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{{Short description|Six collections of nine books by the Neoplatonic philosopher Plotinus}}

{{context|October 2006}}

{{italic title}}

The '''''Six Enneads''''', sometimes abbreviated to '''''The Enneads''''' or '''''Enneads''''', were written by the [[Neo-Platonism|Neo-Platonist]] [[Plotinus]]; it was edited and compiled by his last student [[Porphyry (philosopher)|Porphyry]] in a short period (c. [[270]] [[Common Era|CE]]) after the death of Plotinus. Plotinus was a [[Platonism|Platonic]] philosopher, being possibly a 12th to 14th generation student of the Greek philosopher [[Plato]]. He claimed his Platonist education was passed to him by the Platonist [[Ammonius Saccas]] of [[Alexandria]], one of the founders of [[Neo-Platonism]].

{{Other uses of|Ennead}}

{{distinguish|Eheads|Aeneid}}

{{Neoplatonism}}

The '''''Enneads''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɛ|n|i|æ|d|z}};<ref>{{Cite Collins Dictionary|ennead}}</ref> {{langx|grc|Ἐννεάδες}}), fully '''''The Six Enneads''''', is the collection of writings of the philosopher [[Plotinus]], edited and compiled by his student [[Porphyry (philosopher)|Porphyry]] ({{c.|AD}}{{nbsp}}270). Plotinus was a student of [[Ammonius Saccas]], and together they were founders of [[Neoplatonism]]. His work, through [[Augustine of Hippo]], the [[Cappadocian Fathers]], [[Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite]] and several subsequent [[Christianity|Christian]] and [[Islam|Muslim]] thinkers, has greatly influenced [[Western world|Western]] and [[Near East|Near-Eastern]] thought.

==Contents==

This article refers to the version translated into modern English, by Stephen Mackenna and B. S. Page. It is divided into six chapters (called [[ennead]]s) and each chapter is subdivided into nine subchapters (called [[tractate]]s).

Porphyry edited the writings of Plotinus in fifty-four [[treatise]]s, which vary greatly in length and number of chapters, mostly because he split 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 first three ''Enneads'' (I, II, III), the second volume has the ''Fourth'' (IV) and the ''Fifth'' (V) ''Enneads'', and the last volume was devoted to the remaining ''Ennead''. 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 the [[universe]].

Although not exclusively, Porphyry writes in chapters 24–26 of the ''Life of Plotinus'' that the ''First Ennead'' deals with human or ethical topics, the ''Second'' and ''Third Enneads'' are mostly devoted to [[cosmological]] subjects or [[reality|physical reality]]. The ''Fourth'' concerns the [[Soul]], the ''Fifth'' [[knowledge]] and intelligible reality, and finally the ''Sixth'' covers [[Existence|being]] and what is above it, [[Neoplatonism#The One|the One]] or first principle of all.

==Citing the ''Enneads''==

Since the publishing of a modern critical edition of the Greek text by Paul Henry and [[Hans-Rudolf Schwyzer]] (''Plotini Opera''. 3 volumes. Paris-Bruxelles, 1951–1973; H-S¹ or ''editio major'' text) and the revised one (''Plotini Opera''. 3 volumes. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1964–1984; referred to as the H-S² or ''editio minor'' text) there is an academic convention of citing the ''Enneads'' by first mentioning 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 periods, commas, or blank spaces.

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 edition. In addition to this, the chronological order of the treatises is numbered between brackets or parentheses, and given below.

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 III.5 was the fiftieth written by Plotinus.

==Table of contents==

The names of treatises may differ according to translation. The numbers in square brackets before the individual works refer to the chronological order they were written according to Porphyry's ''Life of Plotinus''.

=== The First Ennead ===

* First Tractate - "The Animate and the Man"

=== ''First Ennead'' ===

* Second Tractate - "On Virtue"

* I.1 [53] - "What is the Living Being and What is Man?"

* Third Tractate - "On Dialectic [The Upward Way]."

* FourthI.2 Tractate[19] - "On True HappinessVirtue"

* FifthI.3 Tractate[20] - "HappinessOn andDialectic Extension[The ofUpward TimeWay]."

* I.4 [46] - "On True Happiness (Well Being)"

* Sixth Tractate - "Beauty"

* I.5 [36] - "On Whether Happiness (Well Being) Increases with Time."

