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but also the doctrines and theories concerning the constitution of the world, and concerning the change and alteration of the universe, and concerning the substance of the soul and the nature of all rational beings, of visible and invisible creation, of universal providence, and even before these, things concerning the first cause of all things, and the theology of the second, and of the other things apprehended by the mind alone, they have embraced very well and accurately, so that one would not err in saying that those among the Greeks after them who investigated the nature of these things followed them as younger men follow their elders 11.7.10. So much, then, for the natural philosophy of the universe. And having distinguished the account of these things in a twofold manner, they thought it was not necessary to bring out for the multitude to the full the account of sensible things, nor to teach the common throng the causes of the nature of existing things, except for what was necessary to know, that the universe did not come into being by itself, nor subsist by chance and at random from an irrational motion, but is guided by the charioteer of God's Word and is governed by the power of 11.7.11 ineffable wisdom. But concerning intelligible things, that they exist and what they are, and what order, power, and difference they have, has been both stated and set down in the sacred books and has been handed down for all to hear, inasmuch as it was necessary for those who lay claim to piety to know for the undertaking of a reverent 11.7.12 and sober life. But the deep and hidden doctrine concerning these things they left to be sought and taught in secret by those who were able to be initiated into such things. But it would be well, to speak briefly and in outline, to go through their vision and to show Plato as well thinking in this matter in ways dear to what has been revealed.

11.8.1 9. CONCERNING THE NATURAL PHILOSOPHY OF INTELLIGIBLE THINGS But indeed, in the teaching and theory of intelligible and incorporeal things, the wonderful Plato is clearly shown by his own words to have followed the all-wise Moses and the prophets of the Hebrews, whether he learned it from a report that came to him, since he is known to have spent time among the Egyptians at that time, when the Hebrews, having fallen away from their own land for the second time, were dwelling among the Egyptians while the Persians were in power, or whether he arrived at it by himself by applying his mind to the nature of things, or was in some way deemed worthy of this knowledge by God. "For God," he says, "has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, since the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, both his eternal power and divinity, so that they are without excuse." And you might learn what has been said by considering it in some such way as this:

10. CONCERNING BEING, OF MOSES AND PLATO with Moses in his sacred rites having set forth an oracle from the person of God, saying, "I am who I am. Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel: 'He who is has sent me to you,'" and having declared that God is manifestly the only one who is, and is properly 11.9.2 and fittingly deemed worthy of this title; and again, with Solomon having spoken concerning the generation and corruption of sensible and corporeal things: "What is that which has been? It is that which will be. And what is that which has been done? It is that which will be done. And there is nothing new under the sun, of which one will speak and say, 'See, this is new'; it has already been in the ages that were 11.9.3 before us;" and we, following these, dividing the universe into two, into the intelligible and the sensible, and the intelligible is incorporeal and rational

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ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ περὶ συστάσεως κόσμου τά τε περὶ τῆς τοῦ παντὸς τροπῆς τε καὶ ἀλλοιώσεως ψυχῆς τε περὶ οὐσίας καὶ λογικῶν ἁπάντων φύσεως ὁρωμένης τε καὶ ἀφανοῦς δημιουργίας τῆς τε καθόλου προνοίας καὶ τούτων ἔτι πρότερον τὰ περὶ τοῦ πρώτου τῶν ὅλων αἰτίου τῆς τε τοῦ δευτέρου θεολογίας καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν διανοίᾳ μόνῃ ληπτῶν τοὺς λόγους καὶ τὰς θεωρίας εὖ μάλα καὶ ἀκριβῶς περιειλήφασιν, ὡς μὴ ἂν ἁμαρτεῖν τοὺς μετὰ ταῦτα παρ' Ἕλλησι τὴν τούτων φύσιν ἀνηρευνηκότας πρεσβύταις οἷα νεωτέρους κατηκολουθηκέναι 11.7.10 φάναι. ταῦτα μὲν δὴ καὶ περὶ τῆς τοῦ παντὸς φυσιολογίας. διχῆ δὲ καὶ τὸν περὶ τούτων διαστειλάμενοι λόγον, τὸν μὲν περὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν οὐκ εἰς ἄκρον ᾤοντο δεῖν εἰς τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐκφέρειν οὐδέ γε τὰς αἰτίας τῆς τῶν ὄντων φύσεως τὸ δημῶδες πλῆθος ἐκδιδάσκειν, πλὴν ὅσον ἦν ἀναγκαῖον εἰδέναι, ὅτι γε μὴ ἀπηυτομάτισται τὸ πᾶν μηδ' εἰκῆ καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἐξ ἀλόγου φορᾶς ὑφέστηκεν, ἄγεται δ' ὑφ' ἡνιόχῳ θεοῦ λόγῳ καὶ δυνάμει σοφίας 11.7.11 ἀρρήτου διακυβερνᾶται. περὶ δὲ τῶν νοητῶν, ὅτι μέν ἐστι καὶ τίνα ὅπη τε διατάξεως ἔχει δυνάμεώς τε καὶ διαφορᾶς, εἴρηται μὲν καὶ ταῖς ἱεραῖς βίβλοις ἐγκαταβέβληται εἰς ἐξάκουστόν τε τοῖς πᾶσι παραδέδοται, καθ' ὅσον εἰδέναι χρῆν τοὺς εὐσεβείας μεταποιουμένους εἰς ἀνάληψιν εὐλαβοῦς 11.7.12 καὶ σώφρονος βίου. τὸν δὲ δὴ βαθὺν καὶ λεληθότα περὶ τούτων λόγον ἐν ἀπορρήτοις ζητεῖν τε καὶ διδάσκεσθαι κατελίμπανον τοῖς οἵοις τε τὰ τοιάδε μυεῖσθαι. βραχέα δέ, ὡς ἐν τύπῳ φάναι, εὖ ἂν ἔχοι καὶ τῆς τούτων διελθεῖν ἐποπτείας τόν τε Πλάτωνα κἀν τούτῳ τὰ φίλα πεφρονηκότα τοῖς δηλουμένοις παραστῆσαι.

