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Katharsis in the Enneades of PlotinusAuthor(s): Hazel E. BarnesSource: Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 73 (1942),pp. 358-382Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press

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358

Hazel E.

Barnes

[1942

XXIV.-Katharsis

in the Enneades

of Plotinus'

HAZEL

E. BARNES

THE

WOMAN'S COLLEGE

OF

THE UNIVERSITY

OF NORTH

CAROLINA

According

to

the

teaching

of Plotinus the Soul

attains

the Ekstasis by a

process

of purification

involving

two distinct steps.

The Soul

is united to the

Intellectual-Principle

by first pursuing, later

abandoning

Virtue and

Self-knowl-

edge,

and

by

studying

dialectic. The study

of philosophy

brings it to

the One

but

involves

ultimately the rejection

of the intellectual

act.

The Soul

itself is

affected,

and

the

process

has a positive as

well as a

negative aspect.

Katharsis nGreekreligionnd philosophys from hebeginning

a means

of

separating

Man's

soul

from he body. At

first, s

in

particular

with

he

Orphics,

he

separation

s

viewedalmost iterally.

The

soul is

believed

by

means of ritualisticpurification

o be re-

leased

from he

wheel

of

being,

that

s,

from

he necessity

f ever

again

inhabiting

he mortal

body,

conceived

always

as

the

soul's

prison.

Plato

in

borrowing

he

conception

nevitably

ubstitutes

a

spiritual purification

or the ritualistic.

Personal

immortality

afterdeath,when the soul is finally reedfrombodilyties, is the

ultimategoal.

But there

xists

lso the desire

for

present

psycho-

logical

and

spiritual eparation

of soul

and

body,

which

s

at once

a

preparation

nd

immediate

nd. This

is

basically

the

theory

of

Plotinus.

There are two

changes

which

the

particular

develop-

ments

of

his

own

system

make

necessary.

First,

his

acceptance

and

formulation

f

the

belief

hinted at in Plato and

developed

by

the

Middle

Platonists,

that Matter itself

s

Evil,

gives

him

meta-

physical as well as psychological ustification ordemandingthat

the

body

be abandoned

entirely.

In the second

place,

the

tran-

scendent

nature

of

the

One

or the

Good,

to

which he

gives

more

emphasis

than

Plato,

necessitates

an

abandoning

of

intellection

itself

n

the approach

to

the

Highest,

thus

extending

he

scope

of

katharsis.

With

these

two

important

exceptions,

the ideas

of the

two

men

are

not

dissimilar.

It

is not

my purpose

to

present

com-

parison

of

the two

or to discuss

the historical

easons behind

those

1

Translations

and terminology

(and

capitalization)

are

based

on,

though

not

always

identical

with,

the work

of Mackenna

and Page,

Enneads

(London,

1917-1930).

In

particular

I have

used

Mackenna's

designation

for the three

Plotinian

realms:

vro ,

the

One; vois,

Intellectual-Principle;

4Ivvxi',

oul.







Vol. lxxiii]

Katharsis

n

Enneades of

Plotinus 359

clhangeswhich Plotinus

made.

T

he

significant oint

is

the

fact

that already

with

Plato

(slhown

articularlyn Socrates' discussion

in the

Phaedo)

katharsis

s

more

than a

separation.

The Soul

is

not mlerelyreedfrompollutionbut is itself nternally tlectedby

the

purification,

s made to

concentrate ts powers. The process s

more than evena psychological

eparation;

t is a spiritual

renewal.

Failure to realize that such

is the case in

the thought f Plotinus

has been, I

believe, a major erroron the

part of many

Plotinian

scholars.

It is

well known that Plotinus himselfwas disturbed

by the

problem

of

the Soul's relation

to evil.

Mletaphysically

peaking,

he could not admit that an act of creationwhich mitatedthat of

the

Primal Cause could be

in

any sense at all an evil or

a

failure.

Thus he was forcedto say

that the voluntary

mbodiment

f the

Soull Was

goo(d.

Yet

fr-oill

le

lplilosol)llical

point

of

view,

there

mustof necessity

e a certain

lement f evil or defilement

nvolved

in the union of Soul and Body in orderfor

him to advance

his plea

that

the human being hould

reach ever

upward

to

the

Intellectual-

Principle

and so

free his

Soul from material ties.

If

the

bonds

linking oul to Body

are

desirable, here an

be no reasonfor esiring

to free heSoul from hem. The reconciliation f the two ideas is

accomplished by

the use of an

argument

based on time.

The

initial

entry

of

the

Soul is

allowed to

be

a

metaphysicalnecessity.

The Soul

is

a

god,

a later

phase

of the

divine;

but

under

tress

of

its power and

of its tendencyto bring orderto its next

lower, t

penetrates

to

this

sphere

in a

voluntary plunge;

if it

turns

back

quickly, all

is

well;

it will

have taken no hurt by acquiring

the

knowledge

f

Evil

and

coming

to understandwhat sin is

(4.8.5).

Nevertheless, f the Soul remains in the lower world too long,

fleeing

he

All

which

s its

homeand

exercising

ts own

ndividuality,

then

it

is

overcome

by

the

gradual encroachment

f MVatter

nd

lenicC

s

n1o oniger

itlhout vil.

Whether he Soul's union

with

the

bodily

s evil only n process

of time

or at

the

moment

of

the

first

escent,

n either

case

it

is

entanglement

with Matter that

produces

the evil. For

with Plo-

tinus

MIatter, eing

viewed

as absolute

privation,

s Evil absolute.

Furthermore,t is at least sometimes onceived s being n actively

evil force

s well

as

a

passive

one. The

result

s

that

there re

two

ways

in which

its

association with the Soul is harmful. First,

Matter

is

accretion.

The

Soul

takes on that which

s

alien

to

itself







360

Ihazel E. Barnes

[1942

and is

laden

with a

heavy burden,

as

it

were,

which

imnpedests

flight pward.

In more

psychological

erms,

the Soul

by

its

con-

cern

for

earthly hings

s

prevented

rom

uninterrupted

ontempla-

tion of the divine. Second, Matter brings bout dispersionn the

Soul.

The

Soul's power is

enfeebled

by

its

entanglement

with

Matter so

that

its (livine

faculties

no

longer

have free

play.

It

lacks the

strength nd

power to raise itself

up

to

contemplatioll

f

the

divine.

Soul's

entanglement

with

Matter

is

but the last in a

series of

downward

steps.

The

Soul's

ultimate

goal

is the

One,

and this

cannot

be

reached

simply by

the

taking

away

of

Matter.

Accre-

tionand dispersionbothwerepresent s soon as theOne had over-

flowed

o

produce the

Intellectual-Principle,

nd

again when

this

gave

birth

to the Soul. Matter

is

the

only positive,

bsolute

Evil'.

It is only

through

Matter that the Soul

can

lose even

partially ny

of

ts own

natural powers. But in so

far

as

the

departure

from

he

divine

One

is

concerned, ach

step

down

is

apostasy.

Each new

quality, however

good

in

itself,

s

accretion, ntroduces

dispersion,

and so

is

relativelyevil. The

Soul's

union with

the

One

is

pre-

vented

by

those

very qualities which

distinguish

t as

Soul

and

likewiseby those qualities in the Intellectual-Principle,

hlich

it

must first ttain

if

it

is

to

reach the One.

By

the

possessionof

anythingwhich

s not

in

the

One,

it

is rendered

mpure and'must

be

purified

efore

hegoal

is

achieved.

If

the

descent

and

subsequent

defilement f

the

Soul was

accom-

plished

by the

accruement f

alien qualities

which

brought he en-

feebling f its

powers,

he reascent s to be

achievedby the

directly

opposite process.

Addition is to be

replaced

by

subtraction,dis-

persion by concentration. Since it is the presence of the alien

which

renders the

Soul unable

to

concentrate, o

collect

its full

powers

within

tself,

t is the

process

of gettingrid

of the

foreign

elements

which

receives most of Plotinus'

attention.

But

the fact

that

there s always a

positive'side as well

must not

be overlooked.

The

Soul, then,must be

purified

f

that which

t

has

taken

on. In

the

Plotinian

hierarchy

he

qualities

of

each lower realm

are not

to

be

imputedto the

higher

ne.

