the six enneads-第164章

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wisdom＇　for　all　the　Principles　of　this　order；　dwelling　There；　are　as　it　were　visible　images　protected　from　themselves；　so　that　all　becomes　an　object　of　contemplation　to　contemplators　immeasurably　blessed。　The　greatness　and　power　of　the　wisdom　There　we　may　know　from　this；　that　is　embraces　all　the　real　Beings；　and　has　made　all；　and　all　follow　it；　and　yet　that　it　is　itself　those　beings；　which　sprang　into　being　with　it；　so　that　all　is　one；　and　the　essence　There　is　wisdom。　If　we　have　failed　to　understand；　it　is　that　we　have　thought　of　knowledge　as　a　mass　of　theorems　and　an　accumulation　of　propositions；　though　that　is　false　even　for　our　sciences　of　the　sense…realm。　But　in　case　this　should　be　questioned；　we　may　leave　our　own　sciences　for　the　present；　and　deal　with　the　knowing　in　the　Supreme　at　which　Plato　glances　where　he　speaks　of　〃that　knowledge　which　is　not　a　stranger　in　something　strange　to　it〃…　though　in　what　sense；　he　leaves　us　to　examine　and　declare；　if　we　boast　ourselves　worthy　of　the　discussion。　This　is　probably　our　best　starting…point。　　　　　5。　All　that　comes　to　be；　work　of　nature　or　of　craft；　some　wisdom　has　made：　everywhere　a　wisdom　presides　at　a　making。　　　　　No　doubt　the　wisdom　of　the　artist　may　be　the　guide　of　the　work；　it　is　sufficient　explanation　of　the　wisdom　exhibited　in　the　arts；　but　the　artist　himself　goes　back；　after　all；　to　that　wisdom　in　Nature　which　is　embodied　in　himself；　and　this　is　not　a　wisdom　built　up　of　theorems　but　one　totality；　not　a　wisdom　consisting　of　manifold　detail　co…ordinated　into　a　unity　but　rather　a　unity　working　out　into　detail。　　　　　Now；　if　we　could　think　of　this　as　the　primal　wisdom；　we　need　look　no　further；　since；　at　that；　we　have　discovered　a　principle　which　is　neither　a　derivative　nor　a　〃stranger　in　something　strange　to　it。〃　But　if　we　are　told　that；　while　this　Reason…Principle　is　in　Nature；　yet　Nature　itself　is　its　source；　we　ask　how　Nature　came　to　possess　it；　and；　if　Nature　derived　it　from　some　other　source；　we　ask　what　that　other　source　may　be；　if；　on　the　contrary；　the　principle　is　self…sprung；　we　need　look　no　further：　but　if　we　are　referred　to　the　Intellectual…Principle　we　must　make　clear　whether　the　Intellectual…Principle　engendered　the　wisdom：　if　we　learn　that　it　did；　we　ask　whence：　if　from　itself；　then　inevitably；　it　is　itself　Wisdom。　　　　　The　true　Wisdom；　then　＇found　to　be　identical　with　the　Intellectual…Principle＇　is　Real　Being；　and　Real　Being　is　Wisdom；　it　is　wisdom　that　gives　value　to　Real　Being；　and　Being　is　Real　in　virtue　of　its　origin　in　wisdom。　It　follows　that　all　forms　of　existence　not　possessing　wisdom　are；　indeed；　Beings　in　right　of　the　wisdom　which　went　to　their　forming　but；　as　not　in　themselves　possessing　it；　are　not　Real　Beings。　　　　　We　cannot　therefore　think　that　the　divine　Beings　of　that　sphere；　or　the　other　supremely　blessed　There；　need　look　to　our　apparatus　of　science：　all　of　that　realm；　all　is　noble　image；　such　images　as　we　may　conceive　to　lie　within　the　soul　of　the　wise…　but　There　not　as　inscription　but　as　authentic　existence。　The　ancients　had　this　in　mind　when　they　declared　the　Ideas　to　be　Beings；　Essentials。　　　　　6。　Similarly；　as　it　seems　to　me；　the　wise　of　Egypt…　whether　in　precise　knowledge　or　by　a　prompting　of　nature…　indicated　the　truth　where；　in　their　effort　towards　philosophical　statement；　they　left　aside　the　writing…forms　that　take　in　the　detail　of　words　and　sentences…　those　characters　that　represent　sounds　and　convey　the　propositions　of　reasoning…　and　drew　pictures　instead；　engraving　in　the　temple…　inscriptions　a　separate　image　for　every　separate　item：　thus　they　exhibited　the　mode　in　which　the　Supreme　goes　forth。　　　　　