Calcidius on Matter His Doctrine and Sources: a Chapter in the History of Platonism

276 Pages·1965·4.619 MB·English

by  J. C. M. van Winden

CALCIDIUS ON MATTER
HIS DOCTRINE AND SOURCES
PHILOSOPHIAA NTIQUA
A SERIES OF MONOGRAPHS
ON ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
EDITED BY
J. J.
W. VERDENIUS AND H. WA SZINK
VOLUME IX
J.C. M. VAN WINDEN 0. F. M.
CALCIDIUS ON MATTER HIS DOCTRINE AND SOURCES
A CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF PLATONISM
LEIDEN
E. J.B RILL
1965
CALCIDIUSO N MATTER
HIS DOCTRINEA ND SOURCES
A CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF PLATONISM
BY
]. C. M. VAN WINDEN 0. F. M.
PHOTOMECHANICAL REPRINT
LEIDEN
J.
E. BRILL
1965
Copyright 1965b y E.]. Brill,L eiden, Netherlands.
All rights reserved. No part of this book rempraoyd ucbeed o r translated
in any form, ~y print, photoprint, microfilm aonry other meansw ithout
written permission from thpeu blisher.
PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS
My sincere thanks are due to Fr. B. de Goede, o.f.m., Leiden,
and Fr. Dr. S. J. P. van Dijk, o.f.m., London, for the English
translation of the work, to Dr. J. Hazelden Walker for her advice
and hospitality at Swinton House, Berwickshire, Scotland, to
Fr. E. Vrancken, o.f.m., Weert, for the accurate typing of the
manuscript, to Mrs. M. A. F. Drewes-Timp, Rotterdam, for her
assistance at the correction of proofs, and, last but not least, to
the printer and his most experienced staff.

