Stephanus 68

68a thrusting them out violently and melting them, pouring from there a mass of fire and of water—which we call tears—while itself being fire meeting them from the opposite side: of the fire leaping out, as it were from a lightning flash, and of the kind entering and being quenched about the moisture, colors of every sort arise in this churning—the affection we named a flash, and what it brings about we called bright and gleaming. 68b The kind of fire between these two, again, that reaches the moisture of the eyes and mingles with it, without gleaming, while the radiance of fire mingles with it through the moisture and gives it a blood-warm color—this we call red. Bright mixed with red and with white has become yellow; and in what measure, and with what—even if one knew, it makes no sense to say—since of these one could give neither any necessity nor the likely account, even in moderation. Red, though, 68c mixed with black and white makes purple; and dusky-dark when, with these mingled and burned as well, more black is blended in. Flame-red comes from the mixture of yellow and gray; gray from white and black; pale yellow from white mingled with yellow. White meeting bright, and then falling headlong into dark, makes a deep blue; blue mixed with white, sea-green; flame-red with black, leek-green. As for the rest, 68d they would be nearly clear from these, for anyone who likened them to the mixtures by which they would keep the likely story. But if anyone, probing these things in deed, took such a touchstone, he would be blind to how far human nature stands from divine: god is at once wise enough and strong enough to blend the many into one and again to dissolve the one into the many, while no man is capable of either, now or ever after. 68e

All these things, then, so constituted by necessity, the craftsman of the fairest and the best took up as they were in the things coming to be, when he begot the self-sufficient and most perfect god: using those causes as serving instruments, while he himself crafted the good in everything that comes to be.

Timaeus: For this reason we must distinguish two kinds of cause, the necessary and the divine, and seek the divine in all things

68a outward and melts them, pouring out from there fire and water all at once—the water we call tears. That incoming current is itself fire, meeting the outflow from the other side. The fire leaping out is like a flash of lightning; the fire coming in is quenched in the moisture. All sorts of colors come to be in this mixing. We named the condition gleaming, and what it produces bright and shining. 68b But there is a kind of fire between these two. It reaches the moisture of the eyes and mixes with it, but does not shine. When the fire's gleam spreads through that moisture and gives it a blood-red color, we give it the name red. Bright, mixed with red and with white, has become yellow. How much goes into which mixture—even if someone knew, it would make no sense to say. About such things no one could state any necessity, or even the likely account, in any measured way. Red, mixed with black and white, makes 68c purple. It turns dark when black is blended in with these after they are mixed and heated further. Ginger comes from a blend of yellow and gray. Gray comes from white and black. Sallow comes from white mixed with yellow. When white joins with bright and falls too deeply into black, it makes a deep blue. Blue mixed with white makes gray-blue. Ginger mixed with black makes leek-green. Most of the other colors are clear enough from these 68d, in whatever mixtures they keep to the likely story. But if anyone took these things as a test and examined them in practice, he would show he does not know how different human nature is from divine: God both knows how and is able to blend the many into one and to dissolve the one back into the many. No human is capable of either—not now, and none ever will be. 68e

All these things, then, having that nature by necessity at that time, the craftsman of the fairest and best took up as he made things come to be. It was when he fathered the self-sufficient and most perfect god. He used those causes as serving helpers, but the good design in everything that came to be was his own work.

Timaeus: That is why we must divide the kinds of cause in two: the necessary and the divine. In everything we must seek out the divine

68a and dissolving the very passages of the eyes causes a volume of fire and water to pour from them, which we call tears. And this moving body, being itself fire, meets fire from the opposite direction; and as the one firestream is leaping out like a flash, and the other passing in and being quenched in the moisture, in the resultant mixture colors of all kinds are produced. This sensation we term dazzling and the object which causes it bright or brilliant. Again, when the kind of fire 68b which is midway between these reaches to the liquid of the eyes and is mingled therewith, it is not brilliant but, owing to the blending of the fire’s ray through the moisture, it gives off a sanguine color, and we give it the name of red. And bright color when blended with red and white becomes yellow. But in what proportions the colors are blended it were foolish to declare, even if one knew, seeing that in such matters one could not properly adduce any necessary ground or probable reason. Red blended with black and white makes purple; 68c but when these colors are mixed and more completely burned, and black is blended therewith, the result is violet. Chestnut comes from the blending of yellow and grey; and grey from white and black; and ochre from white mixed with yellow. And when white is combined with bright and is steeped in deep black it turns into a dark blue color; and dark blue mixed with white becomes light blue; and chestnut with black becomes green. As to the rest, it is fairly clear from these examples 68d what are the mixtures with which we ought to identify them if we would preserve probability in our account. But should any inquirer make an experimental test of these facts, he would evince his ignorance of the difference between man’s nature and Gods—how that, whereas God is sufficiently wise and powerful to blend the many into one and to dissolve again the one into many, there exists not now, nor ever will exist hereafter, a child of man sufficient for either of these tasks. 68e

Such, then, being the necessary nature of all these things, the Artificer of the most fair and good took them over at that time amongst things generated when He was engendering the self-sufficing and most perfect God; and their inherent properties he used as subservient causes, but Himself designed the Good in all that was being generated.

Timaeus: Wherefore one ought to distinguish two kinds of causes, the necessary and the divine, and in all things to seek after the divine for the sake of gaining a life of blessedness, so far as our nature admits thereof,