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
moderations of the passions, but at length terminate in apathy, for when
co-passivity is entirely exterminated, then apathy is present with him
who is purified from it. For passion becomes moved, when reason imparts
excitation, through verging [to the irrational nature.]”
P. 279. _The theorems of philosophy are to be enjoyed, as much as
possible, as if they were ambrosia and nectar, &c. &c._
This Sentence in the original of Arcerius is as follows: των κατα
φιλοσοφιαν θεωρηματων απολαυστεον, εφ’ οσον οιον, καθαπερ αμβροσιας και
νεκταρος· ακηρατον τε γαρ το απ’ αυτων ηδυ και το θειον το μεγαλοψυχον
δυναται τε ποιειν, και ει μη αïδιους, αïδιων γε επιστημονας.
In the edition of the Protreptics by Kiessling, which I did not see,
till the greater part of this work was printed, σοφιαν is substituted
for φιλοσοφιαν, but in my opinion very erroneously; and this German
editor, from not perceiving the necessity of reading ακηρατον τε γαρ το
απ’ αυτων ηδυ και θειον, το μεγαλοψυχον, κ. λ. instead of retaining the
reading of Arcerius, has made nonsense of this part of the Sentence. For
his version of it is: “Nam et sincera est eorum dulcedo, et divinam
naturam, animum magnum efficere possunt.”
FOOTNOTES
[1]Οιδα μεν ουν και Πλατωνα τον μεγαν, και μετα τουτον ανδρα τοις
χρονοις μεν, ου τῃ μην φυσει, καταδεεστερον, τον Χαλκιδεα φημι τον
Ιαμβλιχον, κ. λ. Julian. Orat. IV.
Thus too the celebrated Bullialdus, in his Notes on Theo of Smyrna,
speaks of Iamblichus as a man of a most acute genius.
[2]There is a Greek and Latin edition of this admirable work by Gale,
under the title of Iamblichus De Mysteriis.
[3]Αλλα και το της λεξεως κομματικον, και αφοριστικον, και το των
εννοιων πραγματικον, και γλαφυρον, και ενθουν, κ. λ. See the
Testimonies prefixed by Gale to his edition of the above-mentioned
work.
[4]This Sopater succeeded Plotinus in his philosophical school.
[5]The exact time of Iamblichus’ death is unknown. It is however certain
that it was during the reign of Constantine; and according to the
accurate Fabricius, prior to the year of Christ 333. Vid. Biblioth.
Græc. Tom. IV. p. 283.
[6]This Sextus is probably the same that Seneca so greatly extols, and
from whom he derives many of those admirable sentences with which
his works abound. Vid. Senecæ Epistolas, 59, 64, 98, et lib. 2 de
Irâ, c. 36, et lib. 3. c. 36.
[7]All these were published in one vol. 12mo. by Mr. Bridgman, under the
title of Translations from the Greek, in the year 1804, and well
deserve to be perused by the liberal reader.
[8]i. e. Having black leaves.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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