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HEPTANGLE BOOKS
GILLETTE - NEW JERSEY
MCMLXXXIX
*
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TRANSLATED INTO THE LATIN BY
FRANCESCO PATRI ZZI
AND TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY
THOMAS STANLEY
HEPTANGLE BOOKS
GILLETTE . NEW JERSEY
MCMLXXXIX
LmRARY OF CoNGREss CATALOGUE CARD No.: 88-81284
ISBN: D935214-n-9
HEPTANGLB BOOKS BOX 283 BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ 07922
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTORY
Publisher's Foreword
Preface, W. W. Westcott
Introducton, Percy Bullock
Preface, Thomas Stanley
THE ORACLES
vi
X
X
xxiij
The Chaldaan Oracles, tr. by Thomas Stanley r
Zoroastri Oracula, tr. by Francesco Patrizzi 2
5
COMMENTARIES
Pletho' s Commentaries, tr. by Thomas Stanley 41
Psellus' Commentaries, tr. by Thomas Stanley 6r
Proclus' Commentaries, tr. by Thomas Johnson 89
APPENDICES
Oracles by Porphyry, [in Westcott's edition] IOI
Oracles i Westcott but not i Stanley 103
Gtaru

v.
PUBLISHER' S FOREWORD
OROASTER; NOTWTHSTANDING PRVIOUS
published editions of this work, as well as the
tradition handed down from late Hellenism
through the Middle Ages; most assuredly did
11 t compose these Oracles. And, while it will not be
d niLd that there may be elements contained in the Or
l I s which might tend to suggest a link with Iranian
clu lism; there is little evidence to suggest composition
I ( re the present era, and much less to suggest compo-
1 i by the legendary fgure of Zoroaster. Present schol-
1 hip all but conclusively attributes the authorship of the
./wldcan Oracles to Julianus, the theurgist, living during
t h reign of Marcus Aurelius.* Whether originally one
t ntinuous poem or a collection of poems; whether de
liv r d through the entranced lips ofJulianus himself, or
tl1 ugh the entranced lips of some other medium or
l11 diums, and subsequently put to verse by Julian us; these
t1cles were considered to be a divine revelation from
t h ods, and as such perhaps the last Sacred Book of
JHl < n antiquity. What is known of the methods of the
! 1 ial oracles of antiquity, coupled with the often rather
l n used state of the fragments of the Chaldcan Oracles;
11 ests that the conjecture, that the Oracles were de
li v red through the agency of a mediumistic trance, is far
lr H\1 unreasonable. t The authority that these Oracles pos
._ s d for many, and for many philosophers, may perhaps
' dds, E. R., "New Light on the 'Chald:an Oracles,'" Harvard
Theological Review, I1, 1961, p. 263.
"Theurgy and it Relation t o Neoplatonism," Journal of
}oman Studies, XXVI], p. s6.
vi.
Vllj ITRODUCTORY
be illustrated by Proclus, who is quoted by his biographer
Marius as having said: "If I had in my power, out of
all the ancient books I would sufer to be current only
the Oracles and the Timceus,"* and in the Commentary on
the Timaus
J
ulianus is cited as the theurgist "whom it is
unlawful to disbelieve."t Unfortunately, of this Sacred
Book we possess only fragments.
(Of
J
ulianus little is known; he was the son of a Chal
d;an philosopher of the same name; he is reputed to
have saved the Roman Army in the campaign against
the Quadi i AD 173, by causing a thunderstorm; and in
competition with Apollonius and Apuleius, he is reputed
to have saved the City of Rome from a plague by the
mere utterance of a command.
t
He is the frst man to
be given the title or designation of theurgist, and other
than his status as a magician, his major accomplishment
is that it is from his hand that the Chaldaan Oracles were
given to the world: saved from obscurity by Porphyry
and elevated to sacred authority by Iamblichus and Proc
lus. And, if
J
ulianus is the frst theurgist-theurgy: lit
erally 'god-working' -the Chaldaatl Oracles comprise the
f
i
rst work of theurgy.
(What is theurgy? What indeed is 'god-working' if not
some form of magic? Agustine sees the designation as an
attempt to diff erientiate between a supposedly higher and
laudable magic, i. e. , purifcation and salvation, from the
baser and condemned magic, i. e., goetia or necromancy.
* Marinus, L!f of Proclus, Grand Rapids, 1986: Phanes, p. 55.
t Dodds, E. R., Proclus' Elements of Theology, Oxford, 1964, p. xx.
! Dodds, op. cit., JRS., p. s6f.
City of God, X, 9.
CHALDlAN ORACLES i
that were the whole of the matter, it would be un
li ely that theurgy could ever have had the iuence that
1 did. The influence of theurgy lies more i its attempt
give the phenomena of magic some philosophical co
il renee, than in the distinction between licit and illicit
+ gic .
1r
rom its inception with Plotinus, a central theme in
Ncoplatonism is that of personal salvation through a
1ystical union with the One or God. For Plotinus, at
I ast, that tmion was efected through the preparation of
h toil of intellect, not theurgy. Plotinus would prob
. bly have condemned the Chald:an philosophers along
with the collection of mystagogs he calls Gnostics. *
Those who followed in his wake, however, saw in the
racles and theurgy an easier path to salvation than the
nc ofered by Plotinus, and cloaked with the mantle of
s me philosophical coherence, they siezed it and made it
H sacred authority.
(While the Chaldcan Oracles are the frst work of the
urgy, they are not, however, a text-book of theurgy;
here is not one ritual contained among the fragments, as
we now possess them. Whatever rituals the Chald:an
ites included, we have some glimpses from preserved
its of tradition and the Oracles themselves that theurgists
were very accomplished magicians, adept at necromancy
well as producing luminous apparitions of the Gods.
13y means of the Chald:an Rites
J
ulianus was introduced
to the ghost of Plato by his father, possessed a ritual
which produced visible apparitions of the God Chronos,
well as one to cause men's souls to leave and re-enter
Enneads, I, 9, [33].
z
X
INTRODUCTORY
the body;* Proclus was granted visible and luminous ap
paritions of Hecate, tonetime Goddess of sorcery, now i
the Oracles vaguely associated with the world-soul; the
urgists could invoke Iyngest [angels?] and the traditional
Gods of astrology, as well as, the to be avoided, ter
restrial demons;
and in addition, by means of these
Rites a theurgist could construct oracular statues and tal
ismans. **The rituals themselves were, doubtless, regarded
as professional trade secrets, and as such probably did not
form a part of the Oracles, which were for more general
circulation.
(Had we the Chaldcan Rites, or even a complete col
lection of the Oracles, with or without
J
ulianus' com
mentary, we should be in a much better position to
understand the Chaldaan Theology and its infuence on
later Hellenism and its philosophy, as well as its infuence
on the then nascent and soon to be ofcial mystery cult:
Christianity. Regrettably, what we have is far from com
plete; we present in this edition, what we have, with
full knowledge of its shortcomin
g
s
.
tt
Dodds, op. cit., JRS., p. 56.
t Ibidem, p. 59
t 1. 300 and Psellus Commentary [p. 71 ).
11., 283-290; II., 291-294, Pscllus [p. 71] and Pletho [p. 54).
: Psellus [p. 87] ; II., 298-299, Psellus [p. 78] and Pletho [p. 52) .
.Dodds, op. cit., JRS., p. 62f
tt
[With the publication of the Greek Magical Papyri in Translation
(edited byBetz, UniversityofChicago Press, 1986) the Greek
less reader is provided with a collection of rituals dating from
the second century L to the ffth century AD; which, if not
the Chaldaan Rites per se, ofers rites which are in all proba
bility their closest parallels.)
PREFACE
W. W. Westcott*
HESE ORACLES ARE CONSIDERED TO EMBODY
many of the principal features of the Chal
da:an philosophy. They have come down to
us through Greek translations and were held
greatest esteem throughout antiquity, a sentiment
which was shared alike by the early Christian Fathers and
the later Platonists
.
The doctrines contained therein are
.lltributed to Zoroaster, though which particular Zoro
, ter is not known; historians give notices of as many as
Ni diferent individuals all bearing that name, which was
1 r bably the title of the prince of the Magi, and a generic
t rm. The word Zoroaster is by various authorities dif
rently derived: Kircher fushes one of the most in
t resting derivations when he seeks to show that it comes
r m Tz URA, a fgure, and TziUR, to fashion, ASH,
1r , and STR, hidden; from these he gets the words
.. iraster, fashioning images of hidden frre;-or Tzuras-
r, the image of secret things. Others derive it from
haldee and Greek words meaning 'a contemplator of
t h Stars.'
fj ft is not, of course, pretended that this collection as it
t nds is other than disjointed and fragmentary, and it is
more than probable that the true sense of many passages
apereAude, Wertcott'spseudoym, used i the edition of1895
7
xj INTRODUCTORY
has been obscured, and even in some cases hopelessly ob
literated, by inadequate translation.
(Where it has been possible to do so, an attempt has
been made to elucidate doubtful or ambiguous expres
sions, either by modifying the existing translation from
the Greek, where deemed permissible, or by appending
annotations.
(It has been suggested by some that these Oracles are of
Greek invention, but it has already been pointed out by
Stanley that Picus de Mirandula assured Ficinus that he
had the Chaldee Original in his possession, "in which
those things which are faulty and defective in the Greek
are read perfect and entire, " and Ficinus indeed stated
that he found this MS. upon the death of Mirandula. In
addition to this, it should be noted that here and there in
the original Greek version, words occur which are not of
Greek extraction at all, but are Hellenised Chaldee.
