Proclus on the Transcendence and Immanence of Form

Abstract Proclus responds to the problem of transcendence and immanence by distinguishing between the transcendent unparticipated form and the immanent participated form. Yet, at times he also distinguishes between two kinds of participated entity, one kind being immanent in the participant and the other being separate from it. I argue that the separate participated form is the common character as shared by the many participants, e.g., beauty as shared by many beautiful things. As such, it fulfills a crucial function because it is the predicate, e.g., that which is properly speaking beautiful. I furthermore discuss the implications that my reading has regarding the causal functions of the unparticipated and of the two kinds of participated.