Chapter XVII: Section X: Chap. I (4)

_i.e._ “The path by which to deity we climb,
Is arduous, rough, ineffable, sublime;
And the strong massy gates, through which we pass
In our first course, are bound with chains of brass.
Those men the first who of Egyptian birth
Drank the fair water of Nilotic earth,
Disclosed by actions infinite this road,
And many paths to God Phœnicians show’d.
This road th’ Assyrians pointed out to view,
And this the Lydians and Chaldeans knew.”

For Εβραιων in this oracle I read Χαλδαιων, because I have no doubt
that either Aristobulus the Jew, well known for interpolating the
writings of the Heathens, or _the wicked Eusebius_ as he is called by
the Emperor Julian, have fraudulently substituted the former word for
the latter.

Footnote 129:

Prayers of this kind are such as those of which Proclus speaks in Tim.
p. 65, when he says, “The _cathartic_ prayer is that which is offered
for the purpose of averting diseases originating from pestilence, and
other contagious distempers, _such as we have written in our
temples_.” Καθαρτικαι δε (ευχαἰ, επι αποτροπαις λοιμικων νοσημοτων, ἢ
παντοιων μολυσμων’ οιας δε και εν τοις ιεροις εχομεν αναγεγραμμενας.

Footnote 130:

Porphyry, in lib. ii. De Abstinentia, mentions Seleucus the
theologist, and Suidas says that Seleucus the Alexandrian wrote 100
books _concerning the Gods_.

Footnote 131:

These books (βιβλοι) were most probably nothing more than short
discourses, such as the treatises now are which are circulated as
written by Hermes, and which, as Iamblichus informs us, contain
Hermaic doctrines.

Footnote 132:

A great priest, a scribe of the Adyta in Egypt, by birth a Sebanite,
and an inhabitant of Heliopolis, as he relates of himself.

Footnote 133:

In the original, πρωτος και του πρωτου θεου και βασιλεως, which Gale
translates, prior etiam primo Deo, et rege [sole]. But the addition of
_sole_ in his translation is obviously most unappropriate and false:
for Iamblichus is evidently speaking of a deity much superior to the
sun.

Footnote 134:

For Ημηφ here, Gale conjectures that we should read Κνηφ _Kneph_: for
Plutarch says that the unbegotten _Kneph_ was celebrated with an
extraordinary degree of veneration by the Egyptian Thebans.

Footnote 135:

Hence the moon is said by Proclus to be αυτοπτον της φυσεως αγαλμα,
the self-visible statue or image of nature.

Footnote 136:

Proclus in Tim. p. 117, cites what is here said as the doctrine of the
Egyptians, and also cites for it the authority of Iamblichus. But his
words are, και μην και η των Αιγυπτιων παραδοσις τα αυτα περι αυτης
(της υλης) φησιν. ο γε τοι θειος Ιαμβλιχος ιστορησεν οτι και Ερμης εκ
της ουσιοτητος την υλοτητα παραγεσθαι βουλεται., _i. e._ “Moreover the
doctrine of the Egyptians asserts the same things concerning matter.
For the divine Iamblichus relates that Hermes also produces matter
from essentiality.”

Footnote 137:

This is most probably the Chæremon who is said by Porphyry, in lib.
iv. De Abstinentia, “to be a lover of truth, an accurate writer, and
very conversant with the Stoic philosophy.” Τοιαυτα μεν τα κατ’
Αιγυπτιους υπ’ ανδρος φιλαληθους τε και ακριβους, εντε τοις Στωϊκοις
πραγματικωτατα φιλοσοφησαντος μεμαρτυρημενα.

Footnote 138:

This was the ninth king in the twenty-sixth dynasty of the Saitan
kings.

Footnote 139:

This city is mentioned by Plato in the Timæus, who represents Critias
as saying “that there is a certain region of Egypt, called Delta,
about the summit of which the streams of the Nile are divided, and in
which there is a province called Saitical.” He adds, “of this province
the greatest city is Saïs, from which also King Amasis derived his
origin. The city has a presiding divinity, whose name is, in the
Egyptian tongue, Neith, but in the Greek Athena, or Minerva.” It is
singular that Gale, who is not deficient in philology, though but a
smatterer in philosophy, should have omitted to remark in his notes
this passage of Plato.

