emanatie

Emanatie, or emanation in English, is a term used in philosophy and theology to denote the process by which a primary source or principle gives rise to dependent beings. The word derives from Latin emanatio, from emanare, meaning to flow forth. The concept is often contrasted with creation ex nihilo, emphasizing a form of generation or outflow that preserves a connection to the origin.

In Neoplatonism, emanation is central. The One unfolds reality through a hierarchical procession in which the Nous (Intellect) and the World-Soul emerge and, in turn, govern the material world. This framework treats being as a cascade of dependent outflows rather than a series of discrete acts of creation from nothing.

In the Jewish mystical tradition of the Kabbalah, the infinite divine source (Ein Sof) is described as emanating the Sefirot, a structured set of divine attributes through which creation and revelation unfold. Emanation here serves to explain how the divine presence becomes accessible in the created order without collapsing into simple physicality.

Across other traditions, emanation has appeared in Christian mysticism and in Islamic and Western philosophical currents that draw on Neoplatonist vocabulary. The term is often used to describe the unfolding or self-revelation of divine energy or presence within the world.

Critics distinguish emanation from creation by asserting differences in agency, time, and ontological status, and some point to problems regarding multiplicity, dependence, and the source of evil. In modern discourse, emanation appears mainly in historical, comparative, or theological contexts. In science, the term is sometimes used to describe the emission of particles or radiation, but in that sense it is distinct from metaphysical usage.