John of Damascus, Dialectic Fuller Recension

It is impossible for contrary essential differences to coexist with each other in one nature; for the work of these is to separate from each other the natures in which they exist. And again, it is impossible for things that have once subsisted in themselves to have another principle of subsistence; for subsistence in itself is existence. It should be known that, in the case of the Holy Trinity, subsistence is the unoriginated mode of each one's eternal existence. And it is necessary to know that, when a nature becomes composite, the parts must be co-temporal, and a different thing is formed from different things, not preserving but turning and altering the things from which it was composed, as when the body is composed of the four elements, one thing has come to be from others, and it is neither perfect fire nor any of the other things, nor is it called so, and as a mule from a horse and a donkey; for it is neither a horse nor a donkey, nor is it called so, but a different thing from different things, preserving neither of the things from which it was composed, unconfused and unchanged. 68 <Various Definitions> Necessity is the cause of force. -An element is, in general, that from which something first comes into being, and into which it is ultimately resolved; specifically, an element is that from which a body comes into being and into which it is resolved, such as fire, water, air, earth. Fire is a body most fine-particled, and hottest, and driest; earth is a body most dry and most heavy; water is a body wet and most cold; air is a body most wet and soft. Generation is motion according to substance from non-being to being; corruption is motion from being to non-being. Growth is motion in quantity according to magnitude; decay is motion in quantity according to decrease and diminution. Alteration is motion in quality according to change. Locomotion is motion from place to place; revolution is motion in the same place. Self-motion is the motion of the soul in living creatures. Time is the measure of motion and the number of the before and after in motion. Day is the course of the sun over the earth, or the time in which the sun is carried over the earth; night is the shadow of the body of the earth, or the time in which the sun is carried under the earth. A day-and-night is a revolution of the cosmos. A month is the time from the conjunction of the moon with the sun to the next conjunction. A year is the time in which the sun traverses the zodiacal circle. An opportune time is the time for a right action; an inopportune time is the lack of an opportune time according to the successful eagerness for what is sought. An hour is the fourth part of a year, or the twelfth part of a day, or the peak of the soul or the flower of the body or the beauty of youth. Spring is the time in which the moist prevails; summer is the time in which the hot prevails; autumn