/lit/ - Literature

>>21574967
2.9 Against the Gnostics

I read 10/18 sections, I'll post the rest in a few hours. The stuff in parantheses comes from Taylor. From this section I kind of hate his translation but his footnotes are interesting, only have it because that theoria apothesis guy on youtube shills him hard.

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1 The Good is completely simplex
- 3 principles of the higher sphere, Good, Intellect, Soul

G: there is Potentiality (capacity)/Actuality(energy) in the immaterial domain
- no, only Act, since IP is unchanging and perfect in form
G: Thinker and Thought are one (there is an intellect and an intellect which is aware of it's own intellect)
G: Suggestion of an intermediate between IP and Soul which mediates them
- this is superfluous and makes the Soul rely on an imperfect image of reason
2.
Low/mid/high soul
- (This is a dogma of Plotinus which Proclus argues against in Elements of Theology)

4.
G: The Soul "declined" from goodness and caused the creation of the Universe, and this is bad
- Plotinus asserts creation is proof of the Soul's steadfast hold (the Soul's tendency of not declining), not it's decline
G: The world is evil in origin because there are many evil things in it

5.
G: The sun is not more intellective than humans
- Plotinus asserts this is false
G: Human souls are divine, the cosmos is not divine, there is another Soul formed by elements
- They hate our world and imagine a better one waiting for them in the afterlife
- Why would they want to escape our world for a new archetype/image world of a world they hate
- Why did the Demiurge make the intermediate world if there were already a higher intellectual realm available?

6.
New Forms
G: Exiles (transmigrations), Impressions (repercussions), and Repentings (repentences)
G: fallen souls are punished when contemplating images of beings rather than beings in themselves
- They stole all of this from Greek philosophy without crediting it
- The Demiurge came from Timaeus

G: 3 kinds of intellect
G: restful intellect which does nothing, intellect which studies the first intellect, 3rd intellect which plans the universe (Soul/Demiurge)

7.
If you opppose the universe you get injured, like a turtle in a beautiful chorus

8.
G: universe has a beginning/creator god and will end someday

9.
G: wealth disparity is an occurrence of evil in the world
- wealth disparity isn't a problem for philosophers
- philosophers don't care to own many things or attain political power to improve their life
- everyone that isn't a philosopher/mere populace should support philosophers/the better sort of person

- Anyone can be divine/perfect, not just one person, though many people believe otherwise, often believing in the greatness of one person over all others and the gods

G: God loves you
- then why is he indifferent?

10.
Description of interaction with the Demiurge and Sophia/Wisdom
G: both declined into the lower world
G: Demiruge is lower than his mother(Sophia), and creates the cosmos after their separation