The Life of Plotinus

...from anyone who was conversing with him. He did not need to restart his train of thought original: "epanalabōn ta pepragmena," literally "taking up again what had been done." Porphyry is marveling that Plotinus never "lost his place" in his internal meditation because he did not possess his vision as something to be "retrieved," as we have said. Rather, the subsequent events in his life were joined together in a single unity. He allowed no gap of time to pass between when he was conducting his usual conversations and when he was simultaneously attending to both himself and others. Indeed, he would never relax his attention toward himself, except perhaps during sleep—and even that his sparse diet often pushed away.

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He claimed that his intellect was trained to be active alongside everything else. 10 / 9 He also had women in his circle who were devoted to him and stayed close to his way of life.

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He lived in the house of a woman named Chione The OCR reads "Iamblichou," but this is likely a transcription error for "Chione," a noblewoman who hosted Plotinus. The text refers to the "household" or "descendants" of these women, and his daughter stayed there as well, as did many other women who were deeply devoted to philosophy. Many men and women of the highest nobility, when they were on the verge of death, would bring their children—both boys and girls—and entrust them to him, along with their entire estates. They viewed him as a kind of sacred and holy guardian.

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Because of this, his house was filled with young boys and maidens. Among these children, he took great care for the education of each, often even going so far as to personally oversee their lessons. He was a foe to none, even when he had to deal with the accounts of their business affairs. He was meticulous in his management, saying that as long as they did not yet pursue philosophy, they should have their property and incomes remain untouched and preserved for them. Nevertheless, even while providing for so many and taking on the cares and management of their daily lives, he never relaxed the tension of his intellect, staying awake and attentive to the Mind original: "tēn pros ton noun tasin," referring to his focus on the Divine Intellect, the second principle of his philosophy.

He was gentle toward everyone who had even a passing acquaintance with him. Consequently, although he lived in Rome for twenty-six years Porphyry notes elsewhere that Plotinus spent most of his later life in Rome and acted as an arbitrator for many in their disputes, he never made an enemy of any citizen. Among those who pretended to philosophy, however, was Olympius of Alexandria. He had been a student of Ammonius Ammonius Saccas, the self-taught philosopher who was the teacher of both Plotinus and Origen for a short time, but he behaved toward Plotinus with contempt...