the six enneads-第83章

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out　The　One　as　the　unchanging　Life　of　the　Authentic　Existent。　This　is　certainly　what　we　have　been　seeking：　this　Principle；　at　rest　within　rest　with　the　One；　is　Eternity；　possessing　this　stable　quality；　being　itself　at　once　the　absolute　self…identical　and　none　the　less　the　active　manifestation　of　an　unchanging　Life　set　towards　the　Divine　and　dwelling　within　It；　untrue；　therefore；　neither　on　the　side　of　Being　nor　on　the　side　of　Life…　this　will　be　Eternity　＇the　Real…Being　we　have　sought＇。　　　　　Truly　to　be　comports　never　lacking　existence　and　never　knowing　variety　in　the　mode　of　existence：　Being　is；　therefore；　self…identical　throughout；　and；　therefore；　again　is　one　undistinguishable　thing。　Being　can　have　no　this　and　that；　it　cannot　be　treated　in　terms　of　intervals；　unfoldings；　progression；　extension；　there　is　no　grasping　any　first　or　last　in　it。　　　　　If；　then；　there　is　no　first　or　last　in　this　Principle；　if　existence　is　its　most　authentic　possession　and　its　very　self；　and　this　in　the　sense　that　its　existence　is　Essence　or　Life…　then；　once　again；　we　meet　here　what　we　have　been　discussing；　Eternity。　　　　　Observe　that　such　words　as　〃always；〃　〃never；〃　〃sometimes〃　must　be　taken　as　mere　conveniences　of　exposition：　thus　〃always…　used　in　the　sense　not　of　time　but　of　incorruptibility　and　endlessly　complete　scope…　might　set　up　the　false　notion　of　stage　and　interval。　We　might　perhaps　prefer　to　speak　of　〃Being；〃　without　any　attribute；　but　since　this　term　is　applicable　to　Essence　and　some　writers　have　used　the　word　〃Essence〃　for　things　of　process；　we　cannot　convey　our　meaning　to　them　without　introducing　some　word　carrying　the　notion　of　perdurance。　　　　　There　is；　of　course；　no　difference　between　Being　and　Everlasting　Being；　just　as　there　is　none　between　a　philosopher　and　a　true　philosopher：　the　attribute　〃true〃　came　into　use　because　there　arose　what　masqueraded　as　philosophy；　and　for　similar　reasons　〃everlasting〃　was　adjoined　to　〃Being；〃　and　〃Being〃　to　〃everlasting；〃　and　we　have　＇the　tautology　of＇　〃Everlasting　Being。〃　We　must　take　this　〃Everlasting〃　as　expressing　no　more　than　Authentic　Being：　it　is　merely　a　partial　expression　of　a　potency　which　ignores　all　interval　or　term　and　can　look　forward　to　nothing　by　way　of　addition　to　the　All　which　it　possesses。　The　Principle　of　which　this　is　the　statement　will　be　the　All…Existent；　and；　as　being　all；　can　have　no　failing　or　deficiency；　cannot　be　at　some　one　point　complete　and　at　some　other　lacking。　　　　　Things　and　Beings　in　the　Time　order…　even　when　to　all　appearance　complete；　as　a　body　is　when　fit　to　harbour　a　soul…　are　still　bound　to　sequence；　they　are　deficient　to　the　extent　of　that　thing；　Time；　which　they　need：　let　them　have　it；　present　to　them　and　running　side　by　side　with　them；　and　they　are　by　that　very　fact　incomplete；　completeness　is　attributed　to　them　only　by　an　accident　of　language。　　　　　But　the　conception　of　Eternity　demands　something　which　is　in　its　nature　complete　without　sequence；　it　is　not　satisfied　by　something　measured　out　to　any　remoter　time　or　even　by　something　limitless；　but；　in　its　limitless　reach；　still　having　the　progression　of　futurity：　it　requires　something　immediately　possessed　of　the　due　fullness　of　Being；　something　whose　Being　does　not　depend　upon　any　quantity　＇such　as　instalments　of　time＇　but　subsists　before　all　quantity。　　　　　Itself　having　no　quantity；　it　can　have　no　contact　with　anything　quantitative　since　its　Life　cannot　be　made　a　thing　of　fragments；　in　contradiction　to　the　partlessness　which　is　its　character；　it　must　be　without　parts　in　the　Life　as　in　the　essence。　　　　　