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has of necessity become innate to go through this. Through what, then? 11.32.6 To remain in the same state and condition always and to be the same belongs only to the most divine of all things, but the nature of a body is not of this order. And what we have named heaven and the cosmos, although it has partaken of many blessed things from its begetter, yet it has also shared in body; whence it is impossible for it to be entirely without a share of change, but yet, so far as possible, it is moved in the same way and in the same state in one motion, because it has received revolution, 11.32.7 which is the slightest deviation from its own motion. But to turn itself always is possible for almost nothing except for that which is the leader of all things that are moved. And it is not lawful for this to move something now in one way, and again in the opposite way. From all these things, then, we must not say that the cosmos turns itself always, nor that it is wholly turned by God in two opposite revolutions, nor again that two gods, with contrary purposes, turn it, but, as was just said and is the only remaining option, it is sometimes guided by another divine cause, acquiring life again and receiving a restored immortality from the creator, and sometimes, when it is let go, it goes by itself, being released at the appointed time, so that it travels backwards for many thousands of periods because, being the greatest and most perfectly balanced, it proceeds on the smallest of pivots. 11.32.8 Then it appears that all you have recounted has been said with good reason. Let us then, considering what has now been said, comprehend the event which we said was the cause of all the wonders. For this is it. 11.32.9 Which one? That the motion of the universe is sometimes carried on in its present direction of revolution, and sometimes in the opposite. How so? This change must be considered the greatest and most complete of all the turnings that occur in the heavens. 11.32.10 So it seems. Therefore we must believe that the greatest changes then happen to us who dwell within it. And this is likely. But do we not know that the nature of living creatures bears with difficulty great, numerous, and various changes when they occur together? 11.32.11 Of course. Therefore of necessity the greatest destructions of other living creatures occur at that time, and indeed only a small part of the human race is left over. And concerning these, many other wonderful and strange calamities happen, but the greatest is this, which follows the reversal of the universe, when the turning becomes contrary to the one now established.” Following all these things, proceeding to discuss the revival of the dead, similarly moved by the beliefs of the Hebrews, he adds this:

11.33.1 34. CONCERNING THE REVIVAL OF THE DEAD; FROM THE SAME

“What, then, O stranger, was the generation of living creatures, and in what way were they begotten of one another? 11.33.2 It is clear, O Socrates, that being begotten of one another was not in the nature of that time, but the race which was once said to be earth-born, this was what in that age came back again from the earth, and it was remembered by our first ancestors, who were neighbours to the time following the end of the previous revolution, and were born at the beginning of this one; for these became to us the heralds 11.33.3 of these stories, which are now disbelieved by many, not rightly. For from this, I think, one must understand. For it follows that the old go toward the nature of a child and again from the dead lying in the earth, they are there composed again and come back to life, following the reversal, as generation is revolved into its contrary, and thus of necessity being born from the earth in this manner, they have the name and the story, as many as

