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

Tor manner is indicative of peculiarity ; since connective is different from immutable, and both these from demiurgic permanency.

' For dp vat, it is nfCfssary to nad dfn/et y.

BOOK V .]

TIM.EUS OF PLATO

p. 431

“ But in consequence of Ins abiding, as soon as his children under¬ stood tiic order of their father, they became obedient to it,*’

\N lien the Demiurgus speaks, then the* junior (imls have the order of hearers. Y\ hen he intelleeliiall v percei\es, then they learn; fur learning is dianoetic. \\ lien he aliides according to union itself, then ln> ehildren intelh etualh perceive. For they always receive from him an inferior orch r. And as fdh d indeed from him, they pie-erve the analogy of hearers with reference to him; but as evolving his one power, they are analogous to learners. For he who learns evolves the intellect of his preceptor. As belli" deilied however by him, they have the ana¬ logy of those that p«'*reeive mli-lh-etually. I'm* intellect becomes deuie. In its con¬ tact ’ with the ntu. 1 he father therefore abiding, his children \cry properly intel¬ lectually perceive. For they arc intellects participated by divine souls, tb.it ride in tin: vehicles of tmdelilcd bodies. But they intellectually perceive the order of tin* father presubsisting in him prior to the arranged effects, according to which order lie became all things. For what Orpheus says of the monad of the junior (Iods,

Tiiuu-li all tltin^*i In tin* fatlur .1 <>\k were tuinid,

^ el tin ir coinplelioii they to Bacchus owe ;

this also must be said of the junior (iods, vi/. that they give perfection to the fa¬ brication, which the father constituted by intellection itself;just as the[Chahhcan] Oracle likewise says, “1 Isese things tin 4 father understood, and the mortal nature became animated for him." Mortal natures tin refore, were fashioned and ani¬ mated l»y the demiurgic intelleetion alone. But the junior < iods unfold his total production, through their own manifest fabrication, Ixung filled from the demiur¬ gic monad.

“And receiving the immortal principle of mortal animal, in imitation of their artificer, they borrowed from the world flic parts of fire and earth, water and air, as things which they should restore back again ; and conglutmated the received parts together, but not with the same indissoluble bonds as those by which they were connected.”

Plato indicates to us, the separation of the second from the first fabrication.

1 lo^p is erroneously printed for mfp.

PHoci.us on Tin:

[book

V.

4.12

1 lo^p is erroneously printed for mfp.

PHoci.us on Tin:

[book

V.

4.12 through in,my won Is ami steps. 1 For if (he Demiurgus orderly disposes, !mt t!ie junior Gods are oliedient to his mandates, the former by merely commanding is the cause of generated natures, hut the latter being excited by the Demiurgus, re¬ ceive from thence the boundary of the whole of their fabrication. Ami if indeed, he abides in himself, Imt they are mined about him, it is evident that lie is eter¬ nally the cause of things which subsist in time, but that they, being tilled from him, energize arrording to the whole of time. And if he perfectly establishes himself in his own accustomed manner, but they proceeding from him, unfold into light this united and iucH'nhlc disposition of himself, they derive from him secondary measures of fabrication.

M oreover, he is said to have a paternal dignity, but they are denominated his children, as expressing his prolific power, and bis single goodness. And he in¬ deed, is celebrated as delivering from Ins exalted abode the principles of fabri¬ cation; but they are celebrated as n ceiv ing the immortal principle contributing to the orderly distribution of mortals. He is said to have the fountain of the vivification of perpetual natures ; but they are the causes of the subsistence of mortal-formed animals. And he indeed, extends himself as a paradigm to the many Gods; but they are said to imitate the demiurgic intellect. lie is said to produce the whole world, and the plenitudes of it ; but they are said to borrow parts from the fabrications of their father, in order to the completion of their proper works. And he indeed, employs all incorporeal powers; but they also employ such as art.* corporeal. He gives subsistence to indissoluble bonds; but they to such as are dissoluble. And be indeed, is said to insert a union more ancient than the natures which it unites; but they are said to introduce an adventitious union, and which is of an origin posterior to this, to the l>eings that consist of many contrary natures. And he is said to produce all things impartilily , hut they with division, minutely distributing the subsistence of mortal natures into snijdl and invisible nails. From these tilings therefore, the separation of the two fabrications may be assumed; but the union and contact of them may be surveyed from the words liefore us. For here a contact is effected of the second with the first fabrication ; of apparent with unapparent, and of divided with mo¬ nadic production.

Hence it is necessary that the lowest part of the first and unapparent fabrica¬ tion, should coalesce with the summit of the second. For thus also the heavens axe conjoined with generation [or the sublunary region,] the lowest of the celestial b< dies exhibiting the principle of mutation ; but the summit of the essence of nooK v.]

* For mi ftaOtvr, it if orcnttn (o read iu fiaOpw.

TIM XUS OF PLATO.

p. 433

For thus also the heavens axe conjoined with generation [or the sublunary region,] the lowest of the celestial b< dies exhibiting the principle of mutation ; but the summit of the essence of

* For mi ftaOtvr, it if orcnttn (o read iu fiaOpw.

nooK v.]

TIM XUS OF PLATO.

p. 433

s,ul)lunary nature's, lieing moved in conjunction with the heavens. lienee too, here also the rational soul is conjoined with the mortal form of life; viz. the lowest and most partial of the productions of the father with the highest of the natures generated by the junior Gods. For they indeed, as being certain fathers produce lives ; hut as fabricators, bodies. And they imitate indeed Vulcan by the fabrication of bodies, but Juno by vivification. Hut through both these they imitate the whole Demiurges. For lie is maker and father; but they fashion bodies bv borrowing parts from wholes. For everywhere parts derive their composition from wholes. When, however, the wholes are incorporeal, they remain undiminished by the subsistence of the parts; hut when they are corporeal, the parts that are generated from them diminish the w holes. Hence an ablation always taking place, but tiie parts always remaining, the wholes perish. And thus generation will no longer exist, and the works of the first fabrication will all vanish through the second, w hich it is not law ful to assert. That nothing of this kind therefore may take place in the universe, the composite parts are again dis¬ solved, in order to till up their w holes. And the generation of one thing is the corruption of aiiotle r; but the corruption of one thing is the generation of anollur; in order that generation ami corruption may always remain. For if generation existed at a certain time only, it would at a certain time stop, in conseipience of consisting of finite things, and these being consumed. Hut these perishing, corruption also would stop, all things being destroyed. Ilence u it is necessary that one of these should exist, the other also will exist. I>ery thing therefore which is generated from the second fabrication, is a composite and dissoluble, and deriving its composition from time, will also in time lie again dissolved. The junior (bids therefore, are very properly said to borrow puts, which are again to he restored to their wholes. Hut they borrow them from the universe.’ For that which they borrow is lire, earth, water, ami air; and they again restore them to the universe. 1 The father then-fore wishes the wholes to remain which he general* d and arranged. And thus much concerning all the fabrication of the junior Gods.