ln The Essential Plotinus a leading scholar exposes for the modern reader the vital essence of the thoughtrnof the father of Western mysticism- Plotinus, the third century pagan who, down through the ages, hasrnevoked in men a full soaring of the spirit, a vision of the One in full glory and transcendence.rnProfessor Elmer O'Brien's translation of the key treatises of Plotinus is the first English translation to be based on recent research and the newest critical editions of the Greek original. His commentaries on each selection illumine the iext and his Introduction provides an invaluable guide to the ntind, the influence, and the philosophic relevance of Plotinus today.