Do not let us undertake to follow them for fear of falling into like frivolities; let them refute each other, and, without disquieting ourselves about essence, let us say with Moses "God created the heavens and the earth." Let us glorify the supreme Artificer for all that was wisely and skillfully made; by the beauty of visible things let us raise ourselves to Him who is above all beauty; by the grandeur of bodies, sensible and limited in their nature, let us conceive of the infinite Being whose immensity and omnipotence surpass all the efforts of the imagination. Because, although we ignore the nature of created things, the objects which on all sides attract our notice are so marvellous, that the most penetrating mind cannot attain to the knowledge of the least of the phenomena of the world, either to give a suitable explanation of it or to render due praise to the Creator, to Whom belong all glory, all honour and all power world without end. Amen.
[1365] Acts vii. 20, A.V.
[1366] cf. Joseph. ii. x. 2. So Justin M., Cohort. ad gent., Philio, Vit. Moys, and Clem. Al., Strom. i. Vide Fialon, Et. Hist. 302.
[1367] Num. xii. 6, 7, 8.
[1368] 1 Cor. ii. 4.
[1369] Gen. i. 1.
[1370] cf. note on Letter viii. on the stoicheia or elements which the Ionian philosophers made the archai of the universe. Vide Plato, Legg. x. § 4 and Arist., Met. i. 3.
[1371] Posidonius the Stoic names Moschus, or Mochus of Sidon, as the originator of the atomic theory "before the Trojan period." Vide Strabo, xvi. 757. But the most famous Atomists, Leucippus and Democritus of Abdera, in the 5th c. b.c., arose in opposition to the Eleatic school, and were followed in the 3d by Epicurus. Vide Diog. Laert. ix. § 30, sq. and Cicero, De Nat. Deor. i. 24-26. Ista enim flagitia Democriti, sive etiam ante Leucippi, esse corpuscula quædam lævia, alia aspera, rotunda alia, partim autem angulata, curvata quædam, et quasi adunca; ex his effectum esse coelum atque terram, nulla cogente natura, sed concursu quodam fortuito. Atqui, si haec Democritea non audisset, quid audierat? quid est in physicis Epicuri non a Democrito? Nam, etsi quædam commodavit, ut, quod paulo ante de inclinatione atomorum dixi: tamen pleraque dixit eadem; atomos, inane, imagines, infinitatem locorum, innumerabilitatemque mundorum eorum ortus, interitus, omnia fere, quibus naturæ ratio continetur.
[1372] cf. the Fortuna gubernans of Lucretius (v. 108).
[1373] Fialon refers to Aristotle (De Coelo. i. 5) on the non-infinitude of the circle. The conclusion is Oti men oun to kuklo kinoumenon ouk estin ateleuteton oud' apeiron, all' echei telos, phaneron
[1374] 1 Cor. vii. 31.
[1375] Matt. xxiv. 35.
[1376] cf. Arist. De Coelo. i. 12, 10. Delon d' hoti kai ei geneton e phtharton, ouk a& 188;dion.
[1377] Rom. i. 21, 22.
[1378] Arist., De Coelo. ii. 1. 1. calls it heis kai a& 188;dios. cf. the end of the Timæus.
[1379] cf. Cic., De nat. Deo. i. 14, "Cleanthes" (of Assos, c. 264 b.c., a disciple of Zeno) "autem tum ipsum mundum Deum dicit esse; tum totius naturæ menti atque animo tribuit hoc nomen; tum ultimum, et altissimum, atque undique circumfusum, et extremum, omnia cingentem atque complexum, ardorem, qui æther nominetur, certissimum Deum judicat," and id. 15, "Chrysippus" (of Tarsus, c. 212 b.c.)..."ipsum mundum Deum dicit esse." Yet the Hymn of Cleanthes (apud Stoboeum) begins: Kudist' athanaton, poluonome, pankrates aiei, Zeus, phuseos archege, nomon meta panta kubernon. cf. Orig., v. Celsum V. saphos de ton holon kosmon (Ellenes) legousin einai theon, Stoikoi men ton proton. oi d' apo Platonos ton deuteron, tines d' auton ton triton; and Athan., De Incarn. § 2.
