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the stream of generation, and coincides therewith, or the primary and ele- 
mental cause of all powers and elements therein is comprehended in the 
word. And the cause which causes all such as this, all generation and all 
nature, and all the powers that are in all the elements, is God. Because He 
is indeed supereminent over these, immaterial, incorporeal, supernatural, 
unbegotten and indivisible, entire by Himself, and in Himself, He is before 
them all, and because, in Himself He comprehends them all, and from Him- 
self distributes all things to the world, He appears again in them. There- 
fore, also, He is above them all, and is alone on high, and shines forth 
separate, free, sublime, and sails aloft by Himself over all the forces and 
the elements that are in the world, and by Himself bears witness to the fol- 
lowing symbol : that God sits above the lotus. 
“This figure signifies that supereminence of power which does not so 
much as touch the clay, but sets forth the intellectualfand empyreal govern- 
ment. For He beholds in the lotus all that is circular in the form of the 
leaves, and in the appearance of the fruit, the energy which is indeed akin 
to the only movement of the revolving mind, that which is like these, and 
in like manner also, in one order and in one manner manifest. This God 
also rests within himself, and over all government and energy of this kind, 
he is venerable and holy. He dwells aloft and abides in Himself, which 
indeed the figure of sitting is chosen to signify. 
‘ ‘ And when He is represented in pictures as one ivho navigates a ship (Ra 
in his boat) this represents the power of governing the world. So as the 
governor is separate from the ship, He himself being seated at the helm, He 
from above steers all things, and impels all by a brief movement of His own; 
so God was above from the first beginnings of nature, and imparted by 
Himself alone the first impulses of motion, and these things indeed, besides 
many others, are signified by the ship He steers ” (sec. vii. cap. 2). 
Now, this sounds to be very near the truth ; but at length 
Jamblicus comes to the most important question of Poi’pbyry: — 
“What do the Egyptians believe to be the First Cause? to irpioTov 
ainov. Is it mind, or something above mind ? Is it alone, or with some- 
thing else, or with some other things ? And is it incorporeal or corporeal ? 
And then ; is it the same as the Creator, or was it before the Creator ? And 
again ; Do all things come from one or from many ? And have they any 
knowledge of matter, or the first corporeal forms ? And is matter produced 
or unproduced ? ” (sec. viii. cap. 1). 
Jamblicus answers that on these points the ancients held 
various opinions, as do his own contemporaries, and Hormes 
(the Egyptian Tlioth) is said to have written 20,000 books, or, 
according to Manetho, 36,525 ; but they left the matter un- 
settled, and every one is free to inquire for himself. However, 
