sustaining all things in the one Demiurgus, and arranging wholes together with her father. Hence through the first of these, they denominate her philosophic, bat through the second philopolemic, For she, who according to the (τ of the one, connectedly contains all the paternal wisdom, is a pAilosopher, And she, who invariably rules over all contrariety, may be properly called a lover of war. Hence Orpheus speaking of her birth says, that Jupiter generated her from
hes head,
With armour shining like a brazen flower,
Since, however, it was necessary that she should proceed into second and third orders, she appears in the order to which Proserpine belongs, according to the undefiled heptad; but she generates every virtue from herself, ἀπ clevating powers; and illuminates secondary natures with intellect, and an undetiled life. Hence she is called Core Tritogencs. She likewise appears among the liberated Gods, umting the lunar order with intellectual and demuurgic light, causing the productions of those divinities to be undefiled, and demonstrating the one unity of them to be unmingled with their depending powers. She also appears in the heavens and the sublanary region; and according to the united gift of herself nnparts the cause both of the philosophic and the philopolemte power. For her inflexibility is intellectual, and her separate wisdom is pare and unmingled with secondary natures ; and the one characteristic peculiarity of Minerval providence, extends as far as to the last orders. Por since wherever there are partial souls that resemble her divinity, they exert an admirable prudence, and exlibit an unconquerable strength, what ought we to say of her attendant choirs "of damons, or divine, mundane, liberated, and ruling orders? For all these receive as from a fountain the twofold peculiarity of this Goddess. Hence also, the divine poct (Homer) indicating both these powers of Minerva, in conjunction
with fabulous devices says,
‘The radiant veil her sacred fingers wove Floats in nich waves, and spreads the court of Jove.
Her father’s warlike robe her limbs invest. * ‘
- ' For χορευτῶν in this place, it is necessary to τόδ χορὼν των. * Thad. vit.
Book 1.) TIMAUS OF PLATO. Lal
Tn which verses by the veil which she wove, and to which she gave subsistence by her intellections, her intellectual wisdom is signified. But by the warlike robe of Jupiter, we must understand her demiurgic providence, which immutably takes care of mundane natures, and prepares more divine beings always to have dominion in the world. Hence, also, Ε think Homer represents her as an asso- ciate in battle with the Greeks against the Barbarians; just as Plato here relates that she was an associate with the Greeks against the inhabitants of the Atlantic island; in order that every where more intellectual and divine natures may
“rule over such as are more irrational and vile. For Mars, also, is a friend to warand contrarieties, but with a separation and division more adapted to the things themseives, Minerva, however, connects contrariety, and illuminates the subjects of her government with union, Hence, likewise, she is said to be
plilopolemic, For, Strife, fighting, war, she always loves.
And she is a friend to war, indeed, because she is allotted the summit of se- paration; but she is a lover of contrarieties, because these are in a certain respect congregated through this goddess, in consequence of better natures having dominion. On this account, likewise, the ancients co-arranged Victory with Minerva.
If, therefore, these things are nghtly asserted, she is philosophic indeed, as being demiurgic intelligence, and as separate and immaterial wisdom. Hence, alsoy she is called Metis by the Gods. But) she is philopolemic, as con- necting the contrarietics in wholes, and as an untamed and inflexible deity, On this account, likewise, she preserves Bacchus undetiled, but vanquishes the giants in conjunction with her father. She too alone shakes the το σία, without waiting for the mandate of Jupiter. She also hurls the javelin ;—
Shook by her arm, the massy javelin bends ; Hluge, ponderous, strong! that when her fury burns,
Whole ranke of heroes tames and overturns. "
Again, she is Phosphoros, as every way extending intellectual light; the Sa- viour, as establishing every partial intellect in the total intellections of her father ;
* Tad. viii.
142 PROCLUS ON THE [BOOK 1.
Ergane, or the artificer, as presiding over demiurgic works. Hence the the- ologist Orpheus says, that the father produced her,
That she the queen might be of mighty works.
But she is Calliergos, or the beautiful fabricator, as connecting by beauty all the works of the father; a /reim, as exerting an undefiled and unmingled purity, und diviochos, or wgis-beaving, as moving the whole of fate, and betne the leader of its productions. We should, also, discuss the remaining appellations of the Goddess, if, what we have already said might not appear to be prolin through my sympathy with the discussion, Again, therefore, recurring to the thing proposed we must say, that Plato calls both these divinities, Love and) Minerva, philo- suphers, not for the same reason; but he thus denominates the former, as being the middle of wholes, and as leading to intelligible wisdom ; and the latter as the summit of wholes, and as the union of demiurgic wisdom, Por the Demiurgus is “ Metis the first generator and much-pleasing Love.” And as Metis, indeed, he brings forth Minerva; but as Love, he generates the amatory series.
“ The ancient Athenians, therefore, using these laws, and being formed by good institutions in a still greater degree than I have mentioned, inhabited this region ; surpassing all men in every virtue, as it becomes those to do, who are the progeny and pupils of the Gods.”
We learn from history that the affiirs of the Athenians are more ancient than those of the Saitans; that the establishment of their city is prior; and that their laws are more proximate to Minerva. But in the mundane paradigms, also, wholes are prior to parts 5 and there is an order in them which is more divine, a power which is greater, and a form of virtue which is truly Minerval. Por the genus of virtue is adapted to this greatest divinity, as being virtue herself, For abiding in the Demiurgus, she is wisdom and immutable intelligence, and in’ the ruling (or supermundane] Gods, she unfolds the power of virtue.