(Berosus is said to be the first who introduced the writ
ings of the Chaldaans concerning Astronomy and Phi
losophy among the Greeks, * and it is certain that the
traditions of Chaldaa very largly influenced Greek
thought. Taylor considers that some of these mystical
utterances are the sources whence the sublime conceptions
of Plato were formed, and large commentaries were writ
ten upon them by Porphyry, Tamblichus, Proclus, Pletho
and Psellus. That men of such great learing and sagacity
should have thought so highly of these Oracles, is a fact
which in itself should commend them to our attention.
Josephus Contra Apion, I.
CHA ORCL xij
iThe term 'Oracles' was probably bestowed upon these
e
p
igrammatic utterances i order to enforce the idea of
t
h
eir profound and deeply mysterious nature. The Chal
da:ans, however, had an Oracle, which they venerated as
highly as the Greeks did that at Delphi. *
ijWe are indebted to both Psellus and Pletho, for com
ments at some length upon the Chaldcan Oracles, and
the collections adduced by these writers has been con
iderably enlarged by Franciscus Patrizzi, who made many
dditions from Proclus, Hermias, Simplicius, Damascius,
ynesius, Olympiodorus, Nicephorus and Arobius; his
llection, which comprised some 324 oracles under gen-
ral heads, was published i Latin in 1593, and constitutes
he groundwork of the later classif
i
cation arrived at by
aylor and Cory.
" tephanus, De Urbibus.
INTRODUCTION
Percy Bullock*
HAS BEEN BELIEVED BY MANY, AND NOT WITH
out good reason, that these terse and enig
matic utterances enshrine a profound system
of mystical philosophy, but that this system
its full discernment a refnement of faculity,
lving, as it does, a discrete perception of immaterial
,. s nces.
,.has been asserted that the Chaldaan Magit preserved
1 1 ir occult learning among their race by continual tra
dili n from Father to Son. Diodorus says: " They lear
1 h things, not after the same fashion as the Greeks: for
.llll ngst the Chaldaans, philosophy is delvered by tra-
li i n in the family, the Son receiving it from his Father,
h ing exempted from all other employment: and thus
h ving their parents for teachers, they learn all things
lt1ll y and abundantly, believing more firmly what is com
Ill wlicated to them. ":
fl'
he remains then

f this oral tradition seems to exist

1 these Oracles, which should be studied in the light of
1. u in 1895 edition.
'l'hi powerfu, Guild was the guardian of Chaldaan philosophy,
which exceeded the bounds of their country, and difused it
self into Persia and Arabia that boarders upon it; for which
reason the learng of the Chaldaans, Persians and Arabians
i comprehended under the general ttle of Chaldaan.
I l dorus, Lib. I.
2
Xl ITRODUCTORY
te Kabalah and of Egyptian Theology. Students are
aware that the Kabalah* is susceptible of extraordinary
interpretation with the aid of the Tarot, resuming as the
latter does, the very roots of Egyptian Theology. Had a
similar course been adopted by the commentators in the
past, the Chaldaan system expounded in these Oracles
would not have been distorted in the way it has been.
f
i
The foundation upon which the whole structure of the
Hebrew Kabalah rests is an exposition of ten deifc powers
successively emanated by the Illimitable Light, which in
their varying dispositions are considered as the key of all
things. This divine procession in the form ofThree Tri
ads of Powers, synthesized in a tenth, is said to be ex
tended through four worlds, denoninated respectively
Atziluth, Briah, Y et7irah, and Assiah, a fourfold gradation
from the subtle to the gross. This proposition in its meta
physical roots is pantheistic, though, if it may be so stated,
mediately theistic; while the ultimate noumenon of all
phenomena is the absolute Deity, whose ideation consti
tutes the objective Universe.
(ow these observations apply strictly also to the Chal
dxan system. The accompanying diagrams suficiently
indicate the harmony and the identity of the Chaldxan
philosophy with the Hebrew Kabalah. It will be seen
that the First Mind and the- Intellectual Triad Pater, Pot
entia, or Matter, and Mens, are allotted to the Intelligible
World of Supra-mundane Light: the 'First Mind' repre
sents the archetypal intelligence as an entity in the bosom
of the Paternal Depth. This concentrates by refection
* Vide MacGregor Mathers, Kabalah Denudata.
CHALDlAN ORACLES Xl
nto the 'Second Mind' representative of the Divine Pow
r in the Empyrran World which is identif
i
ed with the
ond great Triad of divine powers, known as the Intel
ll(ible and at the same time Intellectual Triad: the Jthereal
W rld comprises the dual third Triad denominated Intel
/ tual: while-' the-' fourth or Elementay World is gov-
ncd by Hypezokos, or Flower of Fire, the actual builder
t the world.
CHALDJAN SCHEME OF BEINGS
I H YPERARCHII-Archangels
I AzoNCI-Unzoned Gods
II ZONCI-Planetary Deities
HIGHER DJMONS: Angels
HuMAN SouLS
LOWER DJMONS: Elementals
(Fiery, Airy, Watery & Earthly)
EviL DEMONS: Lucifugous
(the Kliphoth)
h ldran Theology contemplated three great divisions
upra-mundane things:-the First was Eternal, without
h inning or end, being the 'Paternal Depth,' the bosom
1
1l th Deity. The Second was conceived to be that mode
CHALD.AN SCHEME
WORLD OF SUPRA-
MuNDANE LIGHT
Intelligibles
(known: (intuition)]
EMPYR.AN wORLD
Intelligible-Intellectuals
[known and knowing]
ETHEREAL WORLD
Intellectuals
[knowing]
ELEMENTARY WORLD
Demiurgos
[artifcer, maker]
I
I
FIRST MIND
Pateral Depth
Intelligible Triad
Pater: Potentia: Mens
SECOND MIND
Iynges
Synoches
T eletarcha
THIRD MIND
Three Cosmagogi
(Intellectual guides infexi
b
le)
Three Amilicti
(Implaca
b
le thunders)
MATERIAL UNIVlRSE
Hypezokos
(Flower of Fire)
Efable. Essential &
Elemental Orders
The Earth-Matter
xij
KABALISTI C SCHEME
WORLD OF ATZILUTH
GOD
WoRLD OF BniAH
Divine Forces
WORLD OF YEZIRAH
Formation
W RLD OF ASSIAH
Material Form
Boundless Illimitable Light
Ain Suph
Ain Suph Aur
A radiant triangle
Kether
(Crown)
Binah
(Intelligence)
Chokmah
(Wisdom)
Geburah Chesed
Hod
%I7
Tiphereth
Netzach
Yesod
Malkuth
Ruled by
ADONA! MELEKH
The Earth-Matter
X
INTRODUCTORY
of being having beginning but no end; the Creative
World or Empyrcum falls under this head, abounding as
it does in productions, but its source remaining superior
to these. The third and last order of divine things had a
beginning in time and will end, this is the transitory
Ethereal World. Seven spheres extended through these
three Worlds, viz., one in the Empyrcum or verging
from it, three in the Ethereal and three in the Elementary
Worlds, while the whole physical realm synthesized in
the foregoing. These seven spheres are not to be con
founded with the Seven material Planets: although the
latter are the> physical representations of the- former,
which can only be said to be material in the metaphysical
sense of the term. Psellus professed to identify them but
his suggestions are inadequate as Stanley pointed out.
But Stanley, although disagreeing with Psellus, is never
theless inconsistant upon this point, for although he ex
plains the four Worlds of the Chaldcans as successively
noumenal to the physical realm, he obviously contradicts
this in saying that one corporeal world is in the Empyrcum
(Prior to the supramundane Light lay the 'Paternal
Depth,' the Absolute Deity, containing all things 'in pot
entia' and eternally immanent. This is analogous to the
Ain Suph Aur of the Kabalah, three words of three let
ters, expressing three triads of Powers, which are subse
quently translated into objectivity, and constitute the
great Triadic Law under the direction of the Demiurgus,
or artifcer of the Universe.
(In considering this schema, it must be remembered that
the supramundane Light was regarded as the primal ra-
CHALDlAN ORACLES XI
,I :\ i n from the Paternal Depth and the archetypal nou
l1 non of the Empyra: um, a universal, all-pervading
tnd, to human comprehension-ultimate essence. The
Jlmpyra: um again, is somewhat grosser though still high
ly subtlized Fire and creative source, in its turn the nou
lll 11 n of the Formative or Ethereal World, as the latter
the noumenon of the Elemental World. Through these
l''"duated media the conceptions of the Paternal Mind
ultimately fulfilled in time and space.
t[f n some respects it is probable that the Oriental mind
lo lay is not much altered from what it was thousands of
rs ago, and much that now appears to us curious and
1 h. ntastic in Eastern traditions, still fnds responsive echo
Ill the hearts and minds of a vast portion of mankind. A
l.1rgc number of thinkers and scientists in modern times
h. vc advocated tenets which, while not exactly similar,
,, parallel to ancient Chalda: an conceptions; this is ex
mplifted in the notion that the operation of natural law
111 the Universe is controlled or operated by conscious
.111d discriminating power which is co-ordinate with in
llligence. It is but one step further to admit that forces
A entities, to people the vast spaces of the Universe
ith the children of phantasy. Thus history repeats itself
.1nd the old and the new alike ref
l
ect the multiform truth.
tJWithout entering at length into the metaphysical as
P ct, it is important to notice the supremacy attributed
the 'Paternal Mind.' The intelligence of the Universe,
1
etically described as energising beore energy, establishes
m high the primordial types or patterns of things which
re to be, and, then inscrutably latent, vests the develop
ment of these in the Rectores Mundorum, the divine Re-
XI ITRODUCTORY
gents or powers already referred to. As it is said: Mind
is with Him, power with them.
