The Enneads of Plotinus (c. 204–270 CE) is the seminal text of , a philosophical system that dominated Late Antiquity and profoundly influenced Christian, Islamic, and Jewish theology. Compiled and edited by his student Porphyry , the work consists of 54 treatises organized into six groups of nine (hence "Enneads," from the Greek word for nine). 🏛️ The Three Fundamental Hypostases
Existence is viewed as a "flow" or emanation from the One, like light from a fire or heat from a sun. This process is: PLOTINUS THE ENNEADS
At the furthest point of emanation lies matter, which Plotinus identifies as evil because it is the total absence of form and "light". The Return: Ethics and Beauty The Enneads of Plotinus (c
"Civic virtues" (like justice and temperance) are necessary for order, but "purificatory virtues" are needed to strip away the soul's attachment to the material world. Legacy and Influence 🏛️ The Three Fundamental Hypostases Existence is viewed
We return to the One not by traveling, but by turning our attention inward, away from bodily desires and toward our own intellect.
For Plotinus, the goal of human life is the of the soul back to its source.