Stephanus 40

40a the winged kind that haunts the air; a third, the kind that dwells in water; and the fourth, the kind that goes on foot and lives on dry land. The divine kind he fashioned for the most part out of fire, that it might be as radiant as possible and most beautiful to behold; and, likening it to the whole, he gave it a rounded shape, and set it in the intelligence of the supreme, to follow after it, distributing it round about in a circle over the whole heaven, to be a true adornment wrought upon it throughout. To each he allotted two motions: one fixed in the same place, turning always about the same things and 40b thinking the same thoughts about the same things within itself; and one that goes forward, governed by the revolution of the same and like; but the five other motions he left still and standing, that each god might become as excellent as possible. And for this cause the fixed stars, divine and everlasting living things, forever turning in the same place about the same things, always abide where they stand; while those that turn and hold the wandering course such as was described before were born under those other conditions. And Earth, our nurse, winding about 40c the axis stretched from pole to pole through all, he contrived as guardian and maker of night and day, the first and eldest of the gods born within the heaven. But the dances of these same gods, and their encounters with one another, and the circuits' turnings back round upon themselves and their advances; at their conjunctions which gods come into one another and how many stand in opposition; which pass before which, and at what times each of them is hidden from us and again comes to light—fears and signs they send to those who cannot reckon, of the things 40d that will come to be after these—to tell of all this without seeing these very workings of the images would be a labor spent in vain. But let what has been said of these things suffice, and of the visible and begotten gods; let the account find here its natural end.

But to tell of the other daimons and to know their birth is greater than our powers; we must believe those who spoke of them before, children of gods, as they said, and plainly knowing their own forebears. And so, though they speak without proofs that are likely or necessary, it is impossible not to believe the children 40e of gods, who claim to report what is their own; following the law, we must believe them.

Timaeus: Let the birth of these gods stand with us, then, as those men told it, and be told so. Of Earth and Heaven were born Oceanus and Tethys; and of these, Phorcys and Cronos and Rhea, and all who came

40a the winged kind that travels the air; the third is the kind that lives in water; and the fourth, the kind that walks on dry land. He made most of the divine kind out of fire, so that it would be as bright as possible to see and the most beautiful. And as it was to be like the whole universe, he made it round, like a wheel. He set its intelligence in the wisdom of the highest, to follow after it, and assigned it a place all around the heavens in a circle—a true ornament, worked over the whole of it. He gave each one two motions: one that stays in the same place, always 40b thinking the same thoughts about the same things; and one that moves forward, ruled by the rotation of the same and the like. The other five motions he left unmoving and standing still, so that each might become as good as possible. For that reason, then, all the fixed stars came to be—divine living things, everlasting, turning in the same place at the same rate, staying put forever. But the stars that turn aside and have the kind of wandering described earlier came to be for those reasons. And the earth, our nurse, winding about 40c the axis stretched through it from pole to pole, he devised as guardian and maker of night and day—the first and oldest of the gods that have come to be inside the heaven. Now, their dances, and their standings against one another, and the circlings-back of their circles upon themselves and their advances—and in their meetings, which gods come into line with which, and which stand face to face, and through which they pass ahead of one another, and at what times each is hidden from us and then shows itself again, sending fears and signs of the things 40d that will happen afterward to people who cannot work out the reckoning—to say all this without seeing those models would be wasted effort. But enough has been said here. Let the account of the visible and begotten gods end here, at its natural close.

As for the birth of the other kinds of spirits, to tell it and to know it is more than our powers allow. But we must believe those who spoke before. They are children of gods, as they said, and clearly they know their own ancestors. 40e It is impossible to disbelieve the children of gods, even when they speak without likely proofs and without proofs of necessity. Following the law, we must trust them, since they claim to be reporting about their own family.

Timaeus: So let the birth of these gods be settled among us as those people told it, and let it be said like this. The children of Earth and Heaven were Ocean and Tethys; and their children were Phorcys and Cronus and Rhea and all who came after

40a another the winged kind which traverses the air;

thirdly, the class which inhabits the waters; and fourthly, that which goes on

foot on dry land. The form of the divine class He wrought for the most part out of fire, that this kind might be

as bright as possible to behold and as fair; and likening it to the All He made

it truly spherical; and He placed it in the intelligence

of the Supreme to follow therewith, distributing it round about over all the

Heaven, to be unto it a veritable adornment cunningly

traced over the whole. And each member of this class He endowed with two

motions, whereof the one is uniform motion in the same

spot, whereby it conceives always identical thoughts about the same objects, 40b and the other is a

forward motion due to its being dominated by the revolution of the Same and

Similar; but in respect of the other five motions they are at rest and

move not, so that each of them may attain the greatest possible perfection.

From this cause, then, came into existence all those unwandering stars which

are living creatures divine and eternal and abide for ever revolving uniformly

in the same spot; and those which keep swerving and wandering have been

generated in the fashion previously described. And Earth, our nurse, which is

globed around the pole that stretches through all, 40c He framed to be the wardress and fashioner of

night and day, she being the first and eldest of all the gods which have come

into existence within the Heaven. But the choric dances of these same stars and

their crossings one of another, and the relative reversals and progressions of

their orbits, and which of the gods meet in their conjunctions, and how many

are in opposition, and behind which and at what times they severally pass

before one another and are hidden from our view, and again re-appearing 40d send upon men unable to

calculate alarming portents of the things which shall come to pass

hereafter,—to describe all this without an inspection of models of these movements would be labor in

vain. Wherefore, let this account suffice us, and let our discourse concerning

the nature of the visible and generated gods have an end. Concerning the other divinities, to discover and declare their

origin is too great a task for us, and we must trust to those who have declared

it aforetime, they being, as they affirmed, descendants of gods and knowing

well, no doubt, their own forefathers.

40e It is, as I say,

impossible to disbelieve the children of gods, even though their statements

lack either probable or necessary demonstration; and inasmuch as they profess

to speak of family matters, we must follow custom and believe them.

Timaeus: Therefore let the generation of these gods be stated by us, following their account, in this wise: Of Ge and Uranus were born the children Oceanus and Tethys; and of these, Phorkys, Cronos, Rhea, and all that go with them;