Chapter XLIII.—Recapitulation of Theologies and Cosmogonies; System of the Persians; Of the Babylonians; The Egyptian Notion of Deity; Their Theology Based on a Theory of Numbers; Their System of Cosmogony.

Among all those who throughout the earth, as philosophers and theologians, have carried on investigations, has prevailed diversity of opinion259    See Aristotle’s Metaphysics, book i.; Cicero, De Naturâ Deorum, book i. (both translated in Bohn’s Classical Library); and Plutarch, De Placitis Philosophorum. lib. i. concerning the Deity, as to His essence or nature. For some affirm Him to be fire, and some spirit, and some water, while others say that He is earth. And each of the elements labours under some deficiency, and one is worsted by the other. To the wise men of the world, this, however, has occurred, which is obvious to persons possessing intelligence; (I mean) that, beholding the stupendous works of creation, they were confused respecting the substance of existing things, supposing that these were too vast to admit of deriving generation from another, and at the same time (asserting) that neither the universe itself is God. As far as theology was concerned, they declared, however, a single cause for things that fall under the cognizance of vision, each supposing the cause which he adjudged the most reasonable; and so, when gazing on the objects made by God, and on those which are the most insignificant in comparison with His overpowering majesty, not, however, being able to extend the mind to the magnitude of God as He really is, they deified these (works of the external world).

But the Persians,260    The mention of the Persians, Babylonians, and Egyptians shows the subject-matter of the lost books to have been concerning the speculative systems of these nations. supposing that they had penetrated more within the confines of the truth, asserted that the Deity is luminous, a light contained in air. The Babylonians, however, affirmed that the Deity is dark, which very opinion also appears the consequence of the other; for day follows night, and night day. Do not the Egyptians, however,261    This rendering follows Miller’s text. Schneidewin thinks there is a hiatus, which the Abbe Cruice fills up, the latter translating the passage without an interrogation: “The Egyptians, who think themselves more ancient than all, have formed their ideas of the power of the Deity by calculations and computing,” etc. who suppose themselves more ancient than all, speak of the power of the Deity? (This power they estimate by) calculating these intervals of the parts (of the zodiac; and, as if) by a most divine inspiration,262    Or, “meditation on the divine nature,” or “godlike reflection.” they asserted that the Deity is an indivisible monad, both itself generating itself, and that out of this were formed all things. For this, say they,263    The ms. has “says he.” being unbegotten, produces the succeeding numbers; for instance, the monad, superadded into itself, generates the duad; and in like manner, when superadded (into duad, triad, and so forth), produces the triad and tetrad, up to the decade, which is the beginning and end of numbers. Wherefore it is that the first and tenth monad is generated, on account of the decade being equipollent, and being reckoned for a monad, and (because) this multiplied ten times will become a hundred, and again becomes a monad, and the hundred multiplied ten times will produce a thousand, and this will be a monad. In this manner also the thousand multiplied ten times make up the full sum of a myriad; in like manner will it be a monad.  But by a comparison of indivisible quantities, the kindred numbers of the monad comprehend 3, 5, 7, 9.264    The Abbe Cruice suggests the elimination of 9, on account of its being a divisible number.

There is also, however, a more natural relation of a different number to the monad, according to the arrangement of the orbit of six days’ duration,265    Miller considers some reference here to the six days’ creation (Hexaëmeron), on account of the word φυσικωτέρα, i.e., more natural. The Abbe Cruice considers that there is an allusion to an astronomic instrument used for exhibiting harmonic combinations; see Ptolem., Harmon., i. 2. Bunsen reads τοῦ ἑξακύκλου ὑλικοῦ. (that is), of the duad, according to the position and division of even numbers. But the kindred number is 4 and 8. These, however, taking from the monad of the numbers266    The text is obviously corrupt. As given by Schneidewin, it might be rendered thus: “These deriving from the monad a numerical symbol, a virtue, have progressed up to the elements.” He makes no attempt at a Latin version. The Abbe Cruice would suggest the introduction of the word προστεθεῖσαν, on account of the statement already made, that “the monad, superadded into itself, produces a duad.” an idea of virtue, progressed up to the four elements; (I allude), of course, to spirit, and fire, and water, and earth. And out of these having made the world, (God) framed it an ermaphrodite, and allocated two elements for the upper hemisphere, namely spirit and fire; and this is styled the hemisphere of the monad, (a hemisphere) beneficent, and ascending, and masculine. For, being composed of small particles, the monad soars into the most rarified and purest part of the atmosphere; and the other two elements, earth and water, being more gross, he assigned to the duad; and this is termed the descending hemisphere, both feminine and mischievous. And likewise, again, the upper elements themselves, when compared one with another, comprise in one another both male and female for fruitfulness and increase of the whole creation. And the fire is masculine, and the spirit feminine. And again the water is masculine, and the earth feminine. And so from the beginning fire consorted with spirit, and water with earth. For as the power of spirit is fire, so also that of earth is water;267    There is a hiatus here. Hippolytus has said nothing concerning enneads.…and the elements themselves, when computed and resolved by subtraction of enneads, terminate properly, some of them in the masculine number, and others of them in the feminine. And, again, the ennead is subtracted for this cause, because the three hundred and sixty parts of the entire (circle) consist of enneads, and for this reason the four regions of the world are circumscribed by ninety perfect parts. And light has been appropriated to the monad, and darkness to the duad, and life to light, according to nature, and death to the duad. And to life (has been appropriated) justice; and to death, injustice. Wherefore everything generated among masculine numbers is beneficent, while that (produced) among feminine (numbers) is mischievous. For instance, they pursue their calculations thus: monad—that we may commence from this—becomes 361, which (numbers) terminate in a monad by the subtraction of the ennead. In like manner, reckon thus: Duad becomes 605; take away the enneads, it ends in a duad, and each reverts into its own peculiar (function).

