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

These assertions therefore, are rather to Ik* admitted than the former, re¬ specting the semination and distribution of souls and their vehicles, both of them lx*ing effected by the Pemiiirgus.

Since also, the semination is of souls with their vehicles, and not of souls only, as was the case with the former distribution, Plato very properly says, that the Pemiurgus disseminated some of them into the earth, but others into (lie moon, indicating that each of these souls is non man, and the first man ; the definition here likewise prevailing, that man is a soul using a hotly, and the immortal man an immortal body. It is also necessary to separate tins immortal from every mortal body, in order that man may become that which he was prior to his lapse into generation: for the semination is now of men, hut not of souls. \ er\ properly therefore is it said, that some of them were disseminated into the earth, hut others into the moon. Hence these tilings must he observed tog* tlier with what has Im’cii before said, and likewise that souls will never have a supermundane situation, not even according to those who admit, that there are other spheres beyond till* fixed stars; though the highest and most simple of the vehicles participate of ethe¬ real splendor, lint the distribution is different from the semination. Pur the former, is of souls alone; hut the latter, in conjunction with vehicles. Hence in s|M*aking of the former, Plato says, the Pemiiirgus distributed each soul into each star; hut here, that lie disseminated, some into tin* earth, hut others into the moon, because now they exert the human characteristic property. 1-or there, i e. in the stars,J man is a soul using an immortal * body, and the man there is perpetual. The distribution therefore, is different from the semination, and the former is said to !>e, into the stars, hut the latter, into the instruments of time. Hence it max si-em, that each of these is into difierent places, l or the earth is not a star, so that there will not Ik* a distribution of souls about it; nor are the fixed stars said to he instruments of time, so there will not he a semination about them. Jlut the planets alone, are both stars, ami instruments of time; so that alvout these, there will he both a distribution and a semination. It is manifestly absurd however, that both these should not take place about the earth pnd the

' Thtrc it an omission hi tins place in llie orig o.il of ra c^>/fjnra.

* The word a fiat ary if omitted 10 the original.

book i..]

TI M l.US UI PI.ATO

p. 423

It is manifestly absurd however, that both these should not take place about the earth pnd the

' Thtrc it an omission hi tins place in llie orig o.il of ra c^>/fjnra.

* The word a fiat ary if omitted 10 the original.

book i..]

TI M l.US UI PI.ATO

p. 423

axed stars. I'»>r it it is the Demiurges who both distributes and disseminates, bolb these are essentially inherent in souls; and if this Im* the case, it is necessary that both should be about the same thing; in order that the apocatastasis of e’u rj soul may be into one thing, and that it may not through the distribution make its apocatastasis into its kindred star, but l»e compelled to make it into something else, through a semination into something different from its kindred star. For that which is sown, is allied and adapted to that in which it is essen¬ tially disseminated. If therefore, these things are true, the earth also, must be said to b<* a star, not according to its visible bulk, but according to its ethereal and starry-form vehicle; since our vehicle likewise is a thing of this kind. It must also be admitted, that the lived stars co-operate in the production of time, lienee these, so far as they have periods, though unknown to us, entirely mea¬ sure the whole of time, some in one, and others in a different way. For there is not the same apocatastasis of all the fixed stars ; hut we have no certain indica¬ tion from sense of their circulation, ns we have of the revolutions of the planets.

For there is not the same apocatastasis of all the fixed stars ; hut we have no certain indica¬ tion from sense of their circulation, ns we have of the revolutions of the planets.

All the parts of the world therefore, receive disseminated partial souls, and every mundane («od is the prefect of partial (Jods and souls,* distributed and disseminated about him, conformably to the demiurgic intellect. But Plato savs, that the one peculiarly takes place about the stars, and the other, about the last of wholes, the moon and the earth; indicating by this, the proper dignity of each, viz. that the one is more divine, for it is incorporeal; hut the other sub¬ ordinate, for the semination is with bodies. This however, is evident from the precedaneous causes of the distribution and the semination, l>eing mentioned by him separately at different times, each being into the same things; by which he manifests the difference of them with reference to each other. Ilence, though there is a distribution of the soul about the earth, yet it is so far as the earth possesses something starry-form and incorporeal. And though there is a disse¬ mination of it about a star, yet it is so far as it has something allied to earth; hut this is corporeal. The earth and the moon likewise, were assumed in the semina¬ tion, through their alliance to each other: for it is common to them, to produce shadow. And what the earth is in wholes, that the moon is among the celestial bodies; so that there will he an apocatastasis into the earth of the souls that were originally disseminated into it, and allotments of them in it. But it is not wonder¬ ful, if Plato says in the Phsedrus, that the better allotments are celestial, but the last, subterranean. For there, it was solely his intention to speak of the extremes, neither mentioning the aerial, nor the terrestrial fortunate allotments. Hence,

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Tim. Plot.

' Yi>x*r it omitted in U»e original,

VOL. II.

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