Plato every where, after having employed many words, .summarily comprehends die multitude of them in the conclusion. Tor he knew that in the Deniimgus, one intellectual pern ption comprehends the multitude of intellectual conn ptioiis, that one power connects many powers, and that a uniform cause collects into one union divided causes. Hence the words [prior to these] “ I faxing therefore instructed &viils in all tlusc particulars" and the words before us, “ //<■ u / l0 orderly disposal all t first particulars, had the distinct energy of the Deniim-gus to an united cause. Farther still, the word alt, manifests that which is consummated from all its appropriate boundaries, lint the words orderly disposal, indicate the order pervading through all beings, which the I>« miur-us introduced to the mun¬ dane Gods, and to partial souls; demonstrating the former to he Demiiirgi, but inscribing in the latter the laws of Tate. Moreover, the word remained, does not manifest station, and inth xible intellection, hut an establishment 1 in tin one. Tor according to this the Deiniurgus is exempt from wholes, ami is separated from the beings that intellectually perceive him. Put this establishment itself is eter¬ nal, ami always invariably permanent. These things then fore, are also indicated by the words iieciistunnd and manner; the one exhibiting sameness of permanency ; hut the other the peculiarity of the demiurgic stability. 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
“ 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 con- glutmated 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
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
* For mi ftaOtvr, it if orcnttn (o read iu fiaOpw.
nooK v.]
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 conse- ipience 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.
I^t us however, direct our attention to each of the words of Fima-us. ihe word receiving therefore, indicates how the junior Gods receive the immortal soul descending in its first vehicle : for lie calls the whole “ the immortal principle." It also indicates, that every where, our concerns are providentially attended to by the Gods, above indeed, by the father, hut lieneath, by liis chddren, if it be
* For ■warpet, it is necessary to read warroi.
* Here also for vor^i, it » necessary to read taei.
Vol. II. 3 I
Tim. Mat.
[book V.
requisite to speak in a divided manner. For our soul, at one time lives accord¬ ing to the characteristic of Jupiter, and at another according to that of Bacchus; but in its arrangement [on the earth,] it lives Titannically.' The
• This is admirably explained bv Olvmpiodorus, in his Ms. commentary on that part of the I'hado where Plato speaks of the prohibition of suicide iu the aroppi/ra ; “The argument," savs he, ** which Plato etnplo\s in this place against suicide is derived from the Orpine mv thology, in which four kingdoms arc celebrated : the tint of //cji.ri.vvhorn S iturnassau!ted,cutlini: oil the genitals of Ins father. But afh r Saturn, Jupiter sin c ceded to tin government of the world, having hurled his father into Tartarus. And after Jupiter, Baeclius ro-e to light, who, according to report, was, through the stratagems of Juno, torn in pieces by the Titans, by whom lie was surrounded, and who afttrwards tasted his flesh hut Jupiter, enraged at the deed, hurled his thunder at the gmllv otb-iiders, and consumed them to ashes, lienee a ecilam mailer being formed fieuii the vapour of tlie smoke ascend* ing from their burning bodies, out ot lias mankind were produced. It is unlawful therefore to destroy ourselves, not as the words of Plato stem to import, because we are iu bodv, as m a prison, secured by a guard , (for tins is ev idrnt, and Plato would not have called such an assertion arcane but briause our bodv is Diolivsiaeal, or tin proper!v ol Bacchus for we area part of tins tint!, since we are composed fiotn the vapours of the Titans who taste I Ins flesh. Socrates, therefore, fearful of disclosing the ar cane part of tins narration, adds nothing more of the fable but that we are placed as in a certain prison, secured hj a gujrd : but tlie interpreters relate the fable openly." Km tart ro pvlltt r en^npijpa rotovroy. Ilupa ry ()p<f.tt rreeaptt puffiXriui scipcihiVirm, Il >wr>i pry, ij ruu Ovpusoii. ijr o Kposov cu?e£aeu, ttrtpvy ru uibuta r uu iruip"t. M rru b I] r*.v K.jkmic, u /1 u • ■InffiXf uet e luraraprnpuiffm roe rrartpa. Ei-ci roe Act iitbt^arc o Aioi vaot, or ^nfft cor’ rn,>< iAijc riji Hpriv ron irepi tturou Tirarot Bia/Kirrni-, cm ryr vaoewr uvroii atruy tvteOm. Km roeroos cpytnOrtt o /.‘ut rttpuviuet, cai rn rijt cn(laXij« rior arptiy ruy urafoUriruir ue*wr, iXrp yooptiiji yttfoO n< “ovi orOfHarooi. On itt ovr ffayayeic ijpaf tavruut, ov^ on cn ^ cn Xryrir ij tturi t r rn i hapy repry ry aupurt' rorro yap