120

Must I now prolong the discussion further, bringing together everything about the correctness and accuracy of Hebrew names, when the problem requires its own treatise? But to speak in outline, I think that through what has been said I have furnished the proof of the logical teaching among the Hebrews, if indeed according to Plato it was not for base men nor for ordinary men, but for some wise and dialectical lawgiver to discover the nature of names appropriate to things, such as Moses and the oracles of the Hebrews have been shown to be for us. What then follows after the logical but to examine the physical, to see how the children of the Hebrews were also with respect to these things?

11.7.1 8. CONCERNING THE PHYSIOLOGY AMONG THE HEBREWS And the third part of the philosophy among the Hebrews—this was the physical, divided even among them into the contemplation of intelligible and incorporeal things and into the natural philosophy of sensible things—the prophets, perfect in all things, both knew and mixed into their own discourses, whenever the occasion called for it, not having learned by conjectures and the practice of mortal thought nor priding themselves on human teachers, but by the inspiration of a greater pow11.7.2er and by the inbreathing of the divine spirit ascribing their knowledge. From this source, ten thousand things were prophesied by them concerning the future, and ten thousand things were discoursed on naturally concerning the constitution of the universe, and again ten thousand things were apprehended concerning the nature of animals, and very many things also concerning plants were set down by each in their own prophecies.11.7.3 And Moses, knowing very well the powers of stones, did not use the theory of them incidentally on the high priest's robe. And again Solomon, if anyone else, is testified by the divine scripture to have excelled in the natural philoso11.7.4phy concerning these things, which runs thus: "And Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were five thousand. And he spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that comes out of the wall. And he spoke of cattle and of birds and of reptiles and of fish. And all the peoples came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings 11.7.5 of the earth, as many as had heard his wisdom." Starting from this, he who ascribed the all-virtuous wisdom to his person said: "For he himself gave me unerring knowledge of what exists, to know the structure of the world and the activity of the elements, the beginning and end and middle of times, the alterations of the solstices and the changes of the seasons, the cycles of the year and the positions of the stars, the natures of animals and the tempers of wild beasts, the violence of spirits and the reasonings of men, the varieties of plants and the virtues of roots. And whatever is secret and hidden, I learned. For the artisan of all 11.7.6 things, wisdom, taught me." And again the same Solomon, discoursing on the fluid substance of bodies in Ecclesiastes, says: "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. What does man gain in all his toil at which he toils under the sun?" And he adds: "What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing 11.7.7 new under the sun." For these and such things were discoursed on naturally by him concerning corporeal substance. And if you go through them, you would find the other wise men of the Hebrews not without a share of the same knowledge. At least, as I said before, ten thousand things concerning plants and animals, both terrestrial and aquatic, and 11.7.8 moreover concerning the nature of birds have been said by them. Yes, and also concerning the stars in heaven, since there is no ordinary mention of the Bear and Pleiades and Orion and Arcturus, which the Greeks are fond of calling Arctophylax and Boötes, 11.7.9 carried in the writings of those being spoken of.

120

με δεῖ νῦν ἐπὶ πλεῖον μηκύνειν τὰ πάντα συνάγοντα τῆς τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν ὀνομάτων ὀρθότητός τε καὶ ἀκριβείας, τοῦ προβλήματος οἰκείας δεομένου πραγματείας; πλὴν ὡς ἐν τύπῳ φάναι, ἡγοῦμαι καὶ διὰ τῶν λεχθέντων τῆς παρ' Ἑβραίοις λογικῆς διδασκαλίας τὴν ἀπόδειξιν παρεσχηκέναι, εἰ δὴ κατὰ τὸν Πλάτωνα οὐ φαύλων ἦν ἀνδρῶν οὐδὲ τῶν τυχόντων, ἀλλὰ σοφοῦ καὶ διαλεκτικοῦ τινος νομοθέτου φύσιν ὀνομάτων οἰκείαν τοῖς πράγμασιν εὑρέσθαι, οἷος ἡμῖν ὁ Μωσῆς καὶ τὰ Ἑβραίων ἀποδέδεικται λόγια. τί δὴ οὖν μετὰ τὰ λογικὰ ἕπεται ἢ τὰ φυσικὰ ἐπισκέψασθαι, ὅπως ποτὲ καὶ περὶ ταῦτα εἶχον Ἑβραίων παῖδες;

