mentioned in the Laws, who are said to preside over the different aJlotments of souls, and who are not men^ but daemons of a more divine and excellent genus, wIk) distribute to souls the measures of good, cut off their generation-producing lives, restrain their disorderly lation, retain them in the intelligible, and comprehend them in the kingdom of Saturn, In the third place, therefore, we must direct our attention to the daemon Gods, who preside over the parts of the world, and the herds [of souls] that are in it, as the Elean guest says in the Politicus, and who at one time come into contact with the objects of their government, and distribute to them intellectual, and all unapparent goods, but at another time withdraw themselves from the physical life of the world, recur to their own place of survey, and imitate the exempt transcendency of the demiurgus and father of the universe.
But after these things, we must survey the twofold circulations of the mundane Gods, viz. the Satumian and the Jovian; for these Gods always have each of these, as the fable says in the Politicus. For it is evident that the mutation of the stars and the sun takes place in each of the, revolutions. This period, therefore, being twofold, it is obvious to every one that the periods are full of Saturnian goods, and participate of the Saturnian series. And not only the mundane Gods, but likewise all the, more excellent genera that follow the Gods, energize according to both these energies, and revolve according to the twofold circulations, through which souls also sometimes participate of an intellectual life, apd proceed in this path, exchanging for sense intellect as the leader of their motion and circulation. Saturn, therefore, extends his kingdom supernally from the first Gods, as far as to partial souls, perfects all things, and fills them with intellectual goods, distributing to different natures different measures of good. For on account of this, law also subsists with him, as Socrates says in the Gorgias: " This law therefore was in the time of Saturn, and always was, and now is, among the God^.'* For law is the distribution of intellect; but this God is the first, most pure, and incorruptible intellect.
If, however, this God is the primary leader of all division, and is the origin of intellectual separation, it is necessary on this account, that law 83S ON THE THEOLOGY BOOK V.
should be with him, which distinguishes the orders of beings, divides the intellectual genera, and separates all forms according to a well- ordered progression; but imparts to all things by illumination the measure of hyparxis, connecting the order which is in them, preserving the boundaries of divine distribution immutable, and possessing the same dignity in the kingdom of Satura, and in intellectuals, as Adrastia in the supercelestial place, and in the intelligible, and at the same time, intellectual orders. For from each of them an immutable guard, and the prc^ression of order to all things are generated. But they differ from each other, because law indeed divides the one into multitude,. defines the measures of intellectual subsistence, and distributes to every thing an appropriate good, producing the different measures of beings from the one [Saturnian] intellect But Adrastia abiding in the intelligibte, guards all things uniformly, and preserves total order in a firm unde^ viating manner, exempt from all division. Law, therefore, is a certain God which divides divine forms, and definitely imparts to every thing that which is adapted to it according to the plenitude proceeding from one uniform cause; and it is also coexistent with the Saturnian order, in which the separations of beings, and the all-perfect progression tf forms first subsist. Hence the demiurgus likewise looking to this conducts all things according to law, and constitutes mundane provi* dence an image of the union of the father; but fate and the fatal laws, an image of the division according to law. Souls, therefore, live according to law; in the Jovian period indeed being governed con- formably to the laws of Fate; but in the Saturnian period living according to divine law tliey are subservient to the multitude [of divine forms] and are extended to the one cause of all; and ascending to the intelligible place of survey, they are subjected to the sacred law of Adrastia. For this law extends from on high as far as to the last of things, and defines to souls the measures of whole periods, as Socrates says in the Phsedrus. Who therefore this greatest God is, and what the goods are of which be is the cause to souls, and prior to these, to Gods and daemons, the leaders of souls, let it, from Ihese things be manifest.
