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 — Plato — John Shaqi
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
Plato · en
If also Socrates in the Republic clearly[151] teaches that the sun
reigns over the world analogous to _the good_, let no one dare to
accuse this analogy as connumerating _the good_ with the king of
mundane natures. For unless[152] together with the similitude of
secondary causes to the first principles, we think fit to preserve that
exempt dominion [of the first cause] it will be impossible for us to
evince that the supermundane kings have their allotment analogous to
the first cause, who subsists prior to the whole of things according
to one transcendency. But what occasion is there to be prolix? For
Plato indeed calls the first God king; but he does not think fit to
give the others the same appellation, not only in the beginning of
what he says about the first, but shortly after, he adds: “About the
king himself and the natures of which I have spoken there is nothing
of this kind.” The first God, therefore, alone is called king. But he
is called not only the king of things first, in the same manner as the
second of things second, and the third of things third, but as the
cause at once of all being and all beauty. Hence the first God precedes
the other causes in an exempt and uniform manner, and according to a
transcendency of the whole of things, and is neither celebrated by
Plato as co-ordinated with them, nor as the leader of a triad.
That these things, however, are asserted by Plato about the first God
we shall learn by recurring a little to the preceding words, which
are as follow: “You say, that I have not sufficiently demonstrated to
you the particulars respecting the first nature. I must speak to you,
therefore, in enigmas, that in case the letter should be intercepted,
either by land or sea, he who reads it may not understand this part of
its contents. All things are situated about the king of all; and all
things are for his sake; and he is the cause of every thing beautiful.”
In these words, therefore, Plato proposing to purify our conceptions
about the first principle through enigmas, celebrates the king of all
things, and refers to him the cause of the whole of things beautiful
and good. Who, therefore, is the king of all things, except the unical
God who is exempt from all things, who produces all things from
himself, and is the leader of all orders according to one cause? Who
is he that converts all ends to himself, and establishes them about
himself? For if you call him, for whose sake all things subsist, the
end of all ends, and the primogenial cause, you will not deviate from
the truth concerning him. Who is he that is the cause of all beautiful
things, shining upon them with divine light, and who encloses that
which is deformed and without measure, and the most obscure of all
things in the extremity of the universe?