Hippolytus of Rome, The Refutation of All Heresies

I reckon it then sufficient to declare the prodigies166 As regards astrological predictions, see Origen’s Comment. on Gen.; Diodorus of Tarsus, De Fato; Photii Biblioth., cod. ccxxiii.; and Bardesanis, De Legibus Nationum, in Cureton’s Spicilegium Syriacum. detailed by these men. Wherefore, employing condensed accounts of what they affirm, I shall turn my attention to the other points (that remain to be considered). Now they make the following statements.167 See Plato’s Timæus. The Creator communicated pre-eminent power to the orbital motion of the identical and similar (circle), for He permitted the revolution of it to be one and indivisible; but after dividing this internally into six parts, (and thus having formed) seven unequal circles, according to each interval of a twofold and threefold dimension, He commanded, since there were three of each, that the circles should travel in orbits contrary to one another, three indeed (out of the aggregate of seven) being whirled along with equal velocity, and four of them with a speed dissimilar to each other and to the remaining three, yet (all) according to a definite principle. For he affirms that the mastery was communicated to the orbital motion of the same (circle), not only since it embraces the motion of the other, that, is, the erratic stars, but because also it possesses so great mastery, that is, so great power, that even it leads round, along with itself, by a peculiar strength of its own, those heavenly bodies—that is, the erratic stars—that are whirled along in contrary directions from west to east, and, in like manner, from east to west.

And he asserts that this motion was allowed to be one and indivisible, in the first place, inasmuch as the revolutions of all the fixed stars were accomplished in equal periods of time, and were not distinguished according to greater or less portions of duration. In the next place, they all present the same phase as that which belongs to the outermost motion; whereas the erratic stars have been distributed into greater and varying periods for the accomplishment of their movements, and into unequal distances from earth. And he asserts that the motion in six parts of the other has been distributed probably into seven circles. For as many as are sections of each (circle)—I allude to monads of the sections168 Schneidewin, on Roeper’s suggestion, amends the passage thus, though I am not sure that I exactly render his almost unintelligible Latin version: “For as many sections as there are of each, there are educible from the monad more segments than sections; for example, if,” etc. The Abbe Cruice would seemingly adopt the following version: “For whatsoever are sections of each, now there are more segments than sections of a monad, will become; for example, if,” etc.—become segments; for example, if the division be by one section, there will be two segments; if by two, three segments; and so, if anything be cut into six parts, there will be seven segments. And he says that the distances of these are alternately arranged both in double and triple order, there being three of each,—a principle which, he has attempted to prove, holds good of the composition of the soul likewise, as depending upon the seven numbers. For among them there are from the monad three double (numbers), viz., 2, 4, 8, and three triple ones, viz., 3, 9, 27. But the diameter of Earth is 80,108 stadii; and the perimeter of Earth, 250,543 stadii; and the distance also from the surface of the Earth to the lunar circle, Aristarchus the Samian computes at 8,000,178 stadii, but Apollonius 5,000,000, whereas Archimedes computes169 Schneidewin, on mathematical authority, discredits the numerical calculations ascribed to Archimedes. it at 5,544,130. And from the lunar to solar circle, (according to the last authority,) are 50,262,065 stadii; and from this to the circle of Venus, 20,272,065 stadii; and from this to the circle of Mercury, 50,817,165 stadii; and from this to the circle of Mars, 40,541,108 stadii; and from this to the circle of Jupiter, 20,275,065 stadii; and from this to the circle of Saturn, 40,372,065 stadii; and from this to the Zodiac and the furthest periphery, 20,082,005 stadii.170 This is manifestly erroneous; the total could only be “four myriads!”

