The Enneads of Plotinus : A Commentary | Volume 2

The second volume in a landmark commentary on an important and influential work of ancient philosophy This is the second volume of a groundbreaking commentary on one of the most important works of ancient philosophy, the Enneads of Plotinus―a text that formed the basis of Neoplatonism and had a deep influence on early Christian thought and medieval and Renaissance philosophy. This volume covers Enneads IV and V, which focus on two of the principal “hypostases” of Plotinus’s ontological system, namely the soul and the Intellect. Paul Kalligas provides an analytical exegesis of the arguments, along with an account of Plotinus’s principal sources, references to other parts of his work, and a systematic evaluation of his overarching theoretical aspirations. A landmark contribution to Plotinus scholarship, this is the most detailed and extensive commentary ever written for the whole of the Enneads . Contents Preface to the Second Volume Main Abbreviations Fourth Ennead IV 2 [4]. On the Essence of the Soul I IV 1 [21]. On the Essence of the Soul II IV 3–5 [27–29]. On Difficulties about the Soul: Books I–III IV 6 [41]. On Sense-Perception and Memory IV 7 [2]. On the Immortality of the Soul IV 8 [6]. On the Descent of the Soul into Bodies IV 9 [8]. If All Souls Are One Fifth Ennead V 1 [10]. On the Three Primary Hypostases V 2 [11]. On the Origin and Order of the Beings That Come 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 Intelligibles 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 What the Secondary Thinking Principles V 7 [18]. On the Question Whether There Are Ideas of Particulars V 8 [31]. On the Intelligible Beauty V 9 [5]. On Intellect, the Forms, and Being Appendix: Plotinus in the Arabic Tradition List of Variant Readings Key to the Chronological Order of Plotinus’ Treatises Suggested Further Readings on Individual Treatises Figures Index of Passages Cited Volume 1: "This is the first volume of a groundbreaking commentary on one of the most important works of ancient philosophy, the Enneads of Plotinus--a text that formed the basis of Neoplatonism and had a deep influence on early Christian thought and medieval and Renaissance philosophy. This volume covers the first three of the six Enneads, as well as Porphyry's Life of Plotinus, a document in which Plotinus's student--the collector and arranger of the Enneads--introduces the philosopher and his work. A landmark contribution to modern Plotinus scholarship, Paul Kalligas's commentary is the most detailed and extensive ever written for the whole of the Enneads. For each of the treatises in the first three Enneads, Kalligas provides a brief introduction that presents the philosophical background against which Plotinus's contribution can be assessed; a synopsis giving the main lines and the articulation of the argument; and a running commentary placing Plotinus's thought in its intellectual context and making evident the systematic association of its various parts with each other."-- Publisher's website Volume 2: "An English-language commentary on the Fourth and Fifth Enneads of Plotinus"-- Provided by publisher