The six books of Proclus, the Platonic successor, on the theology of Plato (vol. 2 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 p
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But the animated body is an animal bound with vital bonds, possessing
life from the soul which it receives according to the demiurgic
allotments. For if with us also, the animal is different from the man,
and the visible Socrates is one thing, but the true another, much more
are the true sun and the true Jupiter different from the visible orbs
of these divinities, and not composites of body and soul. Conformably
to this Socrates in the Phædrus says, “that we do not sufficiently
understand that a God is an immortal animal, possessing indeed a
soul and a body, connascent through the whole of time.” Indeed the
unity in each of these divinities, and the ineffable participation
of the fountain of all the numbers characterized by unity, form that
which is primarily a God. But the intellect which connects each of
these deities stably, uniformly, and invariably, is secondarily a
God. And the soul which is filled from intellect, and evolves the
one comprehension of it, is a God in the third place. And the first
indeed of these is truly a God; the second is most divine; and the
third is itself also divine, but illuminates the animal with which it
is connected with the peculiarity of deity; according to which this
likewise is divine, being bound with animated bonds, which may be said
to be vivific, demiurgic and indissoluble bonds, as Plato himself
afterwards asserts. For the whole of the divine bodies, are bound
in souls, are comprehended by and established in them; the _being
bound_ indeed indicating the stable and immutable comprehension
of bodies in souls, and their undisjoined communion with them. Such
therefore being the nature of divine bodies, they fabricate time in
conjunction with the demiurgus, call forth its one and unapparent
power, and impart a progression to it into the world, which unfolds
many temporal measures.
CHAPTER XX.
The celestial Gods therefore, according to Plato subsisting after this
manner, and the unity in each of them ineffably proceeding from the
fountain of good, it is evident that they are all of them beneficent,
and after a similar manner the causes of good. The bodies also which
are suspended from their divine souls possess indescribable powers,
some indeed being firmly established in the divine bodies themselves,
but others proceeding from them into the nature of the world and into
the world itself, descending in an orderly manner through the whole of
generation, and without impediment extending as far as to particulars.
With respect to the powers therefore, which remain in the divine
celestial bodies themselves, there can be no doubt but that they are
all similar; hence those powers remain to be considered which are sent
to this terrestrial region, and are mingled with generation.