11.8.1 θʹ. ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΝΟΗΤΩΝ ΦΥΣΙΟΛΟΓΙΑΣ Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν νοητῶν καὶ ἀσωμάτων παιδεύσεώς τε καὶ θεωρίας τῷ πανσόφῳ Μωσεῖ καὶ τοῖς Ἑβραίων προφήταις Πλάτων ὁ θαυμάσιος ἐπηκολουθηκέναι διὰ τῶν οἰκείων φωνῶν ἐστι δῆλος, εἴτ' ἐξ ἀκοῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἡκούσης μαθών ἐπεὶ καὶ συνίσταται παρ' Αἰγυπτίοις τηνικάδε τὰς διατριβὰς πεποιημένος, καθ' ὃν Ἑβραῖοι τῆς οἰκείας δεύτερον ἀποπεσόντες γῆς Αἰγυπτίοις ἐπεχωρίαζον, Περσῶν ἐπικρατούντων εἴτε καὶ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ τῇ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπιβαλὼν φύσει εἴθ' ὁπωσοῦν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ καταξιωθεὶς τῆς γνώσεως. «Ὁ θεὸς γὰρ αὐτοῖς φησίν ἐφανέρωσε. τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασι νοούμενα καθορᾶται ἥ τε ἀΐδιος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θειότης, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἀναπολογήτους.» μάθοις δ' ἂν τὸ εἰρημένον ὧδέ πη διασκοπούμενος·

ιʹ. ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΟΝΤΟΣ, ΜΩΣΕΩΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΛΑΤΩΝΟΣ Μωσέως ἐν ταῖς ἱεροφαντίαις χρησμὸν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ φήσαντος «Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν. οὕτως ἐρεῖς τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ· Ὁ ὢν ἀπέσταλκέ με πρὸςὑμᾶς» παραθεμένου καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἄντικρυς μόνον ὄντα καὶ τῆσδε κυρίως 11.9.2 καὶ ἁρμοδίως ἠξιωμένον τῆς κλήσεως ἀποφηναμένου· πάλιν τε αὖ Σολομῶνος περὶ τῆς τῶν αἰσθητῶν καὶ σωματικῶν γενέσεώς τε καὶ φθορᾶς ἀνειπόντος· «Τί τὸ γεγονός; αὐτὸ τὸ γενησόμενον· καὶ τί τὸ πεποιημένον; αὐτὸ τὸ ποιηθησόμενον. καὶ οὐκ ἔστι πᾶν πρόσφατον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὃ λαλήσει καὶ ἐρεῖ· Ἴδε τοῦτο καινόν ἐστιν· ἤδη γέγονεν ἐν τοῖς αἰῶσι τοῖς γενο11.9.3 μένοις ἀπὸ ἔμπροσθεν ἡμῶν·» τούτοις δὲ καὶ ἡμῶν ἀκολούθως εἰς δύο τὸ πᾶν διαιρούντων, εἴς τε νοητὸν καὶ αἰσθητόν, καὶ τὸ μὲν νοητὸν ἀσώματον καὶ λογικὸν