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

1 hey have therefore.*, otln*r bodies prior to tlie'se. And this is vvliat Plato manifests when h<* says, “ that they become apparent when tiny please ," at other times being invisible to us. And thus much concerning the words of the te*xt.

With respert howeve-r, to all the fiocls that govern generation, we must not say, that tlu-y have* an esse nee* mingles! with matter, as the* Steiies assert they have, l eer nothing which ve rges to matter is aide* to govern with inte-lle-ct and wisdom, nor is properly a producing cause', hut an organ e»f something e lse. iVor must we say that tli«*y liave* an essence; immiiigled with matter, lent powers and energies mingled with it, as .\umc>uiiis and Ins Ibllowe'is asse*rt. For the e neTgie-s eel the* (>eieis concur vv il li ihe'ir e‘.>se-iie;e>s i ami their mw are I, subsist prmr to tlieir e'xtemally proceeding ene rgie s ; since partial send nlse> prior to the life which is inse rted in the animal suspended from it, cemlains a more* principal life m itsedf; and prior to the* externally proce -eeling moiion, through which it moves other things, it ia moved with a motion converted to itself. The sublunary Gods

* For jeer brrr, it is oecesvarj to read ^

p. 334

PROCLUS ON THE

[book *.

therefore, are entirely untningled with matter; adorning indeed things mingled in an itnmiiiglcd, and things generated in an unbegotten manner. They likewise contain partihles imparlibly, are the causes of tife, the suppliers of intellect, the replenishes of power, the givers of soul, the primary leaders of all good, and the sources of order, providence, and the hest administration. They also give subsis¬ tence to more excellent animals about themselves, are the leaders of angels the rulers of duMiions, and the prefects of heroes ; governing through this triple army tlie whole of generation. If therefore, we assert that the appropriate order of these divinities about generation, is the basis and seat of the total Cods, we shall speak rightly. And we shall likewise not err in asserting that tliev convolve the end of the divine decrement to the beginning. Such then Iteing the nature of these dninitics, Plato indeed looking to the Cods that are both intelligible and intellectual, and to those that .ire projtcrly called intellectual, surveyed lour pro¬ gressions of them in common. But they also contain powers derived from the sufvernuuidane Cods; whether they proceed from the twelve leaders, or from certain other deities.

But they also contain powers derived from the sufvernuuidane Cods; whether they proceed from the twelve leaders, or from certain other deities.

Prom the celestial choir of Cods likewise, a ci rtain order proceeds into gene¬ ration, which, as the divine lambliehus says, is doubled in its progression. J'or from the twenty-one leaders, forty two governments of (.oils who are the fabrica¬ tors of generation, are derived according to eat h eh limitary allotment, lint from the thirty-six deead irelis, 1 sevi nty-two sublunary rulers proceed ; and in a simi¬ lar maimer other (bids ; Ireing the double of the celestial < .'uds in multitude, but falling short of them in power. It is likewise necessary to survey their triple progressions, their quintuple divisions, and their divine generation according to the hebdomad. l or they receive an orderly distribution in a tlncefold, five¬ fold, and sevenfold manner, analogous to tin whole world; in order that each of the elements may 1 m* a w orld, and may be truly an imitation of the universe. Such therefore is the coneise doctrine concerning the sublunary Cods, accordin'** to twofold essences, lives, and allotments ; just as Plato also makes theruhng progeny of them to be dyadic.

In the next place, let us consider the worths of the father, and what that is, for the sake of which they proceed. The words therefore, are neither those w hich proceed through the mouth : for this is foreign from an immaterial and separate essence ; nor physical, for these are not primarily imparted to mundane natures by the Dcmiurgus,

Ihcse thirty-sn decad.irdi* are the divinities alluded to by the Cmperor Julian in Ins Omlion to the Sun, when he s.tys, “ that I hr Suit divide* the mdiac into twelve |>uwrrs of find*, and cadi of tbr»e into three others, »o that thirty mi are produced in the whole."

non* r.]

TIMzEUS OF PLYTO.

p. 335

but by the one nature of the unm rse; nor psychical, for the one soul of the world, and all such other soids as have a generation, anteredentlv comprehend these; nor intellectual; for in short 1 the intellect of the universe, and all the intellects that constitute if, comprehend these in themselves, lint it must be said, as that which is worthy of the speaker, that they arc demiurgic and divine, causing all the g, •aerated Gods to be demiurgi, and to be characterized by the power of the speaking God. For words are communications of powers from lied to second¬ ary natures, and of the divine providence and admirable life, which the Demiurgus of wholes, antecedently comprehends in hitnsi If. Such therefore are, as we have said, the w ords.

For words are communications of powers from lied to second¬ ary natures, and of the divine providence and admirable life, which the Demiurgus of wholes, antecedently comprehends in hitnsi If. Such therefore are, as we have said, the w ords.

The end of them however, is to render the Gods hv w hom thev are received, demiurgic. I’or as the reasons [nr productive powers] which proreed from art into matter, make artificial forms ; those that proreed from nature, physical; from soul animated ; and from intellect, intellectual ; after the same manner the reasons for words], that proceed from the Gods, make all the genera that are obedient to them divine. Hut since of the Gods themselves, some are oj the demiurgic, and others, of the vivilic order, some are rharaeti ri/.cd by an immutable and pure life, but others have some other characteristic property,- lienee the form of the words, is defined according to the peculiarities of the speakers. For it is either demiur¬ gic, or the cause of a divine life, or the supplier of immutabilitv and purity. H once, since he who now delivers the words is the I)emiurgiis, the words pro¬ ceed characterized ny demiurgic power ronformahly to the peculiarity of the speaker, and render the recipients of l!i**m Demiurgi. For though there are dif¬ ferent orders of the mundane (iods, viz, demiurgic, v ivifir, connectedly-con¬ taining, perfective, guardian, judicial, and cathartic orders, in the same manner as there are of the Gods . stahli-ln d above the heavens; since the former proreed according to the latter: yet at the same time, all of them participate of all powers. Differ, tit Gods however, are d. lined more or less by a different peculiarity. Hence, each participates of demiurgic power, so far as all of them are co-arranged with the demiurgic monad; of vivifir power, so far ns they are illuminated by the vivific fountain ; and in a similar manner, in the other powers. If, however, the speaker was a v iv ilic God, wc should say, that he filled his auditors through his words, with divine life. Hut since lie who delivers the speech is the Dcmiurgus, he imparts to the Gods the demiurgic peculiarity, disseminates his one fa¬ brication into the multitude of muiidan- Gods, and renders them fabricators of other mortal genera, he himself being eternally established in his own place of sur¬ vey, according to divinely-inspired poetry, on the summit of Olympus. Such

> For oXon here, it o neceitary to read »X*i o >»»i

p. 336

PKOCLUS ON THE

[book * therefore are the words, and this is the end of this demiurgic speech. It now remains that we should proceed to the dev elopement of the words themselves.

“ Gods of Gods.**