The　phrase　〃He　was　good〃　＇used　by　Plato　of　the　Demiurge＇　refers　to　the　Idea　of　the　All；　and　its　very　indefiniteness　signifies　the　utter　absense　of　relation　to　Time：　so　that　even　this　Universe　has　had　no　temporal　beginning；　and　if　we　speak　of　something　〃before〃　it；　that　is　only　in　the　sense　of　the　Cause　from　which　it　takes　its　Eternal　Existence。　Plato　used　the　word　merely　for　the　convenience　of　exposition；　and　immediately　corrects　it　as　inappropriate　to　the　order　vested　with　the　Eternity　he　conceives　and　affirms。　　　　　7。　Now　comes　the　question　whether；　in　all　this　discussion；　we　are　not　merely　helping　to　make　out　a　case　for　some　other　order　of　Beings　and　talking　of　matters　alien　to　ourselves。　　　　　But　how　could　that　be？　What　understanding　can　there　be　failing　some　point　of　contact？　And　what　contact　could　there　be　with　the　utterly　alien？　　　　　We　must　then　have；　ourselves；　some　part　or　share　in　Eternity。　　　　　Still；　how　is　this　possible　to　us　who　exist　in　Time？　　　　　The　whole　question　turns　on　the　distinction　between　being　in　Time　and　being　in　Eternity；　and　this　will　be　best　realized　by　probing　to　the　Nature　of　Time。　We　must；　therefore；　descend　from　Eternity　to　the　investigation　of　Time；　to　the　realm　of　Time：　till　now　we　have　been　taking　the　upward　way；　we　must　now　take　the　downward…　not　to　the　lowest　levels　but　within　the　degree　in　which　Time　itself　is　a　descent　from　Eternity。　　　　　If　the　venerable　sages　of　former　days　had　not　treated　of　Time；　our　method　would　be　to　begin　by　linking　to　＇the　idea　of＇　Eternity　＇the　idea　of＇　its　Next　＇its　inevitable　downward　or　outgoing　subsequent　in　the　same　order＇；　then　setting　forth　the　probable　nature　of　such　a　Next　and　proceeding　to　show　how　the　conception　thus　formed　tallies　with　our　own　doctrine。　　　　　But；　as　things　are；　our　best　beginning　is　to　range　over　the　most　noteworthy　of　the　ancient　opinions　and　see　whether　any　of　them　accord　with　ours。　　　　　Existing　explanations　of　Time　seem　to　fall　into　three　classes：　　　　　Time　is　variously　identified　with　what　we　know　as　Movement；　with　a　moved　object；　and　with　some　phenomenon　of　Movement：　obviously　it　cannot　be　Rest　or　a　resting　object　or　any　phenomenon　of　rest；　since；　in　its　characteristic　idea；　it　is　concerned　with　change。　　　　　Of　those　that　explain　it　as　Movement；　some　identify　it　with　Absolute　Movement　＇or　with　the　total　of　Movement＇；　others　with　that　of　the　All。　Those　that　make　it　a　moved　object　would　identify　it　with　the　orb　of　the　All。　Those　that　conceive　it　as　some　phenomenon；　or　some　period；　of　Movement　treat　it；　severally；　either　as　a　standard　of　measure　or　as　something　inevitably　accompanying　Movement；　abstract　or　definite。　　　　　8。　Movement　Time　cannot　be…　whether　a　definite　act　of　moving　is　meant　or　a　united　total　made　up　of　all　such　acts…　since　movement；　in　either　sense；　takes　place　in　Time。　And；　of　course；　if　there　is　any　movement　not　in　Time；　the　identification　with　Time　becomes　all　the　less　tenable。　　　　　In　a　word；　Movement　must　be　distinct　from　the　medium　in　which　it　takes　place。　　　　　And；　with　all　that　has　been　said　or　is　still　said；　one　consideration　is　decisive：　Movement　can　come　to　rest；　can　be　intermittent；　Time　is　continuous。　　　　　We　will　be　told　that　the　Movement　of　the　All　is　continuous　＇and　so　may　be　identical　with　Time＇。　　　　　But；　if　the　reference　is　to　the　Circuit　of　the　heavenly　system　＇it　is　not　strictly　continuous；　or　equable；　since＇　the　time　taken　in　the　return　path　is　not　that　of　the　outgoing　movement；　the　one　is　twice　as　long　as　the　other：　this　Movement　of　the　All　proceeds；　therefore；　by　two　different　degrees；　the　rate　of　the　entire　journey　is　not　that　of　the　first　half。　　　　　Further；　the　fact　that　we　hear　of　the　Movement