Chapter XXIII.—Pythagoras’ Astronomic System.

These, then, and such like assertions, the Pythagoreans put forward; and the heretics, imitating these, are supposed by some to utter important truths. The Pythagorean system, however, lays down that the Creator of all alleged existences is the Great Geometrician and Calculator—a sun; and that this one has been fixed in the whole world, just as in the bodies a soul, according to the statement of Plato. For the sun (being of the nature of) fire,651    The text seems doubtful. Some would read, “The sun is (to be compared with) soul, and the moon with body.” resembles the soul, but the earth (resembles the) body. And, separated from fire, there would be nothing visible, nor would there be any object of touch without something solid; but not any solid body exists without earth. Whence the Deity, locating air in the midst, fashioned the body of the universe out of fire and earth. And the Sun, he says, calculates and geometrically measures the world in some such manner as the following: The world is a unity cognizable by sense; and concerning this (world) we now make these assertions. But one who is an adept in the science of numbers, and a geometrician, has divided it into twelve parts. And the names of these parts are as follow: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces. Again, he divides each of the twelve parts into thirty parts, and these are days of the month. Again, he divides each part of the thirty parts into sixty small divisions, and (each) of these small (divisions) he subdivides into minute portions, and (these again) into portions still more minute. And always doing this, and not intermitting, but collecting from these divided portions (an aggregate), and constituting it a year; and again resolving and dividing the compound, (the sun) completely finishes the great and everlasting world.652    Or, “completes the great year of the world” (see book iv. chap. vii. of The Refutation).

[28] Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα οἱ Πυθαγόρειοι λέγουσιν, οὓς μιμούμενοι οἱ αἱρετικοὶ μεγάλα νομίζονταί τισι λέγειν. δημιουργὸν δὲ εἶναι τῶν γενομένων πάντων φησὶν ὁ Πυθαγόρειος λόγος τὸν μέγ(αν) γεωμέτρην καὶ ἀριθμητὴν ἥλιον, καὶ ἐστηρίχθαι τοῦτον [μέσον] ἐν ὅλῳ, τῷ κόσμῳ, καθάπερ ἐν τῷ (σ)ώματι [τὴν] ψυχήν, ὥς φησιν ὁ Πλάτων. πῦρ γάρ ἐστιν [ὁ] ἥλιος, [ὡς καὶ ἡ] ψυχή, σῶμα δὲ ἡ γῆ. «χωρισθὲν δὲ πυρὸς οὐδὲν ἄν ποτε ὁρατὸν γένοιτο, οὐδὲ ἁπτὸν ἄνευ τινὸς στερεοῦ, στερεὸν δὲ οὐκ ἄνευ γῆς: ὅθεν ἐκ πυρὸς καὶ γῆς», «[ὕδωρ] ἀέρα τε ὁ θεὸς ἐν μέσῳ θέμενος» τὸ τοῦ παντὸς ἐδημιούργησε σῶ(μ)α. ἀριθμεῖ δέ, φησί, καὶ γεωμετρεῖ τὸν κόσμον ὁ ἥλιος τοιοῦτόν τινα τρόπ(ο)ν: ὁ μὲν κόσμος ἐστὶν ὁ αἰσθητὸς εἷς, περὶ οὗ λέγομεν τὰ νῦν: διῄρηκε δ' αὐτόν, ἀριθμητικός τις ὢν καὶ γεωμέτρης, εἰς μοίρας δώδεκα: καὶ ἔστι ταῖς μοίραις ταύταις ὀνόματα: Κριός, Ταῦρος, Δίδυμοι, Καρκίνος, Λέων, Παρθένος, Ζυγός, Σκορπίος, Τοξότης, Αἰγόκερως, Ὑδροχόος, Ἰχθύες. πάλιν τῶν δώδεκα μοιρῶν ἑκάστην διαιρεῖ εἰς μοίρας τριάκοντα, αἵτινές εἰσιν ἡμέραι μηνός. πάλιν αὖ τῶν [τῶν] τριάκοντα μοιρῶν ἑκάστην μοῖραν διαιρεῖ εἰς λεπτὰ ἑξήκοντα, καὶ τῶν λεπτῶν [ἕκαστον εἰς] λεπτὰ [καὶ] ἔτι λεπτότερα. καὶ τοῦτο ἀεὶ ποιῶν [καὶ] μὴ παυόμενος, ἀλλ' ἀθροίζων ἐκ τούτων [τῶν] μοιρῶν τῶν διῃρημένων καὶ ποιῶν ἐνια(υ)τόν, καὶ αὖθις ἀναλύων καὶ διαιρῶν τὸ συγκείμενον, τὸν μέγαν [καὶ] ἀθάνατον ἀπεργάζεται κόσμον.