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§ 2. And one, that all things: Many in number, but one in form, (14S_366> the coins and the silver pieces and the obols; for the form is one, either bronze or gold or silver, but many in their powers, like herbs, but one in form; for all are grass; but many in species, such as horse, ox, man, and the intelligibles, but one in genus, because these are animal; but many in their processions, the creations, but one in their origin; For God is the cause of all things.

But just as every number: He demonstrates well what he also intends. For the purpose of this divine man is to establish his points also from arithmetic. He says, then, that none of the beings is without a share in the one, that is, in God; because every number partakes of the monad; for if one begins from two, he counts one dyad first, and from ten similarly, he says more, that even if one begins first from the so-called fractions, he counts one half, and one third, one tenth, and so on in order, so that there is no number not partaking of the one, that is, of the monad; for even if you mention a fraction, you will say one half, and one third, and one tenth, and so on; and that one dyad and one decad are spoken of, as these too are completed from it.

The cause of all things is one: The purpose is clear, that when God is called 'one,' he is not called one in the same way as things that are numbered; for God is one, inasmuch as he is simple and indivisible and without a share in specific difference and foreign to all passions and accidents; and he is called one, being conceived as a certain principle and as it were an element of things that will be. But the same, or different, or greater, or less, and further even or odd, or equal or unequal, which is observed in numbers, one could not reasonably refer to the principle, making them a principle; for such affections and accidents exist by necessity. Therefore, of the divisions in numbers into a multitude, the limit (14S_368> is referred back to a monad, but the principle in each genus is most simple; and so in beings, whether the one is many, or the many one, the most simple is a certain principle and element, and a one without a share in all things, from which as from a paradigm and idea also the one in beings comes, for example, even if the perceptible light is many in its parts, instead of in all the stars, but when collected as a whole, it is one light; and many in its accidents, such as the peacock; for it has golden and blue and white, it is one in its underlying body; so also should the following things be understood.

For there is not even a multitude: Here he prevails in his argument by means of arithmetic. But note that he reasonably says God is even before the one, since he exists for all things, whence he is also the creator, or rather inventor, of number.

But the many: To each of these the word 'existing' must be supplied, so that what is said is such as this, that which exists in its parts as many is one in the whole, such as the body, so also the rest are one in the substrate, that is, in essence; but many in their accidents, such as man. And of accidents, some are separable, like sitting, walking, and the like, and others inseparable, like being blue-eyed or hook-nosed and the like, and again, one in form, a horse or an ox, but this exists as many in number; for there are many horses, and many oxen. But it also exists as many in its natural powers; and again the many species, such as man, horse, dog and the others, are one in genus; for each of these is an animal; so then also that which exists as many in its cycles, that is, in its counsels, or also in its works, are one in their principle.

All and all wholes: 'All' is said when there are species and parts and differences in the divisions, but 'whole' is said when the parts (14S_370> being collected form one complete thing, or the species one genus, or also when opposites and contraries are at rest in a conspiracy and sympathy, like water together, and earth, and air, and the fiery stars, and heaven; for all these together are called cosmos.

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§ 2. Ἕν δέ, ὅτι πάντα: Πολλά τῷ ἀριθμῷ, ἕν δέ τῷ εἴδει, (14S_366> τά νομίσματα καί τά ἀργύρια καί οἱ ὀβολοί· τό γάρ εἶδος ἕν, ἤ χαλκός ἤ χρυσός ἤ ἄργυρος, τό δέ πολλά ταῖς δυνάμεσιν, ὡς αἱ πόαι, ἕν δέ τῷ εἴδει· πᾶσαι γάρ χόρτος· τό δέ πολλά τοῖς εἴδεσιν, οἷον ἵππος, βοῦς, ἄνθρωπος, καί τά νοητά, ἕν δέ τῷ γένει, ὅτι ταῦτα ζῶόν εἰσι· τό δέ πολλά ταῖς προόδοις, αἱ δημιουργίαι, ἕν δέ τῇ ἀρχῇ· Θεός γάρ αἴτιος πάντων.

Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἅπας ἀριθμός: Καλῶς ἀποδείκνυσιν ὅπερ καί βούλεται. Σκοπός γάρ τῷ θείῳ τούτῳ ἀνδρί καί ἀπό τῆς ἀριθμητικῆς συστῆσαι τά ἑαυτοῦ. Λέγει γοῦν, ὅτι οὐδέν ἐστι τῶν ὄντων ἀμέτοχον τοῦ ἑνός, τουτέστι τοῦ Θεοῦ· διότι καί πᾶς ἀριθμός μονάδος μετέχει· εἰ γάρ ἐκ τῶν δύο ἄρξεταί τις, μίαν δυάδα πρώτην ἀριθμεῖ, καί ἐκ τῶν δέκα ὁμοίως, τό πλέον φησίν, ὅτι, κἄν ἐν τῶν λεγομένων πολλοστημορίων ἄρξηταί τις πρῶτον, ἀριθμεῖ ἥμισυ ἕν, καί τρίτον ἕν, δέκατον ἕν, καί οὕτως ἐφεξῆς, ὥστε μή εἶναι ἀριθμόν μή μετέχοντα τοῦ ἑνός, ἤτοι τῆς μονάδος· κἄν γάρ μορίου ἐπιμνησθῇς, ἐρεῖς ἥμισυ ἕν, καί τρίτον ἕν, καί δέκατον ἕν, καί ἐφεξῆς· καί ὅτι μία δυάς, καί μία δεκάς λέγεται, ὡς καί τούτων ἐξ αὐτῆς συμπληρουμένων.

