Enneads

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The Six Enneads, sometimes abbreviated to The Enneads or Enneads, is the collection of writings of Plotinus, edited and compiled by his student Porphyry (c. 270 AD). Plotinus was a student of Ammonius Saccas and they were founders of Neoplatonism. His work, through Augustine of Hippo, and therefore subsequent Christian and Muslim thinkers, has greatly influenced Western and Near-Eastern thought.

[edit] Organization and content

Porphyry edited the writings of Plotinus in fifty-four treatises, which greatly vary in length and number of chapters, mostly because he split some original texts and joined others together to match this very number. Then he proceeded to set the fifty-four treatises in groups of nine (Greek. ennea) or Enneads. He also collected The Enneads into three volumes. The first volume contained the three firsts Enneads (I, III, III); the second the Fourth (IV) and the Fifth (V) Enneads; and the remaining volume was devoted to the Sixth (VI) and last. After correcting and naming each treatise, Porphyry wrote a biography of his master, Life of Plotinus, intended to be an Introduction to the Enneads.

Porphyry's edition does not follow the chronological order in which Enneads were written (see Chronological Listing below), but responds to a plan of study which leads the learner from subjects related to his own affairs to subjects concerning the uttermost principles of universe.

Although not exclusively, Porphyry tells us (Cf. Life of Plotinus, chapters.24-26) that the First Ennead deals with Human or ethical topics; the Second and Third Enneads are mostly devoted to cosmological subjects or physical reality; The Fourth concerns about Soul; the Fifth to knowledge and intelligible reality; and finally the Sixth has for topics Being and what is above it, the One or first principle of all.

[edit] How to quote and refer to The Enneads

Since the publishing of modern critical edition of the Greek text by P. Henry and H.-R. Schwyzer (Plotini Opera. 3 volumes. Paris-Bruxelles, 1951-1973) and the revised one (Plotini Opera. 3 volumes. Oxford: Claredon Press, 1964-1984) there is the academic use to quote Enneads in such a way we first mention the number of Ennead (usually in Romans from I to VI), the number of treatise within each Ennead (in arabics from 1 to 9), the number of chapter (in arabics also), and the line(s) in one of the mentioned editions. These numbers are divided by dots, by commas or blank spaces (there is no absolute consensus about this).

E.g. For Fourth Ennead (IV), treatise number seven (7), chapter two (2), lines one to five (1-5), we write:

IV.7.2.1-5

E.g. The following three mean Third Ennead (III), treatise number five (5), chapter nine (9), line eight (8):

III, 5, 9,8
3,5,9,8
III 5 9 8

It is important to remark that some translations or editions do not include the line numbers according to P. Henry and H.-R. Schwyzer’s. In addition to this, there is the use to indicate the chronological order of the treatises between brackets or parentheses.

E.g. For the previously given:

IV.7 (2).2.1-5 since treatise IV.7 was the second written by Plotinus.
III, 5 [50], 9,8 since IV.7 was the fiftieth written by Plotinus.

[edit] Table of contents

The names of treatises may differ according to translation.

[edit] The First Ennead

I.1 [53] - "What is the Living Being and What is Man?"
I.2 [19] - "On Virtue"
I.3 [20] - "On Dialectic [The Upward Way]."
I.4 [46] - "On True Happiness (Well Being)"
I.5 [36] - "On Whether Happiness (Well Being) Increases with Time."
I.6 [1] - "On Beauty"
I.7 [54] - "On the Primal Good and Secondary Forms of Good [Otherwise, 'On Happiness']"
I.8 [51] - "On the Nature and Source of Evil"
I.9 [16] - "On Dismissal"

[edit] The Second Ennead

II.1 [40] - "On Heaven"
II.2 [14] - "On the Movement of Heaven"
II.3 [52] - "Whether the Stars are Causes"
II.4 [12] - "On Matter"
II.5 [25] - "On Potentiality and Actuality."
II.6 [17] - "On Quality or on Substance"
II.7 [37] - "On Complete Transfusion"
II.8 [35] - "On Sight or on how Distant Objects Appear Small."
II.9 [33] - "Against Those That Affirm The Creator of the Kosmos and The Kosmos Itself to be Evil: [Generally Quoted as "Against the Gnostics"].

