Damascius Tweets (8)

[endymions_bower]

Damascius tweets for 4/4.

4/4

150/113: Damascius says that the Gods "proceed each from the whole, rather than from one of the causes discriminated within it."

He calls the former "similar [homoeidês] generation", the latter "dissimilar", anomoeidês.

"Similar generation" is "common to all the Gods" (113.11-12).

In addition, there is "dissimilar generation" with respect to some of the Gods, e.g. "those called youths [êitheoi] or virgins [parthenoi]."

Ridiculous gaffe here from R., who thinks êitheoi is "demigods"; rather, means "unmarried youths", as ought to be obvious from parthenoi!

D.'s point is that such deities are without issue (agonos) in this respect, thus it must be a different mode of procession…

…otherwise, they would be like matter, a terminal procession.

Differential relations within the pantheon are thus of a different order than membership in the polycentric manifold.

Proclus makes the same point, especially at In Parm. 936. And we can see that this is a Proclean doctrine from D's critique following (113f)

Implicit in D's critique is that Proclus places the similar before the dissimilar procession;

but this is impossible for D. because these terms imply one another—a little logic-chopping, but very well—

—and so one may not "legitimately" (themiton) make this distinction ep'ekeinou, "concerning that one" (i.e., the One).

(R. again says "in the One"; R's standard translation for every prepositional relationship to the One?)

So we should "conceive the generation of all things from the One as each kind simultaneously":

"Similarly" insofar as all things are produced "according to the One" (kata to hen; R. has again "in the One"),

"Dissimilarly" insofar as the One is prior to all things (114.3-5).

Note that this renders the transcendence of the One relative.

Note also that the "dissimilar procession" is another way of conceiving the positivity of henadic uniqueness;

but since it is explicitly negative, it is of course insufficient.

On the one hand, the One brings them all forth alike; on the other hand, all differently. Correct, if inadequate, for D.