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

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.

This second *11111111141. intelligence therefore, alter tin* first yvhich is deilic, illu- 111111 at* s tin* iiiimdaiie (..ids w itli a firm * stablishmeiit, an immutable power, and an eternal essence, tliroii^li wbi* b the whole w orId, and all tin* dome allotm<*nts subsist alyy ay s the same, parti* 1 pat 1114 tin 0114)1 the father of an immutable nature and undecay 1114 poyvrr. l um* ry t 11114 yv hi* h is generated from an imiuovt able cause, is indissolublc ami immutable; but all the progeny of a numable cause ar«* mutable. II* nee 31110114 mundane natures, such as proceed from the demiurgic cause alon**, in conscqucucc ol beiii4 4«‘iieratcd accordin'; to an iri\.triable sameness, ar»* permanent, and are exempt from every mutable and variable essence. Hut such as proceed both from tins cause, and from oilier moveable principles, are indeed immutable so tar as they proceed from tin* I)emiur4iis, but mutable so far as they proceed from the latter, l or those natures yvhich tin* Deiuim^us alone "cnerates, these be fabricates immutable and indissoluble, both according to tin ir own nature, ami accord in;; to bis power and will, lair lie imparts to them a 411a rd fan ami prescry 1114 powi r, and In* conn* * ts their essence in a manner transcend* nt and f*\e. tpt. I or all thiii4s;u'e preserved in a two-fold respect, from the power which he contains, and from his proy identia! goodness, yvhich is truly ahl* and yy 1111114 to pres**rv« ev cry tiling; yvhich may lie layy fully perpetually' saved. The most divine *>1 vi-ibl* natures therefor**, areas we hare staid from their own nature indissoluble;

BOOK V.]

TLM.LlS or PLATO.

p. 343

but they arelikewiseso from the demiurgic power wliirh pervades through all things, and eternally connects them. For this power is the guard ami the divine law which connectedly contains all things, lint a still greater and more principle cause than these is thech miurgic will which employs this power in its productions. For what is superior to goodness, or what homl is more perfect than this, which im¬ parts hy illumination union, connects an eternal essence, and is the hond ami measure of all tilings ; to which also the I h uiiiirgus now refer* the cause of iminutahlepower, saying, “ such tidin' tin/ u ill in its fabrication.’ For he established his own will as a guard over his own proper works, as that which gives union, connexion and measure to the w hole of things.

Who the Demiurgus however is, ami who the father is, ha i been unfolded by us before, and will be now also concisely shown. There are then these four; father alone; maker alone; father and maker; maker and father. And father indeed, is a-ther for bound] being tin* first procession from the one. Father and maker is the divinity who subsists according to the intelligible paradigm [at the extremity of the intelligible order,] and whom Orpheus says the blessed Gods call Fhanes I'rotogonus. lint maker and father is Jupiter, who is now called hv him¬ self the Pemiurgu*, but whom the Orphic writers would call the father of works. And maker alone, is the cause of partible fabrication,' as the same w riters would say. To I itlier alone therefore, all intelligible, intellectual, supermundane, ami mu ml me natures are in subjection. To father and maker, all intellectual, supermuudane, and mundane natures are subordinate. To maker and father who is an intellectual deity, supermundane and mundane natures are subservient. But to maker alone, mundane natures alone are in subjection. And all these particu¬ lar- we learn trorn the narration of Orpheus ; for according to each peculi iritv of the four there is a subject multitude of (rods. But what are the works of the De¬ miurges and lather? Is it not evident, that they are all bodies, the composition o( animals, and the number of participated souls. All these therefore, are indis¬ soluble, through the will of tin' father. l or this imparts to them the power of immutable permanency, and connects and guards them with exempt transcen¬ dency. The intellects however, which supemally ascend into souls, cannot be said to In* the Tcorks of the father. For they had not a generation, but were un¬ folded into light in an unbegotten manner; lreing as it were fashioned within, and not proceeding out of the adyta. For neither are there paradigms of intellect, but of middle natures, ami such as are last. For soul is the first of images; but wholes, such as animals, animated natures, such as participate of intellect, and

1 Thu divinity is Vulcan.

.Ill

IMtOCEL'S ON THE

[book

V.

such as are generated, derive their subsistence from the intelligible paradigms, of which animal itself is comprehensive.

“ Every thing therefore, which is bound is dissoluble, but to be willing to dissolve that which is beautifully harmonized and well composed, is the province of an evil nature."

“ Every thing therefore, which is bound is dissoluble, but to be willing to dissolve that which is beautifully harmonized and well composed, is the province of an evil nature."

It is requisite to consider how the dissoluble and indissoluble are asst rted of the Gods, audio conjoin proper modes of solution with appropriate bonds. For every tiling is not bound alb r a similar manner, nor is that which is bound in tine way, dissolved in difh-rent ways. Hut that which i> in a certain respect bound, has also its dissolution according to this mode. That which is in every respect bound, is likewise in every respeet dissolved. \nd that which is bound by itself Is also by itself dissolved Hut that w hii !i is bound bv something dill, ri lit from itself, has also on that its dissolution depending. 'That likewise which is bound in tune, is also dissolved according to time. Hut that win h is allotted a perpe¬ tual bond, must also be said to be perpetually dissolved. For in short, dissolution is conjoined with every bond. Fora bond is not union without multitude; since the uul does not require a bond. Nor is it an assemblage of many and dilli rent things, no longer pn serving their characteristic peculiarities. For a thing of this kind is confusion; and that which results from them is one thing consisting of things corrupted together, hut dm s not become hound. For it is necessary that tilings that are bound should remain as they are; but not In* bound when cor¬ rupted. lienee a bond then alone takes place, when there are many tilings, and which are preserved, having one power count etive anil collective ol tin tit, whether this power be corporeal or incorporeal. If tins however be the case, things that are bound are united through the bond, and separated, because each preserves its ow ii prop* r nature.

Every vv lu re therefore, as we have said, a bond has also dissolution connected with it. Hond.s however and tlu ir dissolutions differ in subsisting in a certain respect, and simply, from themselves, ami from others, according to time, and per¬ petually. Fur m tin si* tln-ir differences consist. \\ e must not therefore wonder if the same tiling is both dissoluble and indissoluble; and if it is in a certain res|u el indissoluble, and in a certain respect dissoluble. No that the works of the father, if they are indeed indissoluble, are so, as not to be dissolved according to tune. Hut they are dissoluble as h iving together with a bond, a separation of the simple things of which tin \ consist, according to the definite causes of tilings, that are bound, existing in lmn that binds. For as that which is selt-subsistent is said nooK v.]

i IM/KUS or I*LATU.

.14 r,