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

Hut we should rather "ay that light possessing an evolving power unfolds total time, and calls forth its

* For wffwihir here, il is necessary to rr.nl wpontov.

* For ywpiUtiv here, it is necessary to read cpizti.

BOOK IV.]

TIM.’EL'S OF PLATO.

*211 supermundane monad, and one measure into the measurement of the periods of bodies. And thi> makes time to Ih\ as it were, sensible. Hence it is the light of the Sun which causes every thing that moved to have a clear and manifest measure. And this indeed is its whole good. After wholes, however, it likewise benefits parts in a secondary degree, For it imparts the generation of number ami measure to the natures w hich arc adapted to participate of these. For ir¬ rational beings indeed are destitute of these ; but the genera of daemons, who follow the periods of tie* Hods and men, become partakers of them. The supply of good tin re fore through the solar light, beginning supernally from wholes, descends as far as to parts. And if beginning from visible natures, you are willing to speak of such as are invisible, the light of the Sun gives splendor to the whole world, causes a corporeal-formed nature to be divine, and wholly filled through the whole of itself with life, lint it leads souls through undefded light, imparts to them a pure and elevating power, and governs the world by' its rays. And it likew ise fills souls w ith empyrean fruits. For the order of the Sun is supernally derived from supermundane natures. Hence Plato does not here fabricate the solar light, but says that the Deiniurgus enkindled it, as giving sub¬ sistence irom his own essence to this sphere, and emitting from the solar fountain a life extended into interval, and continually renewed. And this also is asserted by thcologisls concerning the supermundane firmaments.

And this also is asserted by thcologisls concerning the supermundane firmaments.

On this account, it apjvears to me that Plato delivers a twofold generation of the Sun; one indeed, in conjunction with the seven governors of the world, when he fasl.i oris the bodies of them, and insi fts them in their ciiculalious; but 1 the other according to the enkindling of light, through which he imparts to the Sun supermundane power. For it is one thing to generate the bulk of the Sun itself by itself, and another in conjunction with a ruling characteristic, through which the Sun is called the king of every visible nature, and is established analo¬ gous to the one fountain of good. For as this fountain, Iwiug better than the intelligible essence, illuminates both intellect and the intelligible, thus also the sun being better than a visible nature, illuminates both that which is visi¬ ble and sight. But if the Sun is beyond a visible essence, it will have a super¬ mundane nature. For the world is visible and tangible, and lias a body. Hence, we must survey the Sun in a twofold respect; viz. as one of the seven planets, and as the leader of wholes; and as mundane and supermundane, according to the latter of which he splendidly emits a divine light. For in the same manner ■as the good luminously emits truth which deities the intelligible and intellectual orders ; as Phanes in Orpheus sends forth intelligible light which fills with intel¬ ligence all the intellectual Hods; and as Jupiter enkindles an intellectual oml de- Tun. Plat. Vol. II. 2 II

p. 242

PKOCLUS ON THE

[BOOK IV,

miurgic light in all the sup vrtnnndane Gods ; thus also the Sun illuminates every tliiii" visible through this undctiled light. The illuminating cause too is always in an order stqierior to the illuminated natures. Tor neither is the good intelligible, nor Thanes intellectual, nor Jupiter siqicrmmidane. In consequence of this rea¬ soning therefore, the Sun being supermundane emits the fountains of liuht. And accordin" to the most mvstic doctrines, the wholeness of the Sun is in the super¬ mundane orders; for in them there is a solar world, and a total li”lit, as the Chaldean oracles'assert, and which I am persuaded is true. And thus much concernin'; these things.

And accordin" to the most mvstic doctrines, the wholeness of the Sun is in the super¬ mundane orders; for in them there is a solar world, and a total li”lit, as the Chaldean oracles'assert, and which I am persuaded is true. And thus much concernin'; these things.

Jt is nspiisite however to return to the words of the text, and to explain them as follows : The words then, “ in order I hat there might hr a measure,' do not signif\ a devised measure, but that which itself measures and defines corporeal motions, anil Generates visible time. The winds also, “ that the mutton of the eight Circulations might Ire manifest ,” refer to this measure, which passes through, and measures the measures pertaining to the paths of the eight circulations. Tor w e sav that the common apocalastasis ot the i ight rev olutions consists ot so many years. Hut we obtain a knowledge of the solar year through light. Tor through this we know what portion of the /.odiac the Sun occupies, what portion hi: leaves, and to what part of it he procei-ds. lb nee also, we know by the transition ot light, the quantity of the time, m whit h the miii passi s through his proper circle, and jierfurms his revolution, and in how many years all the periods of the eight ciri les are completed Hv this likew ise, we are able to measure the solar period, and the common period ot tin: otln r circulations, which is the same thing as to measure their joint upocatastasis. Hut the words, “ the divinity enkuullcda light , exhibit to us the non-temporal hypostasis of light, proceeding from an invisible* cause, and from the demiurgic essence. Again, the words, “ im order that the heaven , or world might in the most eminent degree become universally apparent, have a cause of tin* following kind. It is necessary that the whole world should as much as possible be tilled with the solar light. Hut the mass of the earth is natu¬ rally dark. Hence, it is requisite that the Sun should lx* nearer to the earth, in order that it may relieve its darkness. Tor that which is nearer illuminates more abundantly. And when that which illuminates is greater than the thing illumi¬ nated, it is able more largely to imparl its light. But the words, “ in the most

' Accenting to ttie Chaldaic dogmas mi < spla u«d by l’scllus, there arc seven corporeal worlds, one empyrean aud the nrsi; after this three ethereal; and then three material worlds, viz. the nierratic sphere, the seven planetary spheres, and the sublunary region. They also assert that ihere are two »olar worlds; out which is subservient to the ethereal profundity ; the other zoiuic, being one of the »e\eu spheres.

HOOK IT.]

TIM/EUS OF PLATO.

‘243