[8] Ἱκανὸν οὖν λογίζομαι ἐξειπεῖν τὰ ὑπ' αὐτῶν τερατολογούμενα: διὸ τοῖς ἐπιτόμοις χρησάμενος ὧν αὐτοὶ λέγουσιν, ἐπὶ τὰ ἕτερα τραπήσομαι. λέγουσι δὲ ταῦτα: “κράτος ἔδωκεν ὁ δημιουργήσας τῇ ταὐτοῦ καὶ ὁμοίου περιφορᾷ: μίαν γὰρ αὐτὴν ἄσχιστον εἴασε, τὴν δὲ ἐντὸς σχίσας ἑξαχῇ ἑπτὰ κύκλους ἀνίσους κατὰ τὴν τοῦ διπλασίου [καὶ τριπλασίου] διάστασιν ἑκάστην, οὐσῶν ἑκατέρων τριῶν, κατὰ τὰ ἐναντία μὲν ἀλλήλοις προσέταξεν ἰέναι τοὺς κύκλους, τάχει δὲ τρεῖς μὲν ὁμοίως, τοὺς δὲ τέσσαρας ἀλλήλοις τε καὶ τοῖς τρισὶν ἀνομοίως, ἐν λόγῳ δὲ φερομένους.” κράτος μὲν δεδόσθαι τῇ ταὐτοῦ φορᾷ φησιν, οὐ μόνον ἐπειδὴ περιέχει τὴν θατέρου φοράν_τουτέστι τοὺς πλανωμένους_, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ τοσοῦτον ἔχει κράτος_τουτέστι τοσαύτην δύναμιν_, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τἀναντία [τοὺς πλανωμένους] ἀπὸ δύσεως ἐπ' ἀνατολὴν φερομένους αὐτοὺς τῇ οἰκείᾳ ἰσχύϊ ὁμοίως καὶ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς ἐπὶ δύσιν ἑαυτῷ συμπεριάγει[ν]. μίαν δὲ καὶ ἄσχιστον εἰᾶσθαί φησι ταύτην [τὴν] φοράν, πρῶτον μὲν ἐπειδὴ πάντων τῶν ἀπλανῶν ἰσόχρονοι αἱ περιφοραὶ καὶ οὐ διῃρημέναι κατὰ πλείους καὶ ἐλάττους χρόνους, ἔπειτα ὅτι μίαν πάντες ἔχουσιν ἐπιφάνειαν τὴν τῆς ἐξωτάτω φορᾶς, οἱ δὲ πλανώμενοι καὶ εἰς χρόνους πλείονας καὶ διαφόρους τῶν κινήσεων καὶ εἰς ἀποστάσεις ἀπὸ γῆς ἀνίσους διῄρηνται. τὴν δὲ θατέρου φησὶν ἑξαχῇ εἰς ἑπτὰ κύκλους ἐσχίσθαι, εἰκότως: ὁπόσαι γὰρ ἂν ὦσιν ἑκάστου αἱ τομαί, μονάδι πλείω τῶν τομῶν γίνεται τὰ τμήματα. οἷον ἐὰν μιᾷ τομῇ [τι] διαιρεθῇ, δύο ἔσται τμήματα, ἂν δυσί, τρία τμήματα: οὕτω δὴ κἂν ἑξαχῇ τι τμηθῇ, ἑπτὰ ἔσται τὰ τμήματα. τὰς δὲ ἀποστάσεις αὐτῶν κατὰ [τὰ] διπλάσια καὶ τριπλάσια ἐναλλὰξ τετάχθαι φησίν, οὐσῶν ἑκατέρων τριῶν, ὅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς συστάσεως τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπὶ τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀριθμῶν ἔδειξε. τρεῖς μὲν γάρ εἰσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς διπλάσιοι ἀπὸ μονάδος: βʹ δʹ ηʹ, τρεῖς δὲ [τριπλάσιοι: γʹ θʹ κζʹ] [** **] [διάμετρος μὲν γῆς] μ(υριάδας) ηʹ καὶ ρηʹ σταδίων, περίμετρος δὲ γῆς σταδίων μυ(ριάδας) [κεʹ] καὶ φμγʹ. καὶ ἀπόστημα δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπιφανείας τῆς γῆς ἐπὶ τὸν σεληνιακὸν κύκλον ὁ μὲν Σάμιος Ἀρίσταρχος ἀναγράφει σταδίων μ(υριάδας) ρξηʹ, ὁ δὲ Ἀπολλώνιος μυρι(ά)δ(ας) φʹ, ὁ δὲ Ἀρχιμήδης μυρι(ά)δ(ας) φνδʹ καὶ μονάδας ͵δρλʹ: ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ σεληνιακοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν τοῦ ἡλίου κύκλον σταδίων μυρι(ά)δ(ας) ͵εκϚʹ καὶ μονάδ(ας) ͵βξεʹ: ἀπὸ τού[του] δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς Ἀφροδίτης κύκλον σταδίων μυρι(ά)δ(ας) ͵βκζʹ καὶ μονάδας ͵βξεʹ: ἀπὸ τού[του] δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ κύκλον σταδίων μυρι(ά)δ(ας) ͵επαʹ, μονάδ(ας) ͵ζρξεʹ: ἀπὸ τούτου δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν τοῦ Πυρόεντος κύκλον σταδίων μυρι(ά)δ(ας) ͵δνδʹ, μονάδ(ας) ͵αρηʹ: ἀπὸ τούτου δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν τοῦ Διὸς κύκλον σταδίων μυρι(ά)δ(ας) ͵βκζʹ, μονάδ(ας) ͵εξεʹ: ἀπὸ τούτου δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν τοῦ Κρόνου κύκλον σταδίων μυρι(ά)δ(ας) ͵δλζʹ, μονάδ(ας) ͵βξεʹ: ἀπὸ τούτου δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν ζῳδιακὸν καὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην περιφέρειαν σταδίων μυρι(ά)δ(ας) ͵βηʹ, μονάδ(ας) ͵βεʹ.