CHAPTER X- Sivcik hpTv^iever, tbeoloijgists assert that aa exeniptioi^ from old age pertains to this:Qrd^i as the Barbariaps saj^ and Orpheus the theolpgUt of the Greeks, (for he mystically says that the hairs of thp face of Satii^i^ ar0 always black, ^pd never become hoary) J admire the divinely-imping intellect of Plato which unfolds the same things coocernipg this God ^ those who proceed in his steps. For be $ays that souls in the Sajttini<« ian period abandon old age, but returq to youth, and reaiove from HiWh selves hoaripess, but have black hair. For he says that the white hairs ^ of the more elderly become black; but the cheeks of those that have beards being rendered smooth, they are restored to the past season [of youth.3 These things indeed aie asserted by the Elean guest; similar to- whicli are the assertions of Orpheus concerning this God^ -under Saturaian Jove Men liv'd immortal; moist and fragrant hair From the pore chin thea sprouted, nor was mix^d With the white flower Aat marks infirm old age; But in its stead, a florid down i^pqur'd..
In these verses he delivers the similitude of Satumian souls to this * G^od. For he aays that tliey retnove from the view the old age which * they had acquired from generaticn aiid abandon material imbecility; and • tiiat they exert the juvenile and vigorous life of intellect; For it is no otlierwise lawful for tliem to be assimilated to the God who is exempt < from old age» than through intellectual puberty, and undefiled power; But the cause of this is» that king Saturn himself is the source of the * unallured Gods^ and the inflexible triad. Hence be is, as Socrates saysy a pure intellect. For he is at the same time the intellect of the un^ 334 ON THE THEOLOGY - BOOK V.
defiled order, ranking as a summit, and riding as in a vehicle in the flou- rishing and vigorous ' Gods that govern wholes. The souls also which are sent to him, wonderfully advance, in conjunction with intellectual energy, in vigour, and in a power undeviating, and free from any tendency to matter. Partial souls therefore, when they change their periods, at one time proceed to a more juvenile, and at another, to a more aged condi- tion. But whole souls always live according to both these periods, and are conversant with Saturn according to the unupparent period, but go- vern the universe in conjunction with Jupiter, according to visible pro- vidence, at once receiving an increase according to both these periods, and becoming at one and the same time both older and younger. And this is what Parmenides indicates when he says, that the one proceeding according to time becomes at once younger and older. These things however, will hereafter be more manifest.
CHAPTER XI.
CHAPTER XI.
Having therefore brought to an end the information concerning the king of the intellectual Gods, it evidently follows that we should in the next place celebrate the queen Rhea. For both Plato and Orpheus assert that she is the mother of the demiurgus of wholes, but a divinity posterior to Saturn. Thus therefore, we must speak concerning her. The stable and united cause of all intellectuals, and the principal and original monad, abiding in herself, unfolding into light all intellectual multitude, and again convolving it into herself, and en&bosoming her progeny, and the causes of wholes that emerge from her, analysing as it were after ' For «xfi0uo^, it is necessary to read ax/muoi^.
i I CHAP. XL OF PLATO. 335 division the natures that are divided, and being paternally allotted the highest kingdom in intellecti^als, — this being the case, the vivific Rhea proceeds as the second from her proper principle, being allotted a ma* ternal order in the whole paternal orders, and producing the demiurgus. of wholes, prior to other Gods, and the immutable guard of the Gods, For this Goddess is the middle centre of the paternal intellectual triad, and the receiving bosom of the generative power which is in Saturn, calling forth indeed, to the generation of wholes, the causes which abide in him, but unfolding definitely all the genera of the Gods. And being filled indeed from the father prior to her with intelligible and prolific power, but filling the demiurgus and father subsisting from her, with vivific abundance. Whence also the demiurgus is the cause of hfe to all things, as containing in himself the plenitude of intellectual life, and extending to all things the prolific cause of his mother. For as the middle Goddess multiplies the uniform powers of Saturn^ and produces and causes them to preside over secondary natures, so the third father, at. one and the same time unfolds, divides, and produces as far as to the last of things, the allperfect abundance of the Saturnian monad, and the dyadic generation of the mother Rhea, so as not to leave the most material and disorderly part of the universe destitute of the power of Saturn.