For　each　manifestation　of　knowledge　and　wisdom　is　a　distinct　image；　an　object　in　itself；　an　immediate　unity；　not　as　aggregate　of　discursive　reasoning　and　detailed　willing。　Later　from　this　wisdom　in　unity　there　appears；　in　another　form　of　being；　an　image；　already　less　compact；　which　announces　the　original　in　an　outward　stage　and　seeks　the　causes　by　which　things　are　such　that　the　wonder　rises　how　a　generated　world　can　be　so　excellent。　　　　　For；　one　who　knows　must　declare　his　wonder　that　this　Wisdom；　while　not　itself　containing　the　causes　by　which　Being　exists　and　takes　such　excellence；　yet　imparts　them　to　the　entities　produced　in　Being's　realm。　This　excellence　whose　necessity　is　scarcely　or　not　at　all　manifest　to　search；　exists；　if　we　could　but　find　it　out；　before　all　searching　and　reasoning。　　　　　What　I　say　may　be　considered　in　one　chief　thing；　and　thence　applied　to　all　the　particular　entities：　　　　　7。　Consider　the　universe：　we　are　agreed　that　its　existence　and　its　nature　come　to　it　from　beyond　itself；　are　we；　now；　to　imagine　that　its　maker　first　thought　it　out　in　detail…　the　earth；　and　its　necessary　situation　in　the　middle；　water　and；　again；　its　position　as　lying　upon　the　earth；　all　the　other　elements　and　objects　up　to　the　sky　in　due　place　and　order；　living　beings　with　their　appropriate　forms　as　we　know　them；　their　inner　organs　and　their　outer　limbs…　and　that　having　thus　appointed　every　item　beforehand；　he　then　set　about　the　execution？　　　　　Such　designing　was　not　even　possible；　how　could　the　plan　for　a　universe　come　to　one　that　had　never　looked　outward？　Nor　could　he　work　on　material　gathered　from　elsewhere　as　our　craftsmen　do；　using　hands　and　tools；　feet　and　hands　are　of　the　later　order。　　　　　One　way；　only；　remains：　all　things　must　exist　in　something　else；　of　that　prior…　since　there　is　no　obstacle；　all　being　continuous　within　the　realm　of　reality…　there　has　suddenly　appeared　a　sign；　an　image；　whether　given　forth　directly　or　through　the　ministry　of　soul　or　of　some　phase　of　soul；　matters　nothing　for　the　moment：　thus　the　entire　aggregate　of　existence　springs　from　the　divine　world；　in　greater　beauty　There　because　There　unmingled　but　mingled　here。　　　　　From　the　beginning　to　end　all　is　gripped　by　the　Forms　of　the　Intellectual　Realm：　Matter　itself　is　held　by　the　Ideas　of　the　elements　and　to　these　Ideas　are　added　other　Ideas　and　others　again；　so　that　it　is　hard　to　work　down　to　crude　Matter　beneath　all　that　sheathing　of　Idea。　Indeed　since　Matter　itself　is　in　its　degree；　an　Idea…　the　lowest…　all　this　universe　is　Idea　and　there　is　nothing　that　is　not　Idea　as　the　archetype　was。　And　all　is　made　silently；　since　nothing　had　part　in　the　making　but　Being　and　Idea　further　reason　why　creation　went　without　toil。　The　Exemplar　was　the　Idea　of　an　All；　and　so　an　All　must　come　into　being。　　　　　Thus　nothing　stood　in　the　way　of　the　Idea；　and　even　now　it　dominates；　despite　all　the　clash　of　things：　the　creation　is　not　hindered　on　its　way　even　now；　it　stands　firm　in　virtue　of　being　All。　To　me；　moreover；　it　seems　that　if　we　ourselves　were　archetypes；　Ideas；　veritable　Being；　and　the　Idea　with　which　we　construct　here　were　our　veritable　Essence；　then　our　creative　power　too　would　toillessly　effect　its　purpose：　as　man　now　stands；　he　does　not　produce　in　his　work　a　true　image　of　himself：　become　man；　he　has　ceased　to　be　the　All：　ceasing　to　be　man…　we　read…　〃he　soars　aloft　and　administers　the　Kosmos　entire〃；　restored　to　the　All　he　is　maker　of　the　All。　　　　　But…　to　our　immediate　purpose…　it　is　possible　to　give　a　reason　why　the　earth　is　set　in　the　midst　and　why　it　is　round　and　why　the　ecliptic　runs