* Seventh Tractate - "On the Primal Good and Secondary Forms of Good [Otherwise, 'On Happiness']"

* I.6 [1] - "On Beauty"

* Eighth Tractate - "On the Nature and Source of Evil"

* I.7 [54] - "On the Primal Good and Secondary Forms of Good [Otherwise, 'On Happiness']"

* Ninth Tractate - "The Reasoned Dismissal"

* I.8 [51] - "On the Nature and Source of Evil"

* I.9 [16] - "On Dismissal"

=== ''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|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 Cosmos and the Cosmos Itself to be Evil" [generally quoted as "Against the Gnostics"]

=== ''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"

=== ''Fourth Ennead'' ===

* IV.1 [21] - "On the Essence of the Soul (1)"

* IV.2 [4] - "On the Essence of the Soul (2)"

* 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"

=== ''Fifth Ennead'' ===

* V.1 [10] - "On the Three Primary [[Hypostasis (philosophy and religion)|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 Intellectual Beauty"

* V.9 [5] - "On Intellect, the Forms, and Being"

=== ''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"

===Plotinus's original chronological order===

The chronological listing is given by Porphyry (''Life of Plotinus'' 4–6). The first 21 treatises (through IV.1) had already been written when Porphyry met Plotinus, so they were not necessarily written in the order shown.

* '''I'''.6, '''IV'''.7, '''III'''.1, '''IV'''.2, '''V'''.9, '''IV'''.8, '''V'''.4, '''IV'''.9, '''VI'''.9

* '''V'''.1, '''V'''.2, '''II'''.4, '''III'''.9, '''II'''.2, '''III'''.4, '''I'''.9, '''II'''.6, '''V'''.7

* '''I'''.2, '''I'''.3, '''IV'''.1, '''VI'''.4, '''VI'''.5, '''V'''.6, '''II'''.5, '''III'''.6, '''IV'''.3

* '''IV'''.4, '''IV'''.5, '''III'''.8, '''V'''.8, '''V'''.5, '''II'''.9, '''VI'''.6, '''II'''.8, '''I'''.5

* '''II'''.7, '''VI'''.7, '''VI'''.8, '''II'''.1, '''IV'''.6, '''VI'''.1, '''VI'''.2, '''VI'''.3, '''III'''.7

* '''I'''.4, '''III'''.2, '''III'''.3, '''V'''.3, '''III'''.5, '''I'''.8, '''II'''.3, '''I'''.1, '''I'''.7

In table format, the chronological order of Porphyry corresponding each of the Ennead treatises is:<ref name="Gerson Enneads">{{cite book|editor-last=Gerson|editor-first=Lloyd P.|editor-link=Lloyd P. Gerson|title=The Enneads|publisher=Cambridge University Press|publication-place=Cambridge|year=2018|isbn=978-1-107-00177-0|oclc=993492241}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Chronological order !! Ennead treatise

|-

| 1 || 1.6

|-

| 2 || 4.7

|-

| 3 || 3.1

|-

| 4 || 4.2

|-

| 5 || 5.9

|-

| 6 || 4.8

|-

| 7 || 5.4

|-

| 8 || 4.9

|-

| 9 || 6.9

|-

| 10 || 5.1

|-

| 11 || 5.2

|-

| 12 || 2.4

|-

| 13 || 3.9

|-

| 14 || 2.2

|-

| 15 || 3.4

|-

| 16 || 1.9

|-

| 17 || 2.6

|-

| 18 || 5.7

|-

| 19 || 1.2

|-

| 20 || 1.3

|-

| 21 || 4.1

|-

| 22 || 6.4

|-

| 23 || 6.5

|-

| 24 || 5.6

|-

| 25 || 2.5

|-

| 26 || 3.6

|-

| 27 || 4.3

|-

| 28 || 4.4

|-

| 29 || 4.5

|-

| 30 || 3.8

|-

| 31 || 5.8

|-

| 32 || 5.5

|-

| 33 || 2.9

|-

| 34 || 6.6

|-

| 35 || 2.8

|-

| 36 || 1.5

|-

| 37 || 2.7

|-

| 38 || 6.7

|-

| 39 || 6.8

|-

| 40 || 2.1

|-

| 41 || 4.6

|-

| 42 || 6.1

|-

| 43 || 6.2

|-

| 44 || 6.3

|-

| 45 || 3.7

|-

| 46 || 1.4

|-

| 47 || 3.2

|-

| 48 || 3.3

|-

| 49 || 5.3

|-

| 50 || 3.5

|-

| 51 || 1.8

|-

| 52 || 2.3

|-

| 53 || 1.1

|-

| 54 || 1.7

|}

== 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 passages of ''Enneads'' IV-VI, now known as ''Plotiniana Arabica'', circulated among [[Islam]]ic 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 to the Enneads''. Oxford: 1995, 111ff.)