is the time in which the dry prevails; winter is the time in which the cold prevails. A bearded star is a star-like collection of fire having its rays in front. A comet is a fire-like collection of stars sending out rays all around like the hair of a head. A beam star is a star-like pole, that is, a beam, sending its fiery ray upwards. A torch is an ignition and collection of fire. A rainbow is a solemn-looking appearance of the sun in a hollow and dewy cloud, appearing circular in the order of a circle as in a mirror to the sense, or the appearance of a star happening through the condensation of the air. A parhelion is a circular, dense cloud, like the sun, or an appearance of the sun in a dense and smooth cloud. A thunderbolt is a spiral wind making fiery motion, carried from above downwards through a flaming fire and burning in a circle. A whirlwind is a spiral motion of dark air stretched from above to the earth. A fiery hurricane is a spiral motion of transparent air carried from above downwards. A lightning-bolt is a thunderbolt without clouds. Hail is wholly frozen water, having been solidified above the earth; crystal is wholly frozen water on the earth; snow is half-frozen water descending through the clouds to the earth; frost is wholly frozen water solidified through another moist substance on the earth. A shower is a large quantity of water secreted from the clouds; rain is a collection of drops; a drop is the collective moisture of droplets. A mist is a formation before a cloud; vapor is a multitude of exhalations upon the earth. A lake is much water, fresh and collected, occupying a hollow and sloping place in a body. The sea is salty and bitter water filling the hollows of the gulfs of the lowest earth. A spring is a flowing forth

ἀδύνατον τὰς ἐναντίας οὐσιώδεις διαφορὰς ἐν μιᾷ φύσει συνυπάρξαι ἀλλήλαις· τούτων γὰρ ἔργον ἐστὶν ἀποδιιστᾶν ἀλλήλων τὰς φύσεις, ἐν αἷς ὑπάρξουσι. Καὶ πάλιν ἀδύνατον τὰ ἅπαξ καθ' ἑαυτὰ ὑποστάντα ἑτέραν ἀρχὴν ὑποστάσεως σχεῖν· ἡ γὰρ ὑπόστασις ἡ καθ' ἑαυτό ἐστιν ὕπαρξις. Ἰστέον δέ, ὡς ἐπὶ τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος ὑπόστασίς ἐστιν ὁ ἄναρχος τρόπος τῆς ἑκάστου ἀιδίου ὑπάρξεως. Χρὴ δὲ εἰδέναι, ὅτι, ἡνίκα σύνθετος γένηται φύσις, δεῖ ὁμόχρονα τὰ μέρη εἶναι καὶ ἐξ ἑτέρων ἕτερον ἀποτελεῖται μὴ φυλάττον ἀλλὰ τρέπον καὶ ἀλλοιοῦν τὰ ἐξ ὧν συνετέθη, ὡς ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων στοιχείων ἀποτελουμένου τοῦ σώματος ἄλλο ἐξ ἄλλων γέγονε καὶ οὔτε πῦρ τέλειον οὔτε τι τῶν ἄλλων ἐστὶν ἢ λέγεται, καὶ ὡς ἐξ ἵππου καὶ ὄνου ἡμίονος· οὔτε γὰρ ἵππος οὔτε ὄνος ἐστὶν ἢ λέγεται ἀλλ' ἐξ ἑτέρων ἕτερον, μηδ' ὁπότερον τῶν, ἐξ ὧν συνετέθη, φυλάττον ἀσύγχυτόν τε καὶ ἄτρεπτον. 