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION • . . . l
The Timaeus and Calcidius. A survey of their history 1
The problem . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Survey of the commentary as such . 10
THE TREATISE ON MATTER 24
Structure of the treatise . 24
Analysis and inYestigation of sources 28
I. Introductory paraphrase . . . . . 29
a) Outline of the treatise . . . . 29
b) Relation between matter and Providence 33
c) Names of matter . . . . . . . 39
d) The real forms and their images 40
e) The third principle: matter . . . 45
f) Intelligibility of matter. . . . .
49
2. Historical and systematical treatise. 51
a) Historical part . . . . . . . . 51
oc) Matter was made: The Jews. 52
~) Matter was not made . . . . 66
oc0t)I t consists of small parts 66
~~) Matter is continuous 69
(1) Matter has qualities and form 71
(2) Matter has neither quality nor form. 75
(a) Aristotle . 75
(b) The Stoics . . . . . 93
(c ) Pythagoras . . . . . 103
(d) The opinion of Plato. l2I
(at) One interpretation l2I
(~) The other interpretation 124
b) Systematic part . . . . . . 128
«) The principles in general . . . . . . . 128
oc«) Two ways of arguing . . . . . . . 128
~~) Matter is found by means of resolutio. 131
n) The Maker and the exemplar are discovered
by means of compositio . . . . . . . . . 134
VIII CONTENTS
88) The principles . . . . . . . 137
e:e:) The real principles . . . . . 140
~) Calcidius' own treatise on matter 143
cxcxI)t s name and variability . 143
~~) Matter without quality . . . 150
yy) Refutation of the Stoa . . . 153
88) Matter eternal and unlimited. 154
e:F.) Matter without increase or decrease. 157
~~) Matter neither expands nor shrinks . 158
"lll) Matter <livisible? . . . . . . . . . 159
66) Summarizing conclusion . . . . . . 160
LL) Matter the general substratum of things 161
xx) Matter neither corporeal nor incorporeal 165
3. Verifying paraphrase . . . . . . . . . 172
a) Characteristics of matter . . . . . . 172
ex) Matter without form and quality. 172
~) Matter without motion . 188
b) Why matter without quality 194
c) The species . . . . . . 203
d) Matter in itself . . . . 219
e) Reference to Providence 240
CONCLUSION 243
Supplementary notes to the Photographic reprint.
INDICES ...•........•...• 260
I. List of quotations from ancient sources 260
II. List of authors . . 264
III. List of greek terms 265
IV. List of latin terms. 266
INTRODUCTION
THE TIMAEUS AND CALCIDIUS: A SURVEY
OF THEIR HISTORY
Among the dialogues of Plato none has made a greater impact
upon the centuries of human thought than the Timaeus. This
surprising conclusion forces itself upon everyone who considers
the influence of Plato's works through the course of the centuries
and does not confine himself to the present or to the near past.
He will see this influence pictured in the famous 'School of Athens'
by Raphael, representing the old philosopher with the Timaeus
in his hands. Pointing this out, Rivaud also observes that Aristotle
paid much attention to this work and that Crantor was the first
of a whole series of commentators 1). Among these are the Stoic
Posidonius and the Aristotelian Adrastus. Evidently this dialogue
made a great impression, even outside the Academy.
The cause of this is found in both the special character and the
subject-matter of the Timaeus. For whereas in his dialogues Plato
usually expresses his opinion on a few points only or not at all,
in the Timaeus he is not afraid to do so. It is true, he cautions the
readers that his argument, owing to the nature of the subject, can
only lay claim to probability,-it is only an opinion (M;oc) in the
typical Platonic sense-but immediately he follows this up with
the assertion that in this respect his theory is second to none (Tim.
29C). Further, the very central problem of the subject treated is
the origin of things. The Timaeus may indeed be called 'Plato's
book of Genesis'. Since he had to discuss the great problems of
philosophy in this work, it could not but assume the character
of a synthesis. And on account of this very character, the Timaeus
gradually conquered the central place in the tradition of Platonism,
both in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
In this tradition, Calcidius' work, a translation of a considerable
portion of the Timaeus with a commentary on its most important
chapters, stands at the end of the western Antiquity. The historical
data about the author are extremely scarce, since the work itself
1) Platon, CEuvresC ompWes, t. X, texte et trad., Paris, 1925, p. 3 (Ed.
Bude).
Philosophia Antigua, VIII
2 INTRODUCTION
is the only source of information. And even this leaves the reader
most uncertain. The title of the preface gives us the bare minimum.
The manuscripts read: O(s)sioC (h)alcidius.T his O(s)sius is generally
identified with the well-known O(s)sius or Hosius, bishop of Cor-
dova, who played such an important part at the councils of Nicaea
(325) and Sardica (343). This is confirmed by the title of the eleventh-
century codex Excorialensis s. III, 5: Osio episcopo Calcidius
archidiaconus 1). Ossius was bishop during the first half of the
fourth century (± 295-357). Calcidius must have written his
study in that period, probably after visiting the Near East in
the company of his master. As appears from his introduction the
work was commissioned by Ossius. The mystery which surrounds
the author is in sharp contrast with the fame of his book. For
centuries the West drew its knowledge about Plato chiefly from
this work. During this time Plato's fate lay, so to say, in the
hands of Calcidius. And, in consequence, the respect paid to Plato
was shared by Calcidius. Plato chiefly meant the Timaeus, and the
Timaeus as translated and explained by Calcidius. Switalski 2)
gives some striking examples of this esteem. At times Calcidius
was extolled above Aristotle, and, as late as in 1507, he was com-
pared to Prometheus by Jacobus Antiquarius. Today the tangible
evidence of the honour paid to him is found in the great number of
Calcidius' Timaeus manuscripts.
This state of affairs was bound to change when Plato began
to be known from other and better sources. From that time the
fates of the Timaeus and Calcidius' work became very different.
The former lost its supremacy; more attention was paid to the
so-called dialogues of the middle period, such as the Phaedo, the
Symposium and the Republic. In this way the Timaeus was looked
upon as a work of the old period and more and more relegated to
the background. Not until recently has this dialogue begun to
draw more attention. Instances are found in the great commen-
taries by Taylor 3) and Cornford'), the latter masterly correcting
1) A. C. Vega, La Ciudad de Dios,1 52 (1936), p. 154 ss. On the testimony
of the best manuscripts Vega and de Clercq (cp. p. 6, n. 1) write Calcidius
instead of the customary Chalcidi.is. Their reading is followed by the
present author.
2) Des ChalcidiusK ommentar zu Plato's Timaeus, in Beitrage zur Geschichte
der Philosophie des MittelaltersB, nd. III, Heft VI, Munster, 1902, p. 8.
3) A. E. Taylor, A Commentary on Plato's TimaeusO, xford, 1928.
4) F. M. Cornford, Plato's Cosmology. The Timaeus of PlatoL, ondon,
1937, 19521•