(The word 'Intelligible' is used i the Platonic sense, to
denote a mode of being, power or perception, transcend
ing intellectual comprehension, i. e., wholly distinct from,
and superior to, ratiocination. The Chaldaans recog
nised three modes of perception, viz., the testimony of
the various senses, the oridinary processes of intellectual
activity, and the intelligible conceptions before referred
to. Each of these operations is distinct from the others,
and, moreover, conducted in separate matrices, or vehi
cula. The anatomy of the Soul was, however, carried
much farther than tlus, and, although in its ultimate radix
recognised as identical with the divinity, yet in mani
fested being it was conceived to be highly complex. The
Oracles speak of the 'Paths of the Soul,' the tracings of
infexible fire by which its essential parts are associated in
integrity; while its various 'summits,' 'fotmtains,' and
'vehicula,' are all traceable by analogy with universal
principles. This latter fact is, indeed, not the least re
markable feature of the Chaldaan systrm. Like several
of the ancient cosmogonies, the principal characteristic
of which seems to have been a certain adaptability to
introversion, Chaldaan metaphysics synthesize most
clearly in the human constitution.
(In each of the Chaldaan Divine W odds a trinity of
divine powers operated, which synthetically constituted
a fourth term. In every world a Triad shineth, of which the
Monad is the ruling principle. These 'Monads' are the divine
Vice-gerents by which the Universe was conceived to be
administered. Each of these four Worlds, viz., the Em-
CHALD.fAN ORACLES xi j
yrran, Ethereal, Elementary and Material, was presided
vcr by a Supreme Power, itself in direct rapport with
rhe Father' and moved
b
y unspeakable counsels. These are
tl arly identical with the Kabalistic conception of the
1 idential heads of the four letters composing the Deity
11, me in so many diferent languages. A parallel tenet is
nveyed in the Oracle which runs: There is a venerable
N 1111e projected through the worlds with sleepless revolution.
'l'l1 Kabalah again supplies the key to this utterance, by
l rding the Four Worlds as under the presidency of
til ` four letters of the Venerable Name, a certain letter of
I h four being allotted to each World, as also was a spe-
1
.1! mode of writing the four-lettered name appropriate
tit to; and, indeed in that system it is taught that the
111 I r of the Elements both macrocosric and ricrocos-
111
on every plane, is directly controlled by the 'revolu
t 1 n of the name.' That Name is associated with the
l'th rs of the Elements and is thus considered as a Uni-
"1 Law; it is the power which marshals the creative
It summed up in the Derurgus, Hypezokos, or
flower of Fire.
t
/1 fcrence may here be made to the psychic anatomy
f t h human being according to Plato. He places the
ut 11 ct in the head; the Soul endowed with some of the
!1 i ns, such as fortitude, in the heart; while another
11111
, f which the appetites, desires and grosser passions
1 it. faculties, about the stomach and the spleen.
tl
1 , he Chaldran doctrine as recorded by Psellus, con
tdr r<d man to be composed of three kinds of Souls,
l11 h. may be respectively called:
XV INTRODUCTORY
-First, the Intelligible, or divine soul,
-Second, the Intellect or rational soul, and
-Third, the Irrational, or passional soul.
This latter was regarded as subject to mutation, to be
dissolved and perish at the death of the body.
f
l
Of the Intelligible, or divine soul, the Oracles teach that
It is a bright fre, which, by the power of the Father, remaineth
immortal, and is Mistress of Lie; its power may be dimly
apprehended through regenerate phantasy and when the
sphere of the Intellect has ceased to respond to the images
of the passional nature.
f
l
Concerning the rational soul, the Chalda: ans taught
that it was possible for it to assimilate itself unto the
divinity on the one hand, or the irrational soul on the
other. Things divine, we read, cannot be obtained by mortals
whose intellect is directed to the body alone, but those only who
are stripped of their garments, arrive at the summit.
f
l
To the three Souls to which reference has been made,
the Chaldaans moreover allotted three distinct vehicles:
that of the divine Soul was immortal, that of the rational
soul by approximation became so; while to the irrational
soul was allotted what was called 'the image,' that is, the
astral form of the physical body.
(Physical life thus intergrates three special modes of ac
tivity, which upon the dissolution of the body are re
spectively involved i the web of fate consequent upon
incarnate energies in three diferent destinies.
fThe Oracles urge men to devote themselves to tigs
dvie, and not to give way to the promptings of the
irational soul, for, to such as fail herein, it i signif
i
cantly
said, Thy vessel the beasts of the earth shall inhabit.
CHALDlAN ORACLES XV
Il l 'l11 halda:ans assign the place of the Image, the vehi
, 1, I h irrational soul, to the Lunar Sphere; it is prob-
ltll h .t by the Lunar Sphere was meant something
1111 ! th n the orb of the Moon, the whole sublunary
f which the trerestrial earth is, as it were, the
At death, the rational Soul rose above the lunar
ulltull provided always the past permitted that happy
11 l1 >I t
reat importance was attributed to the way in
l111 h the physical life was passed during the sojourn of
tltc t 1 ol in the tenement of f
l
esh, and frequent are the
luu a ti ns to rise to communion with those Divne
I''' l`1h to which nought but the highest Theurgy can
Jl I II I .
(l l , t tit immortal depth of your soul lead you, says an Ora
, 1, , h11t artzestly raise your eyes upwards. Taylor comments
IIJUIII I hi in the following beautiful passage: "By the eyes
l1 11 b understood all the gnostic powers of the Soul,
f, 1 h n these are extended the Soul becomes replete
Ill l more excellent life and divine illumination; and
I g 1 i were, raised above itsel"
t
.' If th halda:an Magi it might be truly said that they
11111111 r dreams did first discriminate the truthful vision!"
I 11 1lwy were certainly endowed with a far reaching per
Jlllnn both mental and spiritiual; attentive to images,
11.! f 11 d with mystic fervours, they were something
1111111 th, n mere theorists, but were also practical ex
III
J
II.If, f the philosophy they taught. Life on the plains
I I l1,tl L with its mild nights and jewelled skies, tended
In l11 WI the interior unfoldment; i early life the dis-
''1'1' the Magi learnt to resolve the Bonds of pro-
lijllh nand enter the immeasurable region. One Ora-
xi ITRODUCTORY
de assures us that, The girders of the soul, which give her
breathing are easy to be unloosed, and elsewhere we read
of the Melody of the Ether and of the Lunar clashings, ex
periences which testify to the reality of their occult
methods.
(The Oracles assert that the impressions of characters
and other divine visions appear in the Ether. The Chal
d:an philosophy recognized the ethers of the Elements
as the subtle media through which the operation of the
grosser elements is efected-by the grosser elements I
mean what we know as Earth, Air, Water and Fire-the
principles of dryness and moisture, of heat and cold. These
subtle ethers are really the elements of the ancients, and
seem at an early period to have been connected with the
Chald:an astrology, as the signs of the Zodiac were con
nected with them. The twelve signs of the Zodiac are
permutations of the ethers of the elements-four ele
ments with three variations each; and according to the
preponderance of one or another elemental condition in
the constitution of the individual, so were his natural in
clinations deduced therefrom. Thus when in the astro
logical jargon it was said that a man had Aries rising, he
was said to be of a f
i
ery nature, his natural tendencies
being active, energetic and fery, for in the constitution
of such a one the fery ether predominates. And these
ethers were stimulated or endowed with a certain kind
of vibration, by their Presidents, the Planets; these latter
being thus suspended in orderly disposed zones. Unto
the Planets, too, colour and sound were also attributed;
the planetary colours are connected with the ethers, and
CHALDAAN ORACLES xi
h of the Planetary forces was said to have special do-
111inion over, or afnity with, one or the other of the
i diacal constellations. Communion with the hierar-
t hi s of these constellations formed a part of the Chal
d n theurgy, and i a curious fragment it is said: if thou
11/fl'fl invokest it (the celestial constellation called the Lion)
tltl'll when no longer is visible unto thee the vault of the Heav
,., , when the stars have lost their light the lamp of the Moon
I 11eiled, the Earth abideth not, and around thee darts the
1. rhtning fame, then all things will appear to thee in the form
11 lf Lion! The Chaldans like the Egyptians, appear to
lhiV had a highly developed appreciation of colours, an
I nee of their psychic susceptibility. The use of bright
1 I urs engenders the recognition of subsisting variety
1 nd stimulates that perception of the mind which ener-
' . through imagination, or the operation of images.
I 'II haldan method of contemplation appears to have
I H'I'Il t identify the self with the object of contemplation;
d11 is f course identical with the process oflndian Yoga,
111d is an idea which appears replete with suggestion; as
I 1 written, He assimilates the images to himsel, casting
1111'111 around his own form. But we are told, All divine
llitltlrt'S are incorporeal, but bodies are bound in them for your
''"'t'\'
, subtle ethers, of which I have spoken, served in
r 11 11 Lr as it were for the garment of the divine Light;
j,,, 1 h racles teach that beyond these again A solar world
,,d l'tulless Light subsist! This Divine Light was the object
,,f neration. Do not think that what was intended
t lu 1 hy was the Solar Light we know: The inerratic sphere
f rlw tarless above is an unmistakable expression and
xij INTRODUCTORY
therein the more true sun has place: Theosophists will ap
preciate the signif
i
cance of the more true sun, for accordimg
to The Secret Doctrine the Sun we see is but the physical
vehicle of a more transcendent splendour.