The

higher

ealm

auses

and

includes

but does notpartakeofthe lower ones (6.7.42). Thus the advance

to

each

new stage

is

achieved

by

the

abandoning

of

the lower one,

with

the

discarding

of

all the qualities

inherent n it. To a

large

extent it is

entirely

negative; but

once the

negative

process is







Vol.

lxxiii] Katharsis

n Enneades

of

Plotinus

361

complete,

the

step

into

the

higher

state

has been

accomplished.

Each

higher ealm

s

reached

automatically

fter he

attainment

f

the

peak

of the lowerone.

To attain

the

higher,

ne must

develop

the full capacities of the lower. This perfections achieved by

discarding

all

alien matter-that

is,

the

qualities

of a

still lower

realm-and so

enabling

the

state or

power

n

question

to be

most

truly

and

purely

tself.

Repose

from he alien

leaves

the

char-

acteristic

ctivity

ntact

(5.3.7).

In

the

reascentthe katharsis

s

thus continuous. In

the

lower

stages the

objects

of

purification

re

to

a

certain

extent

evil in

themselves

n that

they

involve

dependence

on

Matter. In

the

later the purifications only of that which is merelyno longer

needed

because

of

being

superseded

by

something

higher.

The

activities

of

which

the Soul

is

purified

n

the

later

stages

are in

themselves

ood

and

have

brought

he Soul

up

to its

present

height.

They

may,

however, ecause

of

their

very

goodness,

ct

as

a

snare,

deceiving the Soul

into

thinking

hat it has

already

reached

the

divine

and so

prevent

ts

striving

o

go

higher.

Plotinus refers o the

ascent

as a

sort of

mystic

ourney to

be

taken

by

initiates

1.3.1).

The

path

is

upward

from

he

lowest of

three realms to the highest. The first tage is thusfrom heSoul

to

the


he

second from

the

Intellectual-

Principal

to

the One. The

first

scent,

however,

ctually

consists

of two

steps:

the

firstwithin he

sphere

f

the Soul

itself,

ts

awaken-

ing to a

realization

of its

own

nature and

origin; and

the

second,

the

actual

advance into the

higher

realm.

In

other

words,

Soul

must attain its

highest

capacity

as

Soul

before

it can

become

Intellectual-Principle. Each

man

must

come

to a

realization of

the essential life-that is, the divine Soul-within him and its

position

as

an

integral

part,

an

identitywith the

All-Soul. So

far

the

problem

s

an

individual

one,

varying

n

its

solution

with

the

character

nd

circumstances

f

each

human

being.

Once

the

union

with the

All-Soul s

realized, then

the

path

to

be trod s

always the

same,

the

step

from

pure

Soul

to

pure


nd

eventually

from

ure


o

the

One.

While it

is

true

that

katharsis

with

Plotinus is

for

the

purpose

of enabling the Soul to be unitedwith the One during ife, t is

important

o remember

hat

the goal is

by no

means

an

harmonious,

complementary ynthesis

f

Soul

and

Body.

Repeatedly he

urges

the

fact that

the

separation

of

the

two

must

be

absolute-

in a







362

Hazel E.

Barnes

[1942

spiritual

sense, of

course,-that

in

any

compromise

between

the

two,Body

will

inevitably

be

dominant,

that

any

good in

this

life

exists

never through

uch

a

partnership

ut only through

Soul's

repudiation fit,that the iberation f theSoul is not a withdrawing

from ertain

vil aspects

of Body but

a

flight ntirely

way

from

t.2

The condition

f

the

embodied

Soul

is like gold

in the natural

state.

The gold

is

hidden in inferior,

xtraneous

matter

almost

beyond

detection,

but

all

the

qualities

which

make the

metal

precious

remain

ntact.

The task

of bringing

t to

itsfinest

tate

is achieved

by

removing

hat

which

has collected

around it. Similarly,

the

Soul

must

be liberated

from

ll

that

pertains

to

Matter,so

that

it

maybe free o exercise ll thepowers nherentn it. So long as it

attaches

any

importance

to

Body,

there

s

a thinning

ut or

di-

minishing

f its

own

powers,

both as

Soul and as

a potential

part

of each

of the

more

divine realms. While

its

divinity

s

not essen-

tially

changed,

ts active

power

s

not

unaffected.

The purification

f the

Soul, then,

s a

steady

withdrawal

from

all that

is inferior

until it contains

nothing

extraneous to

the

divine

One.

How

is

this to

be

accomplished?

The answer s the

same

as that

given

by

Plato-by

the

pursuit

of

philosophy.

We

are specifically old so in several places. In the treatiseOn the

Animate

nd

Man when Plotinus

s

speaking

of

the

various

possible

modes

of coalescence

of Soul

and

Body,

he

says

that

in

case

Soul

is

partly

attached

and

partly

free,

t

will be

the two-fold ask

of

philosophy

o

direct

the

lower

phase

of

the Soul

toward

the

higher

and

in

so

far as

is

possible

to

separate

it from

ts

instrument,

he

Body

(1.1.3).

Again

n

the

ast

Ennead he

speaks

of the two

phases

of the

Soul

and

says

that

the

higher

will

be held down

by

the

lower

so longas the owerremains. If,however, hilosophy as freed he

higher

oul (EL

b

ravreXws

bcaete

xXoaootoa),

then

the

lower

departs

alone to

an inferior

ealm and the

higher,

he true Soul, may

enter

into the

ntellectual

world

purified

f

any

contamination

rom

ower

existence

(abmrq

E

KaOapcosev

rc4

Potp743

v6epos

-ppflj.vou

abrrTs6.4.16).

Again

we are told

that

the

man who

is

capable

of

entering

nto

the

Intellectual

Realm

is

the one

with

the nature

of the lover

and a

disposition

nherently hilosophical

5.9.2).

Finally,

in

taking

up

theproblem fwhether r not theSoul is to be consideredmpervious

to

earthly

nfluence,

lotinus

asks,

Why

then

f the Soul has

been

unaffected

rom

the

beginning,

s it

necessary

to make

the

Soul

2See

3.6.6;

2.3.9;

5.1.10;

1.7.3;

1.8.8;

5.4.15.







Vol. lxxiii]

Katharsis n Enneades

of

Plotinus

363

immune y means

of

philosophy AbraOr

TrIv

qlvXtlv

K

tbtOLToctas

roteZv

.6.5)?

In suchstatementswe are told

specifically

ut without

labora-

tion that katharsis s accomplishedthroughphilosophy. A close

examination

of

the

Enneades will

show,

I

believe,

that the

philo-

sophical approach

is

maintained

hroughout

n connectionwith

the

Soul's purification

nd

that the

conception

of

katharsis

as

accom-

plished by

philosophy

orms he

foundation f the whole

Plotinian

system.3

Yet the term

philosophy

varies

according

o the

par-

ticular

tages

n

the ascent.

Thus at one time

s meantthat

part

of

philosophy

which

is

equivalent to mere

ratiocination,

t another

dialectic; at still other times philosophy s thoughtof as pure

religion.

For

purposes

of discussion we

may

divide

the

study

of

the

approach

to the One

and its

achievement

hroughphilosophy

in

the same

way as does Plotinus. Thus we

have

first he approach

to

the


econd the

approach

to the

One,

or

the Ekstasis.

I.

THE

APPROACH

TO THE

INTELLECTUAL-PRINCIPLE

(1)

The

Virtues.

Without true

Virtue, says

Plotinus, God is

but a name. By it the Soul is cleansed; through t, along with

wisdom, God

is

made manifest

2.9.15). With

Plotinus as with

most of

the Greek

philosophers, irtue

ncludesbut

is never imited

to moral

goodness.

With

him

more

than with

any of the others

Virtue s

intellectualized.

To a certain

extent,particularly n

the

passages dealing with

metempsychosis, irtue is loosely

equated

with

morality

nd

justice, and Vice

with their

opposites. But in

general

his

belief

hat the earthly ife

of the Soul is

never an end

in

itself eads Plotinus to make of thevirtues imply means ofsepa-

rating the Soul

from all

bodily concerns and

training t to

look

upward to the

Intellectual-Principle.

With Plato

he declares that

all

the virtues

re purifications.

Virtue n its true

sense is not the

regulation f earthly ife

but an

internal iberationfrom t.

In a

more

positive ense t is the Soul's

retirementnto

tself s theresult

3

Marcel De

Corte

has

discussed

this

subject

in an

article,

Technique

et

fonde-

ment

de la

purification

Plotinienne,

Revue

d'Histoire

de

la

Philosophie 5

(1931) 42-74.

