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

They likewise receive me asures, boundaries, and order from the ir father. And such things as lie governs excmplly and totally, they being divided accordl lor tnrofHvovrut , it is necessary fo redd trirportnoyruy

BOOK V.]

TIM,EUS OF PLATO.

p. 309

ing to allotments, fabricate, generate, anil perfect. Some of them also are proxi¬ mate to tin’ reh'stial God*; hut others proceed to a greater distance from them. Hence, some preserve the idea of these Clods, so lar as it ('an he preserved in the Million try order; hut others are established according to their appropriate power* For of every order, the summit is analogous to tin* order prior to it. Thus the summit of intelligible* is unity ; of intellectuals is intelligible; of the supermun¬ dane order, i* intf lleetual; and of the mundane order, supermundane. And some of the sublunary Gods indeed, are in a greater degree united to the demiurgic mo¬ nad ; but others are more distant from it. Hence, some being analogous to it, an* the leaders of the whole of this series ; but others have a more partial similitude to it. For the father established in every order powers analogous to him in their arrangement; since in all the divine orders a certain cause presubsists analogous to the good.'

Conformably to these causes which are thus analogous to the ineffable principle of things, and which w ith reference to it are called monads, the sublunary Cods proceed and adorn and distribute generation in a becoming manner. And some indeed give completion to this, but others to some other will of their father. For some complete bis connective, other* hi* prolific, others hi* motive, others hi* guardian will, and others, some other will of the Demiurgiis pertaining to the wholes in the sublunary region. And some of them have dominion over souls, others over da mons, and others over Cods. All of tin in however are intellectual according to essence, but mundane according to allotment. Tln-v are also per¬ fective and powerful, governing generation in an unbegotten manner, livings de¬ prived of intellect, intellectually, and inanimate natures, vitally. For they adorn all tilings according to their own essence, and not according to tin* imliecility of the recipients. But Plato is evidently of opinion that these Cod* use certain other bodies more simple and perpetual than these element* by saying, that they appear when they please, and become visible to u*. That lie likewise gives them souls is manifest, from his saying that every mundane God is conjoined to bodies through soul. For he then first called the world itself a Cod, when he had esta¬ blished a soul in it. And again, that lie suspends intellects from them, through which their souls are intellectual and arc immediately converted to the Dcmiurgus, is evident from the speech of the Deiniurgus to them.*

For he then first called the world itself a Cod, when he had esta¬ blished a soul in it. And again, that lie suspends intellects from them, through which their souls are intellectual and arc immediately converted to the Dcmiurgus, is evident from the speech of the Deiniurgus to them.*

If likewise it is requisite that the whole world should be perfect, it is necessary that together with the divine genera wc should conceive that the demoniacal

* In what immediately follow* here, the text is *o corrupt as to lie unintelligible.

* Here also id tbe two lines that immediately follow, the teat is no corrupt as to be incapable of eifeadalioo.

p. 310

PROCLU5 ON THE

[book t.

order was generated prior to our souls, (which Plato shortly after constitutes,) and which receives a triple division, vi/. into an^ds, daemons pro|>erly so called, anil heroes. For the whole of this order tills up the middle space between Gods and men; !>ecauso there is an all-perfect separation or interial ! jet ween our con¬ cerns, and those ot the Gods. I or the lath r are eternal, hut the former are frail and mortal. And the tormer indeed arc satisfied w ith the enjoyment of intellect in energy partially ; hut the latter ascend into total intellects themselves. On this account, there is a triad which conjoins our concerns with the Gods, and w hah proceeds analogous to the thn e principal causes of things; though Plato is accustomed to call the whole of this triad (hemoniacal. For the angelic is analogous to lx nit;, or the intelligible, which is fiist unfolded into li”lit from the lie flatih‘ and occult fountain of beings. Hence also, it unfolds the Gods themstives and announces that which is urciilt 111 their essence. Hut the il.einoniacal is analogous to infinite life. On which account it proceeds every where, accord¬ ing to many orders, and is ot a multiform nature. .And the heroic is analogous to intellect and conversion. II etice also, it is the inspectivc guardian of purifica¬ tion, and is the supplier of a magnificent and elevated' life. Further still, the angelic indeed proceeds according to the intellectual life of the Demiurges. Hence it also is essentially intellectual, and interprets and transmits a divine mtellei t to secondary natures. Jhit the (heinouiaeal proceeds according to the demiurgic providence of wholes, gov. nis nature, and rightly gives completion to the order ot the whole world. .And the In roic again, proceeds according to the i onvertive providence ot all these. II« nee, this genus likewise, is elevated, raises souls on high, and is the cause of a grand and vigorous energy.

nis nature, and rightly gives completion to the order ot the whole world. .And the In roic again, proceeds according to the i onvertive providence ot all these. II« nee, this genus likewise, is elevated, raises souls on high, and is the cause of a grand and vigorous energy.

Such then fore, being tin* n itnre of these triple genera, they are sus|»eiided from the God>; some indeed from the celestial Gods, hut others from the divinities who are the iiisjM-ctive guardians ot generation. And about every God their is an appropriate number of angels, heroes, and daemons. For every God w the leader of a multitude which receives Ins characteristic form. Hence of the celestial Gods, the angels, da inons, and In roes are celestial; hut of the fabricators of ge¬ neration, they have a generation-producing characteristic. Of the elevating Gods, they have an elev aling property ; hut of the demiurgic, a demiurgic ; of the v iv die, a vivifie projk-rty ; and soot the rest. And again, among the elevating Gods, ot those that are of a Saturnian < haracti listic, the angels, da moils, ami heroes are Saturnian; hut of those that are Solar, they an* Solar. Among the vivilie Gods likewise, of those that are Lunar, the liiinistraut powers are Lunar; hut of

1 I or >i i|i tins pl.us*, il is urn s'^rv to rtJil I'gyXi/i.

BOOK V.]

■mLT.rs or PLATO.

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