By virtue’s worthy uame she’s called,
says Orpheus. It is evident, however, that things which are more divine in the universe, may be called the progeny and pupils of the Gods, For they derive
Fl IN IIE ti Hn
Seu sient
nook 1] TIM.EUS OF PLATO. 143
their subsistence and are perfected, or rather they are always perfect, through the fabrication of the Gods, and the undefiled production of Minerva. Every thing, therefore, which is suspended and originates from the Gods, and is converted to them, exhibits transcendent virtue. But this, also, is in wholes ; since it must be admitted that there is divine virtue in the universe. And it is likewise in human lives, according to a similitude to wholes. Henee what is now said is applied to the Athenians, But making the lite of the Athenians to be one and continued, it conjoins Solon to the ancient inhabitants of Athens. Vor it says, they “inhabited this region.” For the paradigm of them is one, and in continuity with itself; since the whole of the Minerval series being one, extends as far as to the last of things, and originates supernally from the supermundane orders.
“ Many,and mighty deeds, therefore, of your city are recorded in our temples, and are the subject of admiration; yet there is one which surpasses all of them in magnitude and virtue.”
The priest having promised summarily to relate the laws and deeds of the Athenians, he delivered, indeed, their laws according toa division of genera; and it, therefore, remained for him to celebrate their deeds, through which an encomiuin is passed on the city, and the tutelar Goddess is praised. Since, how- ever, of deeds there is a number, and there is also one unity comprehensive of them, according to which the whole form of the polity is exhibited, he announces that he shall narrate the greatest deed, and which surpasses all the rest in virtue ; this deed not being one of the many, but one prior to the many. For such a method of narration subsists appropriately with reference to the universe, in which wholes accomplsh, and connectedly contain one life, and collect many con- trarieties into one union with the Goddess. Hence, as there were many and great deeds of the city, the priest very properly relates one deed which was recorded in the temples. For there is, also, an intellectual paradigin of it, so far as it is surveyed in the world, and which transcends in’ magnitude and virtue; transcendency according to magnitude presenting to our view that which is fotal, but according to virtue that which is intelectual. For wholes and the more divine of mundane natures have. many energies of the great- est magnitude, and accomplish one life and polity, conformably to which
. fighting under Minerva, they vanquish all subordinate beings. After this
* For pepuas here, it is necessary to read μεγίστας.
144 PROCLUS ON THE [RooK 1.
manner, therefore, we must explain what is said. Porphyry, however, by great and admirable deeds, understands such as are accomplished by souls against matter, and material modes. But he calls demons material modes. For, according to him, there are two species of dwmons, of which the one consists of suuls, but the other of modes: and these are material powers, which are noxious to the soul. For these dogmas, however, he is corrected by the interpreter that came after him.'
“ Por these writings relate, what a mighty power your city once tamed, which rushing from the Atlantic sea, spread itself with hostile fury overall Europe and Asia.”
Plato in what is here said, neither omits any thing of encomiastic «augment, if the war of the Athenians against the Atlanties is considered as a mere history 5 nor fails in theological accuracy in Conjunction with caution, ifany one is) willing to pass from partial natures to wholes, and to proceed from images to paradigms. As itis usual, therefore, in Panathenaic orations to celebrate most amply the Per- sian expedition, and the victories of the Athemians both by land and sea, with which more recent orators fill their orations 3 Plato in praising the Athenians, neither delivers the Persian invasion nor any other similar deed, but introducing the Atlantic war against the parts inhabited by us, and which rushed from. the ex<ternal sea with a force capable of entirely destroying these parts, he informs us | thatthe Athenians were victorious, and that they subdued this mighty power. Since, however, the Persian expedition came from the east against the Grecks, and particularly against the Athenians, Plato introduces the Atlantic war from the west, inorder that you may survey the city of the Athenians as from a centre, castgating a Barbaric multitade pouring against ton each side in’ a disorderly manner. “To which may be added, that in the institutes delivered by the ancestors of the Athenians, and also in the mysteries, the Gigantic war is celebrated, and the victory of Minerva over the Giants, because in conjunction with ber father she vanquished these and the Titans, Plato, however, does not think it safe im- mnediately to introduce war against the Gods; for this is the very thing which he Hlamesintheancient poets; and itwould beabsurd that Critias or’Timwus, who were
auditors of what Socrates said against the poets on the preceding day, should
ἐν ον By the divine Jamblichus.
ERE φπδν FNRI S PO ES ih
Rook 1.] Timaus of Plato. 145
again ascribe wars and seditions to the Gods. But through the analogy of human to divine concerns, he delivers this Atlantic war prior to the fabrication of the world, assuming the Athenians instead of Minerva and the Olympian Gods, and the Atlanties instead of the Titans and Giants. For it is possible to survey the same things in images as in wholes, And that I] may remind you of the analogy, through thename of the Athenians, he refers his readers to the Olympian co-ordina- tion which fought under the command of Minerva; but through that of the Atlan- tics, to the Titanic Gods. For the mighty Atlas was one of the Titans. Theo- logists also after the laceration of Bacchus, which manifests the divisible progression into the universe under Jupiter from the impartible fabrication, say that the other Titans had different allotments, but that-Atlas was established in the weslera parts, sustaining the heavens.
By strong necessity the wide-spread heay'n
In carth’s extremes, by Atlas was sustain’d,