Τόο πάντων αἴτιον ἕν: Ὁ σκοπός δῆλος, ὅτι 'ἕν' λεγόμενος ὁ Θεός, οὐχ ὁμοίως τοῖς ἀριθμητοῖς ἕν λέγεται· ὁ μέν γάρ Θεός ἕν ἐστι, καθό ἁπλοῦς τε καί ἀμερής καί τῆς κατ' εἶδος διαφορᾶς ἄμοιρος καί πάντων παθημάτων καί συμβεβηκότων ἀλλότριος· λέγεται καί ἕν, ἀρχή τις ὥσπερ καί στοιχεῖον τῶν ἐσομένων νοούμενος. Τό δέ ταὐτόν, ἤ ἕτερον, ἤ μεῖζον, ἤ ἔλαττον, ἔτι δέ ἄρτιον ἤ περιττόν, ἤ ἶσον ἤ ἄνισον, ὅπερ ἐν τοῖς ἀριθμοῖς θεωρεῖται, οὐκ ἄν τις εὐλόγως ἐπί τήν ἀρχήν ἀναφέροι, ἀρχήν αὐτά ποιούμενος· τά γάρ τοιαῦτα πάθη καί συμβεβηκότα ἐξ ἀνάγκης εἰσί. Τῶν μέν οὖν ἐν ἀριθμοῖς διαιρέσεων εἰς πλῆθος τό πέρας (14S_368> εἰς μονάδα ἀνάγεται, ἡ δέ ἀρχή ἐν ἑκάστῳ γένει ἁπλούστατόν ἐστι· καί ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν οὖν, εἴτε τό ἕν πολλά ἐστιν, εἴτε τά πολλά ἕν, ἀρχή τις καί στοιχεῖον τό ἁπλούστατόν ἐστι, καί πάντων ἀμέτοχον ἕν, ἐξ οὗ ὥσπερ ἐκ παραδείγματος καί ἰδέας καί τό ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν ἕν, οἷον κἄν τό αἰσθητόν φῶς πολλά ᾖ τοῖς μέρεσιν, ἀντί τοῦ τοῖς ἄστροις πᾶσιν, ἀλλ' ὅλον συλλεγόμενον, ἕν φῶς ἐστι· καί πολλά τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν, οἷον τό ταώς· ἔχει γάρ καί χρυσίζοντα καί κυάνεα καί λευκά, ἕν τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ σώματί ἐστιν· οὕτω καί τά ἑξῆς νοητέον.

Οὑδέ γάρ ἐστι πλῆθος: Ὧδε ἐξ ἀριθμητικῆς περιγίνεται τοῦ λεγομένου. Σημείωσαι δέ, ὅτι καί πρό τοῦ ἑνός λέγει εἶναι τόν Θεόν εἰκότως, ἐπειδή πάντων ὑπάρχει, ὅθεν καί τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ δημιουργός, ἤτοι ἐφευρέτης ἐστίν.

Ἀλλά τό μέν πολλά: Προσυπακουστέον ἐφ' ἑκάστου τούτων τό 'ὑπάρχον', ἵνα ἦ τό λεγόμενον τοιοῦτον, τό ὑπάρχον τοῖς μέρεσι πολλά ἕν ἐστι τῷ ὅλῳ, οἷον τό σῶμα, οὕτω καί τά λοιπά ἕν τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ ἐστίν, ἤτοι οὐσίᾳ· ἀλλά πολλά τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν, οἷον ὁ ἄνθρωπος. Συμβεβηκότα δέ τά μέν χωριστά, ὡς τό καθέζεσθαι, περιπατεῖν, καί τά ὅμοια, τά δέ ἀχώριστα, ὡς τό γλαυκόν ἤ γρυπόν καί τά ὅμοια, καί πάλιν, ἕν μέν εἶδος, ἵππος ἤ βοῦς, ἀλλά τοῦτο πολλά ὑπάρχει τῷ ἀριθμῷ· πολλοί γάρ ἵπποι, καί πολλοί βόες. Ἀλλά καί ταῖς δυνάμεσι ταῖς φυσικαῖς πολλά ὑπάρχει· καί αὗθις τά πολλά εἴδη, οἷον ἄνθρωπος, ἵππος, κύων καί τά ἄλλα, ἕν εἰσι τῷ γένει· ζῶον γάρ τούτων ἕκαστον· οὕτω γοῦν καί τό πολλά ὑπάρχον ταῖς περιόδοις, ἤγουν τοῖς βουλεύμασιν, ἤ καί τοῖς ἔργοις ἕν εἰσι τῇ ἀρχῇ.

Πάντα καί ὅλα πάντα: Πάντα λέγεται, ὅταν εἴδη καί μέρη καί διαφοραί ἐν ταῖς διαιρέσεσιν ὦσιν, ὅλον δέ, ὅταν τά μέρη (14S_370> συλλεγόμενα ἕν ὁλόκληρον ἀποτελῶσιν, ἤ τά εἴδη ἕν γένος, ἤ καί τά ἐναντία καί ἀντικείμενα εἰς σύμπνοιαν καί συμπάθειαν ἡσυχάζῃ, ὡς ὕδωρ ὁμοῦ, καί γῆ, καί ἀήρ, καί τά πυρώδη ἄστρα, καί οὐρανός· λέγεται γάρ ὅλα ταῦτα κόσμος.