chapter 10 the monism of darkness and the dualism of limit and ...

MONISM OF DARKNESS - DUALISM OF LIMIT AND INDETERMINACY 91
ÛfÓ KÚfiÓˇˆ 䉒 ôÏÏÔÈÛÈ à‰ÂÏÊÔÖ˜, ÔQ appleÂapplefiıÔÓÙÔ
ÌËÙÚd Ê›ÏFË, j ÙÔ‡˜ Á ÏÈapplegÓ Ì¤ÓÔÈ öÓ‰ÔÓ ≤ÎËÏÔ˜.
appleÔÏÏa ‰b appleÔÚÊ‡ÚˆÓ Ì¤ÓÂÓ ≥ÌÂÓÔ˜ âÓ ÌÂÁ¿ÚÔÈÛÈ,
Û΢˙fiÌÂÓÔ˜ Fw ÌËÙÚ›, ηÛÈÁÓ‹ÙÔÈÛÈ ‰b ÌÄÏÏÔÓ. 51
Proclus who preserves the fragment (Comment. in Timaeum 40e,
III, 185. 30 sqq. Diehl) goes on to interpret the passage using two
opposite tendencies that counteract and balance one another: on the
one hand, the Ocean stands firm in his attachment to father Sky while
Cronos and the other Titans become estranged and turn against him;
on the other hand, Cronos reigns over Heavenly Olympus (its highest
and most extreme part, that is), while Ocean rules middle Heaven
which lies on Olympus’ base where marvelous streams (ıÂÛapple¤ÛÈ·
ÚÂÖıÚ·) encircle and bind fast the Earth as her embracing and
bounding ‘horizon’ (ïÚ›˙ˆÓ) (OF 115, including Proclus, Comment.
in Timaeum III, 178. 16 Diehl). Proclus speaks of a Heaven that has
fallen from Olympus (i.e. the Summit, the upper pole of the Sky) and
been placed at the earthly horizon, OF 117: η›ÙÔÈ Á ¬ÙÈ ï KÚfiÓÔ˜
ñapple¤ÚÙÂÚfi˜ âÛÙÈ ÙÔÜ \øηÓÔÜ ‰Â‰‹ÏˆÎÂÓ ï ıÂÔÏfiÁÔ˜ (sc. \OÚʇ˜)
apple¿ÏÈÓ Ï¤ÁˆÓ ÙeÓ ÌbÓ KÚfiÓÔÓ ·éÙeÓ Î·Ù·Ï·Ì‚¿ÓÂÈÓ ÙeÓ OéÚ¿ÓÈÔÓ
òOÏ˘ÌappleÔÓ ÎàÎÂÖ ıÚÔÓÈÛı¤ÓÙ· ‚·ÛÈχÂÈÓ ÙáÓ TÈÙ¿ÓˆÓ, ÙeÓ ‰b \øÎÂ-
·ÓeÓ ÙcÓ ÏÉÍÈÓ ±apple·Û·Ó ÙcÓ Ì¤ÛËÓØ Ó·›ÂÈÓ ÁaÚ ·éÙeÓ âÓ ÙÔÖ˜ ıÂÛappleÂ-
Û›ÔȘ Ú›ıÚÔȘ ÙÔÖ˜ ÌÂÙa ÙeÓ òOÏ˘ÌappleÔÓ Î·d ÙeÓ âÎÂÖ appleÂÚȤappleÂÈÓ OéÚ·-
ÓfiÓ, àÏÏ’ Ôé ÙeÓ àÎÚfiÙ·ÙÔÓ, ó˜ ‰¤ ÊËÛÈÓ ï ÌÜıÔ˜, ÙeÓ âÎappleÂÛfiÓÙ·
ÙÔÜ \OχÌappleÔ˘ ηd âÎÂÖ ÙÂÙ·Á̤ÓÔÓ. As it is, the passage assumes that
Heaven (or a heaven) has fallen from Olympus and been located at the
earthly horizon, while another Sky (the Sky par excellence) remains in
place. It is not likely that the reference is to Heaven’s torn genitals
because the genitals fell into the sea, not into Ocean. The sequence of
meaning fails after the word ÌÜıÔ˜ and a lacuna is plausibly detectable,
in which case Proclus might have referred to Ophioneus mythology
and the passage should be complemented somehow in this way: ó˜ ‰¤
ÊËÛÈÓ ï ̇ıÔ˜, ÙeÓ âÎappleÂÛfiÓÙ· ÙÔÜ \OχÌappleÔ˘ ηd âÎÂÖ
ÙÂÙ·Á̤ÓÔÓ. The basic point, however, is, as Proclus later explains,
that because the couple of Ocean and Tethys has stayed (remained
stationed in immanence, ÌÔÓ‹) with their parents Sky and Earth, they
may be regarded as giving birth together with their parents to Cronos
and the rest of the Titans (ibid.): ÙÔ‡ÙˆÓ ‰’ ÔsÓ Ô≈Ùˆ˜ â¯fiÓÙˆÓ ï