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The six books of Proclus, the Platonic successor, on the theology of Plato (vol. 1 of 2) : $b translated from the Greek, to which a seventh book is added, in order to supply the deficiency of another book on this subject, which was written by Proclus, but since lost, also, a translation from the Greek of Proclus' Elements of theology, to which are added a translation of the treatise of Proclus, On providence and fate, a translation of extracts from his treatise, entitled, Ten doubts concerning Proclus

Philosophy

The six books of Proclus, the Platonic successor, on the theology of Plato (vol. 1 of 2) : $b translated from the Greek, to which a seventh book is added, in order to supply the deficiency of another book on this subject, which was written by Proclus, but since lost, also, a translation from the Greek of Proclus' Elements of theology, to which are added a translation of the treatise of Proclus, On providence and fate, a translation of extracts from his treatise, entitled, Ten doubts concerning

Name: The six books of Proclus, the Platonic successor, on the theology of Plato (vol. 1 of 2) : $b translated from the Greek, to which a seventh book is added, in order to supply the deficiency of another book on this subject, which was written by Proclus, but since lost, also, a translation from the Greek of Proclus' Elements of theology, to which are added a translation of the treatise of Proclus, On providence and fate, a translation of extracts from his treatise, entitled, Ten doubts concerning
Author: Proclus

Proclus

Neoplatonism -- Early works to 1800; Plato -- Early works to 1800; Theology -- Early works to 1800

But there is another mode which he delivers in the Phædrus. And this
consists in every where preserving theological fables, unmixed with
physical narrations, and being careful in no respect to confound or
exchange theology, and the physical theory with each other. For, as a
divine essence is separate from the whole of nature, in like manner,
it is perfectly proper that discourses respecting the Gods should be
pure from physical disquisitions. For a mixture of this kind is, says
he, laborious: and to make physical passions the end of mythological
conjecture, is the employment of no very good man; such for instance,
as considering through his [pretended] wisdom, Chimæra, Gorgon, and
things of a similar kind, as the same with physical figments. Socrates,
in the Phædrus, reprobating this mode of mythologizing, represents
its patrons as saying under the figure of a fable, that Orithya
sporting with the wind Boreas, and being thrown down the rocks, means
nothing more, than that Orithya who was a mortal, was ravished by
Boreas through love. For it appears to me, that fabulous narrations
about the gods, should always have their concealed meaning more
venerable than the apparent. So that if certain persons introduce to
us physical hypotheses of Platonic fables, and such as are conversant
with sublunary affairs, we must say that they entirely wander from the
intention of the philosopher, and that those hypotheses alone, are
interpreters of the truth contained in these fables, which have for
their scope, a divine, immaterial, and separate hypostasis, and which
looking to this, make the compositions and analyses of the fables,
adapted[93] to our inherent anticipations of divine concerns.




                              CHAPTER V.


As we have therefore enumerated all these modes of the Platonic
theology, and have shown what compositions and analyses of fables are
adapted to the truth respecting the Gods, let us consider, in the next
place, whence, and from what dialogues principally, we think the dogmas
of Plato concerning the Gods may be collected, and by a speculation of
what types or forms we may be able to distinguish his genuine writings,
from those spurious compositions which are ascribed to him.

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