This Goddess therefore, being the middle of the two fathers, one of which collects, but the other divides intellectual multitude, and the one through transcendency desiring to abide and to be established in himself, but the other hastening to produce, generate and fabricate all things, she educes indeed into herself, the demiurgic causes of wholes, but imparts her own proper power to secondary natures, in unenvying abundance. Hence also Plato assimilates her prolific exuberance to streams, as So- crates says in the Cratylus, evinces that this Goddess is a certain flux, and in what he asserts of her obscurely shows nothing else than her fontal nature, and a power unically comprehensive of the divisible rivers of life. For the first-efftctive flux is fontal; which also Socrates indicating in this Goddess, shortly after' clearly says that the name of Tethys is the na^le of a fountain. Why therefore, is it any longer necessary to doubt about these things, and to say where does Plato make mention of fbntaL 356 <^N TUB THEdLOGY BOOK V: Gods? For he himself denoihinaties the causes of the subsistence of all the Gods^ fontal fiuxious. And besides this, if he admits that the mun- dane s6ul is the fountain and priilciple of life, because it proceeds both horn an impartible and partible vivification, hovr is it possible that he should not in a much greateir degree a^ more truly call the Goddess Who comprehends in herself all life, (bhlal?
Concerning names however, it is not, I think, at ail proper to cobtend, but we should survey the orders themselves of the first effective Gods, AAd see how Plato following theologists c^iously unfolds them to us, celebrating after the Sattlrtaian moniEul the kingdom of Rhea, constituting €rom these the demiurgus of %hde«, ahd all the multitude of Gods which :ts woven together with him. For this GoddisSB binding together the breadth ^ intellectuals, and enibosoming tot^d iiie^ toiil^ all the intellectual powers in herself of tile rivers of life; and by the summit of herself indeed^ is conjoined to the first father, and together with him generates whales, and the genera c^ Gods that abide in him; but by her extremity is conoascent with fabrication, and according to a kindred conjunction with imbrication, constitutes all the orders of Gods that are prior to the world, and that are in the world. Hence there also the causes of the ^emiurgi of wholes primarily subsist, and the more partial genera of life: and the union and total deity of all these, is at once exempt from the plenitudes of herself, and is at once co-arranged with them.
Thus therefore, she is both uniform and multiform, one and simple, thou^ being self-perfect, she is a vivifife world, proceeding from on high ;as far as to the last of things, and as far as to the extremities of the ^nivei'se, giving subsistence to the vivific powers of the breadth of life. Hence also Plato refers the vivific Cause of wholes to this Goddess, and through the last gifls of this divinity, indicates her total energy; which primarily indeed fills the whole deniiurgtks with intellectual and pro- lific power, but secondarily perfects all the genera of. the Gods with the intellectual fruits of hersdf. According to a third order also, her total energy nourishes the souls that are the attendants of the Gods, with the rivers of divine perfection. And in the last orders, it imparts to mortal animals the gift of nature. This thetefote i*, I think, more known than CHAP- XL OF PLATOv ^7 every thing to those wlio admit that things divine are beyond the works of nature* That however, which it is more fit the lovers of the contemplation of <ruth should consider, I say, is this, that Plato divides Ceres from ' the whole vivific deity, and coarranges her, at one time with Proserpine, at another with Juno, and at another with the progeny of Jupiter, as we may learn in the Cratylus. In which dialogue indeed, he co-arranges Rhea with Saturn, but connects a certain common investigation and theory about Ceres, Jupiter, and. Juno. In the Laws likewise cekr brating the legislative Goddesses, he refers the whole of a legitimate life to the union of.Ceres and Proserpine; since according to Orpheus this jniddle Goddess being conjoined with Saturn by her summit, is called Rhea; but producing Jupiter, and together with Jupiter unfolding the whole and partial orders of the Gods, she is called Ceres. And all tlie order of middle life is comprehensive of the other Titanidae, and likewise of Ceres. For it preestablished this monad as a middle collective of all the orders in it; both those that are occult, and those that are divided about the generative powers of the Goddess. Each of these powerst however, are triple. And this monad indeed conjoins the superior triad to Saturn, but weaves the inferior, together with the demiurgic order.
