The Elements of Theology (Proclus)

The Elements of Theology is Proclus' systematic presentation of Neoplatonic metaphysics in 211 propositions, each followed by a demonstration, in conscious imitation of the geometrical method of Euclid's Elements. Proclus, the last great head of the Platonic Academy in Athens, starts from the principle that every manifold participates in unity and derives from it a whole cosmos: the One beyond being; the henads, or divine unities, which correspond to the gods; Intellect; Soul; and the bodily world. Central ideas include the triadic movement of remaining, procession and return, by which every effect both proceeds from its cause and turns back toward it, the principle that causes are more comprehensive than their effects, and the structure of participation linking each level to those above and below. The treatise provided the conceptual framework for theurgy as practised by Proclus himself and for the later Platonic understanding of sympathy and correspondences. Its influence was immense: it underlies the writings of Pseudo-Dionysius, an Arabic paraphrase became the Liber de causis, attributed in the Latin West to Aristotle, and William of Moerbeke's Latin translation of 1268 was read by Aquinas, Nicholas of Cusa and Ficino. The archive offers Thomas M. Johnson's 1909 translation, published in Osceola, Missouri, under the title Metaphysical Elements. E. R. Dodds' 1933 edition with translation and commentary remains the standard, and Radek Chlup's introduction (2012) is an accessible modern guide.

What it contains

• Unity and multiplicity
• Causes and their effects
• Remaining, procession and return
• The henads or divine unities
• Intellect and the intellectual orders
• Soul and its relation to bodies