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 in- tclhgi 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 pro- ceecls. 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.
[book V
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.
TLM.LlS or PLATO.
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 im- inutahlepower, 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, super- muudane, 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
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."
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 re- s|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.
to l*o so in n twofold respect, one, as supplying all things from itself alone, hut another, as subsisting inch ed from itself, and also from another, which is the cause of it, thus aUo the uidisoohihle is so, from anoth* r,' and from itself; just as that which is moved is twofold, and .subsists m a similar manner.
To these two modes however, two modes of dissolution are also opposed ; viz. that which is dissoluble from another and tiom itself is opposed to that which is indissoluble from another and from itself. And the former indeed, is dissoluble in itself, ns consisting of things that are separate. [bit m consequence of having in something eke prior to itself the causes of its subsistence, by this cause, and according to this mode alone, it becomes dissoluble. Again, that which is simply dissoluble in a twofold respect, and which contains in itself the cause of i!« disso¬ lution, and ako receives it from another, is opposed to that which is simply indissoluble in a twofold respect, from itself and from another. These then fore are four in niimlwr, viz. that which is simply indissoluble from another and from itself. And again, that which is indissoluble after a certain manner in a twofold respect; that which is dissoluble afier a certain manner m a twofold resj»ect; and that which is dissoluble simply from itself, and from another. * Of these four however, the first pertains to inlelligihles; for they are indissoluble, as bring entirely simple, and receiving no composition or dissolution whatever. But the fourth belongs to mortal natures, which ar« dissoluble from thrmselvi s and from others, as consisting of many things, and being compos* d bv their causes in such a way, as to lie at a certain time dissolved. And the middles pertain to the mun¬ dane (iods; fur the second and the third of these four concur with them. Bor niter a certain manner, these as being the works of the father are indissoluble; and they are saved (rum thcui'ilvc*. and through his will. \nd again, they are in a certain respect dissoluble, because thev are bound by him ; and lie contains the productive principle of those simple naluies from which they are composed. Ik cry thing then-lore which is hound is dissoluble; and this is ako the case with the wot ks of the father.