His discussion, which is excellent so far as it goes, falls short, it seems to me, in two

important

points:

first,he

fails to

realize

that

the

Soul itself

s

affected

by the

purifica-

tion;

second,

he

does not

distinguish

between

dialectic

and

philosophy, as does

Plotinus,

and so

does

not

give

proper

emphasis to

the

fact

that there

are

two

distinct

stages in

the

process

of

katharsis.







364

Hazel

E.

Barnes

[1942

of

purification

f all

that

belongs

to the

external

world.

This

view

must never

be misconstrued

s meaning

that earthly

morality

nd

goodness

are

unimportant

n

Plotinus'

eyes.

But their

mportance

is takenforgranted s ofnecessityncluded n a higher onception.

Plotinus'

views

on

Virtue

and

man's

philosophical

purpose

are

summed

up

in his

famous

entence

oming

t the end of

his

treatise

On

Virtue:

Our

concern

s not

to be sinless

but

to be

divine

(1.2.6).

This

is,

of course,

losely

inked

with

the Platonic

doctrine

of

attaining

ikeness

o

God,

which

Plotinus quotes

directly,

aying

like

Plato

that

in

attaining

this

likeness

ies

our

escape

from

vil

and

this

world.

To Plato's

explanation

that this likeness

means

becoming ust andholy, ivingbywisdom

(pueTa

bpovkews

-yeveioa),

Plotinus

adds

the words

oXws

Ev

AperT

(1.2.1).

Thus

it is

Plotinus

who

emphasizes

the

necessity

f

Virtue;

but

he does

so only for

he

sake

of giving

it

a

specific

and strict

nterpretation,

hich

later

leads

to

a

partial

discarding

of

it.

Plato

goes

on

in the

passage

mentioned

o

what

he

believes

to

be the

true

reason

for

practising

Virtue

and

shunning

Vice.

God is

in

no wise

and

in no

manner

unrighteous,

but

utterly

and

perfectly

righteous,

and

there

is

nothing

o

like

him as

that one

of

us

who

in turn

becomes

most

nearlyperfect n righteousness. It is hereinthat the trueclever-

ness

of

a man

is found

and also

his worthlessness

nd

cowardice;

for the

knowledge

of

this

is true

Virtue,

and

ignorance

of

it

is

folly

r

manifest

wickedness

(Theaetetus

76

B-C).

With

Plato,

then,

man must

pursue

Virtue merely

because

God

is

perfect

righteousness.

This

is not untrue

for

Plotinus,

but

he

does

not see things

uite

so

simply.

To begin

with,

he

divides

the

virtues

nto two-or perhaps

three

different

lasses.

The

first

s

thatofthecivic virtues, nd these Plotinusdecidesare notcapable

of bringing

bout

likeness.

For

how,

he asks,

can there

be

a

quality

such

as

courage

where

there

s no danger,

or

self-restraint

where

here

re

no

false

allurements

romwhich

one should

restrain

oneself?

The conclusion

s that the

civic virtues

n

so far

as

they

are

associated

with mortal

reasoning

faculties

do not

exist

in

the

divine

realm.

These are

all

closely

bound

up

with

those

con-

comitants

of

bodily

existence

whichare

not

found

n

the

divine.

Phronesis s pure ratiocination; ndreiais concernedwiththe pas-

sionatenature;

sophrosyne

roduces

the

harmony

between

passion

and

reason;

dikaiosyne

s the employment

f each

of

the

virtues

s

it

should

command

or

obey.

It is

obvious

that

we

cannot

gain







Vol.

lxxiii]

Katharsis

n

Enneades

of

Plotinus

365

likeness

to God

by

virtues so

firmly

ound

to the

bodily. The

civic

virtues are not those

by

which

men win

the ultimate

mystic

vision.

Yet therehave been men possessedof the civic virtueswhom

tradition

has recognized

s

divine.

We

must

recognize

hat

there

are both

two planes

of

excellence

nd

two classes of

virtues o

which

we may attain. The virtues

of this lower

plane

are

by

no

means

to be

despised

so

long

as

they

are viewed in

the

proper

perspective.

Moral

excellence s formfor the

Soul

(6.7.27).

The lower

virtues

regulate and

ennoble

our

lives

here.

They

set limitsand

measure

to

our

desires

and emotions.

They

save us from

false

opinion.

For a manbecomesbetterbybeing ubjecttomeasure ndremoving

himself rom

he sphere

of

the unbounded and

unmeasured. The

Soul is as

Matter to

the

acts of

the

virtues,

and

they are

like an

image of

the best which

s

above.

By

replacing he utter

measure-

lessness of

Matter with some

slight

participation

n

ideal

form, he

virtues

bring

the Soul a

little nearer to the divine

that

is

beyond

form.

Then the Soul

being

closer to the divine

than the

body

and

thus more akin

participates

more

fully,

nd

deceivingus,

it almost

seems like the divine itself. It is in this way that those who

possess the civic

virtues

cquire

likeness

1.2.2).

It will be

noted

that even

in

this

praise of

earthly

virtuesthey

are

given

no true

ultimate

value.

Divinity

s

not

reached

by

such

virtues,only

an

illusion

because

of an

approximation

to it.

If

man

is

deceived

by this

appearance,

Virtue

becomes itself

snare

and a

hindrance o the Soul. All

practical

virtues

n

themselves

are

simply ensible

qualities, and

qualities are

associated with the

Soul in its apostasy. The practicalvirtuesare important s con-

tributing o the

external

ocial

well-being

f

humanity. They

make

for

beauty and

order

n

the worldand

so are

desirable,but

theyare

not

necessary

6.3.16).

An

extension

of this idea is

the belief

that good

is not

derived

from

the act itself

but from

the inner

disposition

prompting t.

Heracles is the

type of a

hero of

virtuous actions.

Through his

noble

service

he was deemed

worthy

f being a god.

But

he did

not have the contemplativenatureand so was notwhollyworthy

of

being n the

higher

ealms.

Something f

him remained

below,

and

that is

why the

poet put Heracles

himself

mong the

gods and

his

shade in

the lower

world 1.1.12).







366

Hazel

E.

Barnes

[1942

Since

it

is clear

that

likeness

to God cannot

be

attained

merely

by

the

practice

of

civic

or practical

virtues,

Plotinus assumes

the

existence

of

a

higher

lass

of

virtuesof the same

name as

the

lower

but moreintellectual n nature. Even these ideal virtuesdo not

of

necessity

xist

in the

divine

state,

but through

cquiring

them

we attain

likeness

to

a Being

in which

theyhave

no place.

It

is

the

Plotinian

principle

of

advancing

by

means

of

that

which

must

be

discarded

ust

before

he

ultimate

goal

is achieved.

In

the

final nalysis

the

higher irtues

re little

more

than katharsis

tself,

in

this

instance

the

freeing

f the

intellect

from

ll that

is bodily.

Plotinus

discusses

Plato's

saying

that all the virtues

are

puri-

fications.4 In what sense, he asks, are we to think

Plato

meant

this?

The

Soul's evil comes

about through

ts

fusion

withthe

body,

by

sharing

ts states

and,

so to speak,

thinking

with t.

Thus each

of the

four

cardinal virtues

is interpreted

s one aspect

of

the

purifying

rocess.

Phronesis

refers

to

the Soul's separating

its

intellect

from

he

body and

acting alone.

Sophrosyne

s refusing

to be

affected

y

the

passions

of the

body.

Andreia

is

ceasing

to

fear eparation

from

he body

by

death.

Finally dikaiosyne

s

the

dominance

of reason

and intellect

without

opposition

1.2.3).5

After he acts of the highervirtuesthe Soul is left mmuneto

passion,

and

one

would

not be

wrong

n

saying

that

such a Soul

had

attained

likeness

to God.

For the divine

is

pure,

and its

activity

is

such that

likeness to

it is wisdom

(1.2.3).

Now

the Soul

will

hold

itself

aloof

from ll passions

and affections,

nd

all that

it

gives

to

the body

will

be bestowed

as

upon something

eparate.

For the

Soul's

true

good

lies

n

devotionto

the ntellectual-Principle,

which

is

its

kin

(1.2.4).

Freedom

to exercise

this contemplation

is won by the purification hichthe highervirtueshave achieved.

At

times

Plotinus

makes

the connection

between

the

virtues

and

intellect

little

loser.

