The Commentaries on the Timaeus of Plato — trans. Thomas Taylor

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PROCLUS

THE TLW/EUS OF PLATO.

“ Placing also soul in the middle, he extended it through the whole of the world, and besides this, he externally circumvcsted the body ot the universe with soul.”

l)i vinity produces all things at oner, and eternally. For bv his very being, and according to an «ternal intelligence of wholes, he generates all things from himself, supermundane, and nil mundane beings, intellects, souls, natures, bodies, ami matter itself. And indeed, the at-oncc-collectod subsists in a greater degree in the demiurgic production of things, than in the solar illumination though in this the whole light proceeds at one and the same tune from the sun. lint the sun who imitates his father through the visible fabrication, evidently yields to an eternal and invisible production. As we have said therefore, all things being produced at once and eternally from the fabrication [of the Demiurgns], the order of the efforts is at the same time preserved. For in the producing cause there was an eternal intelligence anil order prior to the things that are arranged. Whence though all things are at once from one cause, yet some have the first, but others a subordinate dignity. For some things proceed in a greater, hut others in a less degree. And some indeed, are co-arranged with the Demiurgns accord¬ ing to union, others according to contact, and others according to participation. For intellect is able to lie connascent with intellect through union. But soul is naturally adapted to be conjoined with intellect. And bodies are formed to par-

1 For »\<a«i;s berf, it ii obviously mccsvary to rrad qXiacqi.

VOL. II.

Tim. Plat.

A

o

PROCLUS ON TUT

p. 111

ticipate of it alone, just as tilings in the profundity of the earth, participate of the solar splendour. Since therefore all these exist m the world, \iz. intellect, soul and body, and all are produced at once, and since at the same time, there is in these an order proceeding from the Deuiiurgus, the discourse about them, atone time I>eginning from on high according to progression, ends in tin* boundaries ol fabrication, but at another tune being impelled from tin; last oi t lings, lecurs to the summits ol the universe, conformably to things themselves. 1 01 a 1 tilings pro¬ ceed from, and are consorted to the principle and cause from which lay pioceeded, thus t \hibitiug a o< rtam demiurgic t ircle.

1 01 a 1 tilings pro¬ ceed from, and are consorted to the principle and cause from which lay pioceeded, thus t \hibitiug a o< rtam demiurgic t ircle.

Ill \\ hut has been belore s.iid, theleloie, Plato delivered to lis the Older of the plenitudes of the world according to progression, when he represented the Deiuitirgus placing intellect in soul, but soul in body, and thus fabricating the mm or-e. lint in what is now said, In* gives cuinph lion to the world according to mint rsion. And first imh t d, assuming tin contrarii s that an in the universe, he adds two media to these, and unib > tin m through analogy. In tin: next place, pei ti t ting it a w hole tit wholes, he surrounds it w ith an inti llectiial fig ire, rentiers if capable of participating of a tin ine lile, and imparts to it a motion w Inch imi¬ tates iutelh i t. AI wa vs lil>i w ise, t ausing it to heroine more pt i let t by the addi¬ tions, after all tin sc, he introduces soul into the univ* 1 st-, and tills all things with life, though diflcrcut natures with a tliileri nt life. 11* also places intellect ill soul, and through this conjoins soul to its fountain 1 or the soul of the universe, through p irt it ip.it mg of intelh et, becomes conjoint d w itli mtt Uigiblcs tin in -t ati, And thus In* cinls at the principle from which the mundane intellect, stud, and the hulk of boilv proceed, l or dividing the universe triply, into intellect, soul, and both, he first discusses the more subordinate <>1 these: tor sut i is the mode according to conversion. And the discussion indeed ol the fabrication of boilv is terminated, having th livt-red the essence, figure anti motion ol it.

The theory of soul however, is conjoined to this, ju-t as hotly it-r 11 is sus¬ pended horn a div ine soul, anil tin-animation which the discourse now at Ids, is the seventh demiurgic gilt imparti tl to tin- world. Hut the discussion ol the soul is I think twofold ; the one indeed delivering the essence ol it, hut tin* other its communion with hotly*. Plato however selects the lath r ol these, and thinks tit to mention it !r fore the forun r. Pt rliaps imb ed, bet ausc it is a medium bi tween the reasoning about body, ami the speculations about the essence of soul. I'or the habitude of soul to body, is in a certain respect a medium between body, ami

1 In-mail of tfwfHv oi in this place, il is requisite to n act cp/iUfittot. l or avitiTiirarc here, ll is necessary lo read <ri/icroruutru.

HOOK 111.]

TIM 111 S or I’LATO.

n

I'or the habitude of soul to body, is in a certain respect a medium between body, ami

1 In-mail of tfwfHv oi in this place, il is requisite to n act cp/iUfittot. l or avitiTiirarc here, ll is necessary lo read <ri/icroruutru.

HOOK 111.]

TIM 111 S or I’LATO.

n soul itself. And it is necessary that tin; leading to principles should he through media. Perhaps too, he selected the latter, because he was not willing to con¬ nect the soul w ith body, according to time ; nor again, when separate, ami ex¬ isting: by itself to conjoin it to the world, lint to deliver the communion of soul with body prior to tin* veneration ol soul, contributes to this, lair the generatiou of the soul is sufficient to c\iueo, that the corporeal bulk also of the world h unhegotten [according to time]. For if he ascribes generation to unbegotten natures, yet in thoe there will be another mode of generation. lint if prior* to the apparent generation, he brings into the same condition both body and soul, such a generation will be unbegotten, and the animation will be perpetual ; iu ither soul being generated in time, nor body differing in time from soul. And thus much concerning the principal parts of tin* order in what is said.