[edit] The Third Ennead

III.1 [3] - "On Fate"
III.2 [47] - "On Providence (1)."
III.3 [48] - "On Providence (2)."
III.4 [15] - "On our Allotted Guardian Spirit"
III.5 [50] - "On Love"
III.6 [26] - "On the Impassivity of the Unembodied"
III.7 [45] - "On Eternity and Time"
III.8 [30] - "On Nature, Contemplation and the One"
III.9 [13] - "Detached Considerations"

[edit] The Fourth Ennead

IV.1 [21] - "On the Essence of the Soul (2)"
IV.2 [4] - "On the Essence of the Soul (1)"
IV.3 [27] - "On Problems of the Soul (1)"
IV.4 [28] - "On Problems of the Soul (2)"
IV.5 [29] - "On Problems of the Soul (3)” [Also known as, "On Sight"].
IV.6 [41] - "On Sense-Perception and Memory"
IV.7 [2] - "On the Immortality of the Soul"
IV.8 [6] - "On the Soul's Descent into Body"
IV.9 [8] - "Are All Souls One"

[edit] The Fifth Ennead

V.1 [10] - "On the Three Primary Hypostases"
V.2 [11] - "On the Origin and Order of the Beings following after the First"
V.3 [49] - "On the Knowing Hypostases and That Which is Beyond"
V.4 [7] - "How That Which is After the First comes from the First, and on the One."
V.5 [32] - "That the Intellectual Beings are not Outside the Intellect, and on the Good"
V.6 [24] - "On the Fact that That Which is Beyond Being Does not Think, and on What is the Primary and the Secondary Thinking Principle"
V.7 [18] - "On whether There are Ideas of Particular Beings"
V.8 [31] - "On the Intelligible Beauty."
V.9 [5] - "On Intellect, the Forms, and Being"

[edit] The Sixth Ennead

VI.1 [42] - "On the Kinds of Being (1)"
VI.2 [43] - "On the Kinds of Being (2)"
VI.3 [44] - "On the Kinds of Being (3)"
VI.4 [22] - "On the Presence of Being, One and the Same, Everywhere as a Whole (1)"
VI.5 [23] - "On the Presence of Being, One and the Same, Everywhere as a Whole (2)"
VI.6 [34] - "On Numbers"
VI.7 [38] - "How the Multiplicity of Forms Came Into Being: and on the Good"
VI.8 [39] - "On Free Will and the Will of the One"
VI.9 [9] - "On the Good, or the One"

[edit] Note on the Plotiniana Arabica or Arabic Plotinus

After the fall of Western Roman Empire and during the period of the Byzantine Empire, the authorship of some Plotinus' texts became clouded. Many pasages of Enneads IV-VI, now known as Plotiniana Arabica, circulated among Islamic scholars (as Al-Kindi, Al-Farabi and Avicenna) under the name The Theology of Aristotle or quoted as "Sayings of an old [wise] man". The writings had a significant effect on Islamic philosophy, due to Islamic interest in Aristotle. A Latin version of the so called Theology appeared in Europe in 1519. (Cf. O'MEARA, An Introduction the Enneads. Oxford: 1995, 111ff.)

[edit] Some editions, translations and tools

Contemporary scholars refer to the Plotinus' critical editions made by

HENRY, P. and SCHWYZER, H.-R. Plotini Opera. (Editio maior in 3 vols. including English translation of Plotiniana Arabiga or The Theology of Aristotle) Bruxelles and Paris: Museum Lessianum, 1964-1973.
HENRY, P. and SCHWYZER, H.-R. Plotini Opera. (Editio minor in 3 vols.) Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1964-1982.

Useful tools for the study of the Enneads are

SLEEMAN, J.-H and POLLET, G. Lexikon Plotinianum. Leyden: Brill, 1980.
DUFOUR, R. Plotinus. A Bibliography: 1950-2000. Leyden: Brill, 2002.
RADICE. R. and BOMBACIGNO, R. Lexicon II: Plotinus. (Includes a CD containing the entire Greek text) Milan: Biblia, 2004.

[edit] English

ARMSTRONG, A.H. Plotinus. (7 vols. including Greek text of HENRY, P. and SCHWYZER a fronte) Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1966-1988.
ATKINSON, M. Plotinus' Ennead V.1: On the Three Principal Hypostases Oxford: OUP, 1983.
BUSSANICH. J. The One and its Relation to Intellect (Translation and comentary of selected treatises). Leiden: Brill, 1988.
FLEET, B. III.6 Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995.

[edit] French

Émile Bréhier. Ennéades (7 vols. including edition of Greek text on facing pages) Paris: Collection Budé, 1960-63 (3rd ed.)
HADOT, P. Plotin, Traité 38 (VI.7). Paris: Cerf, 1988.
HADOT, P. Plotin, Traité 50 (II.5). Paris: Cerf, 1990.
LEROUX, G. Traité sur la liberté et la volonté de l'Un. [VI.8(39)] Paris: Vrin, 1990.
NARBONE, J.-M. II.5(25) Paris: Cerf, 1998.
O'MEARA, D. I.8(51) Paris: Cerf, 1999.
HAM, B. V.3 (49) Paris: Cerf, 2000.
BRISSON.L, PRADEAU, J.-F.(Dir.) Plotin. Traites. Paris: GF-FlamMarion, 2002-2003 (2 vols. of this translation of the treatises following the chronological order had appeared: the first containing treatises 1 to 6, the second, 7-21, cf. supra. Table of Contents and infra. Chronological Listing)

[edit] Spanish

IGAL, J. Plotino Enéadas (3 vols.) Madrid: Gredos, 1982-1998.