68 <Ὅροι διάφοροι> Ἀνάγκη ἐστὶ βίας αἰτία. -Στοιχεῖόν ἐστι κοινῶς μέν, ἐξ οὗ τι γίνεται πρώτου, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ ἐπ' ἐσχάτου ἀναλύεται· ἰδίως δὲ στοιχεῖόν ἐστιν, ἐξ οὗ γίνεται σῶμα καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ ἀναλύεται, οἷον πῦρ, ὕδωρ, ἀήρ, γῆ. Πῦρ ἐστι σῶμα λεπτομερέστατον καὶ θερμότατον καὶ ξηρότατον· γῆ ἐστι σῶμα ξηρότατον καὶ βαρύτατον· ὕδωρ ἐστὶ σῶμα ὑγρὸν καὶ ψυχρότατον· ἀήρ ἐστι σῶμα ὑγρότατον καὶ μαλακόν. Γένεσίς ἐστι κίνησις κατ' οὐσίαν ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι· φθορά ἐστι κίνησις ἐκ τοῦ ὄντος εἰς τὸ μὴ εἶναι. Αὔξησίς ἐστι κίνησις ἐν τῷ ποσῷ κατὰ μέγεθος· φθίσις ἐστὶ κίνησις ἐν τῷ ποσῷ κατὰ μείωσίν τε καὶ ἐλάττωσιν. Ἀλλοίωσίς ἐστι κίνησις ἐν τῷ ποιῷ κατὰ μεταβολήν. Φορά ἐστι κίνησις ἐκ τόπου εἰς τόπον· περιφορά ἐστι κίνησις ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ τόπῳ. Αὐτοκινησία ἐστὶν ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐν τοῖς ζῴοις κίνησις. Χρόνος ἐστὶ μέτρον κινήσεως καὶ ἀριθμὸς τοῦ ἐν κινήσει προτέρου καὶ ὑστέρου. Ἡμέρα ἐστὶν ἡλίου ὑπὲρ γῆς φορὰ ἢ χρόνος, ἐν ᾧ ὁ ἥλιος ὑπὲρ γῆς φέρεται· νύξ ἐστι σώματος τῆς γῆς σκιὰ ἢ χρόνος, ἐν ᾧ ὁ ἥλιος ὑπὸ γῆν φέρεται. Νυχθήμερόν ἐστι κόσμου περιστροφή. Μήν ἐστι χρόνος ἀπὸ συνόδου σελήνης πρὸς ἥλιον ἐπὶ τὴν ἑξῆς σύνοδον. Ἐνιαυτός ἐστι χρόνος, ἐν ᾧ ὁ ἥλιος τὸν ζωδιακὸν διέξεισι κύκλον. Καιρός ἐστι χρόνος κατορθώματος· ἀκαιρία ἐστὶ λεῖψις καιροῦ κατὰ ἐπιτυχίαν προθυμίας τοῦ ζητουμένου. Ὥρα ἐστὶ μέρος ἐνιαυτοῦ τὸ τέταρτον ἢ τῆς ἡμέρας τὸ δωδέκατον ἢ ἀκμὴ ψυχῆς ἢ σώματος ἄνθος ἢ νεότητος κάλλος. Ἔαρ ἐστὶ χρόνος, ἐν ᾧ τὸ ὑγρὸν ἐπικρατεῖ· θέρος ἐστὶ χρόνος, ἐν ᾧ τὸ θερμὸν ἐπικρατεῖ· φθινόπωρόν ἐστι χρόνος, ἐν ᾧ τὸ ξηρὸν ἐπικρατεῖ· χειμών ἐστι χρόνος, ἐν ᾧ τὸ ψυχρὸν ἐπικρατεῖ. Πωγωνίας ἐστὶν ἀστροειδὲς πυρὸς ἄθροισμα ἔμπροσθεν ἔχον τὰς ἀκτῖνας. Κομήτης ἐστὶ πυροειδὲς ἄστρων ἄθροισμα κόμης κεφαλῆς δίκην κύκλωθεν ἐκπέμπων ἀκτῖνας. ∆οκίας ἐστὶν ἀστροειδὴς κοντὸς ἤγουν δοκὸς τὴν πυρώδη ἐπὶ τὰ ἄνω ἐκπέμπων ἀκτῖνα. Λαμπάς ἐστιν ἄναψις καὶ ἄθροισμα πυρός. Ἶρίς ἐστιν ἔμφασις ἡλίου σεμνοειδὴς ἐν νέφει κοίλῳ καὶ δροσώδει ἐν κύκλου τάξει φαινομένη περιφερὴς ὡς ἐν κατόπτρῳ πρὸς αἴσθησιν ἢ ἔμφασιν ἄστρου διὰ πύκνωσιν ἀέρος γινομένη. Παρήλιός ἐστι νέφος περιφερές, πυκνόν, ὅμοιον ἡλίῳ, ἢ ἔμφασις ἡλίου ἐν νέφει πυκνῷ καὶ λείῳ. Κεραυνός ἐστιν ἑλικοειδὲς πνεῦμα κίνησιν ποιοῦν διάπυρον καὶ ἄνωθεν κάτω διὰ πυρὸς φλογώδους φερόμενον καὶ ἐμπυρίζον κύκλῳ. Τυφώς ἐστι ἑλικοειδὴ κίνησις ἀέρος ζοφώδους ἄνωθεν ἐπὶ γῆς τεταμένη. Πρηστήρ ἐστιν ἑλικοειδὴς κίνησις διαυγοῦς ἀέρος ἄνωθεν κάτω φερομένη. Σκηπτός ἐστι κεραυνὸς ἄνευ νεφῶν. Χάλαζά ἐστιν ὁλοπαγὲς ὕδωρ ὑπὲρ γῆς πεπηγυῖα· κρύσταλλός ἐστιν ὁλοπαγὲς ὕδωρ ἐπὶ γῆς· χιών ἐστιν ἡμιπαγὲς ὕδωρ διὰ νεφῶν ἐπὶ γῆν καταβαίνουσα· πάχνη ἐστὶν ὁλοπαγὲς ὕδωρ δι' ἄλλης ὑγρᾶς ὕλης ἐπὶ γῆς πεπηγυῖα. Ὄμβρος ἐστὶν ἀθρόον ὕδωρ ἐκ νεφῶν ἐκκρινόμενον· ὑετός ἐστι ψεκάδων ἄθροισμα· ψεκάς ἐστι νοτὶς ἀθρόα σταγόνων. Ὀμίχλη ἐστὶ σύστασις πρὸ νέφους· ἀτμός ἐστι πλῆθος ἀναθυμιάσεων ἐπὶ γῆς. Λίμνη ἐστὶν ὕδωρ πολύ, γλυκὺ καὶ ἄθρουν διὰ κοίλου καὶ κατάντους χωροῦν ἐν συστάσει. Θάλασσά ἐστιν ὕδωρ ἁλμυρὸν καὶ πικρὸν τὰ κοῖλα τῶν κόλπων πληροῦν τῆς κατωτάτης γῆς. Κρήνη ἐστὶν ἀπόῤῥυτος