Christian parallelisms in Plotinos have a historical origin in
Christian parallelisms in his sources, namely, Stoicism, Numenius and
Plato.
To Christian origins in Plato never has justice been done, not even by
Bigg. His suggestion of the crucifixion of the just man, his reference
to the son of God are only common-places, to which should be added many
minor references.
The Christian origins in Numenius are quite explicit; mention of the
Hebrews as among the races whose scriptures are important, of Moses
among the great religious teachers, of the Spirit hovering over the
waters, of the names of the Egyptian magicians which, together with
Pliny, he hands down to posterity. He also was said to have told many
stories about Jesus, in an allegorical manner.
The Christian origins in Stoicism have been widely discussed;
for instance, by Chaignet. But it is likely that this influence
affected Christianity indirectly through Plotinos, along with the
other Christian ideas we shall later find. At any rate Plotinos is
the philosopher who uses the term "spiritual body" most like the
Christians.[510] The soul is a slave to the body,[511] and has a
celestial body[512] as well as a spiritual body.[513] Within us are two
men opposing each other,[514] the better part often being mastered by
the worse part, as thought St. Paul,[515] in the struggle between the
inner and outer man.[516]
With Plotinos the idea of "procession" is not only cosmic but
psychological. In other words, when Plotinos speaks of the "procession"
of the God-head, he is not, as in Christian doctrine, depicting
something unique, which has no connection with the world. He is only
referring to the cosmic aspect of an evolution which, in the soul,
appears as educational development.[517] As the opposite of the soul's
procession upwards, there is the soul's descent into hell,[518] or, in
other words, the soul's descent and ascension.[519] This double aspect
of man's fate upward or downward is referred to by Plotinos in the
regular Christian term "sin," as consisting in missing one's aim.[520]
The soul repents,[521] and its duty is conversion.[522] As a result of
this conversion comes forgiveness.[523]