In

one

passage

virtues

re said

to be

species

and

not primary

genera

because

they

are all

subordinate

acts

of

intellect 6.2.18).

In another

we read that

the virtues

of the

Soul

are

those

by

which he vision

s

directed

o the

ntellectual-Principle,

wisdom

and thought

(1.2.7).

But it

must be remembered

hat

while

the

higher

virtues

re

closely

bound

up

with

the

intellectual,

theydo not constitute he intellectual ct itself. Virtueis

of

the

4For

the

development

of this

idea

in Plato

and Plotinus

see

E.

Brehier,

APETAI

KAOAP2:EI2:,

REA

42

(1940)

53-58.

6

See

also

1.6.5-6.







Vol.

lxxiii] Katharsis

n

Enneades

of

Plotinus

367

Soul, not of the


r

the One. The

higher

virtues are

not

even the actual

contemplation

f the

Intellectual-

Principle.

They are the

purification

f

all that would

prevent hat

contemplation. They form the intellectualattitude that allows

the vision.

That the

higher

virtues

completely

supersede

the lower

is

brought

ut in

a

passage

in

which Plotinus divides men into

three

groups:

thosewho

live by

sense and

pretended

easoning,

hosewho

live by a virtue

which

enables

them

to

select well

among

lower

things, nd those who live

by

divine

contemplation.

Of

these

only

the

third

lass

ever

attains ultimate

truth

5.9.1).

It

may

be

said

that thosewho pursue thepracticalvirtuesbut notdivine contem-

plation

hold a

middle

position

analogous

to

that of

Christians

who

would live by

works

alone.

The

Christian

who

lives a moral life

and

keeps

God's

laws

is more to be

commended

han he

who

ives

a

life of

wickedness;

yet

without divine love

he

is

nothing. The

Plotinian

philosopher, oo,

is

to be

praised for

freeing imself rom

the owest

phases

of

bodily

affections,

ut

without

he divine

vision

he

still ives in

unreality. The

object

of our

imitation

s

not good

men

but the divine

(1.2.7).

It is clear that all the virtuesare means of purification.The

civic

virtues

purify

man

of

objective evil;

that s,

theyrestrain

him

from

vice. The

intellectual

virtues

completely ree he

Soul of

all

dependence

upon

the

bodily.

Both ofthese

are

negative. Is

there

a

positive

Virtue?

Virtue

in

the

positivesense

is that

whichre-

mains

after

the Soul's

achieved

purification. It

is

the essential

act,

the

Soul's

true

good-in

other

words,

the

Soul's vision,

the

contemplation of

the


Purification

brings

about the Soul's turningfrom the bodily to the Intellectual-

Principle. The

Soul's

virtue s the

actual

vision which

results n

its

identification ith the


1.2.4).

To

sum

up,

there are three

teps

in the

approach to

the Intel-

lectual-Principle y Virtue:

(1)

the turning

f the

Soul

frommoral

evil

and lack

of

order; (2) the

turning

f the Soul

from

Body

into

itself

and its

own reason;

(3)

the turning

f the

Soul from

tself

to

the


n

this ast

case

alone not

accomplished

by any truediscarding flowerelements. It is seen thatVirtue-

or

the

virtues-becomes

more

and

more

intellectualized s the

process

of

purificationnd

the

consequent

reascentof the

Soul

con-

tinue.

By the

timethat

the

third tep has

been

reached,

Virtue s







368

Hazel

E.

Barnes

[1942

only a

means of

identification

ith pure intellect,

nd no

ethical

coloringwhatsoever

remains.

Virtue

as commonly onceived

has

been sought,

practiced,

nd

of

necessity

ranscended.

(2) Self-Knowledge.rvcoot

-avrov

as Plotinususes it has some-

what ess

of

an ethical

and

psychological

ndmore

of a

metaphysical

character

than

with

Socrates.

The

Platonist

by self-knowledge

comes to

know

the Soul

in its

relation

to the

divine.

The

Neo-

Platonist

by looking

nward

arrives

t the

realization

hat he him-

self

s onewith

the divine.

Plotinus

n

his teaching

oncerning

he

higher

and

lower parts

of the Soul

includes

the

idea

that self-

knowledge

s the

proper

method

of

earning

properly

o understand

them (6.4.17).

rvcot

YauToJv

s said to those who, because they are

manifold,

ave the task

of appraising

hemselves

ince

theydo

not

know

all or some

of their

onstituents

ust as

they

do notknow

their

own origin

r

principle

f Being

(6.7.41).

But the

attainment of self-knowledge

ith

Plotinus

includes

more than

the realization

of one's

psychological

nature

and ca-

pacities.

It takes

on a metaphysical

haracter

by

which the

con-

templation

of oneself eads

one to the

understanding

f the

divine

Soul within. Following this the Soul's contemplationof itself

results

n

the perception

f the


ithin

tself

and consequently

he achievement

f self-identity

ith the higher

realm.

Man contains

within

him

potentially

both

the

Soul

and

the


By

looking

nward

he

may

contemplate

them

and

eventually

be identifiedwith

them.

Self-knowledge

s a

means

of innergrowth

s presented

perhaps

most

clearly

n

the

treatise

On

Beauty.

If

man

would

know the

beauty

which

the

Soul

possesses,

ays

Plotinus,

he must

withdraw

withinhimself. If he does not yetfindhimself eautiful,he must

labor

like the

creator

of a statue,

cutting

way

what

is

excessive,

straightening

hat

is

crooked,

and so forth.

When the statue

of

the

inner

man

is made

perfect,

hen

one is

gathered

nto the

purity

of

his own

being

where

nothing

of externals

can

cling

to

him.

Then he

becomes that

veritable

ight,

ery

vision,

nd

so

mounting,

his

Soul

can

approach

the

divine


The

view

that

our

perception

of

beauty,

form,

ntellect,

nd

the good mustbeginwith the studyof thosequalitieswithinour-

selves

is

not

wholly

dissimilar

o the Platonic doctrinewhich

would

have

our appreciation

of

beauty

dependent

on our

knowledge

of

the

idea

of

beauty,

which

we

learned n

a

former

nd

higher

tate.







Vol.

lxxiii] Katharsis

n

Enneades

of

Plotinus

369

Nevertheless,

ifferences

ncrease as

one looks

for them.

For

one

thing,

Plotinus states that

the

god

in each

of us

is the same

(6.5.1).

By

looking

nward

we

pierce

more and more

beyond

all the

acci-

dental properties f ourselvesas individualhumanbeingsuntilat

last we see the true

self

within

us,

which

is divine

and above

all

that which

accentuates

our

distinction

rom ther

real

beings.

The

precept

yvwOt

avrov,

then,

s

applied

o

the

process

f

the

Soul's

contemplation

of

its

own

nature

while

purifying

tself

of

external-that

is, bodily-interests.

In

other

words,

self-contem-

plation

s

again

a

form f

katharsis.

The

turning

nward

s

for

he

purpose

of

enabling

the

Soul to

be alone.

Even the

circular

move-

ment oftheheavens Plotinusexplainsas comingabout because the

Soul always

discovers

more

than

Soul,

while

Soul

alone

is

what

it

would

find

2.2.2).

For

the

Soul

to

regain

ts union

with

the

higher

power,

two

things

must

be

done.

First,

the Soul

must

learn

to

know the

worthlessness

f

those

objects

which

it

now

honors.

Second, it

must

recall ts

own

origin

nd

worth. For

its

separation

from the

Intellectual-Principle as come

about as

the

result of

forgetting

hence

it came and

consequently

holding tself

n

dis-

honor and

glorifying

n

inferior

xternals.

The second

method

supersedesthe first nd if clearlybrought out explains the first.

The Soul

must

now look

inward

and

by

seeing

only itself earn

to

know ts own

origin

nd

ultimate

goal. To

know

ourselves

s

to

know our

source

(6.9.7).

Self-knowledge

s an

intellectual,

on

the

whole,

positive form

of

katharsis,

for

t

raises the

soul to

the


y

teaching

t to

know

more

of

its own

nature.

Yet as was

the

case

with

the virtues,

self-knowledge

s

eventually

discarded. In

the

treatise On IntellectualBeauty Plotinus describes the man who

through

elf-knowledge

nd

the

appreciation

of

inner

beauty has

arrived

t the desired

goal.