It also evinces that the Cerealian monad being the middle, is coarranged with, and is at the same time exempt from the demiurgus of wholes. For in conjunction with the whole order it constitutes, and together with Jupiter generates Proserpine. And thus we have celebrated the primo* genial Goddess who is the middle of the fathers.
' «iro is omitted in the original Proc. Vol* I. 2 U 336 Oir THt TJlttlOLOGT *06lt Vl CHAPTER XIL Noir however, after this Goddess, the demiurgus of wholes is m ^e third place to be celebrated^ according to the order which he is allotted^ in the intellectual Gods, peculiarly unfoldingfor this purpose all the trutk concerning him. And in the first place, we must remember that it is necessary the peculiarity of this third father should be demiurgic; and thu» ih the next place, following Plato, we must direct our attention to other particulars [respecting this GodJ The first of the intellectual Gods> therefore^ who is parturient with multitude, who is the leader and source- of all separation, and who separates himself from the uniform and first Gods, but generates the divided principles of wholes, — this God agaiti^ Converts his progeny to himself, and weaves together thcs^ parts with his^ own sameness, and exhibits himself as one intelligible world in iutellectu- als, bringing forth in himself, and retaining with himself his own offspring.. But the second of the intellectual deities, is the vlvific Goddess, who brings forth indeed in conjunction with the first intellectual God, occult Multitude, (for she is conjoined to him according to supreme transcen- dency) but cannot endure to remain in this mode of generating, and in* 'collecting the separation of wholes into unseparated union*. Hence she separates the third intellect from the [first] father; but produces th& multitude of the Gods, and of intellectual reasons, and fills the demiurgus with generative power. If, therefi>re, the first intellectual God is partu- rient with the generation of wholes; but the prolific vivification of the* intellectual orders causes this generation to shine forth;'— it is evident that the intellect of the intellectual fathers,, according to his own order, produces and adorns all things, and calls forth indeed,, the occult nature of his father, into separation and progression, but prepares total vivifica* tion to send forth the rivers of itself, as far as to the last of thingsw For it is every where the peculiarity of intellect to divide and unfold multitude,, the plenitudes of life, and the unions of intelligibles. Intelligible CHAP. XIL OP MLATO, 339 intellect however contains multitude uniformly, or according to the form of one; for multitude preexists in the intelligible according to cause. But the intelligible, and at the sumo timo, intellectual intellect, has indeed secondary measures of union, but is exempt from all perfect iseparation, abiding in the first principles of wholes. And intellectual, intellect is the source of all division, and of the subsistence oi partial natures; since it preestablishes in itself all the multitude of formSi »ii4 this not tetradicaliy only, as intelligible intellect^ but it pQS9e9«e9 <m^ all-perfect intellectual cause of all forms. It is necessary therefore that the whole demiurgic principles should pertain to this intellect, that aU the demiurgic Gods should proceed from this one third fitthert and thftt this should be the demiurgus of wholes. For as the first of parvdigim co-subsists in intelligible intellect, and in the third triad aod the firpt father, so likewise we must place the first demiurgic qkhmwI ia intdir lectual intellect, and the third father of the intdlectual Gods* For «» this account also the demiurgic is conjoined with the padradigmfttiQ c»H9ft according to the analogy which each is allotted ajnong the AUh^rs; 00^ indeed in intelligibles, but the other in intellectuals* For oae is tbp boundary of the intelligible, but the other of the intellectual order But this b evident firom what has been before said.
Farther still, fabrication being fourfold, ^nd one indeed adomiog whdes totally, another adorning wholes but partially, another adorning parts, but totally, and another weaving parts together with wbi^, partially, — liiis being the case, it is evident that the cause of wholes which is the cause of them uniformly and indivisibly, is the moiart fmciQiit of all the causes. It is necessary however, that this cause should ^ther be prior to, oc in, or posterior to the intellectual Gods. Where therefore aheli we place it? For all the parts which are constituted by intsiUi3Citu«Jls are more partial than the one and total fabricatioB. For ike division of wholes into three, and the leaders of divisible produotion^ preseot tbw)- selves to the view in these orders. The natures therefore, that are prior to intellectuals, are defined according to other peculiarities of tiiie Gjod^t as was before «hown, and in short, they rabsist according to usuoOf And are expanded abov€ the separatioDjcf iateU«o]bu»l form?* ON THE THEOLOGY BOO K V CHAPTER XIII.