(Some strong Souls were able to reach up to the Light
by their own power: The mortal who approaches the fre
shall have Light fom the divinity, and unto the presevering
mortal the blessed immortals are swi. But what of those of
a lesser stature ? Were they by inability precluded from
such illumination ? others, we read, even when asleep, He
makes fuitul fr om his own strength. That is to say, some
men acquire divine knowledge through communion with
Divinity in sleep. This idea has given rise to some of the
most magnifcent contributions to later literature; it has
since been thoroughly elaborated by Porphyry and Syn
esius. The eleventh Book of the Metamorphoses of Apul
eius and the Vision of Scipio ably vindicate this; and, al
though no doubt every Christian has heard that He giveth
unto his beloved in sleep, few indeed, realize the possibility
underlying that conception.
(What, it may be asked, were the views of the Chal
da:ans with respect to terrestrial life: Was it a spirit of
pessimism, which led them to hold this in light esteem ?
Or, should we not rather say that the keynote of their
philosophy was an immense spiritual optimism ? It ap
pears to me that the latter is the more true interpretation.
They realized that beyond the confmes of matter lay a
more perfect existence, a truer realm of which terrestrial
administration is but a too often travestied ref
l
ection.
They sought as we seek now, the Good, the Beautiful
and the True, but they did not hasten to the Outer i
CHALDlAN ORACLES X
1 It< thirst for sensation, but with a fmer perception real
f d the true Utopia to be within.
t
l
And the f
i
rst step i that admirable progress was a re
turn to the simple life; hardly, indeed, a retur for most
' I he Magi were thus brought up from birth.* The
ltu lihood engendered by the rugged life, coupled with
dt.IL wisdom which directed their association, rendered
1 I H hildren of Nature peculiarly receptive of Nature's
I t ilt h . stoop not down, says the Oracle, to the darkly
1''''/ldid world, For a precipice lieth beneath the Earth, a de
tl'llf of seven steps, and therein is established the throne of an
I' I IIUI fatal force. stoop not down unto that darkly splendid
,,,,,/ Defle not thy brilliant fame with the earthly dross of
lllotllt'f stoop not down for its splendour is but seeming, It is
1111 rlt habitation of the sons of the unhappy. No more
lu 111 1 iful formulation of the Great Truth that exterior
.ud b nsuous life is death to the highest energies of the
lid uld possibly have been uttered: but to such as
I
IHII'i rcation and the practice of virtue rendered them
l lvr. worthy, encouragement was given, for we read,
r/1o "!her powers build upon the body of the holy man.
tl
I IIi'
I. w of Karma was as much a feature of the Chal-
1 1 1 1 1 hHosophy as it is of the Theosophy of today:
It, 1 1 1 1 ;1 passage in Ficin us, we read, "The Soul perpetu-
11 111 1 1 and passes through all things in a certain space
ti l 111 which being performed it is presently compelled
t1
\''1 h ck again through all things and unfold a similar
1 l1 neration in the W odd, according to Zoroaster,
1111 l" unced rich attire and the wearing of gold. Their rai
was white upon occasion; their beds the ground, and
ood nothing but herbs, cheese and bread.
XX INTRODUCTORY
who thinks that as often as the same causes return, the
same efects will in like manner return."
(This is of course the explanation of the proverb that
"History repeats itself," and is very far from the super
stitious view of fate. Here each one receives his deserts
according to merit or demerit, and these are the bonds
of life; but the Oracles say, Enlarge not thy destiny, and
they urge men to EXplore the River of the soul, so that al
though you have become a servant to body, you may again
rise to the order from which you descended, joining works to
sacred reason !
(To this end we are commended to lear the Intelligible
which exists beyond the mind, that divine portion of the
being which exists beyond Intellect: and this it is only
possible to grasp with the f
l
ower of the mind. understand
the intell i gible with the extended fame of an extended intellect.
To Zoroaster also was attributed the utterance "who
knows himself knows all things in himsdf;" while it is
elsewhere suggested that The paternal Mind sowed symbols
in the soul. But such priceless knowledge was possible
only to the Theurgists who, we are told, Fall not so as to
be ranked with the herd that are in subjection to fate. The
divine light cannot radiate in an imperfect microcosm,
even as the clouds obscure the Sun; for of such as make
ascent to the most divine of speculations in a confsed and
disordered manner, with unhallowed lips, or unwashed
feet, the progressions are imperfect, the impulses are vain
and the paths are dark.
(Although destiny, our destiny, may be "written in the
Stars" yet it was the mission of the divine Soul to raise
CHALDlAN ORACLES XXXl
tit human Soul above the circle of necessity, and the
lt.l I s give Victory to that Masterly Will, which
Hews the wall with miht of magic,
Breaks the palisade in pieces,
news to atoms seven pickets ...
speaks the Master words of knowledge !
ti l '
h means taken to that consummation consisted in
tlu s ining of the Will and the elevation of the imagina
l IIIII,, divine power which controls consciousness: Believe
)lllm/f to be above body, and you are, says the Oracle; it
1 1 1 1
1
h
t have added "Then shall regenerate phantasy dis
,j,, the symbols of the Soul." But it is said on beholding
)'1Htf e/.ear ! i. e., the imperfect self
Il
l
v
-ry
thing must be viewed as ideal by him who would
1111d tand the ultimate perfection.
ti
Will is the grand agent in the mystic progress; its rule
I tiiJ tent over the nervous system. By Will the f
l
eeting
I 11 l 11 is fxed on the treacherous waves of the astral Light;
It Will the consciousness is impelled to commune with
tl11 livinity: yet there is not One Will, but three Wills
flu Wills, namely, of the Divine, the Rational and Ir
' 1111 11, l Souls-to harmonize these is the dificulty.
(i
l
l i. lfshness which impedes the radiation of Thought,
ud . t(.ches to body. This is scientifcally true and irre
JII 1 1 i v of sentiment, the selfishness which reaches be-
llttd the necessities of body is pure vulgarity.
ti A
1 i ture which to the cultured eye beautifully por
II H given subject, nevertheless appears to the savage
xxj INTRODUCTORY
a confused patchwork of streaks, so the extended per
ceptions of a citizen of the Universe are not grasped by
those whose thoughts dwell within the sphere of the
personal life.
f
i
The road to the 'Summum Bonum' lies therefore
through self-sacrif
i
ce, the sacrifce of the lower to the
higher, for behind that Higher Self lies the concealed
form of the Ancient of Days, the synthetical Being of
Divine Humanity.
f
i
These things are grasped by Soul; the song of the Soul
is alone heard i the adytum of God-nourished Silence !
PREFACE
Thomas Stanley
MOST CONSIDERABLE REMAINS OF THE
Chaldaick Philosophy are those Oracles
which go under the name of Zoroaster;
some indeed condemn them as suppos
ititious, forged by some pseudo-Christ
ian Greek*, perhaps the rather because
I
h
followers of Prodicus the heretick boasted that they
had the secret books of Zoroaster. t But this seems less
p
bable, in regard they lie dispersed among several au
t h rs; nor are they to be neglected, in that they have
h n held in great veneration by the Platonic Philosoph
' r . Which sufciently also argues, that they are none-

the writings charged by Porphyriust upon the Gnos-

1 i , as forged by them under the name of Zoroaster,
i11 e those, as he acknowledged, were by the Platonic
Philosophers, (of whom he instanced Plotinus and Amel
) rejected and demonstrated to be spurious and suppo
i itious.
me argue that they are not Chaldcan, because many
t i l1) s accommodated to the Greek style; but there are
Cl them many so harsh and exotic expressions, as dis
lA v r them to be originally foreign; and where they
ll Z. Historie Ecclesicstique.
lcment, Stromateis.
P rphyry, Vitc Plotinus.
XXXllj
XXV ITRODUCTORY
agree in terms with that which is proper to the Greek
Philosophy, we may say of them as Iamblichus upoiL
another occasion, (on the writings that go under the-
name of Hermes Trismegistus) as they are published un
der the name of Zoroaster, so also they contain the doc
trine of Zoroaster, though they frequently speak in the
style of the Greeks. For they were translated out of
Chaldee into Greek by persons skillful in the Greek
Philosophy.
To persuade us that they are genuine and not of Greek
invention, Pico dela Mirandula professed to Ficinus, that
he had the Chaldee original in his possessioiL:-
I was (saith he) forcibly taken offrom other things,
and instigated to the Arabic and chaldcan learning by
certain books in both those languages, which came to my
hands, not accidentally, but doubtless by the disposal of
God, in favour of my studies. Hear the inscriptions, and
you will believe it. The chaldcan Books, (if they are
books, and not rather treasures) are the oracles of Aben
ESra, zoroaster, and Melchior, Magi: in which those things
which are faulty and defective in the Greek, are read per
fect and entire. There is also, an exposition by the chal
dcan wise-men upon these oracles, short and knotty, but
full of mysteries; there is also a book of the doctrines of
the chaldcan Theology, and upon it a Divine and copious
discourse of the Persians, Greeks, and chaldcans.
Thus Pico della Mirandula, after whose death these books
! Iablichus, De Mysteriis.
Pico, Epistles.
CHALDlAN ORACLES XXXV
found by Ficinus, but so worn and illegible that
hi ng could be made out of them .
Purther, to confirm that these Oracles were translated
the Greek by persons skillful in the Gteek Philosophy
It t us call to mind that Berosus* introduced the writings
11 r
h
Chald<!ans concerg Astronomy and Philosophy
III I i ng the Greeks; and thatJulianus the son, a Chald<! an
l ' l dl sopher, t wrote theugric Oracles in verse, and other
l t ts of that science: and probably, if these were no
I '' of that Chald<!an leag which Berosus frst ren-
dt d i Greek, they yet might be some of the Theurgic
I 1, les (for such the title speaks them) of Julian us; for
t i nt of them are cited by Proclus as such. From the
unt which Pica della Mirandula gives of those in
possession, to which were added a. comment and a
urse of the doctrines of the Chald<! an Theology, it
ht be conjectured, that what is delivered to us by
Plr h.o and Psellus, who, besides the Oracles, give us a
Hl t mentary on them, together with a Chald<! en sum
l l l l l, was extracted out of that author which Pica della
MI. ndula describes to have been of the same kind and
l i l t h d, but much more perfect and copious.