At

that

moment

he

may see

an

image

of

himself

ifted

to

greater

beauty; but

this he

ignores,

ovely

though t

is, and sinks

into

perfect

unity with

the

divine.

The

turning

to

the divine is in

two

phases.

First

comes

separation

when man

is

aware of

himself.

Then as he

advances

inward

he

fears

he

separated

ife nd

forgets

imselfn

the

veryact of

turning

inward. If he does not lose this self-awareness,he vision is not

complete;

and

he

keeps

himself

apart from

the

divine.

Active

self-knowledge as led

to

the

desired

goal by

being

first

ought,

then

achieved,

and

then

abandoned.







370

IHazel

E.

Barnes

[1942

(3)

Dialectic.

In

the treatise

On Dialectic

Plotinus

tells

us that

there re

three

ypes

of men

who

are capable

ofreaching

he ultimate

goal.

They

are the

musician,

he

lover,

nd the

philosopher.

The

musicianand the lover must be guided by outside influence; he

philosopher

may

advance

by

the

impulse

of his

own nature.

The

musician

proceeds

from he

perception

f tones,

rhythms,

nd

forms

in

natural sounds

to the

realization

of the

correspondences

nd

relationships

ehind them.

Then

he

mustbe

taught

that

what

so

thrilled

him was the intellectual

harmony

and that the

beauty

within

t

was

not a particular

beauty

but

universal

beauty.

From

there

he must

go

on to study

the

truths

of philosophy

until

he

understands hosethingswhichhithertohe possessed n ignorance.

The

lover,

who

belongs

to the

class

above that

of the

musician,

through

which

the musician

must pass

on

the journey

upward,

advances

from he

perception

f

physical

and

particular

to

intel-

lectual

and universal

beauty after

he manner

prescribed

y

Plato.

The philosopher,

nlike the

other

two,

does

not need

to

begin

with

the separation

from

bodily

interests,

or

by

his very

nature

he

is

already prepared

or he

upward

step.

He

begins

t once

the study

of mathematics,

y

which he may

win a

comprehension

f

abstract

thought nd a faith n the ncorporeal,rainingn the higher irtues,

and finally

he

pursuit

of

dialectic.

It

is the pursuit

of dialectic

which

completes

the necessary

training

of

all

three

classes.

This

is the science

of

reality,

and

Plotinus

explains

very

carefully

what

he means

by

it.

It

is

that

which

eaches

the

true

nature

of

things,

howing

he

position

f each

object

with

regard

o

reality.

It deals

withBeing

and

its

distinction

from

Non-Being

and

with the

Good

and the Not-Good

and

the

eternal and the perishable. These things it studies with true

science,

not opinion.

It

comprehends

he

Ideas,

traverses

the

entire

Intellectual

realm,

then

knowing

the

Being

in

Intellect,

arrived

at

Unity,

it

contemplates

and

is

at

peace

(1.3.4).

In

other

words

it

brings

the

Soul to

perfect

dentity

with the

Intel-

lectual-Principle;

nd

in

this

union the

Soul

joins

in the

essential

activity

of

the


hich

s the

contemplation

f

the

One. It

must

be noted

that this

passage

does

not indicate

a

unionwiththeOne. The Intellectual-Principle,hilecontemplat-

ing

the

One,

is at

no

time dentified

with

t.

In this description

ialectic

seems

to be

pure

metaphysics.

Is

it

to

be

understood

as identical

with

philosophy?

Fortunately







Vol.

lxxiii] Katharsis

n

Enneades

of

Plotinus

371

Plotinus

anticipates

this

question

and

tells us that

it is not.

Dia-

lectic is

the precious

part

of

philosophy,

which

s itself

he

most

precious.

Philosophyuses dialectic

in

a

relationship

ven

closer

than thatin whichother killsuse arithmetic,n forming concep-

tion

of the laws

ofthe universe

nd

in its

contemplation

f

ethics;

for

dialectic

sets

forth he practices

fromwhich

ethics result.

The

difference

s

even more

markedbetweendialectic and

ratiocination.

Dialectic

deals not with

rules and

theories but with

reality.

It

knows

untruths nd

sophisms

only

as

falsities

utside ts

own

canon

of

truth.

Verbal

propositions

re

beneath

t,

though

t knows

the

truth

behind them.

Petty precisions

of

process

it

leaves to

any

-other cience whichmay care forthe work. Above all it compre-

hends the

movements f

the

Soul. It is

a

sort

of

super-reasoning.

With wisdom

it

strips

all

things

of

Matter

and

presents

them

in

theiruniversal

spect.

By

dialectic we can

overcome he

weakness of

ourusual

mental

acts,

which are

not

pure

intellectbut human

reason

swayedby

all

that

is

external

(3.4.17).

The

hierarchy

of

reason in

the Plo-

tinian

ystem

s

roughly

parallel

to

that

of

the

virtues.

The know-

ing of

sensible

things

comes

first. All

knowledge

nvolving any

sort of sense perception s the specific act of the embodied Soul

and

has

no

true

significance.

Next comes such

reasoning as is

carriedon

by the

mind

alone; that s

mere

ratiocination.

It

is

this

mentalact

which s

provided

for n

the

training

iven by the

study

of

mathematics,which

eads to

the

understanding f

the

abstract.

After his

there

comes that

use

and act

ofreason

(XoyLo-IOs)

which

is

characteristic f

the

Soul. This,

it is

probable, s not

dissociated

from

dialectic, for

the

object of

reasoningwith

both is

true

Being.

Witheach level ofreason as witheach plane ofvirtue, he lower s

always

superseded

by

the higher,

nd

even the

essential act of

the

Soul

will

eventually

give

place to

that

of the


Closely

connected

with

dialectic is

Plotinus'

doctrine of

form.

In

the pursuit

of

beauty we learn

to

know the

beautiful first

n

sensible

objects.

Then this

very

appreciation of

them

teaches

us

to

find

eauty n

the

non-sensible

ntil

we love that

which s

totally

unrelated to

earthly

beauty

and

look on

earthly

beauty

as a

snare

tokeepus from hedivine. In thesameway we advancebyleaving

the

formless nd

learning to

perceive form,

but

our goal

is

that

which s

without

form.

The best

of

Matter is that

which has

some

form.

Soul is

form o

all of

Matter.

The


s







372

Hazel E.

Barnes

[1942

form

o Soul.

But the primal

ource

fromwhich

all

form

has

come

is formless

6.7.28

and 33).

To a certain

extent

form

s

reason,

particularly

n

the

realm

of the Platonic

Ideas,

which

Plotinus

adopts as havingtheirdwelling n the Intellectual-Principle. Cer-

tainly

our perception

f

form omesthrough

eason;

and the

Ideas,

which

are divine,

purely

intellectualform,

must

be seen

through

dialectic.

As the

result

of the training

by dialectic

the Soul achieves

the


The

first rinciples

f the science

are

given

by

the


tself.

The rest dialectic

devises

for

itself,

niting

nd dividing

until

t comes

to perfect ntellect.

For,

he says,we read that dialectic is the purest

Ka6WapWnraroV)

chieve-

ment

of

intellect

and wisdom.

Dialectic,

then,

is -the final

step

after

the

Soul has

been

purified

romBody.

Yet it is itself

sort

of

katharsis.

It

is dialectic

which determines

he

nature of

the

virtues

which

act

as

purifications.

It

is dialectic

which

purifies

thought

of earthly

elements

and presents

t

in universal

terms.

Dialectic

is

the

means

by

which

the

Soul

exerts ts

own

absolute

act

of Virtue

and obtains

the

vision

of

the


(4) The First Katharsis Achieved. In describingthe actual

vision

of the


lotinus'

language

is at

first

purely

metaphysical,

inally

lmost

mystical.

The Soul's

approach

is

by

no

means

an

accretion

of

knowledge,

perceiving

f

divine

object

by

active

subject.

The

Soul

does not

learn

to

comprehend

the


s

one studies

to master

the

contents

of

a

new

book.

This

cannot

be

true

for two reasons.

First,

the

distinction

etween

subject

and object

does not

exist

in the

Intel-

lectual-Principle. Knowing is an absolute, achieved state, not a

process

of

becoming.

Second,

the

Soul

does

not strive

to

compre-

hend

the


ut to

become

one

with

it.

One

must

be careful

to observe

Plotinus'

oft-repeated

warning

nd

not

view

his realms

too concretely,

either

spatially

or temporally.

