Plotinus Ennead II.9: Against the Gnostics - 9781930972377

Plotinus Ennead II.9: Against the GnosticsTranslation, with an Introduction, and Commentary\nAuthor(s): Sebastian Gertz\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Parmenides Publishing, United States\nImprint: Parmenides Publishing\nISBN-13: 9781930972377, 978-1930972377\nSynopsis\nHow was the universe created, and what is our place within it? These are the questions at the heart of Plotinus Against the Gnostics. For the Gnostics, the universe came into being as a result of the souls fall from intelligible realityit is the evil outcome of a botched creation. Plotinus challenges this, and insists that the souls creation of the world is the necessary consequence of its contemplation of the ideal forms. While the Gnostics claim to despise the visible universe, Plotinus argues that such contempt displays their ignorance of the higher realities of which the cosmos is a beautiful image.\n\nAgainst the Gnostics is a polemical text. It aims to show the superiority of Plotinus philosophy over that of his.