It remains therefore that the one demiurgiB of wholes must be arranged in intellectuals. But if indeed, he is the first father, he will be intelligible, wiH contain his progeny in himself, and will be the collector of separation. How therefore, does he divide the wwlds? How does he generate the multitudes of mundane natures? How does he speak to- all the junior demiurgi at once? For the first father is imcoordinated with the whole number of mundane natures, and also converts his first progeny to< himself, flying as it were from multitude to union, and. hastily with- drawing himself firom all-various separation into intelligible transcen- dency. But if the one demiurgus of wholes is the vivific order> all thin^ indeed, will be full of life, on account of the whole demiurgus. And the cause of souls, according to a probable reason will here become apparent subsisting prior to multitude. But how will he convert all things to himself? ^How is he called demiurgus and father? For the vivific deity, herself by herself, has a maternal dignity among the Gods, and is the supplier of progression to all things. But to produce forms, and to convert, are the. illustrious and peculiar good of intellect. Neither therefore, is the demiurgus of wholes in the supermundane order. For «ll the natures there are partial, and either partially preside over wholes, or comprehend the productions of parts totally. Nor is he in intelU- gibles. For all the Gods there are fathers; and no one there is called ' demiurgus and father. But the divine orders antecedently comprehend fill things in a manner perfectly occult and unical. Nor is he in the intelligible and at the same time intellectual order. For to collect, -connect, and perfect multitudes, is not the province of the demiurgic peculiarity. For this is the source of separation, and the production of forms, glittering with inteUectual sections. But the intelligible and at the same time intellectual Gods, extend intellectual multitudes to the * For t^f>ftr»h >t t^pextt to me thst we should read tx» of qrw..
CHAR XIV. OF PLATO. S41 union of intelligibles. Nor again, is it possible to admit that the demp- urgic cause is in the first or second order of intellectuals. For the summit of intellectuals is imparticipable by mundane natures, and is rather proposed to them in the order of the desirable; but is not productive of them. Hence, all the Gods in the world are elevated to the Saturnian place of survey; but proceed from another secondary principle, and through it are converted and conjoined to the exempt kingdom. And the middle centre being vivific, is not defined according to the paternal characteristic. For the generative very much differs froin the paternal, and the vivific from the demiurgic genus; so far, I thizUc^ as the principles of the whole orders, I mean bound and infinity, differ from each other. For the demiurgic and paternal order is referred to bound; but all vivific and generative power, to infinity.
CHAPTER XIV.
CHAPTER XIV.
I WONDER therefore, at those interpreters of Plato, who do not mak^ one fabrication but many, who assert that there are three demiurgi.of wholes, and pass at one time to the second, and at another to the third demiurgus; and who divide what is said in the Timseus, and think fit to refer some of the assertions to one, but others to aiwther cause. For that there is a demiurgic triad, and another multitude of Gods characterized according to the producing cause, I also admit, and think it will be granted by Plato. It is necessary however in each order prior to the triad, and prior to every multitude, that there should be a preexisteirt monad. For all the orders of the Gods originate from a monad; because each of the whole orders is assimilated to the whole progression of the Gods. As therefore the subsistence of the Gods has the cause of its generation from the im participate one, thus also it is necessary that the perfect orders in the Gods, should have a preexistent monad, and a first-effective principle. According to the same reasonings all the vivific 542 OT^ THE THEOLOGY BOOK V* -progressions are suspended from one vivification, and the demiurgic ordars are extended to one fabrication^ And it is not proper that there should be multitude without tJbe monad* For, there will neither be co^arrangement, nor a division of multitude according to intellect^ unless the one and whde preexist. For on this account prior to all the divine progressions, the order of wholeness subsists, in order that it may compre- hend parts, and may define them iji» and about itself.