Emanatio

Emanatio (Latin emanatio, “flowing forth”) is a philosophical and theological concept describing the process by which a primary principle or source yields subsequent levels of reality. In such frameworks, the source remains fundamental while its outflow generates a hierarchy of beings or powers.

In Neoplatonism, emanation describes how the One gives rise to the Intellect (Nous) and, from there, the World Soul and the material cosmos. The process is eternal and automatic rather than a deliberate act of creation; emanation preserves the unity of the source while introducing multiplicity that participates in the whole.

In Kabbalah, the term is associated with the emanation of the sefirot from the Infinite Light (Ein Sof). The sefirot form a structured chain through which divine energy unfolds into creation. Emanation in this sense is a continual outflow that is not considered creation ex nihilo but a mode of divine presence.

In Gnostic and some late antique systems, emanation refers to the outward flow of divine fullness (Pleroma) into lesser beings, often through a series of aeons or hypostases, which may become sources of spiritual or material disparity.

In broader philosophical usage, emanation can describe how universals, powers, or divine attributes are said to “flow” from a primary source, shaping metaphysical hierarchy without implying a temporal act of creation.

Critiques often address the coherence of how many levels suffice, the mechanism by which emanations participate in the source, and whether such schemes conflict with creation ex nihilo doctrines.

See also Neoplatonism, Kabbalah, Pleroma, sefirot.