Footnote 140:

Proclus, in MS. Comment, in Alcibiad. cites one of the Chaldean
oracles, which says,

——πορθμιον ουνομα το δ’ εν απειροις
Κοσμοις ενθρωσκον.

_i. e._ “There is a transmitting name which leaps into the infinite
worlds.” And in his MS. Scholia in Cratyl. he quotes another of these
oracles, _viz._

Αλλα εστιν ουνομα σεμνον ακοιμητῳ στροφαλιγγι,
Κοσμοις ενθρωσκον, κραιπνην δια πατρος ενιπην.

_i. e._ “There is a venerable name with a sleepless revolution,
leaping into the worlds through the rapid reproofs of the father.”

Footnote 141:

For εχεται in this place, I read περιεχεται.

Footnote 142:

Gale, in his translation of this part, has entirely mistaken the
meaning of Iamblichus, which he frequently does in other places. For
the words of Iamblichus are, οταν γαρ δη τα βελτιονα των εν ημιν
ενεργῃ, και προς τα κρειττονα αναγεται αυτης η ψυχη; and the version
of Gale is “quando enim pars nostri melior operari incipiat, et ad sui
portionem meliorem recolligatur anima.” For τα κρειττονα is not the
better part of the soul; but when the better parts of the soul
energize, the soul is then intimately converted to itself, and through
this conversion is elevated to superior natures.

Footnote 143:

_Viz._ The science of calculating nativities.

Footnote 144:

_i. e._ The joint risings and settings.

Footnote 145:

_i. e._ Through a period of 300,000 years; and Procl. in Tim. lib. iv.
p. 277, informs us that the Chaldeans had observations of the stars
which embraced whole mundane periods. What Proclus likewise asserts of
the Chaldeans is confirmed by Cicero in his first book on Divination,
who says that they had records of the stars for the space of 370,000
years; and by Diodorus Siculus, Bibl. lib. xi. p. 118, who says that
their observations comprehended the space of 473,000 years.

Footnote 146:

“We say,” says Hephestion, “that a star is the lord of the geniture,
which has five conditions of the lord of the nativity in the
horoscope; _viz._ if that star receives the luminaries in their proper
boundaries, in their proper house, in their proper altitude, and in
the proper triangle.” He also adds, “and if besides it has contact,
effluxion, and configuration.” See likewise Porphyry in Ptolemæum, p.
191.

Footnote 147:

According to the Egyptians every one received his proper dæmon at the
hour of his birth; nor did they ascend any higher, in order to obtain
a knowledge of it. For they alone considered the horoscope. See
Porphyry apud Stobæum, p. 201, and Hermes in Revolut. cap. iv.

Footnote 148:

In the original ενταυθα δε ουν και η της αληθειας παρεστι θεα, και η
της νοερας επιστημης. But instead of η της νοερας απιστημης, which
appears to me to be defective, I read η κτησις της νοερας επιστημης.

Footnote 149:

For θεωτος here, I read θεωτερος.

Footnote 150:

In the original, by a strange mistake, των θνητων is inserted here
instead of των νοητων, which is obviously the true reading. The
version of Gale also has _intelligibilium_.

Footnote 151:

_i. e._ Man, considered as a rational soul, connected with the
irrational life; for this man has dominion in the realms of
generation.

Footnote 152:

See the second edition of this work in Nos. XV. and XVI. of the
Pamphleteer.

Footnote 153:

_i. e._ Of natures which are not connected with body.

Footnote 154:

For in these, all are in each, but not all in all.

Footnote 155:

By an unaccountable mistake here του σωματος is inserted instead of
της ψυχης; but the mistake is not noticed by the German editor of
these Scholia.

Footnote 156:

And in consequence of this mistake, for αυτο in this place, we must
read αυτα.

Footnote 157:

Odyss. xi. 612.

Footnote 158:

Iliad xv. 605.

Footnote 159:

For μουσικης here, it is necessary to read μαντικης.

Footnote 160:

And for μαντικην read μαντικη.

Footnote 161:

For υπο here, it is necessary to read υπερ.

Footnote 162:

The German editor of these Scholia, instead of πρακτικῃ which is the
true reading in this place, and which he found in the manuscript,
absurdly substitutes for it πυκτικῃ, as if Hercules was a pugilist.
See my translation of the Dissertation at Maximus Tyrius, on the
Practic and Theoretic Life.

Footnote 163:

Vid. Olympiodor. in Aristot. Meteor.

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