'
l
'hc title of Oracles was perhaps not given to them
1 11 11 y metaphorically to express the Divine excellence of
doctrine, but as conceived indeed to have been de
v
d by the Oracle itself; for Stephanusi testifes
t l t .t he Chald<!ans had an Oracle which they held in no
veneration than the Greeks did theirs at Delphi.
) 11 )
p
hus, Contra Apion I

. uJdns, In Voce ]ulanus.

phanus, D< Urb1bus.
XX ITRODUCTORY
This opinion may be confirmed by the high testimonies
which the Platonic Philosophers gave of them, clg
theiiL the Assyrian Theology revealed by God, and te
Theology delivered by God. And Proclus elsewhere-
having cited as from the Gods, one of those Oracles
which speaks of the Ideas, (a Platonic doctrine) adds,
that hereby the Gods declaired the subsistence of Ideas,
and acquesceth as satisf
i
ed that the Gods themselves rat
ify the contemplation of Plato.
Some of these Oracles which escaped the ijuries of
time, were frst published by Ludovicus Tiletanus in 1
5
63
at Paris, together with the commentaries of Gerstus
Pletho, under the title : Magical oracles of the Magi de
scended from zoroaster; the same were afterwards translated
and put forth by Jacobus Marthamus, and lastly, together
with the commentary of Psellus also, by Johannes Opso
p:tus at Paris i 1607.
These-, by Francesco Patrizzi were- enlarged with a.
plentiful addition out of Prochts, Herrias, Simplicius,
Damascius, Synesius, Olympiodorus, Nicephorus, and
Amobius : encreasing them by his own account to 324,
and reducing them for the better perspicuity to certaiiL
general heads, put them forth, and translated them into
Latin in 1593 . They were afterwards put forth in Latii
by Otho Heurnius in 1619 under the title: The sincere
Magical oracles of zoroaster King of Bactria, and Prince of the
Magi; but Heurnius under the pretence of putting theiiL
into good Latin, as he calls it, and polishing them with
a rougher fe, has patched up and corrupted what Pat
rizzi delivered faithfully and sincerely, endeavouring to
! Proclus, In Timcus.
CHALDlAN ORACLES xx i
1 ut these fragments into a continued discourse, which in
h mselves are nothing coherent, but dispersed among
vcral authors.
Patrizzi indeed harh takeiL much learned pais i
h collection of them, but with less regard to their
t asures and numbers, and, as from thence may be
h sometimes of the words themselves. Nor is there
l i l Y certain means to redress this omission by comparing
1 h m with the authors, out of which he took them, since
` of those are extat, neither doth he, as he professes
t o have done afx the names of the authors to the several
. gments, except to some few at the beginning. How
v r we shall give then here according to his edition,
I h. t being the most perfect; together with such additions
,, we meet withal elsewhere. and some conjectures to
upply the defect we mentioned.
Whereas many of the Oracles are so broken and ob
t urc, that they might at first sight seem rather ridiculous
th. n weighty, yet he who shall consider, that as many of
t l 1 m as are explained by Pletho, Psellus, and others,
uld without those explanations seem no less absurd

k n the rest, but being explained, disclose the learning

l the Chaldaans
i
n a profound and extraordinary man
l r, will easily believe al the rest, even those which ap
P , r least intelligible, to be of the same kind and con
l' j ucntly ought no more to have been omitted than any
! the rest.
' I ll MAS STANLEY
I ndon [ 1 701]
A
THE CHALD.AN ORACLES
(in English translation)
THE CHALDlAN ORACLES
OF JULIANUS
edited & translated into English by
Thomas Staey
MONAD DYAD TRIAD
the Paternal Monad is.
T
he Monad is enlarged, which generates Two.
the Dyad sits by him, and glitters with
Intellectual sections.
Atld to Gover all things, and to order all things not
ordered,
'or in the whole world shineth the Triad, over which
the Monad Rules.
5
rhis order is the beginning of all section.
'or the Mind of the Father said, that all things be cut
in.to three.
whose will assented, and all things were divided.
J f r the Mind of the Jternal Father said into three,
Governing all things by Mind.
And there appeared in it (the Triad) virtue and
wisdom. 10
3
4
JULIAN US
And Multiscient verity.
This way joweth the shape of the Triad, being prc
existent.
Not the frst (Essence) but where they are measured.
For thou must conceive that all things serve these three
Pritzciples.
The. rst course is sacred, but in the middle. 1
5
Another the third, cria!; which cherished the Earth in
Fire.
And Fountain of Fountaim, and of all Fountains.
The Matrix containing all things.
Thence abundantly springs forth the Generation of
multivarious Matter.
Thence extracted a prester the fower of glowing Fire, 20
Flashing into the cavities of the world: for all things
fr
om thence
Begin to extend downwards their admirable Beams.
FATHER MIND
H Father hath snatched away himsel nei
ther hath he shut up his own fre in
his Intellectual Power.
CHALDlAN ORACLES
s
l A II thi11gs have issued from that one fire. ] *
l1or the Father peiected all things, and delivered them
over to the seco11d Mind,
which the whole Race of Men call the frst 25
l . t begotten of the Father; for he alone
uaving crop' d the Flower of the Mindfrom the Father's
vigour.
11or the Patemal sel-begotter Mind understanding [his]
work,
sot l 'cd ill all the fery bond of Love,
That all things might continue loving for ever. 30
Neither those things which are intellectually context i n
the light of the Father i n all things.
That being the Elements of the world they might per-
sist in Love.
I it is the Bound of the pateral Depth, and the
Fouutain of the Intellectuals.
N1 ither went he forth, but abode in the paternal Depth,
Ami in the Adytum according to Divinely nourished
silence.
35
f(lr the Fire once above, shutteth not his Power
Jllto Matter by Actions, but by the Mind.
*Audc, fagment 13.
6 JULIANUS
For the paternal Mind hath sowed symbols thro' the
world,
which understandeth Intelligibles, and beautifeth in
efables.
wholly Division and xnditlisible. 40
BY Mind he contains the Intelligibles, but introduceth
sense into the worlds.
BY Mind he contains the Intelligibles, but illtroduceth
soul into the worlds.
MIND INTELLIGIBLES INTELLECTUALS
ND of the oue Mind, the intelligible (Mirzd) .
For the Mind is not without the intelligible;
it exists not without it.
These are In,tellectttals, and Intelligibles, which being
understood, urzderstand. 4
5
For the Intelligible is the Ailment o the Intelligent.
Learn the Intelligible, since it exists beyond the Mind.
And o the Mind which moves the Empyreal Heaven.
For the Framer of the fery world is the Mind of the
Mind.
CHALDlAN ORACLES
7
You who know certainly the supermundane paternal
Depth.
s
o
The intelligible is predominant over all section.
There is something Intelligible, which it behooves thee
to understand with the fower of the Mind.
For i thou enclinest thy Mind, thou shalt understand
this also;
Yet understanding something [of it] thou shalt not
understand this wholly; for it is a Power
of circumlucid strength, glittering with Intellectual sec-
tions (Rays) ..
5 5
But it behooves not to consider this intelligible with
vehemence of Intellection,
But with the ample fame of the ample Mind, which
measureth all things,
xcept this Intelligible: but it behooves to understand
this.
or if thou enclinest thy Mind, thou shalt understand
this also,
Not fxedly, but having a pure turning Eye [thou
m
xtend the empty mind of thy soul towards the Intel.
ligible,
8 JULIANUS
That thou mayest learn the Intelligible, for it exists be
yond the Mind.
But every mind understands this God; for the Mind is
not
without the Intelligible, neither is the Intelligible with
out the Mind.
To the Intellectual Presters of the wtellectual fre, all
things
6
5
By yielding are subservient to the persuasive counsel of
the Father.
And to understand, and always to remain in a restless
whirling.
But insinuating into worlds the venerable Name in a
sleepless whirling.
Fountains and Principles; to turn, and always to remain
in a restless whirling.
BY reason of the terrible menace of the Father.
7
0
under two Minds the Life generating Fountain souls is
contained;
And the Maker, who se!f operating framed the world.
who sprang frst out of the Mind.
cloathing Fire with Fire, binding them together, to
mingle
CHALDlAN ORACLES
9
'he Fotmtanous craters, preserves the fower of his own
fre.
7
5
ue glittereth with Intellectual sections, and flled all
things with Love.
' ike swarms they are carried, being broken,
About the Bodies of the world.
that things unfashioned may be fashioned.
what the Mind speaks, it speaks by understanding. 80
Power is with them, Mind is from Her.
IYNGES IDEAS PRI NCIPLES

u
ucu
being many ascend into the lucid
worlds.
into them, and in which there are
three Tops.
Jeneath them lies the chie f Immaterials.
Principles which have understood the intelligible works
of the Father.
Bs
isclosed them in sensible works as in Bodies;
neing (as it were) the Ferry-man betwixt the Father and
Matter.
And producing maniest Images of unmaniest things.
10 JULIANUS
And inscribing unmaniest things in the marz ifest frame
of the world.
The Mind of the Father made a jarring Noise, under-
standing by vigorous counsel, 90
omniform Ideas; and fl ying out of one Fountain
They sprang forth; for, from the Father was the counsel
and End,
By which they are connected to the Father, by alternate
Li from several vehicles.
