ON THE MYSTERIES.

ON THE MYSTERIES.

...distinguishing separate beings through their relations to bodies—namely, gods through their relation to ethereal bodies, daemons to aerial ones, and souls to earthly ones. This is because, clearly, prior things and causes should not be distinguished by posterior things and effects. Incorporeal substances are not inside bodies; rather, they lead them from the outside, and they give something to the bodies without receiving anything in return. Therefore, they are neither changed along with the bodies, nor are they distributed according to the distribution of those bodies. For they are not "habits" original: "habitus." In Neoplatonic philosophy, a "habit" is a quality or state that belongs to a subject; here, the author argues that divine beings are independent substances, not just qualities of matter. of bodies or material forms, but are self-subsisting and separable; indeed, they are already separate and live before bodies exist. Separate and separable substances do not become what they are because they have chosen a particular lot or province A "province" refers to a specific sphere of influence or governing duty in the cosmos., or were allotted it; but rather the reverse: whatever kind of life and form the soul brought forth into act within itself before entering a body, it is allotted such an organized body original: "corpus organicum." This refers to a body equipped with organs or instruments suitable for the soul's specific level of existence. and a consequent nature, which is indeed subjected to the perfection of the soul's own life. The rational soul comes into a body already living, but imperfectly alive. Divine beings naturally progenerate within themselves their whole distinct work before they bring it forth. Among those things which have the character of a universal principle, lower things are produced in higher ones, bodily things in incorporeal ones, and works in their makers; and they are directed within those things that contain them in a circular fashion. Therefore, celestial orbits are reduced to the orbit of celestial souls. Indeed, the souls of the worlds—that is, of the spheres and the stars—entering into their own Intellect, are fully grasped by it and are first progenerated within it. The particular intellect is grasped by the universal one, and that one by higher things in like manner. Since, therefore, subsequent things are always turned toward the higher, and the higher lead lower things as models, certainly essence and form are produced by the higher and are present to the lower; and in all cases, subsequent things are first produced within the better beings. And for this reason, order and measure in subsequent things depend on the higher and not the reverse; therefore, the properties of the higher are not to be assigned based on the lower. Consequently, incorporeal essence cannot be distinguished by bodily qualities, with which it has nothing in common.

Divine principles bestow upon their works not only essence, but the whole distinction and formal order. Essence, which is present to bodies non-locally original: "non localiter." This means the essence is present through its power and influence, not by occupying physical space like a solid object., is not distinguished by bodily locations; and that which is not confined by the particular boundaries of its subjects is by no means contained by the parts of the world. Incorporeal nature is suddenly present wherever it wishes, with nothing anywhere preventing it.

m Even more so, divinity is constrained by no limit that would prevent it from being everywhere.

Likewise, those things that exist among us cannot come to be or be formed, unless by a single power which...