[edit] Italian

CILENTO, V. Plotino, Enneadi (3 vols.) Bari: 1947-1949.
RADICE. R. Plotino, Enneadi (2 vols.) Milan: Biblia, 2002-2003.

[edit] German

HARDER, R., BEUTLER, R., THEILER, W. (Eds.) Plotins Scriften.(12 Vols.) Hambourg: 1956-1971

[edit] External links

The Six Enneads (complete Mackenna and Page translation) in monospaced text.
The Six Enneads (complete Mackenna and Page translation) in PDF, HTML, Microsoft Word, Plain Text, Theological Markup Language (XML), and 'Palm Doc' versions.
The Six Enneads Mackenna and Page translation divided into six sections in HTML.
The Enneads, Greek text page scans of Kirchhoff's edition.
The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Plotinus
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Plotinus
Plotinian Bibliography 2001- by Richard Dufour (French and English versions), continues his research presented in Plotinus: a Bibliography 1950-2000, referred above.
Links to Enneads, treatises, and chapters in English, Greek, and French for quick reference.
Ἐννεάδες The Henry and Schwyzer 1951 edition at Bibliotheca Augustiana.

[edit] Plotinus' writings: Chronological listing

According to the fourth chapter of Porphyry's Life of Plotinus, preserving the titles he assigned them and the corresponding treatise number in the Enneads.

I.6 [1] - "On Beauty"
IV.7 [2] - "On the Immortality of the Soul"
III.1 [3] - "On Fate"
IV.2 [4] - "On the Essence of the Soul (1)"
V.9 [5] - "On Intellect, the Forms, and Being"
IV.8 [6] - "On the Soul's Descent into Body"
V.4 [7] - "How That Which is After the First comes from the First, and on the One."
IV.9 [8] - "If All Souls One"
VI.9 [9] - "On the Good, or the One"
V.1 [10] - "On the Three Primary Hypostases"
V.2 [11] - "On the Origin and Order of the Beings following after the First"
II.4 [12] - "On Matter"
III.9 [13] - "Detached Considerations"
II.2 [14] - "On the Movement of Heaven"
III.4 [15] - "On our Allotted Guardian Spirit"
I.9 [16] - "On Dismissal"
II.6 [17] - "On Quality or on Substance"
V.7 [18] - "On whether There are Ideas of Particular Beings"
I.2 [19] - "On Virtue"
I.3 [20] - "On Dialectic [The Upward Way]."
IV.1 [21] - "On the Essence of the Soul (2)"
VI.4 [22] - "On the Presence of Being, One and the Same, Everywhere as a Whole (1)"
VI.5 [23] - "On the Presence of Being, One and the Same, Everywhere as a Whole (2)"
V.6 [24] - "On the Fact that That Which is Beyond Being Does not Think, and on What is the Primary and the Secondary Thinking Principle"
II.5 [25] - "On Potentiality and Actuality."
III.6 [26] - "On the Impassivity of the Unembodied"
IV.3 [27] - "On Problems of the Soul (1)"
IV.4 [28] - "On Problems of the Soul (2)"
IV.5 [29] - "On Problems of the Soul (3)” [Also known as, "On Sight"].
III.8 [30] - "On Nature, Contemplation and the One"
V.8 [31] - "On the Intelligible Beauty"
V.5 [32] - "That the Intellectual Beings are not Outside the Intellect, and on the Good"
II.9 [33] - "Against Those That Affirm The Creator of the Kosmos and The Kosmos Itself to be Evil: [Generally Quoted as "Against the Gnostics"].
VI.6 [34] - "On Numbers"
II.8 [35] - "On Sight or on how Distant Objects Appear Small."
I.5 [36] - "On Whether Happiness (Well Being) Increases with Time."
II.7 [37] - "On Complete Transfusion"
VI.7 [38] - "How the Multiplicity of Forms Came Into Being: and on the Good"
VI.8 [39] - "On Free Will and the Will of the One"
II.1 [40] - "On Heaven"
IV.6 [41] - "On Sense-Perception and Memory"
VI.1 [42] - "On the Kinds of Being (1)"
VI.2 [43] - "On the Kinds of Being (2)"
VI.3 [44] - "On the Kinds of Being (3)"
III.7 [45] - "On Eternity and Time"
I.4 [46] - "On True Happiness (Well Being)"
III.2 [47] - "On Providence (1)"
III.3 [48] - "On Providence (2)"
V.3 [49] - "On the Knowing Hypostases and That Which is Beyond"
III.5 [50] - "On Love"
I.8 [51] - "On the Nature and Source of Evil"
II.3 [52] - "Whether the Stars are Causes"
I.1 [53] - "What is the Living Being and What is Man?"
I.7 [54] - "On the Primal Good and Secondary Forms of Good [Otherwise, 'On Happiness']"