Iamblichus' Life of Pythagoras, or Pythagoric Life: Accompanied by Fragments of the Ethical Writings of certain Pythagoreans in the Doric dialect; and a collection of Pythagoric Sentences from Stobaeus and others, which are omitted by Gale in his Opuscula Mythologica, and have not been noticed by any editorIamblichus
Philosophy
Iamblichus' Life of Pythagoras, or Pythagoric Life: Accompanied by Fragments of the Ethical Writings of certain Pythagoreans in the Doric dialect; and a collection of Pythagoric Sentences from Stobaeus and others, which are omitted by Gale in his Opuscula Mythologica, and have not been noticed by any editor
Iamblichus
Ethics, Ancient; Philosophers -- Greece -- Biography; Philosophy, Ancient; Pythagoras; Pythagoras and Pythagorean school
P. 107. _For Pythagoras always proclaimed, that nothing admirable
pertaining to the Gods or divine dogmas, should be disbelieved._
This in the Protreptics forms the fourth symbol, and is thus explained
by Iamblichus:—“This dogma sufficiently venerates and unfolds the
transcendency of the Gods, affording us a viaticum, and recalling to our
memory that we ought not to estimate divine power from our judgment. But
it is likely that some things should appear difficult and impossible to
us, in consequence of our corporeal subsistence, and from our being
conversant with generation and corruption; from our having a momentary
existence; from being subject to a variety of diseases; from the
smallness of our habitation; from our gravitating tendency to the
middle; from our somnolency, indigence and repletion; from our want of
counsel and our imbecility; from the impediments of our soul, and a
variety of other circumstances, although our nature possesses many
illustrious prerogatives. At the same time however we perfectly fall
short of the Gods, and neither possess the same power with them, nor
equal virtue. This symbol therefore in a particular manner introduces
the knowledge of the Gods, as beings who are able to effect all things.
On this account it exhorts us to disbelieve nothing concerning the Gods.
It also adds, nor about divine dogmas; viz. those belonging to the
Pythagoric philosophy. For these being secured by disciplines and
scientific theory, are alone true and free from falsehood, being
corroborated by all-various demonstration, accompanied with necessity.
The same symbol, also, is capable of exhorting us to the science
concerning the Gods: for it urges us to acquire a science of that kind,
through which we shall be in no respect deficient in things asserted
about the Gods. It is also able to exhort the same things concerning
divine dogmas, and a disciplinative progression. For disciplines alone
give eyes to, and produce light about, all things, in him who intends to
consider and survey them. For from the participation of disciplines, one
thing before all others is effected, viz. a belief in the nature,
essence, and power of the Gods, and also in those Pythagoric dogmas,
which appear to be prodigious to such as have not been introduced to,
and are uninitiated in, disciplines; So that the precept _disbelieve
not_ is equivalent to _participate_ and _acquire_ those things through
which you will not disbelieve; that is to say, acquire disciplines and
scientific demonstrations.”
P. 88. _After this manner therefore it is said that music was discovered
by Pythagoras._
The following particulars relative to music are added for the purpose of
elucidating what is said about it in this chapter.
“Take two brazen chords, such as are used in harps; for those chords
which are made from the intestines of sheep are for the most part either
false or obnoxious to the change of the air,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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