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ἰέναι διὰ τόδε ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἔμφυτον γέγονε. ∆ιὰ τὸ ποῖον δή; 11.32.6 Τὸ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ ὡσαύτως ἔχειν ἀεὶ καὶ ταὐτὸν εἶναι τοῖς πάντων θειοτάτοις προσήκει μόνοις, σώματος δὲ φύσις οὐ ταύτης τῆς τάξεως. ὃν δὲ οὐρανὸν καὶ κόσμον ἐπωνομάκαμεν, πολλῶν μὲν καὶ μακαρίων παρὰ τοῦ γεννήσαντος μετείληφεν, ἀτὰρ οὖν δὴ κεκοινώνηκέ γε καὶ σώματος· ὅθεν αὐτῷ μεταβολῆς ἀμοίρῳ γίγνεσθαι διὰ παντὸς ἀδύνατον, κατὰ δύναμίν γε μὴν ὅτι μάλιστα ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ μίαν φορὰν κινεῖται, διότι τὴν ἀνακύκλησιν εἴληχεν, 11.32.7 ὅτι σμικροτάτην τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κινήσεως παράλλαξιν. αὐτὸ δὲ ἑαυτὸ στρέφειν ἀεὶ σχεδὸν οὐδενὶ δυνατὸν πλὴν τῷ τῶν κινουμένων αὖ πάντων ἡγουμένῳ. κινεῖν δὲ τούτῳ τι τοτὲ μὲν ἄλλως, αὖθις δ' ἐναντίως οὐ θέμις. ἐκ πάντων δὴ τούτων τὸν κόσμον μήτε αὐτὸν χρὴ φάναι στρέφειν ἑαυτὸν ἀεὶ μηθ' ὅλον ὑπὸ θεοῦ στρέφεσθαι διττὰς καὶ ἐναντίας περιαγωγὰς μήτ' αὖ τινε δύο θεὼ φρονοῦντε ἑαυτοῖς ἐναντία στρέφειν αὐτόν, ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἄρτι ἐρρήθη καὶ μόνον λοιπόν, τοτὲ μὲν ὑπ' ἄλλης ξυμποδηγεῖσθαι θείας αἰτίας, τὸ ζῆν πάλιν ἐπικτώμενον καὶ λαμβάνοντα ἀθανασίαν ἐπισκευαστὴν παρὰ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ, τοτὲ δ' ὅταν ἀνεθῇ, δι' ἑαυτοῦ αὐτὸν ἰέναι κατὰ καιρὸν ἀφεθέντα τοιοῦτον, ὥστε ἀνάπαλιν πορεύεσθαι πολλὰς περιόδων μυριάδας διὰ τὸ μέγιστον ὂν καὶ ἰσορροπώτατον ἐπὶ σμικροτάτου βαῖνον ποδὸς ἰέναι. 11.32.8 Φαίνεται γοῦν δὴ καὶ μάλα εἰκότως εἰρῆσθαι πάντα ὅσα διελήλυθας. Λογισάμενοι δὴ ξυννοήσωμεν τὸ πάθος ἐκ τῶν νῦν λεχθέντων, ὃ πάντων ἔφαμεν εἶναι τῶν θαυμαστῶν αἴτιον. ἔστι γὰρ οὖν δὴ τοῦτ' αὐτό. 11.32.9 Τὸ ποῖον; Τὸ τὴν τοῦ παντὸς φορὰν τοτὲ μὲν ἐφ' ἃ νῦν κυκλεῖται φέρεσθαι, τοτὲ δ' ἐπὶ τἀναντία. Πῶς δή; Ταύτην τὴν μεταβολὴν ἡγεῖσθαι δεῖ τῶν περὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν γιγνομένων τροπῶν πασῶν εἶναι μεγίστην καὶ τελεωτάτην τροπήν. 11.32.10 Ἔοικε γοῦν. Μεγίστας τοίνυν μεταβολὰς χρὴ νομίζειν γίγνεσθαι τότε τοῖς ἐντὸς ἡμῖν οἰκοῦσιν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τοῦτ' εἰκός. Μεταβολὰς δέ γε μεγάλας καὶ πολλὰς καὶ παντοίας ξυμφερομένας ἆρ' οὐκ ἴσμεν τὴν τῶν ζῴων φύσιν ὅτι χαλεπῶς ἀνέχεται; 11.32.11 Πῶς δ' οὔ; Φθοραὶ τοίνυν ἐξ ἀνάγκης τότε μέγισται ξυμβαίνουσι τῶν τε ἄλλων ζῴων, καὶ δὴ καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος ὀλίγον τι περιλείπεται. περὶ δὲ τούτους ἄλλα τε παθήματα πολλά, θαυμαστὰ καὶ καινά, ξυμπίπτει, μέγιστον δὲ τόδε καὶ ξυνεπόμενον τῇ τοῦ παντὸς ἀνελίξει τότε, ὅταν ἡ τῆς νῦν καθεστηκυίας ἐναντία γίγνηται τροπή.» Τούτοις ἅπασιν ὑποβὰς ἑξῆς περὶ τῆς τῶν τετελευτηκότων ἀναβιώσεως, ὁμοίως ταῖς Ἑβραίων δόξαις κινούμενος, ταῦτ' ἐπιλέγει·

11.33.1 λδʹ. ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΤΕΤΕΛΕΥΤΗΚΟΤΩΝ ΑΝΑΒΙΩΣΕΩΣ· ΑΠΟ ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ

«Γένεσις δὲ τίς τότ' ἦν, ὦ ξένε, ζῴων, καὶ τίνα τρόπον ἐξ ἀλλήλων ἐγεννῶντο; 11.33.2 ∆ῆλον, ὦ Σώκρατες, ὅτι τὸ μὲν ἐξ ἀλλήλων οὐκ ἦν ἐν τῇ τότε φύσει γεννώμενον, τὸ δὲ γηγενὲς εἶναί ποτε γένος λεχθὲν τοῦτ' ἦν τὸ κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον ἐκ γῆς πάλιν ἀναστρεφόμενον, ἀπεμνημονεύετο δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων προγόνων τῶν πρώτων, οἳ τελευτώσῃ μὲν τῇ προτέρᾳ περιφορᾷ τὸν ἑξῆς χρόνον ἐγειτόνουν, τῆσδε δὲ κατ' ἀρχὰς ἐφύοντο· τούτων γὰρ οὗτοι κήρυκες 11.33.3 ἐγένονθ' ἡμῖν τῶν λόγων, οἳ νῦν ὑπὸ πολλῶν οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἀπιστοῦνται. τὸ γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν, οἶμαι, χρὴ ξυννοεῖν. ἐχόμενον γάρ ἐστι τῷ τοὺς πρεσβύτας ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ παιδὸς ἰέναι φύσιν ἐκ τῶν τετελευτηκότων αὖ, κειμένων δ' ἐν γῇ πάλιν ἐκεῖ ξυνισταμένους καὶ ἀναβιωσκομένους ἕπεσθαι τῇ τροπῇ, ξυνανακυκλουμένης εἰς τἀναντία τῆς γενέσεως, καὶ γηγενεῖς δὴ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἐξ ἀνάγκης φυομένους οὕτως ἔχειν τοὔνομα καὶ τὸν λόγον, ὅσους