There

is no

difficulty

n the concept

of the

Soul's

identification

with

the


The student

who becomes

an

artist

is not

changed

from

one

person

into

another.

He is merely

the

same man developingpowers

which

were

always

within

him

but

hitherto

ntirely

r

partially

unrecognized

nd

dormant.

The

same

divine

essence

s

present

lways;

according

to

the

concentration

f

its

powers,

it

is called Soul,


r the

One.







374

Hazel

E.

Barnes

[1942

is

separated

from

ll sensualor perishable

hings.

For

this

reason

the virtues

must

be pursued

as

a means of

separating

the Soul

from bodily

interests.

Second,

the Intellectual-Principle

s

self-

knowing. Thus the initiate must begin with self-introspection,

learning

o

know

his own nature

as

man and

as a part

of the divine.

Third, it

is pure

intelligence.

Hence the higher

formsof

Virtue

are intellectualized,

nd

the contemplative

ife

s the

only

one of

true value.

Finally, the


s not only

intelli-

gence

but

reality;

it

is the intellection

of Being.

For

this the

only true approach

must be

dialectic.

This

science

is, of course,

intellectual,

both

in itself and

in

its being

the

culmination,

the

ideal formof the lowermental sciences,whichmust be mastered

by all philosophers.7

In

addition,

t is the

science

of Being;

and

its achieved

goal is the

knowledge fBeing,

which

s the ntellectual-

Principle.

Dialectic is

not itself

the


ut it

is the

final and

only

step

which leads

to

the very

heart

of the


By

dialectic,

the

precious

part

of

philosophy,

man

frees

himself

even from

he

sciences

and

mental

acts

which

have

brought

him so

far

upward.

The

change

mplied

n

Soul

itself

s

discarded.

He

is

still Soul, but he is the unchanging ntellectual-Principles well.

Finally

even

dialectic

is left

behind. It

is the last

rung

of the

ladder

by which

man

has

climbed

out

of the

cave and stepped

nto

the outer

world.

THE

APPROACH

TO

THE

ONE

The


s

the

natural

dwellingplace

of

the

Soul.

The One

is to be

apprehended

only

in those

rare

moments

ofmystic nion,theEkstasis,whichPorphyry ells us thatPlotinus

experienced

only

four

times

in the course

of their

years

together

(Vita

23).8

Yet

the

memory

f the vision remains

even after

the

actual

Ekstasis

is a

thing

of

the

past,

and it is

only

when

the

Soul

possesses

this

memory

nd the

knowledge

hat the vision

may

come

7

It

is

noteworthy

that Plotinus

gives

less emphasis

to

the

training

of the

human

mind

than

does

Plato.

Human

knowledge

is everywhere

neglected

by

Plotinus

for

the

sake

of dwelling

on

spiritual

values.

Though

Plotinus'

system

is

more definite

than

Plato's in emphasizing the presence of

an


it is

the

spiritualized

Soul

and

not the

glorified

human

intellect

that

attains

the

divine

vision.

8

A.

H.

Armstrong

presents

a careful

comparison

of

the

nature of

the

One

and

of

the


and

their

relation

to the

human

soul

in

The

Architecture

f

the

ntelligible

Universe

in the Philosophy

of

Plotinus

(Cambridge,

1940).







Vol.

lxxiii]

Katharsis

n

Enneades

of

Plotinus

375

again, that

life in the


an

be lived to

the

fullest

degree. Thus the

Ekstasis,

however

rare,

s

necessaryfor

the

normal,perfect

ifeof the

Soul,

which

s led in the

Intellectual-

Principle.

As has been

said,

the

vision of the One cannot be

attained until

the union

of

the Soul with the


as

been

achieved.

We must behold

the One not

by

bringing

n

anything

of

sense or

by

taking

nto the


nything

rom

Soul;

butbeholding he most

pureby

pure


nd

from he

peak

of

the


6.9.3).

Yet while

the

Soul is thus

led to see

that

which

the

divine

ntellect

ontemplates,

nevertheless efore heactual identification ith theOne can come

about,

the

Soul

must be

purified

f

those

qualities

which charac-

terize

the


s

distinct from

the One.

These

are

multiplicity nd

intellection.

Multiplicity

n

the

second realm

comes

about

through he fact

that

it is

the home of

the Ideas and

that

its

contemplation

f the One is in

itself denial

of

unity;

for

where

there are

one to

contemplate nd one to be

contemplated,

there is

multiplicity.

For

the human Soul

intellection

n

this

realm

is

contemplation nd

meditation upon

reality

and

divine

cause. It is a sinking of oneself n a universalMind. But this

Mind is

ever

in

quest of

something

higher, nd

by this

questing

intellection,

he Soul

arrives at

the utter

repose

where

there s no

more

desiring.

Like the

higher

virtues,

ntellection ids

at

first n

producing

katharsis and

in

preparing he

Soul

for the final

step.

Yet

ultimately t too is

abandoned.

It

may be

well

here to remark

hat

the

discarding f

all specific

quality

as not

belonging

o the One

does

not

necessarily

mply a

completelynegativeview of the nature of the One. The One is

notabsolute

negationbut

absolute

perfection.

The

constantnega-

tions

which

Plotinus

applies to it

are simply

o

emphasizeby

means

of

refusing o admit

inadequate

restrictive

erms,

he

transcending

positive

aspect of

the One.

The Soul

must

empty tself f

earthly

qualities

in

order to take

on the

divine; it

does

not

becomeempty

in

order

to

make itself

part

of nothing.

But

the nature

of the

divine of

which t

becomes a part

cannot

be predicated

n

human

terms. This view of the One as both the negation of all known

qualities

and

yetperfect

ullness

s reflected

n the

purification

hich

the

human

Soul

must

undergo.

That is to

say,

the Soul

mustboth

purify tself

of its

weaknesses,

of

accretion, and

concentrate ts







376

Hazel

E.

Barnes

[1942

powers,

building

up its strength

o that

it

maybe capable

of

con-

taining

the

divine.

The

process

of ridding

he Soul

of its

limiting

qualities

must

be accomplished

before

an approach

can be

made

beyondthem.

The One

is also

called

by

Plotinus

The

Good,

though

he

term

has, of course,

no ethical

connotation

but

designates

rather

the

universalreIXetov

hich

s beyond

all specific

reXeta.

It

will be

re-

called

that Plotinus'

finaldesignation

f a

positive

virtue found

n

the

first

tage

of the

ascent

was the essential

act of

the

Soul, the

actual process

of the

Soul's contemplation

of

the

Intellectual-

Principle. With

this

conception

of Virtue

as a

movement

oward

a higher ealmofreality,we beginto approachPlotinus' theory f

specific

nd

absolute Good.

Since already

in the

first tep

Virtue

had thus

become

non-ethical,

t is

not surprising

hatnow

goodness

becomes

a matter

of native activity

exerted

by one existent

in

reaching oward

nother.

This

is the central

hought

f the

treatise

On

the Primal Good

and

Its

Secondary

orms 1.7).

In

this essay,

in which there

s frequent

onfusion

etween

theGood

as

absolute,

motionless

chievement

nd the

Good

as a

method

of

leading the

Soul

upward,three

significant

oints

stand out.

First, it

is said

that the Good for each entity-that is, its highestvirtue-is its

natural

activity,

which

n

the case

of the

rightly

unctioning

oul

is everupward

to the

Primal

Good.

On

the

higher

lane

the

Soul's

goodness

is

its

perception

of

the Primal Good

as

being

the

true

cause

of

the

Soul's attraction

to

the Intellectual-Principle.

This

active

desire

forthe

Good,

the reaching

ut

for t

is the

method

by

which

the

Soul attains

it.

Second,

the Soul is said

to be able

to

achieve

the

Good,

not

only by

reaching

out

for t but becoming

likeit. Here certainly s implieda positiveconceptionof boththe

One and the

method

of

attaining

union with

t.

Finally,

the

Good

is

said

to

be possessed

in

Unity,

Being,

and

Form.

Of these

only

the

first

elongs

n

the

Good itself.

Again

we have

an

example

of

the higherplane

reached

by

means

of those

things

which are

to

be

abandoned

once

the

goal

is achieved.

The

Good, then,

is

the

ultimate

and

may

be

attained

by

the Soul's

exercising

ts

natural

inclination

oward

t.