But they were divided, being by Intellectual Fire dis-
tributed
9
5
Into other Intellectuals: fvr the King did set before the
multiform world
An Intellectual incorruptible Patter) this Print through
the world he promoting, of whose form
According to which the world appeared
Beautied with all kind of Ideas, of which there is one
fountain,
out of which came rushing forth others undistributed,
being broken .about the Bodies of the world, which
through the vast Recesses,
r
roo
Like swarms, are carried round' about every way.
CHALDlAN ORACLES II
Intellectual Notions fom the paternal Fountain cropping
the fower of Fire.
In the point of sleepless time, of this Primigenious Idea.
The first selbudding fountain of the Father budded.
Irttellient xynges do (themselves) also understand from
the Father: 10
5
ny unspeakable coutzsels, being moved so as to under
stand.
HECATE, SYNOCHES, TELETARCHS.
OR out o him spring all
placable Thunders, and the Prester-receiving
cavities
Entirely-lucid strength o Father-begotten Hecate
And he who begirds (vz) the fower o Fire, and the
strong
I IO
:irit of the Poles fery above.
re gave to his Presters that they should guard the Tops.
Mingling the power ( his own strmgth in the synoches.
how the world hath intellectual guides inflexible!
ecause she is the operatrix, because she is the Dispens-
atrix of Li-givingfire. IIS
12 JULIAN US
Because also it flls the Lie producing Bosom of Hecate.:
And instills in the synoches the enlivning strength
of potent fre.
But they are guardialls of the works of the Father.
For he disguises himsel, profssing 1 20
To be cloathed with the Print o the Images.
The Teletarchs are comprehended with the synoches,
To these Intellectual Presters of intellectual fre,
All things are subservient.
But as many as serve the Material synoches, 125
Have put on the completely-Armed vigour of resounding
Light.
with tripple strength fortif ying the soul and the Mind.
To put into the Mind the symbol o variety . .
And 110t to walk dispersedly on the Empyral channels;
BUt stijy 1 3 0
These fame Indivisibles, and sensibles,
And corporiorms, and things destin' d to Matter.
SOUL. NATURE.
he soul being . a briht fre, by the power
of the Father
Immortal, and is Mistress of Lie;
CHALDlAN ORACLES 1
3
And possesseth many complexions of the cavities of the
world: 1
3 5
Por it is in immitation of the Mind; but that which is
born hath something of the Body.
The chanrlels being intermixed, she perorms the works
of incorruptible Fire.
Next the pateral conceptiot' 1 (the soul) dwell,
warm, heating all things; for he did put
The Mind in the soul, the soul in the dull Body. 140
if
us the Father of Gods and Men imposed,
Abundantly animating Liht, Fire, Jther, worlds.
or natural works co-exist with the mtellectual Light of
the Father, Jot the soul which adorn' d the great
1 1 eaven, and adorning with the Father.
Uttt her Horns are fxed above, 14
5
out about the shoulders of the Goddess, immense Nature
is exalted.
A ain, indeatigable Nature commands the worlds and
works.
The Heaven drawiug an eternal course may run.
And the swit sun might come about the center as he
useth.
wok not into the fatal name of this Nature. I so
JULIUS
TH WORD
IHE Maker who operating by himsel framed
the world.
And there was another Bulk o fre,
By it-sel operating all things that the Body of the world
might be perected,
That the world miht be martijst and not seem Mem-
branous.
The whole world of Fire, and water, and Earth,
1
55
And all-nourishing Jther,
The unexpressible and expressible watch-words of the
world.
one L!fe by another from the distributed channels
Passing from above to the opposite Part,
Through the center of the Earth; and another ffh
Middle:
r6o
Fiery channel, where it descends to the material channels
Lie-bringing fre,
stirring himsel up with the Goal of resounding Liht.
Another fountainous, which guides the Empyreal world.
The center from which all (Lines) which way soever are
CHALDJAN ORACLES
equal. t65
I 'Or the paternal Mind sowed symbols through the world.
l'or the center of every one is carried betwixt the Fathers.
l' or it is in immitation of the Mind, but that which is
bor hath something of the Body.
HEAVEN
OR the Father congregated seven Firmaments
of the world;
ibing Heaven in a round Figure, 1
7
0
1 1 c a great company of inerratic stars,
And he constitttted a septenary of erratic Animals.
Placing Earth in the middle, and water in the middle of
the Earth.
The Air above these.
1 1c fxed a great company f inerratic stars, 1
7
5
To be carri' d not by laborious and troublesome Tension,
1111t by a settlemmt which hath not Error.
1 1c fxed a great company of inerratic stars,
1 :orcing Fire to Fire,
To be carried by a settlement which hath not Error. r 8
o
1 ll' constituted them six; casting into the midst
16 JULINUS
The fre of the sun,
suspending their Disorder itz well-ordered zones.
For the Goddess brings forth the great sun, and the bright
Moon.
o Jther, son, spirit, Guides of the Moon and of the
Ai 185
And of the solar circles, and of the Monthly clashings.
And f the Jrial Recesses.
The Melody (the Jther, and of the Passages of the sun,
and Moon, and of the Air,
And the wide Air, and the LUnar course, and the Pole
o the sun.
collecting it, and receiving the Melody f the Jther, 1
9
0
And f the sun, and of the Moon, and of .all that are
contained in the Air.
Fire, the Derivation ofjre, and the Dispenser of fre;
His Hair pointed is seen by his 11ative Light;
Hence comes saturn.
The sun Assessor beholding the pure Pole; 1
9
5
And the Jtherial course, and the vast Motion f the
Moon,
And the Jrial fluxions,
And the great sun, and the bright Moon.
CHDlA ORCLS
17
TIME
Mundane God; lteral, Infnite.
oung, and old, of a spiral form. 200
another fountairwus, who guides the Em
pyreal Heaven.
SOUL. BODY. MAN.
behooves thee to hasten to the Light, and
to the beams of the Father;
whence was sent to thee a soul cloathed
with much Mind.
these things the Father co11ceived, and so the mortal was
animated
I10r the paternal Mind sowed symbols in souls; 205
Replenishing the soul with profound Love
1 or the Father of the Gods and Men placed the Mind in
the soul;
And in the Body he established you.
t1or all Divine things are incorporeal.
Ottt Bodies are bound in them for your sakes: 210
I
!8 JULIANUS
Incorporeals not being able to contain the bodies.
By reason of the corporeal Nature in which you are con
centrated.
And they are in God, attracting strong flames.
Descending from the Father, fom which descending the
soul
corps of Empyreal fruits the sou.-nourishingfower. 21 5
And therefore conceiving the worlds of the Father
They avoid the audatious wing offatal Destiny;
And though you see this soul manumitted,
Yet the Father sends another to make up the Number.
certainly these are superlatively blessed above all 220
souls; they are sent forth from Heaven to Earth,
And those rich souls which have unexpressible Fates;
As many of them (o King) as proceed from shining Thee,
or from
Jove Himsel, under the strong power of (his) Thread.
Let the immortal Depth of thy soul be predominant; but
all thy eyes 225
Extend upward.
stoop not down to the dark world,
Beneath which continually lies a faithless Depth, and
Hades
CHD.A ORCL 19
Dark all over, squallid, delihting in Images, unintel-
ligible,
Precipititious, craggy, a Depth; always Rolling, 230
Always espousing an opacous, idle-breathless Body,
A11d the Light-hating world, and the winding currents,
ny which many things are swallowed up.
seek Paradise;
eek thou the way of the soul, whence or by what order
Having served the Body, to the same place from [ 23 5
which thou didst fow.
Thou must rise up again, joining Action to sacred speech,
toop not down, for a Precipice lies below on the Earth;
Drawing through the Ladder which hath seven steps,
Beneath which
Is the Throne of Necessity. 240
rt large not thou thy Destiny.
rhe soul of Man will in a manner clasp God to herself;
naving nothing Mortal, she is wholly inebriated from
God:
FOr she boasts Harmony, in which the mortal Body exists.
if thou extend the fery Mind 245
To the work o Piety, thou shalt preserve the juxible
Body.
Dn
20
JULIANUS
There's a room for the Image also in the circumlucid place.
Every way to the unfashioned soul stretch the Reins of
Fire.
The Fire-glowing cognition hath the frst Rank.
For the Mortal approaching to the Fire, shall have Light
from God. 250
For to the slow Mortal the Gods are swit.
The Furies are stranglers of Men.
The bourgeons, even of ill Matter, are proftable good.
Let Hope nourish thee in the fery Angelic Region.
But the paternal Mind accepts not her will,
255
until she go out of oblivion, and pronounce a
word, Inserting the remembrance of the pure paternal
symbol.
To these be gave the docible character of Lie to be com
prehended.
Those that were asleep he made fruitul by his own
strength.
Dfle not the spirit nor deepen a superfcies. 260
uave not the dross of Matter on a Precipice.
Bring her not forth, least going forth she have something.
The souls of those who quit the Body violently, are most
pure.
CHALDAAN ORACLES 2!
The ungirders of the soul, which give her breathing, are
easy to be loosed.
In the side sinister of Hecate, there is a Fountain o
vertue; 265
which remains entire within, not emitting her virginity.
o Man the Machine of Boldest Nature!
subject not to thy Mind the vast measures of the Earth;
For the Plant of Truth is not upon Earth.
Nor measure the Measures of the sun, gatheriltg together
canons; 2
7
0
He is moved by the Jternal will of the Father, not for
thy sake.
Let alone the swift course of the Moon: she runs ever
by the impulse of Necessity.
The Progression of the stars was not brought forth for
thy sake.
The ctherial wide fight of Birds is not veracious,
And the Dissections of Entrails and victims all these are
toys, 2
7
5
The supports of gainful cheats; fy thou these
i thou intend to open the sacred Paradise of Piety
where virtue, wisdom, and Equity, are assembled.
