The Enneads

Ennead III

On Providence, Part One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
On our Allotted Guardian Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
On Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
On the Impassivity of the Unembodied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
On Sensation and Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
On Envy, Pity, and Benevolence original: "φθόνου καὶ ἐλέου καὶ εὐνοίας" — while standard editions of the Enneads list III.6 as "On the Impassivity of the Unembodied," this manuscript transcription lists a different set of ethical passions here. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Nine different subjects.

These matters concerning the world around us and the bodily order are contained within the Third Ennead. He arranged them in this way so that the universal order of things concerning the world precedes the Intellect original: "νοῦ" — Nous, the divine Mind or second principle in Plotinus's system.. Although he includes these subjects here, he is looking toward the origins of the passions. This arrangement follows the Second Ennead, but has its own cause due to the descent of the soul into the body. Through this, he discusses pity and benevolence, and the nature of the underlying subjects. For this is the proper order. The fourth concept, following much of the world, relates to the matters concerning souls. And these are their divisions: +

On the Essence of the Soul, Part One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
On the Soul, Part Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Difficulties about the Soul, Part One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
... Ennead IV

Difficulties about the Soul, Part Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Difficulties about the Soul, Part Three; or, On Vision . . . . . . . 5
On Ensouled Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
On the Immortality of the Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
On the Soul's Descent into Bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
On the Causes of the Soul, One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

The Fourth Ennead, then, contained all the propositions concerning the soul itself; not everything in existence, but specifically matters regarding its essence and its forms. It also covers the underlying minds and the soul's own forms, as well as the parts within it and their forms within bodies: +

Ennead V

On the Three Primary Hypostases original: "ὑποστάσεων" — Hypostases refers to the fundamental levels of reality: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
On the Generation and Order of things after the First . . . . . . . . 2
On the Knowing Hypostases and that which is Beyond . . . . . . . . 3
How that which is After the First comes from the First; and On the One . . . 4
That the Intelligibles are not outside the Intellect; and On the Good . . . . 5
On the Intelligible Genera of Being and On Being; and On the One . . . . 6, 7, 8
On the Intelligible Genera and what follows . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
On Intellect and Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
On Being and the Ideas; and On Being . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The numbering here (10, 11) reflects a specific manuscript tradition; standard editions vary.

The Fifth Ennead, thus titled, covers the intelligible principles within the cosmos. Through the order of the intelligibles, it leads us toward those things separated from bodies. Thus, in this fifth Ennead, he encompasses the entire treatise concerning the Intellect. The Sixth Ennead, in turn, bears the title concerning Beings. It accounts for things concerning Being, the Ideas, and Intelligible Beauty in the following order: +

On Intelligible Beauty, Part One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
On the Intellect and the Ideas, Part Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
On Intelligible Beings, Part Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
That the Intelligibles are not outside the Intellect, and On the One, Part Four . . 4
That the Intelligibles are not outside the Intellect, and On Being, Part Five . . . 5
Ennead VI

On Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
How the Multitude of Ideas came to be; and On the Good . . . . . . . 7
On the Concept of the One and on Benevolence . . . . . . . . . . . 8
On the Good and the One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Therefore, these fifty-four books Plotinus's 54 treatises were divided by Porphyry into six groups of nine, hence the name "Enneads" (from "ennea," the Greek word for nine)., making up the six Enneads, encompass the entire system of thought. For some have beautifully arranged these same existing truths to account for the Intelligible Reality, and they have also written about our own nature and that which pertains to him and to her. You have heard it thus. It is necessary above all else to return to the things of the Intellect, for through the Intellect he deems us worthy of such care.