It is clearthatthere an be in this second stepno directparallel

to

the

part played

by

the

first wo classes

of virtues

in the,

first

katharsis.

Likewise

self-intellection

s

no

longer

considered

an

adequate

method

5.6.5).

This

might

eem

rather

urprising

ince







Vol.

lxxiii] Katharsis n

Enneades

of

Plotinus

377

the

very

essence

of the


s

self-intellection.

For

what othername could

be

given

to

a

knowledge

hat

s

absolute

with

no

distinctionbetween

subject

and

object?

It

may

be

that

to have the Intellectual-Principleome to recognizethe presence

of

the

One within it as the

result

of conscious

self-examination

would

imply a distinctionbetween the knower and

the

known,

which is

just what Plotinus

is

vigorously

denying.

At

any rate

the

contemplation

f

the

One

by

the


s

never

the

same as the Soul's vision of

t;

for

he

former emands a

certain

separation

which

n

the

case

of

the

Ekstasis

is

denied. The

Soul

while

t

lives

in

the


hares

n

the divine

con-

templation, ut it knows a stillhigherdesire. In the Ekstasis the

Soul is

not

the


ontemplating.

It

is

the

One

itself.

How

are

we

to explain this

transcending

chievement? Is

it

by

any

known

process

other than

intellection? And

what

name

are

we

to

give

intellection n

this

highest

plane?

Taking

the

last

question

first,we

may recall

that in

the earlier

step,

the

last and

ultimately

ffective

method of

bringing

he

Soul to

the

union

with

the


was the

pursuit

of

dialectic.

At

that

phase ofhis discussionPlotinusexplicitly tated thatdialecticwas

but

a

part,

lthough

precious

part,

of

philosophy.

Since

dialectic,

the

lower

of

the

two,

brought he

Soul

to the


is

it

not

possible,

or

rather

necessary,to

assume

that

philosophy

plays

at

least

a

part in

bringing

he

Soul

to

the

vision

of

the

One?

There

is

one

passage

in

which,

as it

seems to

me,

Plotinus

clearly

and

beyond

question

applies

the

term

philosophy

to the

Soul's

attempt

to

know

the One.

He is

speaking

in

the

last

Ennead

of

thepain thatcomes to theSoul when t tries ograsptheconception

of

absolute

unity.

He

continues,

Soul

must

see

in its

own

way;

this

s by

coalescence,

unification;

ut in

seeking

thus

to

know

the

Unity,

it is

prevented

by

that

very

unification

rom

recognizing

what it

has

found;

it

cannot

distinguish

tself

from

the

object of

this

ntuition.

Nonetheless,

t is

necessaryfor

one

to do

thus f

he

is

going

to

strive

to

comprehend he

Unity

by

philosophy

(6.9.3).

Certainly

there s no

term

other

than

philosophy

to

be

applied

to

intellectual ctivityexerted n the efforto comprehenddivinity,

no

other,

hat

s, once

the

lower

forms f

reasonhave

been

ruled

out.

If

it

is

the

task of

dialectic

to

bring

the

Soul

into

the

Intellectual-

Principle,

where

lse

can be

the

field

f

philosophy

ave

at

the

height







378

Hazel

E. Barnes

[1942

of the


tanding

with the

Soul

as it

prepares

to experience

heEkstasis?

Granted

that it is

intellection

s

philosophy

which

plays

an

importantpart in this finalstep, what specificallys its function,

and is

it in

itself ll

sufficient?

That

intellection

lone

is not

enough

is made

very clear.

This may

be

partly

because

intellection

s not

present

n the

One

itself.

For

true ntellection

s

a reaching

oward

the highest

Good,

and the

One

cannot

have

a reaching

out

when

there

s nothing eyond

t

to which

t can aspire.

Partly

responsible

in all

probability

s

simply

the

fact that

in

the

ultimate

vision

Plotinus

like

most

mystics

demands

that

there

come

forth

power

from hePrimalSource and thatwithout t man is powerless.

To analyze

in

cut

and dried

fashion

he

almost

poetic description

which Plotinus

gives

of the

Ekstasis

is as

unfair

s for

the present

purpose

it is necessary.

The poetic

language,

however,

s the

in-

evitable

result

of

his

attempt

to

describe something

surpassing

human

knowledge

nd

never a screen

for nadequate

formulation

f

ideas;

and

there

are

several

definite

onceptions

which

stand

out

clearly.

In

most of

these

passages

there

s an accompanying

tate-

ment to

the

effect hat

intellection

s

finally

bandoned.

In

the

treatiseOntheMultiplicityfthe deal Formswe are toldthatwhen

by the

love

of Beauty,

conceived

here as the

love

of form,

we

ap-

proach

the

first

rinciple

of Beauty,

which

is formless,

we

are to

think

of it not

as attained

by

the Soul

but

as coming

to

the

Soul,

which s

present

o

receive t

after urning

rom ts

old environment

and

preparing

tself s beautifully

s

possible

and coming

nto

like-

ness with

the

divine.

The

Soul now

perceives

the

presence

mani-

fested

within

her. The

Evacvdn

s

possible

because

there

are

no

longer wobut one. Whilethevisionremains, istinctions lost-

and

Plotinus

brings

n here the

parallel

of the

earthly

union

of

lovers. With

true

udgment

the

Soul

perceives

hat

it has

reached

the ultimate goal

of its desire

and

that

there

is

nothing

higher.

The

truth

which

t perceives

now

it

can

affirm

eyond

doubt,

but

it

will

make the

affirmation

ater

and

silently.

By

this

Plotinus

probably

means

that

the

state

is not

one of conscious

knowing

but

that

while

t cannot

ater

be

put

into

words

for

others,

ts

truth

and powerwillnotbe lost to himwho has experienced

t. Now

the

Soul

realizes

the

nferiority

f all which

t formerlyccepted.

Even

intellection

t

will

discard;

for

ntellection

s

movement,

nd this

t

does not

desire. It

is

through

ecoming

tself

ntellectual-Principle







Vol.

lxxiii]

Katharsis n Enneades

of

Plotinus

379

that the Soul

now

experiences

the

vision;

by

becoming

ntellec-

tualized it

has

been

able

to take

its stand in that intellectual

ealm

which

it first

ontemplated.

But once

catching

a

glimpse

of

a

higherrealm, the Soul leaves the lower ust as a personwill con-

template

a

beautiful house

only

until its

greater

master has

ap-

peared. The

Soul

now

knows

no

movement ince

the

Supreme

knows

none;

it

is

now

not even Soul

since the

Supreme

s

not

in

life

but

above

life;

t

is no

longer


or

he

Supreme

has

not

intellection,

nd the

likeness

must be

perfect;

his

grasping

is

not

even

by

intellection,

or

the

Supreme

is

not knownintel-

lectively

6.7.34-35).

Following this passage Plotinus reviewsagain the intellectual

steps

by

which

the Soul has

reached

ts

present

position.

He

con-

cludes

with

a

significant

entence.

At the moment

preceding

he

Ekstasis the

seeker

is

still

striving

upward with his

intellectual

capacities,

but

suddenly

wept

beyond

t all

by

the

very

rest f

the

waveof

ntellect

urging

eneath,

e is

lifted

nd

sees,

never

knowing

how;

the

vision

floods

he

eyes

with

ight,

but

it is

not

a light

how-

ing some

other

object, the

light tself

s

the

vision.

I

Clearly the

vision

comes

about

as

the

result

ofboth

intellection

nd the

power

of the One. The latteris predominant, ut it acts almost simul-

taneously

with

the

wave

of

intellection.

Neither

alone

would

be

sufficient.

In

the

final

ection

ofthe

last

Ennead

Plotinus

presents

sort

of

summary

f

his

deas

on

the

natureof

the

Ekstasis

and its

attain-

ment.

He

repeats that

in

the

Ekstasis

there

are not

two

but

one.

It is

not a

vision

perceivedbut

a

unity

pprehended,

nd

the

mage

of

t,

f

the

seeker

will

but

remember,

ill

remain

with

him.

While

it lasts,there s no passion,no outgoingdesire,no reason,no intel-

lection,

no

individual

self.

In

perfect

tillness,

he

has

attained

utter

rest.

He is

like one

who

has

progressed

o

the

innermost

sanctuary

beyondthe

temple

mages

which

he

formerly

orshipped.