For thy vessel the Beastd of the Earth shall inhabit.
22 JULIANUS
These the Earth bewails, evert to their children. 280
D.MONS RITES
ATURE persuades there are pure Dcmotts;
The bourgeons, even all ill matter, are proft
able and good,
But these things I revolve in the reclusive Temples of
my Mind,
Extending the like Fire sparklingly into the spaceous Air
or Fire un.fgur' d, a voice issuing forth. 285
or Fire abundant whizzing and winding about the Earth,
But also to see a Horse more glittering than Light.
or a Boy on [ thy] shoulders riding on a Horse,
Fiery or adored with Gold, or divested,
or shooting and standing on [ thy] shoulders. 290
i thou speak ojm to me, thou shalt see absolutely that
which is spoken:
For then neither appears the calestial concave
Bulk, nor do the stars shine: the light of the Moon is
covered,
The Earth stands not still, but all things appear Thunder.
Invoke not the selconspicuous Image of Nature) 2
95
CHALDJAN ORACLES 2
3
For thou must not behold these beore thy Body be
initiated.
when soothing souls they always reduce them fom these
Mysteries.
certainly out of the cavities of the Earth spring Terres-
trial Dogs.
which show no true fgure to mortal Man.
Labour about the Hecatick strophalus. 300
Never change Barbarous Names;
For there are Names in every Nation given fom God,
which have an unspeakable power in Rites.
when thou seest a sacred Fire without Form,
hining, fashingly through the depths of the world, 3 05
Hear the voice f Fire.
ZOROASTRI ORACULA
(in Latin translation}
THE CHALDJAN ORACLES
OF JULIANUS
edited & trcnslated into Ltin by
Francesco Patrizzi
.
ZOROASTRI ORACULA
MONAS DY AS TRIAS
BI PATERNA MoNAS EST.
Ampliata est Monas, qu duo generat.
Duitas enim apud hunc sedet, & intelleCual
ibus fulgct scctionibus.
Et gubemare cunfa, & ordinare quodcunque non
ordinatunL.
Toto enim mundo lucet Trias, cujus Monas est princeps.
Principium omnis sectionis hie est ordo,
In tria namque Mens dixit Patris secari onmia,
Cujus voluntas arumit & jam omnia seca fuere.
In tria namque dixit Mens patris temi,
Mente omnia guberans.
Et apparuerunt in ipsa Virtus & Sapientia,
Et Multiscia Veritas.
Hinc fluit Triadis vultus ante essentianL,
Non primam, sed ear qu mensuratur.
Principiis tribus hisce capias servire cw1ca.
Et fans fontium, & fontium cunCorunL.
Matrix continens cunca.
28 JULIUS
In de affatm exilit generatio multivaria:materia.
Inde tracus prester exilis ignis flos,
Mundorum indens cavitatibus. Omnia namque inde.
lncipit deorsum tendere radios admirandos.
\
PATER & MENS
EIPSUM RAPilT PATER NEQUE SUl
mentali claudens proprium ignem.
on enim a paterna Principia imperfeCum.
quid rotatur.
CunCa namque perfecit pater,
Et menti tradidit secunda,
am primam vocat orne genus hominum.
Patrogenia lux, multum namque sola
E partis robore decrepens mentis florem..
Opera enim intelligens patera mens e se genita,
Conctis inseminavit vinculum igni gravis amoris:
o omnia maneant, tempus i interminatum amantia. ..
Neque omnibus qua patri mentaliter contexta monstret.
Ut in amore maneant mundi elementa manenta..
Habet ipsa intelligentia pateram mentem indere
Omnibus fontibus & principatibus.
Est enim fnis pateri profundi, & fons mentalium .
Neque progressus est, sed mansit in paterna profunda,
Er i adyto, per Deo-nutriens silentium..
Non enim in materiam, ignis trans primus
Suam potentiam claudit operibus, sed mente-.
Symbolia enim paterna mens seminavit per mundum.
a intelligibilia intelligit, & ineffabilia exorat.
CHALDlAN ORACLES
29
Tota partitio, & impartibilis.
Mente quidem continet intelligibilia, sensam vera inducit
mundis.
Mente quidem continet intelligibilia, animam vero
inducit mundis.
MENS INTELLIGIBIIA & MENT ALIA
UNIUS MENTIS INTELLIGIBILIS.
on enim sine intelligibili mens est: non
seorsium existit.
uo.ud!u sane sunt mentalia & intelligibilia.. ,
quccunque dum intelligunt intelligtmtur.
ibus vera intelligenti est intelligibile-.
Disce intelligibile, quandoquidem extra mentem existit.
Et mentis, quc Empyreum mundum ducit.
Mentis enim mens est quc mundi est artifex ignei.
Qi supermundanum paterum profundum estis
intelligentes.
Tntelligibilis omis setionis princeps et.
Est enin quoddam intelligibile, quod oportet te intell
gere mentis fare-.
Vel enim inclines, ut mentem, & illud intellexeris.
Ut aliquid intelligens, non illud intelliges.
st enim roboris circumquaque lucidi potentia,
Mentalibus fulgens sectionibus, non sane oportet
Vehementia intelligere intelligibile illud,
cd mentis amplc ampla flamma..
mnia metiente, prcterquam intclligibile illud.
Opu ergo est hoc intelligere; nam si inclina veris.
3
0 JULIANUS
Mentem tuar, etiam illud intelliges non parum.
Sed purum converte oculum,
Ferentem tme anima tendere vacuam menter
In intelligibile; ut discas intelligibile,
andoquider extra.. menter existit.
Deum hunc intelligit omnis mens, non enim sine-
Mente est intelligibili, & intelligibile non sine mente
existit'.
Ignis mentalis mentalibus prastoribus cunca..
Cedunt servientia, Patris persuasorio consilio.
Et intelligere, semperque manere impigra vertigine-.
Frome & principii, vertere, semperque manere impigra.
vertigine.
Sed nomen venerandum insomni vertigini
Mundis indens, terribiles ob patris minas.
Sub duabus mentibus vitigenius fans continetur
animarur.
Et acta, qui per se operans fabrefecit mundum
i ex mente exiliit primus.
Indutus igne ignem, Vinculorum ut temperet
Fontanos crateras, sui ignis forem sustinens
Mentalibus fulget sectionibus, amoreque implevit omnia.
Infigurata gurans.
Examinibus similes feruntur, perrumpentes
Per mtmdi corpora. ..
a mens dicit, intelligendo sane dici t.
Potentia quidem cum illis, Mens vera ab ilia..
CHALDlAN ORACLES
3 1
IYNGES IDEJ PRINCIPIA
Tl QUIDEM HA SCANDUNT LUCIDOS MUNDOS.
|I b1 & in quibus summitates sunt tres.
ubjectum ipsis est principale partum.
; qu: patris opera intelligentes intel-
Sens1 operibus, & corporibus revelarunt.
Transvectrices stantes dicere patri & materi:.
Et manifesta imitamina latentium operantes.
Et latentia in manifestam Cosmopriam inscribentes.
Mens patris striduit, intelligens vigente consilio
Omniformes Ideas. Fonte vero ab uno evolantes
Exilierunt. A parte enim erat consilium & finis.
Per qu: conjunguntur patri, per aliam atque aliam.
Vitam, a compartitis canalibus.
Sed partit: sunt, mentali igne disposit:,
In alas mentales: mundo namque rex multiformi
Proposuit mentalem typum incorruptibilem, non per
mundum.
Vestigium promovens form: per qu: mundus appart.
Omnifariam ideis gratiosus, quarum unus fans.
Ex quo strident dispertit: ali:,
lmmens:, perrumpentes mundi circa corpora..:
: per sinus immensos, examinibus similes,
Feruntur convers:: circumque alibi aa..
Conceptiones mentales fonte a patera
Multum decerpentes ignis florenL
Infomnis temporis. Vigor principigeni: ider
32 JULIANUS
Pri
ma, e patris missa est: cujus per se forens fans.
Itellecta: Iynges a patre intelligunt & ipsa:.
Consilis in efabilibus moventur ut intelligan t.
HECATE SYNOCHES & TELETARCHA
IPSO ENIM OMNES EXILIUNT
Amilictique fulmines, & presterocapaces sinus
ucida: vigoris patrogenii Hecate.
Hypezocus ignis fos, & fortis
Spiritus polorum, igenos trans.
Custodire presteribus suis summitates dedit.
lr
nmiscens vigoris proprium robur in Synochis.
o mundus habeat mentales sustentatores inflexibiles.
ia operatrix, quia largitrix est ignis vitiferi.
ia & vitigenium implet Hecates sinur.
Et influit Synochs vigorem vitidonum ignis
Magni potentis.
Se
d & Custodes operum sunt patris.
Assirat enim se ipsum; ille urgens
Typum induere idolorur.
Teletarcha: comprehensi sunt cum Synochis.
His vera mentalis mentalibus presteribus
Omnia parent servientia....
Sed & qua:cunque msterialibus serviunt Synochis.
ln
duti armorum vigorem luminis resonantis.
Vigore Triglicho, mentem animamq[ue) ; armanter.
P
ervarium Synthema jacere ratiociio.
Neque-super incedere empyreis sparsir cbus,
S
ed collectir.
CHALDlAN ORACLES
3
3
Hi vero individua, & sensibilia efciun t,
Et corporiforra, & destinata in materiam..
ANIMA NATURA
A IGNIS POT PATRIS E
lucid us,
manet, & vita domina et:
Et tenet mundi multas plenitudines sinuum..
Mentis enim iritamen est, partum vero habet quid
corpons.
Mistis vero canalibus, ignis incorruptibilis opera efciens.
