The Enneads
By Plotinus
Translated by Stephen MacKenna
Medici Society, London, 1917, Published in five volumes, 1917–1930
First written c. 253–270 CE
In the public domain
About this text
Stephen MacKenna’s celebrated English translation of the fifty-four treatises of Plotinus, arranged by Porphyry in six groups of nine, together with Porphyry’s Life of Plotinus. The last treatise, VI.9, “On the Good, or the One”, describes the soul’s union with the One.
How to cite
Plotinus. The Enneads. Translated by Stephen MacKenna. Published in five volumes, 1917–1930. Medici Society, London, 1917.
Cited in Metanoia
- The One and BrahmanPlotinus and Śaṅkara never read each other, yet both describe a first principle beyond ordinary predication. The resemblance is striking; so is the difference.
- What Is Unitive Knowledge?Unitive knowledge is not a doctrine that all religions are the same. It is a question about a kind of knowing that many traditions describe, and about how far their descriptions agree.
Cite this entry
“The Enneads.” Source. The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society. Last modified November 7, 2026. https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/sources/enneads-mackenna.
“The Enneads,” source, The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, last modified November 7, 2026, https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/sources/enneads-mackenna.
“The Enneads.” The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, 7 Nov. 2026, www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/sources/enneads-mackenna.
@misc{sources-enneads-mackenna, title = {{The Enneads}}, howpublished = {The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society}, note = {Source. Last modified November 7, 2026}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/sources/enneads-mackenna} }
Traditions
Concepts
- The OneIn Neoplatonism, the first principle, beyond being and thought.
- NousIntellect: for Plato, the highest part of the soul; for Plotinus, the second principle.
- EmanationThe procession of all things from a first principle, as light from a source.
- HenōsisUnion with the One: the goal of the soul’s return in Neoplatonism.
- ContemplationLoving, attentive gazing on what is most real; in Christian use, a gift of prayer.