11.7.1 ηʹ. ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΚΑΘ' ΕΒΡΑΙΟΥΣ ΦΥΣΙΟΛΟΓΙΑΣ Καὶ τὸ τρίτον δὲ μέρος τῆς καθ' Ἑβραίους φιλοσοφίας τοῦτο δ' ἦν τὸ φυσικόν, διαιρούμενον καὶ παρ' αὐτοῖς εἴς τε τὴν τῶν νοητῶν καὶ ἀσωμάτων ἐποπτείαν καὶ εἰς τὴν τῶν αἰσθητῶν φυσιολογίαν οἱ κατὰ πάντα τέλειοι προφῆται ᾔδεσάν τε καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις, ὅτε δὴ καιρὸς ἐκάλει, κατεμίγνυον λόγοις, οὐ στοχασμοῖς καὶ θνητῆς διανοίας ἐπιτηδεύσει μαθόντες οὐδ' ἐπὶ διδασκάλοις ἀνδράσι σεμνυνόμενοι, θεοφορήσει δὲ κρείττονος δυνά11.7.2 μεως καὶ θείου πνεύματος ἐπιπνοίᾳ τὴν γνῶσιν ἀνατιθέντες. ἔνθεν μυρία μὲν αὐτοῖς περὶ τῶν μελλόντων τεθέσπιστο, μυρία δὲ περὶ τῆς τοῦ παντὸς συστάσεως πεφυσιολόγητο, καὶ αὖ πάλιν μυρία περὶ ζῴων φύσεως διείληπτο, πλεῖστα δὲ ὅσα καὶ περὶ φυτῶν ταῖς οἰκείαις ἕκαστος προφητείαις 11.7.3 καταβέβλητο. Μωσῆς δὲ καὶ λίθων δυνάμεις εὖ μάλα ἐξεπιστάμενος οὐ παρέργως ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀρχιερέως στολῆς τῇ τούτων κέχρητο θεωρίᾳ. καὶ αὖ πάλιν Σολομῶν, εἰ καί τις ἄλλος, ἐν τῇ περὶ τούτων διαπρέψαι φυσιο11.7.4 λογίᾳ πρὸς τῆς θείας μαρτυρεῖται γραφῆς, ὧδε περιεχούσης· «Καὶ ἐλάλησε Σολομῶν τρισχιλίας παραβολάς, καὶ ἦσαν ᾠδαὶ αὐτοῦ πεντακισχίλιαι, καὶ ἐλάλησε περὶ τῶν ξύλων, ἀπὸ τῆς κέδρου τῆς ἐν τῷ Λιβάνῳ καὶ ἕως ὑσσώπου τῆς ἐκπορευομένης διὰ τοῦ τοίχου. καὶ ἐλάλησε περὶ τῶν κτηνῶν καὶ περὶ τῶν πετεινῶν καὶ περὶ τῶν ἑρπετῶν καὶ περὶ τῶν ἰχθύων, καὶ παρεγίνοντο πάντες οἱ λαοὶ ἀκοῦσαι τῆς σοφίας Σολομῶν καὶ παρὰ πάντων τῶν βασιλέων 11.7.5 τῆς γῆς, ὅσοι ἤκουσαν τὴν σοφίαν αὐτοῦ.» ἐντεῦθεν ὁρμώμενος καὶ ὁ τὴν πανάρετον σοφίαν εἰς αὐτοῦ πρόσωπον ἀναθεὶς ἔφη· «Αὐτὸς γάρ μοι ἔδωκε τῶν ὄντων γνῶσιν ἀψευδῆ, εἰδέναι σύστασιν κόσμου καὶ ἐνέργειαν στοιχείων, ἀρχὴν καὶ τέλος καὶ μεσότητα χρόνων, τροπῶν ἀλλαγὰς καὶ μεταβολὰς καιρῶν, ἐνιαυτοῦ κύκλους καὶ ἀστέρων θέσεις, φύσεις ζῴων καὶ θυμοὺς θηρίων, πνευμάτων βίας καὶ διαλογισμοὺς ἀνθρώπων, διαφορὰς φυτῶν καὶ δυνάμεις ῥιζῶν ὅσα τέ ἐστι κρυπτὰ καὶ ἀφανῆ ἔγνων. ἡ γὰρ πάν11.7.6 των τεχνῖτις ἐδίδαξέ με σοφία.» πάλιν τε ὁ αὐτὸς Σολομῶν τὴν ῥευστὴν τῶν σωμάτων οὐσίαν φυσιολογῶν ἐν Ἐκκλησιαστῇ φησι· «Ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, τὰ πάντα ματαιότης. τίς περισσεία τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ, ᾧ μοχθεῖ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον;» καὶ ἐπιλέγει· «Τί τὸ γεγονός; αὐτὸ τὸ γενησόμενον· καὶ τί τὸ πεποιημένον; αὐτὸ τὸ ποιηθησόμενον. καὶ οὐκ 11.7.7 ἔστι πᾶν πρόσφατον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον.» ταῦτα γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα πεφυσιολόγητο περὶ τῆς σωματικῆς οὐσίας. εὕροις δ' ἂν ἐπιὼν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Ἑβραίων σοφοὺς τῆς ὁμοίας οὐκ ἀμοίρους ἐπιστήμης. φυτῶν γοῦν, ὡς ἔφην ἤδη πρότερον, μυρία καὶ ζῴων πέρι, χερσαίων τε καὶ ἐνύδρων, καὶ 11.7.8 προσέτι πτηνῶν φύσεως εἴρηται αὐτοῖς. ναὶ μὴν καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ ἄστρων, ἐπεὶ καὶ Ἄρκτου καὶ Πλειάδος Ὠρίωνός τε καὶ Ἀρκτούρου, ὃνἈρκτοφύλακα καὶ Βοώτην ὀνομάζειν Ἕλλησι φίλον, μνήμη τις οὐχ ἡ τυ11.7.9 χοῦσα τοῖς τῶν δηλουμένων ἐμφέρεται γράμμασιν.