The six books of Proclus, the Platonic successor, on the theology of Plato (vol. 1 of 2) : $b translated from the Greek, to which a seventh book is added, in order to supply the deficiency of another book on this subject, which was written by Proclus, but since lost, also, a translation from the Greek of Proclus' Elements of theology, to which are added a translation of the treatise of Proclus, On providence and fate, a translation of extracts from his treatise, entitled, Ten doubts concerning
Plato · en
the father of the intellectual Gods, Heaven, and to survey how he is
both one and triple, supernally indeed, and beneath, possessing the
intelligible and intellect; but according to the middle possessing
life, which being the cause of progressions and intervals, and
generative powers, we have properly arranged according to interval
under the celestial profundity;[230] since Plato himself also calls the
summit the back. “For those,” says he, “that are called immortals, when
proceeding beyond the heaven they arrive at the summit, stand on the
back of the heaven.” He calls therefore, the summit of the celestial
order, and beyond, the back of the heaven; which things are in a
remarkable manner the prerogatives of the first of the Synoches. For
connectedly containing all things in the one summit of his hyparxis,
according to the Oracle, he wholly exists beyond, and is united to the
supercelestial place, and to the ineffable power of it, being enclosed
on all sides by it, and shutting himself in the uniform comprehension
of intelligibles. For what difference is there between saying that the
first of the Synoches is shut in the intelligible place of survey, and
evincing that it is proximately comprehended by the supercelestial
place, which was intelligible, but expanded in intellectuals? If
however, that which is beyond is the first, the summit is evidently
coarranged with the rest, and is exempt from them. But if the first is
a thing of this kind, being established according to the intelligible
summit, and imparting by illumination to the other Gods, contact with
the intelligible, and with the paternal port, it is indeed necessary
that there should be a middle and an extremity, the one according to
the celestial profundity, but the other according to the termination
of the whole circulation. If however the circulation of the whole of
the heaven is one and continued, the peculiarity of this order must
be assigned as the cause of this. For being connective of the whole
orders of the Gods, and prior to other things of itself, and being
as it were the centre and bond of the divine genera, it in the first
place binds and connects itself, and extends itself to one life. The
heaven therefore is one and at the same time triple, and proceeds into
three monads, being both unapparent and apparent, and that which is
between these, and imitating the intelligible Gods who subside into
intelligible triads.
CHAPTER XXII.