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

And we hate shown that the immortal nature is twofold, \i/. the soul and its vehicle, and in a similar manner, that the mortal nature is twofold, and that the one is analogous to the other, \i/.. mortal to im¬ mortal nnturt s.

In the next place, the gilt of nutriment is ju if dive of mortals. Hence the junior (»ods produced all plants, for the sake of more honorable natures. The Demiurgus therefore, is \er\ far from admitting tin eating ot tmmals, since after the generation of all animals, he orders the junior Cods to product; for them nutriment. The* fabrication also of these Cods beaiilitiilly ends, according to the will ot the lather, in regeneration. For to receive back again things which are corrupt! d, is nothing else than a renewal of gnu-ration, and a revocation of corruption to generation, l or through this, nothing departs into that which has no existence whatever; lu cause the (bids who preside over g« in ration, conjoin the pi riods of it with their own periods, and make generation to be in continuity with corruption, giving form to the non-lM-ing of the latter, and circularly h ading privation into inorp/ie. The Demiurgus therefore, inserted in the junior Cods the fabrication of mortal natures from the beginning, and the cause-ot n-g* iteration ; just as lie inserted the fabrica¬ tion of all mundane natures in the monad of the junior (Jods, [i. e. in Bacchus,] which also Orpheus dt nominates the Juv« rule Cod. \ on see therefore, how the Demiurgus imparts to them unifying and deifying powers, by calling them Cods of ( Jods; connective and stable powers, through the medium of the dissoluble and indissoluble; gnostic powers through discipline; perfective powers, through

1 For fifyiorai litre, read firVioTUi.

BOOK V.]

TIM.T.US or PLATO.

p. 371

BOOK V.]

TIM.T.US or PLATO.

p. 371

giving perfection to the world hy the addition of mortals; demiurgic powers, through fahrication ; and motive and assimilative powers, through the imitation of the father. And again, you may say that he imparted to them \ ulcanian powers, through the energy according to nature; Minerval powers, through the command to weave together the mortal with the iinmortalnature; Cerealian and Coric powers, through the command to generate and nourish ; Titannie powers, through ordering them to produc e mortal and perishable natures ; and Dionysiacal powers, through regeneration. For the tilings which they generate they receive back again, when tliey are corrupted, returning them to the wholes from wbieli they were derived, and distributing each to its proper source; from these wholes again receiving other parts, and compounding them into the generation of other tilings. For all the elements are spread under them, in order to the generation of mortal animals, and the \ perpetually and without erasing, give completion to the circle' of generations and corruptions. Hence, they receive such things as they imparted to generated nature's, when tlie>y are corrupted, and deliver to wholes that whic h they took from them. 'I his like-wiser has an infinite permutation, through the immobility [i. e. immutability] of all the Gods that fabricate mortal nature-s.

“ These things spake the father to those to w hom lie committed the fabrication [of mortal natures].”

Plato eln iei< s the* w hole of the- fahrication of things into the- generation of dii ine, ancl the generation of mortal natures. The genie-ration of divine natures likewise, lie* divides into that of the whole world prior to its parts, and into that of the great and perpetual parts which it contains. And again, he divide-s the latter into the- generation of celestial and sublunary natures. Hut again, he- divide s the generatiem of mortal natures into the* production of that w hich is diiine, and im¬ mortal in tI k-iii, and the- plastic- generatiem of all that is mortal. The- latter like¬ wise he’ divide s into the* production of souls and bodies. And the production of bodies, into that of w holes, and parts, such as the head, the' heart, and the* liver. And the De-miurgus of wholes inde ed, binds to himse lf all the first fabrication; but of the second, lie again, producing that which is immortal in it, places over the remainder the many Deiniurgi. For these being the plastic framers of mortal animals, and being always themselves filled with life*, impart to that which is mor¬ tal in the se*eond fahrication,'their own providential energy, so far as it is able* to receive it, and fill it with gcnesinrgic life and material fabrication. For every-

p. 372

PltOCLUS ON THE

[book t.

For every-

p. 372

PltOCLUS ON THE

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where the last of thinga are constituted hv those that rank as media; and the media between the first immortals, and mortal natures, are those that are always filled with perpetually-generated life. The natures therefore, that are immortal from themselves, resemble the fountains of water: but those that are tilled from these, may be assimilated to |»erpetually flowing rivers; and those that are some¬ times vivified, and sometimes' lose their life, to mers that cease to flow'. Out everywhere, that which is more full, desires to fill, and hastens to generate. 11 elire, it is necessary that media should impart from themselves a progression to the list of things, and those that are always filled with life, a progression to those that are sometimes able to lire. And thus inueli concerning the order of the things with r» fen nee to each other.

Hut tin words “ These things spake," bring with them an admirable indication. And in the first place, indeed, they indicate the perfect, and that which is filled with appropriate boundaries. For nut being aide to comprehend in one word the uiiicul perfection, eternal energy, and infinite power of rlivine natures, we appre¬ hend these in a divisible manner through temporal names; signifying indeed, in¬ fection through the past, hut the never-failing through the present. The word spakc therefore, is a symbol ot the perfection of demiurgic intellections. For as tin y are all-perfect, so likewise are the demiurgic words, which are the energies of them, and which proceed to the multitude of thedods. Thus too, in the [Chahlaaii Oracles, the energies of tlie (iods, and of the father himself, are mani¬ fested through the word spake, as when they say ; “The intellect of the eternal father, governing all things by intellect, spake and said, into three.” For lu speak is neither the energy of existence, nor of life, but of mt« Ueetion. I his then is the first thing which the words indicate, lint farther still, this word spake manifests that words are adapted to souls ; for to speak, i" an energy familiar and allied to these. For from to hco^, a word, to trrfiv, to speak, is derived. lint reason (Tojog) or s|M*eeh, pertains to souls, and to the order of souls, as Plato observed before, w hen he spake of reason energizing about the inti lligihle, and the sensible nature, and when lie called to perceive intellect unlit/, to speak. Again, the addition of the words these thin^<>, unites the multitude of intellections, about the one intelligence of the Deiniurgus, anil collects the divided powers of speech to the monad of the paternal intellection. It is necessary likewise to understand this concerning divine speeches in Plato, that all oft hem are either addressed to souls, or arc on account of souls. 'Finis the speech of the Muses, and that of the prophet, in the Republic, are addressed to souls. But the speech in the Banquet by Aristo-