Apologetics -- History -- Early church, ca. 30-600; Celsus (Platonic philosopher), active 180; Theology -- History -- Early Church, ca. 30-600
2. Of things that move, some have the cause of their motion within
themselves; others, again, are moved only from without. Now only
portable things are moved from without, such as pieces of wood, and
stones, and all matter that is held together by their constitution
alone.[362] And let that view be removed from consideration which calls
the flux of bodies motion, since it is not needed for our present
purpose. But animals and plants have the cause of their motion within
themselves, and in general whatever is held together by nature and a
soul, to which class of things they say that metals also belong. And
besides these, fire too is self-moved, and perhaps also fountains of
water. Now, of those things which have the cause of their movement
within themselves, some, they say, are moved out of themselves, others
from themselves: things without life, out of themselves; animate things,
from themselves. For animate things are moved from themselves, a
phantasy[363] springing up in them which incites to effort. And again,
in certain animals phantasies are formed which call forth an effort, the
nature of the phantasy[364] stirring up the effort in an orderly manner,
as in the spider is formed the phantasy of weaving; and the attempt to
weave follows, the nature of its phantasy inciting the insect in an
orderly manner to this alone. And besides its phantasial nature, nothing
else is believed to belong to the insect.[365] And in the bee there is
formed the phantasy to produce wax.
FROM THE LATIN.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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