== Bibliography ==

;Critical editions of the Greek text

* [[Émile Bréhier|Bréhier, Émile]]. ''Plotin: Ennéades'' (with French translation), [[Collection Budé]], 1924–1938.

* Henry, Paul, and Hans-Rudolf Schwyzer. ''Plotini Opera''. (''Editio maior'' in 3 vols. including English translation of ''Plotiniana Arabica'' or ''The Theology of Aristotle'') Bruxelles and Paris: Museum Lessianum, 1951–1973.

* Henry, Paul, and Hans-Rudolf Schwyzer. ''Plotini Opera''. (''Editio minor'' in 3 vols.) Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1964–1982.

;Complete English translations

=== The Second Ennead ===

* [[Thomas Taylor (neoplatonist)|Taylor, Thomas]]. ''Collected Writings of Plotinus'', Frome, Prometheus Trust, 1994. {{ISBN|1-898910-02-2}} (contains approximately half of the Enneads)

* First Tractate - "On the Kosmos, or on the Heavenly System"

* [[Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie|Guthrie, Kenneth Sylvan]]. [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42930/42930-h/42930-h.htm ''Plotinos, Complete Works''] in 4 vols., Comparative Literature Press, 1918.

* Second Tractate - "The Heavenly Circuit"

* ''Plotinus. The Enneads'' (translated by [[Stephen MacKenna]]), London, Medici Society, 1917–1930 (an [http://sacred-texts.com/cla/plotenn/index.htm online version] is available at [[Internet Sacred Text Archive|Sacred Texts]]); 2nd edition, B. S. Page (ed.), 1956.

* Third Tractate - "Are the Stars Causes?"

* [[A. H. Armstrong|Armstrong, A. H.]] ''Plotinus. Enneads'' (with Greek text), [[Loeb Classical Library]], 7 vol., 1966–1988.

* Fourth Tractate - "Matter in its Two Kinds"

* [[Lloyd P. Gerson|Gerson, Lloyd P]]. (ed.); George Boys-Stones, John M. Dillon, Lloyd P. Gerson, R.A. King, Andrew Smith and James Wilberding (trs.). ''The Enneads''. Cambridge University Press, 2018.

* Fifth Tractate - "On Potentiality and Actuality."

* Sixth Tractate - "Quality and Form-Idea."

* Seventh Tractate - "On Complete Transfusion."

* Eighth Tractate - "Why Distant Objects Appear Small."

* Ninth Tractate - "Against Those That Affirm The Creator of the Kosmos and The Kosmos Itself to be Evil: [Generally Quoted as "Against the Gnostics"].

;Commentaries

=== The Third Ennead ===

* ''The Enneads of Plotinus Series.'' Edited by [[John M. Dillon]] and Andrew Smith. Parmenides Publishing. 2012–Ongoing.

* First Tractate - "Fate"

* Atkinson, Michael. ''Plotinus' Ennead V.1: On the Three Principal Hypostases'' Oxford: OUP, 1983.

* Second Tractate - "On Providence (1)."

* Bussanich, John. ''The One and Its Relation to Intellect'' (Translation and commentary of selected treatises). Leiden: Brill, 1988.

* Third Tractate - "On Providence (2)."

* Fleet, Barrie. ''Plotinus Ennead III.6''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995.

* Fourth Tractate - "Our Tutelary Spirit"

* Kalligas, Paul. ''The Enneads of Plotinus: A Commentary'' (Volume 1: Enneads I–III). Princeton University Press, 2014.

* Fifth Tractate - "On Love"

* Sixth Tractate - "The Impassivity of the Unembodied"

* Seventh Tractate - "Time and Eternity"

* Eighth Tractate - "Nature Contemplation and the One"

* Ninth Tractate - "Detached Considerations"

;Lexicons and bibliographies

=== The Fourth Ennead ===

* Sleeman, J. H. and Pollet, G. ''Lexikon Plotinianum''. Leiden: Brill, 1980.

* First Tractate - "On the Essence of the Soul (1)."

* Dufour, R. ''Plotinus. A Bibliography: 1950-2000''. Leiden: Brill, 2002.