[1380] cf. Origen, De Principiis, ii. 1, 3.
[1381] diakosmesis. cf. Arist., Met. i. 5, 2.
[1382] Col. i. 16.
[1383] cf. Plato, Timæus, § 14, chronos d' oun met' ouranou gegonen hina hama gennethentes hama kai luthosin, an pote lusis tis auton gignetai kai kata to paradeigma tes aionias phuseos hin, hos homoiotatos auto kata dunamin e Fialon (p. 311) quotes Cousin's translation at greater length, and refers also to Plotinus, Enn. II. vii. 10-12. The parallel transistoriness of time and things has become the commonplace of poets. "Immortalia ne speres monet annus et almun Quæ rapit hora diem." Hor.,Carm. iv. 7.
[1384] Prov. xvi. 5, LXX.
[1385] Prov. ix. 10.
[1386] cf. Arist., Met. iv. 1. Arche he men legetai hothen an ti tou pragmatos kinetheie proton; hoion tou mekous, kai hodou...he de hothen an kallista hekaston genoito; hoion kai matheseos, ouk apo tou protou kai tes tou pragmatos arches eniote arkteon, all' hothen rast' an mathoi, he de, hothen proton ginetai enuparchontos; hoion hos ploiou tropis, kai oikias themelios.
[1387] In the Homily of Origen extant in the Latin of Rufinus (Migne Pat. Gr. xii. 146) arche is used of the Divine Word, "In principio. Quod est omnium principium nisi Dominus noster Christus Iesus?...In hoc ergo principio, hoc est in Verbo suo, Deus coelum et terram fecit." An interpretation of John viii. 25, ten archen hoti kai lalo humin widely prevalent at all events in the Latin church, was "Initium quod et loquor vobis;" "I am the Beginning, that which I am even saying to you." See note to Sp. Comment. on John viii. ad fin.
[1388] Rom. i. 20.
[1389] On the inconceivability either of an absolute minimum of space or of its infinite divisibility, cf. Sir Wm. Hamilton, Met. ii. 371.
[1390] Aquila's version in the Hexapla of Origen for en arche has en kephalai& 251; ektisen.
[1391] he hapasa dianoia e praktike e poietike e theoretike. Arist., Met. v. i.
[1392] The one and the perfect continually overflows, and from it Being, Reason, and Life are perpetually derived, without deducting anything from its substance, inasmuch as it is simple in its nature, and not, like matter, compound. (Enn. iv. ix. 9.) This derivation of all things from unity does not resemble creation, which has reference to time, but takes place purely in conformity with the principles of causality and order, without volition, because to will is to change. (Enn. iv. 5, i. 6)" Tennemann on Plotinus, Hist. Phil. § 207.
[1393] The Ben. note is "neque idipsum in causa fuit cur esset, hoc est, non res cæca, non res coacta, non res invite et præter voluntatem agens in causa fuit cur mundus exstiterit. Hoc igitur dicit Basilius Deum aliter agere atque corpora opaca aut lucida. Nam corpus producit umbram vi atque necessitate, nec liberius agit corpus lucidum: Deus vero omnia nutu conficit et voluntate. Illud epoiesen, etc., alio modo intellexit et interpretatus est Eustathius. Illius subjicimus verba: non causam præstitit ut esset solum, sed fecit ut bonus utilem."
[1394] cf. Plat., Tim. § 10. 'Agathos en, agatho de oudeis peri oudenos oudepote engignetai phthonos, toutou d' ektos on panta hoti malista genesthai eboulethe paraplesia heauto.
[1395] cf. Huxley, Lay Sermons, xii. p. 286, on the "delicate finger" of the "hidden artist" in the changes in an egg.
[1396] cf. note on Letter viii.