[43] Πᾶσι τοῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην φιλοσόφοις καὶ θεολόγοις ζητήσασιν οὐ συνεφώνησε περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, τί ἐστιν ἢ ποδαπός: οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν λέγουσιν εἶναι πῦρ, οἱ δὲ πνεῦμα, οἱ δὲ ὕδωρ, ἕτεροι δὲ γῆν: ἕκαστον δὲ τῶν στοιχείων ἔλαττόν τι ἔχει καὶ ἕτερον ὑπὸ τοῦ ἑτέρου ἡττᾶται. τοῦτο δὴ συνέβη τοῖς τοῦ κόσμου σοφοῖς_ὅπερ ἐστὶ τοῖς νοῦν ἔχουσι πρόδηλον: _οἳ ἰδόντες τῆς κτίσεως τὰ μεγέθη, ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ὄντων οὐσίᾳ ἐταράχθησαν, μείζονα ταῦτα νομίσαντες τοῦ ὑφ' ἑτέρου γένεσιν ἐπιδέξασθαι δύνασθαι. καὶ οὐδὲ ὁμοῦ τὸ σύμπαν αὐτὸ εἶναι τὸν θεὸν ἀπεφήναντο, [ἀλλ'] αἴτιον πρὸς θεολογίαν [ἕκαστος] ἓν τῶν βλεπομένων [ἐ]νόμισεν, ὅπερ [προ]έκρινε. καὶ οὕτως [ἐπὶ] τοῖς ὑπὸ θεοῦ γενομένοις καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνου ὑπερβάλλουσαν μεγαλειότητα ἐλαχίστοις ὑπάρχουσιν ἐνιδόντες, μὴ δυνηθέντες δὲ εἰς τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ ὄντως θεοῦ ἐκτεῖναι τὸν νοῦν, ταῦτα ἐθεολόγησαν. οἱ δὲ ἐνδοτέρω τῆς ἀληθείας νομίσαντες γεγονέναι Πέρσαι ἔφασαν τὸν θεὸν εἶναι φωτεινόν, φῶς ἐν ἀέρι συνεχόμενον: οἱ δὲ Βαβυλώνιοι ἔφασαν τὸν θεὸν σκοτεινὸν εἶναι, ὅπερ καὶ αὐτὸ [τοῦ] ἑτέρου (ἐ)πακολούθημα φαίνεται: νυκτὶ γὰρ ἐπακολουθεῖ ἡμέρα, τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ νύξ. Αἰγύπτιοι δὲ πάντων ἀρχαιότεροι εἶναι νομίζοντες, τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δύναμιν ψηφίσαντες τά τε διαστήματα τῶν μοιρῶν, ἐξ ἐπι[π]νοίας θειοτάτης ἔφασαν τὸν θεὸν εἶναι μονάδα ἀδιαίρετον καὶ αὐτὴν ἑαυτὴν γεννῶσαν, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τὰ πάντα κατεσκευάσθαι. αὕτη γάρ, φασίν, ἀγέννητος οὖσα τοὺς ἑξῆς ἀριθμοὺς γεννᾷ: οἷον ἐφ' ἑαυτὴν ἡ μονὰς ἐπιπροσ[τε]θεῖσα γεννᾷ τὴν δυάδα, καὶ ὁμοίως ἐπιπροστιθεμένη γεννᾷ τὴν τριάδα καὶ [τὴν] τετράδα μέχρι τῆς δεκάδος, ἥτις [ἐστὶν ἡ] ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ τέλος τῶν ἀριθμῶν, ἵνα γένηται πρώτη καὶ δεκάτη ἡ μονάς, διὰ τὸ καὶ τὴν δεκάδα ἰσοδυναμεῖν καὶ ἀριθμεῖσθαι εἰς μονάδα. κἂν αὕτη δεκαπλασιασθεῖσα γένηται ἑκατοντάς, καὶ [αὕτη] πάλιν γίνεται μονάς: κἂν ἡ ἑκατοντὰς δεκαπλασιασθεῖσα ποιήσῃ χιλιάδα, καὶ αὕτη ἔσται μονάς: οὕτως κἂν τὰ χίλια δεκαπλασιασθέντα ἀπαρτίσωσι τὴν μυριάδα, ὁμοίως ἔσται μονάς. τῆς δὲ μονάδος κατὰ τὴν ἀδ(ιαίρε)τον σύγκρισιν συγγενεῖς ἀριθμοὶ παραλαμβάνονται γʹ εʹ ζʹ [θʹ]. ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἑτέρ(ου) ἀριθμοῦ συγγένεια πρὸς τὴν μονάδα φυσικωτέρα κατὰ τὴν τῆς ἑξακύκλου ἕλικος πραγματείαν, τῆς δυάδος, κατὰ τὴν ἄρτιον θέσιν τῶν ἀριθμῶν καὶ διαίρεσιν: συγγενὴς δὲ [ὁ] ἀριθμός ἐστι τοῦ δʹ καὶ [ὁ] ηʹ. ταῦτα δὲ ἐκ τῆς μονάδος ἀρχὴν λαβόντα [ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ] πρόνοια [τῆς] ἀρχῆς ἐχώρισε μέχρι τῶν τεσσάρων στοιχείων, λέγω δὴ τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ πυρός, ὕδατός τε καὶ γῆς. καὶ ἐκ τούτων [δὲ] ποιήσας τὸν κόσμον, ἀρρενόθηλυν αὐτὸν κατεσκεύ(α)σε: καὶ δύο μὲν στοιχεῖα εἰς τὸ ἄνω ἡμισφαίριον προσέταξε, τό τε πνεῦμα καὶ τὸ πῦρ, καὶ καλεῖται τοῦτο [τὸ] ἡμισφαίριον, [ὂν] τῆς μονάδος, ἀγαθοποιόν τε καὶ ἀνωφερὲς καὶ ἀρσενικόν_λεπτομερὴς γὰρ οὖσα ἡ μονὰς ποτᾶται εἰς τὸ λεπτότατον μέρος καὶ καθαρώτατον τοῦ αἰθέρος: _τὰ δὲ ἄλλα δύο στοιχεῖα, ὄντα παχύτερα, ἀπένειμεν τῇ δυάδι, γῆν τε καὶ ὕδωρ, καὶ καλεῖται τοῦτο τὸ ἡμισφαίριον κατωφερές, θηλυκόν τε καὶ κακοποιόν. καὶ αὐτὰ δὲ πάλιν τὰ ἄνω δύο στοιχεῖα ἑαυτοῖς συγκρινόμενα ἔχουσιν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὸ ἄρρεν καὶ τὸ θῆλυ, πρὸς εὐκαρπίαν καὶ αὔξησιν τῶν ὅλων: καὶ τὸ μὲν πῦρ ἄρρεν ἐστί, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα θῆλυ: καὶ πάλιν τὸ [μὲν] ὕδωρ ἄρρεν ἐστίν, ἡ δὲ γῆ θῆλυ. καὶ οὕτως ἀπ' ἀρχῆς συνεβίωσε τὸ πῦρ τῷ πνεύματι, τῇ δὲ γῇ τὸ ὕδωρ: ὥσπερ γὰρ δύναμις τοῦ πνεύματός ἐστι τὸ πῦρ, οὕτως καὶ τῆς γῆς τὸ ὕδωρ. Καὶ αὐτὰ δὲ τὰ στοιχεῖα ψηφιζόμενα καὶ ἀναλυόμενα καθ' ὑφαίρεσιν ἐν[ν]άδων λήγει οἰκείως, ἃ μὲν εἰς τὸν ἀρρενικὸν ἀριθμόν, ἃ δὲ εἰς τὸν θηλυ[κόν]. ὑφαιρεῖται δὲ πάλιν ἡ ἐννὰς διὰ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίαν: διὰ τὸ τὰς τριακοσίας ἑξήκοντα τοῦ ὅλου μοίρας ἐξ ἐννεάδων συνίστασθαι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὰ [τ]έτ[τ]αρα πλινθία τοῦ κό(σ)μου [ὑπὸ] ἐνενήκοντα μοιρῶν περιγεγράφθαι τελείων. προσῳκείωται δὲ τῇ [μὲν] μονάδι τὸ φῶς, τῇ δὲ δυάδι τὸ σκότος: καὶ τῷ μὲν φωτὶ κατὰ φύσιν ἡ ζωή, τῷ δὲ σκότει ὁ θάνατος: καὶ τῇ μὲν ζωῇ [ἡ] δικαιοσύνη, τῷ δὲ θανάτῳ ἡ ἀδικία. διὸ πᾶν γεννώμενον ἐν τοῖς ἀρσενικοῖς ἀριθμοῖς ἀγαθοποιόν ἐστι, τὸ δὲ ἐν τοῖς θηλυκοῖς κακο(ποι)όν ἐστιν. οἷον ψηφίζουσι: μονάς_ ἵνα ἀπ' αὐτῆς ἀρξώμεθα_γίνεται τξαʹ, ἃ λήγει εἰς μονάδα τῆς ἐννεάδος ὑφαιρεθείσης. ὁμοίως ψήφισον: δυὰς γίνεται χεʹ: ὕφελε τὰς ἐννεάδας, λήγει εἰς δυάδα, καὶ ἀποκαθίσταται ἕκαστον εἰς τὸ ἴδιον.