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51

being simple, and not composed of different parts, being uncompounded and indissoluble, for this reason it will be incorruptible and immortal.

And again, that which is moved by something else, not having the vital principle from itself, but from that which moves it, would remain for as long as it is controlled by its active power. But when the active principle ceases, it too is dissolved. But that which is not moved by something else, but has motion from itself, just as the soul is self-moving, never ceases to be; for it follows that what is self-moving is ever-moving. And that which is ever-moving will be unceasing. And that which is unceasing, unending. And that which is unending, incorruptible; and that which is incorruptible, immortal. If, therefore, the soul is self-moving, as was demonstrated above, it will be incorruptible, according to the proposed syllogism.

0360 And again, if everything that is corrupted is corrupted by its own evil; that which is not corrupted by its own evil will be incorruptible; for evil is the opposite of the good, which is why it will be destructive of it; for the evil of the body will be nothing other than passions, and sickness and death, just as its virtue is beauty, life, health, well-being. If, therefore, the soul is not corrupted by its own evil—and the evil of the soul is cowardice, 15Γ_212 intemperance, envy, and the like—and all these things do not take away from it its living and its moving, then it will be immortal.

Whether the soul is rational. That our soul is rational, one might show from many things; and first, from the fact that

it has discovered the arts, which are useful for life. For one could not say that the arts were constituted simply and by chance, since he would prove them to be without principles and useless for life. If, therefore, the arts contribute to what is useful for life; and what is useful is praiseworthy; and what is praiseworthy can be constructed by reason; and these are a discovery of the soul; then our soul is rational.

Then, from the fact that our senses are sufficient for the comprehension of things, our soul is shown to be rational. For we are not satisfied for the knowledge of beings by the impression of sense, since we do not wish to be deceived about them. For example, things that are equal in shape and similar in color, but distinct in their natures, the sense, being irrational, is unable to distinguish. If, therefore, the senses, being irrational, produce in us a false impression of beings, we must reason whether they are comprehensible; and if they are comprehensible, there will be another power, and a better one than the senses, that has arrived at them. But if they are not comprehended, we will not have the means to see them otherwise than they are. But that things are comprehensible is clear from the fact that we use each one appropriately for what is useful, and again, we adapt them to what we want. Therefore, if it was shown that beings are comprehensible to us, but the senses, being irrational, form false opinions, it will be the mind that distinguishes all things and knows all things as they truly are. And the mind is the rational part of the soul; therefore, the soul is rational.

Further, we bring nothing into effect which we have not first sketched out within ourselves. And this is nothing other than 15Γ_214 a principle of the soul. For mind does not come to it from without, nor the knowledge of beings; but it itself, as it were, orders beings by its own conceptions. For this reason it first pre-sketches the thing within itself; then thus brings it into effect. 0361 And a principle of the soul is nothing other than to do all things with reason. For in this it was shown to differ also from the senses; therefore, the soul is rational.

What is soul? An incorporeal substance, intelligent, living in a body, a cause of life.

51

ἁπλῆ οὖσα, καί μή ἐκ διαφόρων συγκειμένη μερῶν ἀσύνθετος καί ἀδιάλυτος οὖσα, διά τοῦτο ἄφθαρτος καί ἀθάνατος ἔσται.

Καί πάλιν, τό ἔκ τινος κινούμενον, οὐκ ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ ἔχον τό ζωτικόν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐκ τοῦ κινοῦντος, τοσοῦτον διαμένοι, ὅσον ὑπό τῆς ἐνεργούσης αὐτῆς κρατεῖται δυνάμεως. Ἐπειδάν δέ παύσηται τό ἐνεργοῦν, διαχεῖται καί αὐτό. Τό δέ μή ἔκ τινος κινούμενον, ἀλλ᾿ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔχον τήν κίνησιν, ὥσπερ ἡ ψυχή αὐτοκίνητός ἐστιν, οὐδέποτε τοῦ εἶναι διαλείπει· ἀκολουθεῖ γάρ τῷ αὐτοκινήτῳ, τό ἀεικίνητον εἶναι. Τό δέ ἀεικίνητον, ἄπαυστον ἔσται. Τό δέ ἄπαυστον, ἀτελεύτητον. Τό δέ ἀτελεύτητον, ἄφθαρτον· τό δέ ἄφθαρτον, ἀθάνατον. Εἰ τοίνυν ἡ ψυχή αὐτοκίνητός ἐστιν, ὡς ἀνωτέρω ἀπεδείχθη, ἔσται ἄφθαρτος, κατά τόν προτεθέντα συλλογισμόν.

