“Those Who Ascend to the Sanctuaries of the Temples”: The Gnostic Context of Plotinus’ First Treatise, 1.6 [1], On Beauty

This chapter suggests that in his treatise, Plotinus is tacitly attempting to draw a distinction between his own position and that of the Gnostics concerning the ontological status of beauty, yet he nevertheless supports his argument with several concepts and images borrowed from the Gnostics themselves. Plotinus typically describes the contemplative ascent to the supreme principle in terms of spatial metaphors that connote introversion and recursive self-seeking. The erotic motif echoes that of the Symposium , yet Plotinus chooses to illustrate the ascent with the addition of three interlaced metaphors that have no apparent Platonic source: the shedding of extraneous corporeal and psychic accretions; a curious ritual in which the devotees disrobe and enter into the inner sanctuary of a temple in the nude; and erotic desire for sexual intercourse with the supreme principle itself. Keywords: beauty; contemplative ascent; Gnostic sources; Plotinus; temple