* Second Tractate - "On the Essence of the Soul (2)."

* Radice. R. and Bombacigno, R. ''Lexicon II: Plotinus''. (Includes a CD containing the entire Greek text) Milan: Biblia, 2004.

* Third Tractate - "Problems of the Soul (1)."

* Fourth Tractate - "Problems of the Soul (2)."

* Fifth Tractate - "Problems of the Soul (3). [Also known as, "On Sight"].

* Sixth Tractate - "Perception and Memory"

* Seventh Tractate - "The Immortality of the Soul"

* Eighth Tractate - "The Soul's Descent into Body"

* Ninth Tractate - "Are All Souls One?"

==See also==

=== The Fifth Ennead ===

* [[Allegorical interpretations of Plato]]

* First Tractate - "The Three Initial Hypostases"

* [[Henosis]]

* Second Tractate - "The Origin and Order of the Beings. Following on the First"

* [[Henology]]

* Third Tractate - "The Knowing Hypostases and the Transcendent."

* Fourth Tractate - "How The Secondaries Rise From The First: and on the one."

* Fifth Tractate - "That The Intellectual Beings Are Not Outside The Intellectual-Principle: and on The Nature of The Good."

* Sixth Tractate - "That The Principle Transcending Being Has No Intellecual Act. What Being Has Intellection Primally and What Being Has It Secondarily."

* Seventh Tractate - "Is There Aa Ideal Archetype of Particular Beings?"

* Eighth Tractate - "On The Intellectual Beauty."

* Ninth Tractate - "The Intellecual-Principle, The Ideas, and The Authentic Existence."

==References==

=== The Sixth Ennead ===

{{Reflist|30em}}

* First Tractate - "On the Kinds of Being (1)"

* Second Tractate - "On The Kinds of Being (2)"

* Third Tractate - "On The Kinds of Being (3)"

* Fourth Tractate - "On The Integral Omnipresence of The Authentic Existent (1)"

* Fifth Tractate - "On The Integral Omnipresence of The Authentic Existent (2)"

* Sixth Tractate - "On Numbers"

* Seventh Tractate - "How the Multiplicity of The Ideal-Forms Came Into Being: And Upon the Good"

* Eighth Tractate - "On Free-Will and the Will of the One"

* Ninth Tractate - "On the Good, or the One"

==External links==

*{{Wikisource-inline}}

*[http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/texts/plotinus ''The Six Enneads''] (complete Mackenna and Page translation) in monospaced text. The table of contents in the article above is from this source.

*{{Wikiquote-inline}}

*[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/plotinus/enneads.html ''The Six Enneads''] (complete Mackenna and Page translation) in PDF, HTML, and 'Palm Doc' versions.

*[http://classicswww.mitccel.eduorg/Plotinusccel/plotinus/enneads.html ''The Six Enneads''] Mackenna(complete [[Stephen MacKenna]] and B. S. Page translation) dividedin intoPDF, sixHTML, sectionsMicrosoft inWord, HTMLPlain Text, Theological Markup Language (XML), and 'Palm Doc' versions.

*[http://classics.mit.edu/Plotinus/enneads.html ''The Six Enneads''] – Mackenna and Page translation divided into six sections in HTML (incomplete copy: the pages are truncated).

*''The Enneads'', [https://web.archive.org/web/20071006090521/http://plotin.lotophages.org/ Greek text] page scans of Kirchhoff's edition.

*[http://www.iep.utm.edu/p/plotinus.htm ''The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Plotinus'']

*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plotinus/ ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Plotinus'']

*[http://rdufour.free.fr/BibPlotin/ ''Plotinian Bibliography 2001- ''] by Richard Dufour (French and English versions), continues his research presented in ''Plotinus: a Bibliography 1950-2000'', referred above.

*[http://john-uebersax.com/plato/enneads.htm ''Links to Enneads, treatises, and chapters''] in English, Greek, and French for quick reference.

*[http://www.hs-augsburg.de/~Harsch/graeca/Chronologia/S_post03/Plotinos/plo_enn0.html Ἐννεάδες] – The Henry and Schwyzer 1951 edition (Greek text) at Bibliotheca Augustiana.

* {{librivox book | title=Enneads | author=PLOTINUS}}

*[https://archive.org/details/enneads Enneads] – Alternate version of the LibriVox audiobook with Sections following the Translator Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie's Chronological Organization of the Books.

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