The

union

is

not a

visionbut

a

going

forth

rom

elf

(Ko-raots),

a

simplification

airXwcos), renunciation

r

6oo-ts

brov),

a

reach

toward

ontact

EEos

7rpo's

loiv),

a

repose

orats),

and a

medita-

tion

toward

adjustment

vrEptw6?kn

rp6s

4ap,oyt5v).

Any

other

meansofseeingfails. Even thosewhohave notseen theSupreme

are

aware of

ts

existence

ince

they

will be

aware

oftheir

wn

source,

9

6.7.36:

fevcx#exls

ti

r4,

ab7-4i

ro3

voi

oD

ZOj'

KbiAarT,

a't

4oD

Ir'

acroD

otov

oLtOGavros.

See

also

6.9.4.







380

Hazel

E.

Barnes

[1942

will

know

Principle

by

Principle,

nd possess

a craving

hat

s

never

satisfied

until

the

Ekstasis

is

achieved.

The

Soul when

it

has

reached

this

height

s

not

in something

lien but

in itself.

It

is

not Being but beyond Being,self-gatheredn the Supreme. The

self

uplifted

s an

image

of

the

Supreme.

If

we

pass beyond

mage

to

archetype,

we

have

won

the ultimate

goal.

If we

fall back,

we

must

reascend

once

more,

knowing

ourselves

all order

again,

lightened

of

our

burden,

advancing through

Virtue to

the

Intel-

lectual-Principle

nd

through

he

wisdom

of

this

to the

One.

This

is the

life of the

gods and

godlike

and

blessed

men, freedom

rom

all that

is here,

taking

no

pleasure

in what is here,

a flight

f

the

solitary o thesolitary.

In general

outline

the

course

of the

Soul's

experience

on

the

highest

plane

is not

radically

different

rom

what

it underwent

n

the

lower tages.

Formerly

t purified

tself

f

all which

prevented

it

from

being

wholly

Soul,

then

all which

kept

it

from

becoming

Intellectual-Principle;

nd

it

emerged

pure

intellect.

In

this

last

stage

the

all-transcending

ature

of the One

demands

that

katharsis

be complete.

Nothing

which

can

be

given

any

name

of quality

may remain;

nd

so

multiplicity

nd

intellection,

hich

re

the only

two properties emaining,must be discarded. The formernvolves

a

loss of self-awareness.

This

has alreadybeen

met

nthe

approach

to the


ut there

Plotinus

was

concerned

with

the

self s a particular

human

being

with

ndividual

nterests.

Here

it

is a

higher

psychological

wareness

of

the

Soul as experiencing

something

lse

rather

han

as

being

t

which

s

being

sacrificed.

If

must

be

remembered,

owever,

that

the change

is not

a

negation.

As the

Soul becomes

somethinggreater,

t

is

itself

nfinitely

x-

panded. It has not lost itself n nothingness.

As has

been

said,

man's

intellectual activity

on this highest

plane

is called

by

Plotinus philosophy.

Unlike dialectic

on

the

lower

evel t

does not take

the

Soul

quite

all the

way

on

its

ourney.

This does

not

mean

that

philosophy

s mere ratiocination

r

that

it

is in

any

way

at all

identical

with

ordinary

human mental

proc-

esses.

The fact

that

it is

infinitely

bove

dialectic,

which

s

itself

divine,

s sufficient

efutation

or

any

such

argument.

Philosophy

is a sortof ideal dialectic. As the latter bridgesthe gap

between

human and

divine

intellection,

o

philosophy

perfects

ivine

intel-

lection

and

leads

the

way

to

that which

s

beyond

all

intellectual

comprehension.







Vol.

lxxiii]

Katharsis

n Enneades

of

Plotinus

381

I

have

tried

to

emphasize

throughout

his

discussion hat

while

the

Soul

is

required

to

strip

itself

of all that

is alien to

the

One,

there

s

always

a

simultaneous

positive

process

of

building

up

and

concentrating ts powers. This is the preparationon the part of

the Soul

of which Plotinus

speaks

when

he refers

o the

preparation

and

adornment

which

the Soul

has taken

on before

t awaits

the

comingof the Ekstasis

as

the result

of

power

from

bove.

Philos-

ophy

is the means

by

which

the Soul

thus

prepares

tself.

It

is

learning o see that

there

s

more than

intellect,

ealizing

hat one

can

by

the act

of

recognizing

hat fact

prepare

to

experience t.

After the Ekstasis

has been

achieved,

philosophy

translates

the

experience into terms valuable for the more normal course of

the Soul's

life

n

the


Saying

that the

final

Ekstasis comes as the resultof

a

power

outside

the

Soul,

that the

Soul

receives t rather

han takes

it,

is

likely

to

involve us

in

more

of

an idea

of

separation

both

temporal

and

spatial

than Plotinus

would

have us hold.

The

completion

f

the

philosophical

repara-

tion,

he

nstant

f

perfect

eadiness,

nd

the

actual

absorbing

f

the

Soul

into

the One

by

Itself

are

simultaneous.

The

crest

of

the

wave of ntellect raises theSoul intothemysticpower. Without

the

intellect he Soul

could

not

achieve the

Ekstasis

any

more

than

it

could be

absorbed into

the

divine

union

without

divine

power.

Philosophy,we

may

conclude, has

been

the

method

by

which

the entire

process

of

katharsis

has

been

accomplished.

Philosophy

is

the

means

of

learning

to

know

the

moral

virtues

and

the

intel-

lectual ones.

Philosophy

possesses

as a

precious

part

of

itself

dialectic,

which

enables

the

Soul

to

completethe

first

tep

in

its

ascent.

Philosophy teaches the Soul by each one of thesemeans

to

cast off

ll in

itself

hat

is

inferior,

nd

to

concentrate, o

perfect

all that s

divine.

Finally t

is

the

ntellectual

erception

hat

there

is

something

eyond

all

intellect,

nd it

is

the

activityof

the

intel-

lect

which

prepares

the

Soul

to

receive

that

power. As

the

sub-

ordinate

parts

of

philosophyhave

accomplished he

early

phases

of

purification,

o

true

philosophy

achieves

the

final

katharsis.

As

the

last

step,

philosophy

s itself

rejected,

but it

is

rejected

only

because

the

nature

of the

One

is so

great

that

anything

which

wecan

comprehend

must

be for

that very

reason

discarded.

Philos-

ophy

is

rejected

because

it

is not

the One,

and

the

One is

all

that

can

remain.







382

Hazel E.

Barnes

[1942

The theory

fkatharsis

which

Plotinus

presents

eems to

me

a

remarkable

ttempt

at

resolving

he

problem

of rationalism

ersus

mysticism.

He

is,

of course,

not the

only

intellectual

mystic,

but

he is important or having given us one of the most detailed and

logical

expositions

of such

a

way of

life

that can

be found.

He

does not

make

the

mistake

of attempting

o describe

in

specific

terms

n experience

which transcends

he specific.

Yet

in

proving

the necessity

f recognizing

he existence,desirability,

nd

impor-

tance

of such

an

experience,

he reasons

n terms

of almost

mathe-

matical

precision.

If

we grant

his

conclusion

hat

there

s something

beyond

intellect

to

be obtained,

we

must

admit

that the

steps

leadingto it are entirely onsistent.

Since the

primal

cause

cannot

be defined

n

terms

material

or mental,

t is

fitting

o

hold that it

cannot

be

reached by

efforts urely physical

or

intellectual.

On

the other

hand, since

it is only through

he

intellect

hat

one can

grasp

the possibility

f

the

goal to

be reached,

t

is

logical

to

main-

tain that

intellectual

ctivity

s

the

highest

duty and

privilege

of

man and

that

it is

right

o sacrifice

o it

all

otherpursuits.

In the

philosophical

pproach

there

s an ever

greater

ntellectualization,

but Plotinus

never

falls

into

the error

of

worshipping

he

means

insteadofthe end.

Katharsis

s

not

n its

practical

pplication

negative

but positive.

No

lesser

thing

s

given

up

until

a

greater

has been

seen.

Further-

more,

t is

not really

a denial

of the

individual.

By

katharsis

one

develops

within

himself

hose powers

which

would otherwise

never

be recognized.

Earthly

life,

moreover,

s not

only

a

preparation

for

a

life after

death;

for

the

Ekstasis

comes

to the

living

man,

to

him who

lives

most

fully

that

intellectual

ife which

distinguishes

him from thercreatures.

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