[Discussion] On the Gods and the World, Ch. V

[sdi]

Good morning, everyone! Once again, I wish you all a happy Wednesday. Let's pick the puzzle-box back up, shall we?

V. On the First Cause.

Next in order comes knowledge of the First Cause and the subsequent orders of the gods, then the nature of the world, the essence of intellect and of soul, then Providence, Fate, and Fortune, then to see Virtue and Vice and the various forms of social constitution good and bad that are formed from them, and from what possible source Evil came into the world.

Each of these subjects needs many long discussions; but there is perhaps no harm in stating them briefly, so that a disciple may not be completely ignorant about them.

It is proper to the First Cause to be One—for unity precedes multitude—and to surpass all things in power and goodness. Consequently all things must partake of it. For owing to its power nothing else can hinder it, and owing to its goodness it will not hold itself apart.

If the First Cause were Soul, all things would possess Soul.* If it were Mind, all things would possess Mind. If it were Being, all things would partake of Being.† And seeing this quality (i. e. Being) in all things, some men have thought that it was Being. Now if things simply were, without being good, this argument would be true, but if things that are are because of their goodness, and partake in the good, the First thing must needs be both beyond-Being and good. It is strong evidence of this that noble souls despise Being for the sake of the good, when they face death for their country or friends or for the sake of virtue.—After this inexpressible power come the orders of the Gods.

* Gilbert Murray notes (in an earlier note prefacing this work), "[I translate] ψυχή ['psyche'] always 'Soul,' to keep it distinct from ζωή ['zoe'], 'physical life,' though often 'Life' would be a more natural English equivalent." Soul, then, is the animating principle. Indeed, Taylor translates this line, "But if the first cause were soul, all things would be animated."

† Murray notes (in the same footnote as above), "[I translate] οὐσία ['ousia'] sometimes 'essence', sometimes 'being' (never 'substance' or 'nature')."

Comments

[boccaderlupo]

Indeed. And that may be the rub...the fact that it is all of these things at once, and more. Far more.

Even to qualify it as "non-dual" or "ineffable" is almost a disservice, as it presumes that we have pigeon-holed it. Aha! So that's what it is. But it's not that...or at least not only that. Per Dionysius: "Concerning this then, as has been said, the super-essential and hidden Deity, it is not permitted to speak or even to think beyond the things divinely revealed to us in the sacred Oracles." Emphases mine.

(Apologies for turning this into Dionysius-fest...just top of mind as I'm in the middle of it.)

Alternately, though, that's where I suspect certain streams of mainline theology went off the rails in the early 20th century. The more and more it focused on considering the nature of "The Absolute" or "The Ground of All Being," the more intangible and disconnected it became from the Christian cultus, the more it lost its bearings. It's only after treading the peculiar, winding ways presented by a given path that (I suspect) one is able to begin to dimly navigate the higher mysteries.

[sdi]

Apologies for turning this into Dionysius-fest...

No, by all means! It'll be a long time before I can read him myself, but these snippets are interesting!

[temporaryreality]

All that then, just to circle back around to my real point, which is that I have no such trepidation at drawing the parallels between Sallustius and the Dao De Jing et al. If we're nothing much more than many fractal aspects of the manifestation of a First Cause talking about other fractal aspects, then heck, I'm not a purist, let's look at the fingers pointing toward what we think is the moon (and of course view the moon(s?) itself, no matter out of which eye).

[boccaderlupo]

Yes, in short, I think there's something to the parallel. I just personally wouldn't want to be overly presumptuous when it comes to such a lofty theme!

Axé

[boccaderlupo]

To that end, consider this quote:

...It is Perfectionless in those that are perfect as transcending and anticipating their Perfection; It is the Form producing Form in the formless, as a Fount of every form; and it is Formless in the Forms, as being beyond all form; It is the Being that pervades all beings at once, though not affected by them; and It is Super-Essential, as transcending every being; it sets all bounds of Authority and Order, and yet It has Its seal beyond all Authority and Order. It is the Measure of the Universe; and it is Eternity, and above Eternity and before Eternity.

Tao or late Neoplatonism?

[temporaryreality]

Ooo, that's spiffy. Unless it's Tao as translated by a Neoplatonist, I'd say the latter based on word choice. But boy that's spot-on for a fitting example.

[boccaderlupo]

I thought so, as well.

And yes, correct—it's Pseudo-Dionysius, remarking on "The Universal Cause," per this translation (C.E. Rolt). One can see why such phrasing might appeal to someone like Watts, who seemed to be trying to thread that East-West needle.