[1397] phamen de pur kai a& 153;ra kai hudor gignesthai ex allelon kai hekaston en hekasto huparchein touton dunamei. Arist., Meteor. i. 3.
[1398] Isa. li. 6, LXX.
[1399] Isa. xl. 22, LXX.
[1400] Fialon points to the coincidence with Arist., Met. vii. 3. 'Alla men aphairoumenou mekous kai platous kai bathous, ouden horomen hupoleipomenon plen e& 176; ti esti to horizomenon hupo touton, hoste ten hulen ananke phainesthai monen ousian houto skopoumenois. Lego d' hulen e kath' hauten mete ti, mete poson, mete allo meden legetai hois horistai to on; esti gar ti kath' hou kategoreitai touton hekaston, ho to einai heteron, kai ton kategoreon hekaste. Ta men gar alla tes ousias kategoreitai; haute de, tes hules. & 169;Oste to eschaton, kath' hauto oute ti, oute poson, oute allo ouden estin; oude de ai apophaseis
[1401] cf. Arist., De Coelo. ii. 13, 16. 'Anaximenes de kai 'Anaxago ras kai Demokritos to platos aition einai phasi tou menein auten; ou gar temnein all' epipomatizein (covers like a lid) ton a& 153;ra ton katothen, hoper phainetai ta platos echonta ton somaton poiein
[1402] The theory of Thales. cf. note on Letter viii. 2 and Arist., De Coelo. ii. 13, 13 where he speaks of Thales describing the earth floating like wood on water.
[1403] cf. Arist., De Coelo. ii. 13 (Grote's tr.): "The Kolophonian Xenophanes affirmed that the lower depths of the earth were rooted downwards to infinity, in order to escape the troublesome obligation of looking for a reason why it remained stationary." To this Empedokles objected, and suggested velocity of rotation for the cause of the earth's maintaining its position.
[1404] Job xxxviii. 6.
[1405] Ps. lxxv. 3.
[1406] Ps. xxiv. 2.
[1407] Ps. xcv. 4, LXX.
[1408] hoi phusikoi was the name given to the Ionic and other philosophers who preceded Socrates. Lucian (Ner. 4) calls Thales phusikotatos.
[1409] cf. De Coelo. ii. 14, 4. Eti d' he phora ton morion kai holes autes e kata phusin epi to meson tou pantos estin, dia touto gar kai tunchanei keimene nun epi tou kentrou.
[1410] This is the doctrine of Plato vide Tim. The Combef. mss. reads not mixis, mixture, but methexis, participation.
[1411] Here appears to be a reference to Arist., De Gen. Ann. ii. 3, 11, pases men oun psuches dunamis heteron somatos e& 231;ike kekoinonekenai kai theioterou ton kaloumenon stoicheion; hos de diapherousi timioteti hai psuchai kai atimi& 139; allelon houto kai he toiaute diapherei phusis, and again, pneuma...analogon ousa to ton astron stoichei& 251;. On the fifth element of Aristotle cf. Cic., Tusc. Disp. i. 10. Aristoteles...cum quatuor illa genera principiorum erat complexus, equibus omnia orirentur, quintam quandam naturam censet esse, equa sit mens. Aug., De Civ. Dei xxii. 11. 2, and Cudworth's Int. Syst. (Harrison's Ed. 1845) iii. p. 465. Hence the word "quintessence," for which the Dictionaries quote Howard's Translation of Plutarch, "Aristoteles hath put...for elements foure; and for a fifth quintessence, the heavenly body which is immutable." Skeat s. v. points out that "the idea is older than Aristotle: cf. the five Skt. bhútas, or elements, which were earth, air, fire, and water, and æther. Thus the fifth essence is æther, the subtlest and highest." It is evident that Milton had these theories in mind when he wrote (Par. Lost, iii. 716): "Swift to their several quarters hasted then The cumbrous elements, earth, flood, air, fire; And this ethereal quintessence of heaven Flew upward, spirited with various forms, That rolled orbicular, and turned to stars Numberless."