Commentary on the Beginning of Damascius' De Primis Principiis

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18found, and (there found) in accordance with the One – as it befits the One”. Now thismight be possible; for instance the contrast could be meant of the One which is firstprinciple etc., and, on the o ne hand, of the Ineffable which is beyond even thesehonours, and on the other hand of anything that follows the One which maybe hasthese or similar features, but in an inferior way and degree. But the presence of καὶπάντα τὰ ἄλλα makes this interpretation unacceptably strained.I have adopted in the text the simple expedient of athetizing καὶ (perhaps thesame word or compendium was transcribed twice, as καὶ and as κατὰ?). One couldpropose ἐκεῖ μὲν
19is in this section only subservient to the elucidation of that, and not carried on foritself.4.23. It is because the One is πάντα, that everything comes out from theOne, devolves from it, winds off from it.4.25-5.1. There is a nature of πολλὰ inherent in them, internally constitutingthem in their diverse multiplicity; and there is a nature of πολλά transcendent tothem, externally constituting (i.e. producing) them in their diverse multiplicity. Even τὰ πολλά, qua πολλά, have one certain nature ( and they “ are” or, better, is indeedone of the first principles, as we shall see); otherwise they could not subsist at all:the primal prerequisite for subsistence (i.e. presence in tot al reality) isoneness. (This should be connected with what we already said about thepresupposition and derivation order of reality).5.1-2. πᾶν and ὅλον are distinct from each other. But of this later, in itsappropriate place, where, descending in the s tructure of reality (i.e. following thederivation–order of reality) we shall meet them.*5.2-5.14. Here is the important protestation: if the One is such as (roughlyand preliminarily) was described above by D., why is it not the absolutely primalprinciple? What sense can we give to the claim and there is still “something” [42] elsebeyond (ἐπέκεινα) the One? Are we not proceeding in the void, having passed thebounds of reality (and sense) and merely indulging in conceptual hallucinations?The metaphysical ground of the protestation is this. What is neither the One,nor one, it is μηδέν, i.e. nothing. So are we posing the Nothing as the absolutely andultimately Primal Principle? [43] Besides, what is the necessity forcing the Reason toaccept such a principle beyond the One? We have as certain datum the Many . Weask for their cause or principle. Such a cause cannot be the Nothing – for Nothing canbeget nothing. Nor can it be that the πολλὰ are self- caused; for they cannotconstitute either a cause of themselves as such, or many causes of themselves assuch; from which it follows that they are no cause of themselves.Proof of the first point: qua πολλὰ, qua indeterminate multiplicity, they aredisordered, un-ordered (it is their proceeding from the One, that imposes on themsome form of co-ordination necessary for them in order to subsist even asπολλὰ); so in nowise can they be a cause of themselves; for multiplicity as such and
Page 2 and 3: 2GENERAL REMARKThe first section is
Page 4 and 5: 4Four reasons are, in aporematic fa
Page 6 and 7: 6ὐθύς, i.e. without any prior
Page 8 and 9: 8ἀμερές). Thus nothing is mi
Page 10 and 11: 10separate them. Basically, as Aris
Page 12 and 13: 12produced by, it; the principle in
Page 14 and 15: 14the fashion of its one-ness, i.e.
Page 16 and 17: 16[36] it may be. Now the def inite
Page 20 and 21: 20in its elf (apart from the orderi
Page 22 and 23: 22something whose immediate product
Page 24 and 25: 24clearer, as the system is further
Page 26 and 27: 26ἡνωμένον, which generate
Page 28 and 29: 28We find in this here a good insta
Page 30 and 31: 30fully see his point, and to take,
Page 32 and 33: 32NOTES[1] Not quite “given” th
Page 34 and 35: 34forget that, for the time being,
Page 36 and 37: 36[28] The interpretation given to
Page 38 and 39: 38[39] It can be shown that there c
Page 40 and 41: 40being immersed in it, handling it

Commentary on the Beginning of Damascius' De Primis Principiis

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