The Topological Connection between Plotinus and the Gospel of John on the Metaphysics of the Absolute Transcendence

Abstract

From a topological and not only historiographic point of view, taking into account the textual hermeneutics derived from the Enneads, this paper aims to clarify that Plotinus’ thought represents the first rationally satisfactory response to the unprecedented historical irruption of the principle on the absolute difference, already established by the Gospel according to Saint John. The transcendence of the One-Good shows another historical and philosophical field that no longer belongs to the Greek way of understanding the metaphysical nature of truth. In Plotinus, the truth takes the form of an operatio because it instills in the soul a love that attracts her towards infinite union. This notion of truth is closer to the contributions made after Plotinus and therefore it constitutes a solvent starting point for further theological reflection on divine transcendence and the causal dependence of the entity in the order of being. To achieve the purposes, a descriptive and analytical record is used, along with a critical reading of both the sources and the specialized bibliography.