‘form.’’ And thus the existence of this non-existent stuff is ultimately contained in the Good. D. tries to prove that evil is non-existent by showing that there is nothing that can have produced it. Good cannot have produced it because a thing cannot produce its own opposite ; evil cannot have produced itself because evil is always destructive and never productive. All things that exist are produced by the Good or the desire for the Good—which comes to the same thing,
17. Words of the same, from the same Hymns of Yearning. “Let us once more gather these powers into one and declare that there is only One Simple Power, which of Itself moves all things to be mingled in a unity. It starts from the Good and goes down to the lowest of the creatures, and from there returns again through all stages in due order to the Good, thus revolving from Itself, through Itself, upon Itself1 and toward Itself, in an unceasing orbit.”
18. Now someone will perhaps say: “If the
1 “That which is not” means formless matter. Plotinus (Enn. i. 8. 3) defines the Non-Existent as the world of sense-perception. It is, so to speak, the stuff of which all things perceived by the senses are made. This stuff cannot exist without some kind of “form,” and so, if entirely stripped of all “form,” it would simply vanish into nothingness. Thus, apart from the element of “form” that it derives from the Good, it is sheer Non-Entity. Each individual thing consists of “matter” and “form”—i.e. of this indeterminate “stuff” and of the particular qualities belonging to that thing. Remove those qualities and the thing is destroyed: e.g. remove the colours, shape, etc., of a tree, and the tree becomes non-existent. It crumbles into dust, and so the “stuff” takes on a new form. If, as M. Le Bon maintains, material particles sometimes lose their material qualities and are changed into energy, then in that case the “stuff” takes on yet another kind of form. In every case the individual thing becomes non-existent when it loses its “form,” or the sum total of its individual qualities; but the “stuff” persists, because it at once assumes another “form.” Hence this “stuff,” being non-existent in itself, draws its existence from the Good, Which is the Source of all “form.” And thus the existence of this non-existent stuff is ultimately contained in the Good.
D. tries to prove that evil is non-existent by showing that nothing can have produced it. Good cannot have produced it, because a thing cannot produce its own opposite; evil cannot have produced itself, because evil is always destructive and never productive. All things that exist are produced by the Good or by the desire for the Good—which comes to the same thing,