Refutatio Procli

From the Refutations of the Theological Chapters of Proclus by Procopius of Gaza, refutation of chapter 140. A divine procession without beginning and without end would be said to be only the generation from the one sole Father of the one and only Son, and from the same the projection of the one and only Holy Spirit, according to which the paternal and principal, or rather pre-beginningless, monad, having been moved into a dyad contemplated in the Son and Spirit, stopped at a Triad, as our Theologian Gregory says. This alone is a procession by divine nature, if indeed one must speak of "nature" concerning things supernatural and divine. And of this, the beginning is the beginningless Father, for it is from him; the middle is the co-beginning Son, for it is through him; the end is the most super-perfect and unending Holy Spirit, for it is into him. This procession is also set apart from the other processions; for it does not at all remove from the beginning the things that come from it, but keeps them entirely un-departed from it, because of the identity of essence, even if they proceed as distinct persons. Hence they do not require a conversion according to desire. But all other processions of beings are divided together with the beings. None of these is without beginning, because none of the beings is without beginning, but all have come to be from the Father through the Son, being completed by the Spirit. And not every one is without end, nor entirely so; but among those that remain eternal after their production from there, the procession according to essence has indeed been completed; for neither are other things besides those produced from the beginning introduced, nor do those very things that were produced, undergoing a change according to essence, again require another production.

The procession by illumination proceeds from there without beginning and without end, to some primarily, to others secondarily, and so on; the divine radiances are poured forth by way of transmission, proportionally to the ranks or stations of each, even to the last among them. And thus all things turn back to the one principle in an upward manner; and the eternal and unending cycle is preserved in both the processions and the returns. But that of things subject to generation, corruption, and time, in its universal aspect, has already been completed. For in six days the whole sensible world was completed; and on the seventh day God rested from all his works; and no further procession of another world is expected, and it will be entirely brought to an end at the consummation of the present age. In its particular aspect, it is still in operation, as the Savior said: "My Father is still working until now, and I am working"; but it will certainly cease at the common consummation. And then there will be another procession, according to which God will be all things in all, and all things will return to him—the transformation of the whole, and the remaking from corruption to incorruption.