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

And thus much concerning tin* whole meaning of tin* words.

It is neressary however, since He have sanl tin* words ar»* demiurgic or fahrieative, that tln v should lit* rotvived in a in.min r adapted to demiurgic prov idence. lint if these words an* mtellct ttK.il conceptions, and tin* intellectual conceptions themselves art* proiluctions, what shall wo s.tv tin* Ifriniurgns effects m the niultitudi* of imindant- <i nls hv tin* lirsl words uf his speech ! Is it not evident wo must say that this energy ot his is delta* ! loir this oin* tlnnn* iutollootual concep¬ tion whifli is tin* first and most simple proceeding from the Deminrgiis, doilies all the recipients of it, ami makes them demiurgic (iotls, part it ipaletl (iotls, ami (iotls mvisilile anti at the same tune visible. l or this, as has been said, is tht* meaning of “ Gods of Gods. I ■'or the ft rm finds is not alone adapted to them; since they are not alone invisible; nor the word finds tw ict* enunciated, as if someone should say (iotls and finds; lor every bond of this kind is artificial, and foreign from divine union. I In se things therefore, have been siiilieiently discussed.

It is also necessary to observe in order to make the interpretations concordant, that every mundane (mil has an animal suspended from him, according to which he is deiioiuin itetl mundane. I b* has likeu isc a tlivim soul, w hit'll rules ou r its depending vehicle; and an immaterial and s. parale intellect, according to which he is united to the intelligihle, m order that he may imitate tin* world in which all these art contained. Anti by the animal suspended from him, he is indeed a part of the sensible universe; but by intellect be belongs to an intelligible essence; and by soul be conjoins tin* impartible life which is in him, with the life that is divisible about body. Sueii a composition however being triple in each mun¬ dane f iod, neither dot s Plato here deliver tin 1 h niiurgus speaking to intellects ; tor intellects subsist in tinproct-rtiing union with tin divine intellect, and are enlirt ly tinhegotti n ; but soul is the first ot generated natures ; and shortly alb r the Dtininrgus addresses these when In* s.iys, “ si net i/t are generated." ?\or tloes lit* represent the I hmiurgns as speaking only to the animals w hich are suspended lrom tin* studs ot these finds ; for they pertain to corporeal naiiuvs, ami art* not adaptt d to enjoy the one tlemiurgit intelligence, without a medium. TSur vet does he represent him as speaking to stalls hy themselves; for they art* entirely immortal ; hut tin (iotls whom In* now addresses are said hv him not x to be in every n sped immortal. It therefore it be requisite fur me to say vvliat appears to

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HOOK V.]

TIM.El S or I’lATO.

p. 311

It therefore it be requisite fur me to say vvliat appears to

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HOOK V.]

TIM.El S or I’lATO.

p. 311

me to he the truth, the words of the Dcmiurgus are addressed to the composite from soul and animal, viz. to the animal which is divine, and partakes of a soul. For intellect does not know the demiurgic will through reason, hut through intclhgi m e, or m other words, through intellectual vision; nor through conversion, hut throuiih a union with that intellect which ranks as a whole, as being itself intelle* t, ami as it were of the same colour w ith it. lint soul as being reason, ami not intellect itself, requires appropriately to its essence the enemy of reason, and a rational conversion to the intelligible.* To these then-fort', as hciiu£ essen¬ tially rational, and as being es>eutialli/.ed hi reasons, the demiurgic speer h proceecls. And it is adapt) <1 to tin m in a twofold respect, first, as bcimr participated by bodies ; for they are finds of those (unis; and secondly, a> participating of intellects; for they are finds of [viz. di rived from] intellects which an* also finds Ami they participate of intellects, and are participate by bodies. Hence tin* assertions that they an' generated, and that they are not entirely immortal, and e\ery thing else m the speech, are appropriately adapted to them, so far as they have a certain co-ordination and connexion w ith mundane natures, and so far as they are participated by them. Hut the mandates “ lairn and generate," and every thni” else of this kind which is more divine than generated natures, are ad tpted to them as inti Uectual essences.

“ Of whom I am the Dcmiurgus and father of works, whatever is generated by me is indissoluble, sucli being my w ill in its fabrication.”

Plato as I may summarily say, appears to yioa triple division to the energy of tin* one Demiurges in his total production of tin* junior finds, \iz. a division into the dcilic, into th.it which imparts connexion, and into that which supplies a si¬ militude to animal itself. l'or the address of the Demiurgus evinces those tube finds that proceed from him. Hut the assertions respecting the indissoluble and dissoluble, by defining the measure of a medium between these, impart a distri¬ bution and connexion commensurate to the order of the mundane finds. And the words calling on them to the lubrication of mortal natures, cause tin in to In* the sources of perfection to the universe, and the fabricators of secondary animals, conformably to the imitation of the paradigm. Hut through these three energies the Detnmrgus elevates his offspring to all the intelligible f iods, and establishes them in the intelligible triads. In the one being indeed, [or the summit of these

Instead of rot/r or, it o rerjuisile to read roqrf.

PROCLUS ON THE

[book V

p. 142

Hut through these three energies the Detnmrgus elevates his offspring to all the intelligible f iods, and establishes them in the intelligible triads. In the one being indeed, [or the summit of these

Instead of rot/r or, it o rerjuisile to read roqrf.

PROCLUS ON THE

[book Vp. 142 triads] through the first of these energies ; for that is primarily deified, in which the one is deity, hut bane is the first participant of it. i*\»r the one itself is alone *1* » " itliout habitude to any thiiiir, and is not parlieipahle ; hut the o,n ban 4 in which there is the first participation is God of God. And bane «-» dcitv as the summit of all heiu-s; hut the one of it is deity as proceeding from tin one itself, which is primarily Chid. Hut 1I110114I1 the second of these ener-ies the 1>. miur-hs establish* s his Ollspiill-4 ill the second ot tin- iiitellG'ible triads, i. e. in eternity itselt. 1-or eternity is t ie cause of this indissoluble permanency to every thm ,r which continues perpetually uiidissolit-d lienee all mundane natures are hound according to the demim-ic will, and have somethin*; of the indissoluble through the participation of him; tlie. natures which are primarily indissoluble lirin*; dif¬ fer* nt from these, ami those th.it are truly immortal subsisting for his s.ike. And he establishes them in all-perfect animal [or the third of the intelligible triads] t iron^h the third of tins* energies. I-’or to this the vriitic assimilates tin* mun¬ dane Gods, and ills* i ts in them the paradigms of animals wInch they generate. And this indeed, yy ill be one scope of fabrication, the couvcrtiu*; and perfectin'; the proceeding multitude of the Gods, Hut after the one there will l>e a triple design, yy inch * stabbsb* s them in tin* three mt* lli^ibh* orders.