Chapter II.—Summary of the Opinions of Philosophers.

Having, therefore, embraced (a consideration of) the tenets of all the wise men among the Greeks in four books, and the doctrines propounded by the heresiarchs in five, we shall now exhibit the doctrine concerning the truth in one, having first presented in a summary the suppositions entertained severally by all. For the dogmatists of the Greeks, dividing philosophy into three parts, in this manner devised from time to time their speculative systems;1016    Hippolytus in what follows is indebted to Sextus Empiricus.—Adv. Phys., x. some denominating their system Natural, and others Moral, but others Dialectical Philosophy. And the ancient thinkers who called their science Natural Philosophy, were those mentioned in book i. And the account which they furnished was after this mode: Some of them derived all things from one, whereas others from more things than one. And of those who derived all things from one, some derived them from what was devoid of quality, whereas others from what was endued with quality. And among those who derived all things from quality, some derived them from fire, and some from air, and some from water, and some from earth. And among those who derived the universe from more things than one, some derived it from numerable, but others from infinite quantities. And among those who derived all things from numerable quantities, some derived them from two, and others from four, and others from five, and others from six. And among those who derived the universe from infinite quantities, some derived entities from things similar to those generated, whereas others from things dissimilar. And among these some derived entities from things incapable of, whereas others from things capable of, passion. From a body devoid of quality and endued with unity, the Stoics, then, accounted for the generation of the universe. For, according to them, matter devoid of quality, and in all its parts susceptible of change, constitutes an originating principle of the universe. For, when an alteration of this ensues, there is generated fire, air, water, earth. The followers, however, of Hippasus, and Anaximander, and Thales the Milesian, are disposed to think that all things have been generated from one (an entity), endued with quality. Hippasus of Metapontum and Heraclitus the Ephesian declared the origin of things to be from fire, whereas Anaximander from air, but Thales from water, and Xenophanes from earth. “For from earth,” says he, “are all things, and all things terminate in the earth.”1017    See Karst., Fragm., viii. 45.

[6] Συμπεριλαβόντες τοίνυν τὰ πάντων τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι σοφῶν δόγματα ἐν τέσσαρσι βίβλοις, τά τε τοῖς αἱρεσιάρχαις [δόξαντα] ἐν πέντε, νῦν τὸν περὶ ἀληθείας λόγον ἐν μιᾷ ἐπιδείξομεν, ἀνακεφαλαιούμενοι πρῶτον τὰ πᾶσι δεδοκημένα. οἱ μέν γε τῶν Ἑλλήνων δογματισταὶ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν τριχῇ διελόντες οὕτως ἐφιλοσόφησαν, οἱ μὲν φυσικήν, οἱ δὲ ἠθικήν, οἱ δὲ διαλεκτικὴν [αὐτὴν] προσαγορεύσαντες. καὶ οἱ μὲν τὴν φυσικὴν [προτιμήσαντες] οὗτοι γεγένηνται, οὕτως τε διηγήσαντο. Οἱ μὲν ἐξ ἑνὸς [ἐγέννησαν] τὰ πάντα, οἱ δὲ ἐκ πλειόνων: καὶ τῶν ἐξ ἑνὸς οἱ μὲν ἐξ ἀποίου, οἱ δὲ ἐκ [τοῦ] ποιοῦ: καὶ τῶν ἐκ ποιοῦ οἱ μὲν ἐκ πυρός, οἱ δὲ ἐξ ἀέρος, οἱ δὲ ἐξ ὕδατος, ἄλλοι δὲ ἐκ γῆς. καὶ (τ)ῶν ἐκ πλειόνων οἱ μὲν ἐξ ἀριθμητῶν, [οἱ δὲ ἐξ ἀπείρων: καὶ τῶν ἐξ ἀριθμητῶν] οἱ μὲν ἐκ δυ(εῖ)ν, οἱ δὲ ἐ(κ) τεσσάρων, οἱ δὲ ἐκ πέντε, οἱ δὲ ἐξ ἕξ. καὶ τῶν ἐ(ξ) ἀ(π)είρων οἱ μὲν ἐξ ὁμοίων τοῖς γεν[ν]ωμένοις, οἱ δὲ ἐξ ἀνομοίων: καὶ [πρὸς] τούτων οἱ μ(ὲ)ν ἐξ (ἀ)π(α)θῶν, οἱ δὲ ἐκ παθητῶν. [Ἐξ] ἀποίου μὲν οὖν καὶ ἑνὸς σώματος τὴν τῶν ὅλων συνεστήσαντο γένεσιν οἱ Στωϊκοί: ἀρχὴ γὰρ τῶν ὅλων κατ' αὐτούς ἐστιν ἡ ἄποιος ὕλη καὶ δι' ὅλων τρεπ[τ]ή, μεταβαλλούσης τε αὐτῆς γίνεται πῦρ, ἀήρ, ὕδωρ, γῆ. ἐξ ἑνὸς δὲ καὶ ποιοῦ γεγενῆσθαι τὰ πάντα θέλουσιν οἵ τε περὶ τὸν Ἵππασον καὶ Ἀναξίμανδρον καὶ Θαλῆ τὸν Μιλήσιον. [ὧν] Ἵππασος μὲν ὁ Μεταπόντιος καὶ Ἡράκλειτος ὁ Ἐφέσιος ἐκ πυρὸς ἀπεφήναντο τὴν γένεσιν, Ἀναξίμανδρος δὲ ἐξ ἀέρος, Θαλῆς δὲ ἐξ ὕδατος, Ξενοφάνης δὲ ἐκ γῆς: ἐκ γῆς γάρ_φησί_πάντ' ἔστι, καὶ εἰς [τὴν] γῆν πάντα τελευτᾷ.