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
Farther still, he apprehended that the dominion of the Gods was most
efficacious to the establishment of justice, and supernally from this he
constituted a polity and laws, and also justice. It will not however be
foreign to the purpose, to add particularly the manner in which he
thought we ought to conceive of divinity; viz. that we should conceive
that he exists, and that he is so disposed towards the human race, that
be inspects and does not neglect it. And this conception which the
Pythagoreans derived from Pythagoras, they apprehended to be of great
utility. For we require an inspection of this kind, which we do not in
any thing think fit to resist. But such as this is the inspective
government of divinity. Fop if a divine nature is a thing of this kind,
it deserves to have the empire of the universe. For it was rightly said
by the Pythagoreans, that man is an animal [so far as pertains to his
irrational part,] naturally insolent, and various, according to
impulses, desires, and the rest of the passions. He requires therefore
transcendent inspection and government of this kind, from which a
certain castigation and order may be derived. Hence they thought that
every one being conscious of the variety of his nature, should never he
forgetful of piety towards, and the worship of divinity; but should
always place him before the eye of the mind, as inspecting and
diligently observing the conduct of mankind. But after divinity and the
dæmoniacal nature, they thought that every one should pay the greatest
attention to his parents and the laws, and should be obedient to them,
not feignedly, but faithfully. And universally, they thought it
necessary to believe, that nothing is a greater evil than anarchy; since
the human race is not naturally adapted to be saved, when no one rules
over it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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