0360 Καί πάλιν, εἰ πᾶν τό φθειρόμενον, ὑπό τῆς ἰδίας κακίας φθείρεται· τό ὑπό τῆς ἰδίας κακίας μή φθειρόμενον, ἄφθαρτον ἔσται· τό γάρ κακόν, τό καλῷ ἐναντίον, διό καί φθαρτικόν ἔσται αὐτοῦ· οὐδέ γάρ ἕτερον ἔσται σώματος κακία, ἤ πάθη, καί νόσος καί θάνατος, ὥσπερ ἀρετή, κάλλος, ζωή, ὑγεία, εὐεξία. Εἰ τοίνυν ἡ ψυχή ὑπό τῆς ἰδίας κακίας οὐ φθείρεται· κακία δέ ψυχῆς δειλία, 15Γ_212 ἀκολασία, φθόνος, καί τά παραπλήσια· ταῦτα δέ πάντα οὐκ ἀφαιρεῖται αὐτῆς τό ζῇν καί τό κινεῖσθαι, ἀθάνατος ἄρα ἔσται.

Εἰ λογική ἡ ψυχή. Ὅτι δέ λογική ἡμῶν ἡ ψυχή, ἐκ πολλῶν ἄν τις δείξειε· καί πρῶτον μέν ἐκ τοῦ

τάς τέχνας χρησίμους οὔσας τῷ βίῳ, ταύτην αὐτάς εὑρηκέναι. Οὐδέ γάρ ἁπλῶς, καί ὡς ἔτυχεν εἴποι τις ἄν συνεστάναι τάς τέχνας, ἐπεί μηδ᾿ ἀρχάς, καί ἀνωφελεῖς τῷ βίῳ ἀποδείξει. Εἰ τοίνυν αἱ τέχναι συντελοῦσι πρός τό χρήσιμον τῷ βίῳ· τό δέ χρήσιμον ἐπαινετόν· τό δέ ἐπαινετόν, λόγῳ κατασκευαστόν· ψυχῆς δέ εὕρημα αὗται· λογική ἄρα ἡμῶν ἡ ψυχή.

Ἔπειτα ἐκ τοῦ τάς αἰσθήσεις ἡμῶν ἱκανάς εἶναι πρός τήν τῶν πραγμάτων κατάληψιν, λογική ἡμῶν ἡ ψυχή ἀποδείκνυται. Οὐδέ γάρ ἀρκούμεθα πρός εἴδησιν τῶν ὄντων τῇ τῆς αἰσθήσεως προσβολῇ, ἐπεί μηδέ ἀπατᾶσθαι περί αὐτά θέλομεν. Αὐτίκα γοῦν τά τῷ σχήματι ἴσα, καί τῇ χροιᾷ ὅμοια διῃρημένα ταῖς φύσεσιν, ἡ αἴσθησις ἄλογος οὖσα διακρῖναι ἀσθενεῖ. Εἰ τοίνυν αἱ αἰσθήσεις ἄλογοι οὖσαι ψευδῆ ἡμῖν φαντασίαν τῶν ὄντων ἐμποιοῦσι, λογιστέον ἡμῖν εἰ καταληπτά· καί εἰ μέν καταληπτά, ἑτέρα ἔσται δύναμις, καί κρείττων παρά τάς αἰσθήσεις ἡ τούτων ἀφικομένη. Εἰ δέ μή καταλαμβάνεται, οὐδέ ἔσται ἡμῖν τό ἑτέρως παρ᾿ ὅ ἔστι θεωρούμενα. Ὅτι δέ καταληπτά ἐστι τά πράγματα, δῆλον ἐξ οὗ οἰκείως ἑκάστῳ πρός τό χρήσιμον χρώμεθα, καί πάλιν μετασκευάζομεν εἰς ὅ θέλομεν. Οὐκοῦν εἰ τά ὄντα ἡμῖν καταληπτά ἐδείχθη, αἱ δέ αἰσθήσεις ἄλογοι οὖσαι, ψευδῶς δοξάζουσι, νοῦς ἔσται ὁ τά πάντα διακρίνων, καί ὡς ἔστιν ἀληθῶς τά πάντα ἐπιγινώσκων. Νοῦς δέ, ψυχῆς τό λογικόν μέρος· λογική ἄρα ἡ ψυχή.

Ἔτι, οὐδέν ὅ μή πρότερον ἐν ἑαυτοῖς διαγράψαντες (διεγράψαμεν), εἰς ἔργον ἐκφέρομεν. Τοῦτο δέ οὐδέν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἤ 15Γ_214 ψυχῆς ἀξίωμα. Νοῦς γάρ οὐκ ἔξωθεν αὐτῇ προσγίνεται, ἤ τῶν ὄντων ἡ εἴδησις· ἀλλ᾿ αὐτή ὥσπερ ταῖς ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐπινοίαις τά ὄντα κοσμεῖ. ∆ιά τοῦτο ἐν αὐτῇ προαναζωγραφεῖ πρότερον τό πρᾶγμα· εἶθ᾿ οὕτως εἰς ἔργον ἐκφέρει. 0361 Ἀξίωμα δέ ψυχῆς οὐδέ ἕτερόν ἐστιν, ἤ τό μετά λόγου πάντα ποιεῖν. Ταύτῃ γάρ διαφέρειν καί τῶν αἰσθήσεων ἐδείχθη· λογική ἄρα ἡ ψυχή.

Τί ψυχή. Οὐσία ἀσώματος, νοερά, ἐν σώματι πολιτευομένη, ζωῆς παραιτία.