Post vero Paternas conceptiones anima, ego, habito:
Calida, animans omnia, reposuit enim.
Mentem sane in anima, animam vero in corpore inerti.
Nostri imposuit pater hominumque Deumque-.
Afatim animans lucem, ignem, rthera, mundos.
Coe:istunt namque naturalia opera mentali splendori
Patris. Anima enim est qur oravit magnum
Calum. & qua orat simul cum patre.
Cornua & ipsius flrrata sunt sursum..
Humeros vero circa Der natura immensa attollitur.
Imperat rursus natura infatigabilis mundisque
operibusque:
Calum ut currat sursium rternum trahens :
Et celer sol circa centrum, ut assuetus venia t.
Non natura inspicias fatale nomen ejus.
c
3
4
JULIAN US
MUNDUS
QUI PER SE OPERANS FABREFECIT
mundum..
Etenim qurdam ignis moles erat altera: hrc
Omina..
Per se
ut corpus mundanumL
Mwldus ut manifestus, & non videatur membraneus.
Tatum mundum ex igne, & aqua, & terra-,
Et omni-alente rre-.
lnefabilia, & fabilia synthemata mundi.
Aliam per aliam vitam, a partitis canalibus.
Desuper permeantis in oppositum
Per centrum terrr, & quintum medium, alium
Igneum, ubi descendit usque ad materiales canales.
Vitifer ignis.
Centro incitans Seipsum lumine resonante-. .
Fontanum alium, qui Empyrewn mundum ducit.
Centrum a quo omnes usque quo forte rquales fuerint.
Symbola enim paterna mens seminavit per mundum..
Medium inter patris singulr centrum fertur.
Mentis enim imitamen est: quod vera patrwn est habet
quod corporis.
CCLUM
EPTEM ENIM IN MOLES FORMAVIT PATER
frrmamenta mtmdorum.:
Crlum rotunda fgura circumcludens.
Fixitque multum crtwn astrorum
CHALD1AN ORACLES
inerrantiunL,
Animaliumque errantium constituit septenariunL.
Terram i medio posuit, aquamque i terra sinibus.
Aeremque supra hac.
Fixitque multum cctum astrorum inerrantiunL.
Tensione, non laboriosa mala..
Sed ftione errorem non habente in motu.
Fixitque multum cctum astrorum inerrantiunL.
Ignem ad ignem cogens.
Fixione errorem non habente i motu.
Sex eos constituit, septimum Solis,
I medium jaciens ignenL.
3
5
lnordinationem eorum bene-ordinatis suspendens zonis.
Parturit enim Dea Solemque magnum, & splendidan
Lunam .
.ther, Sol, spiritus Luna, aeris ductores,
Solariumque circulorunL, & lunarium est crepituum,
Sinuumque aereorunL.
itheris cantus, Solisque, & Luna canalium, & aeris.
Et latus aer, lunarisque cursus, & polus Solis.
Colligit ipsum, accipiens atheris harmonianL,
Solisq[ue] ; Lunaque, & quacunque aere continentur.
Ignis ignis derivatio, & ignis penu.
Crines enim i acutum nato lumini conspiciuntur,
Ubi Saturnus.
Sol assessor intuens polum purum.
ithereusque cursus, & Luna ingens impetus,
Aeriique fuxus.
olemque magnum, & splendidam LunanL.
C
c
JULIANUS
TEMPUS
MUNDANUM, .TERNUM, INFINITUM.
& senem
fontanum aliud, quod empyreum mundum
ducir.
ANIMA CORPUS HOMO
TET TE FESTINARE AD LUCEM & PATRS
luma.,
Unde missa est tibi anima, multam induta
menteiT.
Ha: c pater mente concepit, mortalisque ei est animatus.
Symbola enim paterna mens seminavit in animis
Amore profundo replens animaiTL .
Reposuit enim mentem in anima, in corpore vero
Vos reposuit pater hominumque deumque.
Incorporea quidem stmt divina omnia...
Corpora vero in ipsis vestri causa sunt alligata.
Non potentes continere incorporeos corpora.,
Ob corpoream, in quam concentrati estis, naturaiT.
Inque deo jacent :1.ces trahentes validas.
A patre descendenres, a quibus anima descendentibus
Empyreos carpit fructus, animam alentem forem. .
Ideoque mente concipients opera parris
Parca: fatalis alam fugiunt inverecundai.
Et si hanc animam videris redeunteiT,
At aliam imittit pater, ut in numero si r-.
Certe valde illa: sunt beatissima: supra omnes
CHLDJA ORCLS
Animas, ad terram a C<lo profusa.
Illaque divitcs, & inefabilia stamina habente.
acunque a Iucente, o rex, a te, vel ipso
Jove sunt progenita. Miti valida a necessitate
3
7
Ducatur anima profunditas immortalis oculosque afatim
Omnes sursum extende.
Nee deorsum pronus sis in nigricantem mandum..
Cui profunditas semper infda substrata est, & Hades
Circumquaque caligans, squalidus, idolis gaudens, Amens,
Pracipitosus, tortuosus, cccium profoundum semper
involvens,
Semper desponsus obscuram faciem, inertem, Spiritu-
carentem .
Et Osor luminis mundus , & tortuosi uxus
A quibus vulgus attrahitur.
are paradisum..
are tu anima canalem, unde, aut quo ordine
Corpori inservieris, in ordinem a quo efuxisti
Rursus restituas, sacra semoni operam uniens.
Neque deorsum sis pronus, pracipitium in terra subet,
Septemvios trahens per gradus: quo sub
Horribilc- necessitdtis Thronus es t'.
Ne tu augeas fatum..
Anima hominum Deum coget quodammodo in seipsam:
Nihil mortale habens, tota a Deo est ebria facta..
Harmonam resonat namque, sub qua est corpus mortale.
Extendens igneam mentem ad opus pietatis,
Et fluxile corpus servabis.
Est & idolo portio in loco circumlucente-.
Undique inficta anima ignis habenas tende.
Igne calens cogitatio primissimum habet ordinem..
JULIUS
Igni namque mortalis propinquans a Deo lumen
habebit.
lmmorant enim mortali prrsto Dii aderunt.
Prnr hominum sut angores.
Et malr materir germa uta sunt, & bona..
Spes nutriat te ignea Angelica i regione-.
Sed non recipit illius velle Paterna mens,
Donee non exeat ex oblivione, & verbum loquatur.
Memoriam indens Pateri Synthematis puri.
His quidem discibile lucis dedit notitiam suscipere.
Has vera & somnolentos sui fuctum dedit roboris.
Ne spiritum maculcs neque profundum fac superficiem.
Neque materir quisquilias prrcipitio relinquas.
Ne educas, ne exiens habeat quidpiai.
Vi corpus relinquentium animr sunt purissimr.
Animr expulsores, respiratores, & faciles solutu sunt.
Sinistris in lumbis Hecates virtutis est fans,
Intus tota manens, virgieum non abjiciens.
0 audacissimr naturr, homo, articiui!
Neque ingentes mensuras terrr in tuam mentem pone-.
Non enim veritatis planta est in terra..
Neque in mensuris mensuras Solis regulas congregans,
lterno consilio fertur, non gratia tui.
Lunarem quidem cursum, & astreum progressuiiL
Lunr strepitum dimitte, semper currit opera necessitatis
Astreus progressus, tui gratia non est partus.
Jthereus avium pes latus nunquam verus est.
Non sacrifcia visceraque cupio: hrc sunt omnia ludi,
Mercatorir deceptionis firmamenta; fuge tu hrc
Si vis pietatis sacrum paradisum aperire-.
Ubi Virtus, sapientiaque, & bona lex congregantur.
CHALDAAN ORACLES
Tuum enim vas bestc terrc habitabunt.
lpsas autem terra sepeliit ad flios usque-.
D.MONES SACRIFICIA
3
9
ATURA SUADET ESSE DAMONAS PUROS.
mala materic germina, utilia, & bona.
hcc in abditis septis mentis evolvo.
simulacrum saltatim in aere in tumorem
ext en dens,
Vel etiam ignem iguratum, unde vocem currentem,
V el lumen abundans radians, streperum, convolutum:
Sed & equum videre luce magis fulgurantem.,
Vel etiam puerum suis humeris inequitantem equo,
Ignitum, vel auro diltinctum, vel spoliatum.,
Vel etiam sagittantem, & stantem super humeris.
Multoties si dixeris m, cernes omnia leonem.,
Neque enim cclestis curvitas tunc apparet moles.
Astra non lucent, Lunc lux opertum est',
Terra non stat, cernuntur vera cuncta fubus.
Neque naturc voces per se visibile simulacrum,
Non enim oportet illos te spectare antequam corpus
Sacris purgetur.
ando animas mulcentes semper a Sacris abducunt.
Ergo ex sinibus terrc exiliunt terrestres canes,
Nunquam verum corpus mortali homini monstrantes.
Operare circa Hecaticum turbiem..
Nomina barbara nunquam mutaveris.,
Sunt enin1 nomina apud singulos a Deo data
Potentiam in Sacris inefabilem habentia.
40
J
US
Oando videris forma sine Scarum ignem.,
Collucentem saltatm totus per profundum mundi,
Audi i
g
nis voceiiL.
COMMENTARY ON THE ORACLES BY
GEORGE GEMISTUS PLETHO
-d. 1464 AD
PLETHO'S EXPOSITION
OF THE MORE OBSCURE PAS SAGES
IN THESE ORACLES
seek thou the way of the soul, whence or by what order. 23 5
Having served the Body, to the same order from which thou
didstjow.
Thou maist rise up again; joining Action to sacred speech.
MAGI THAT ARE FOLLOWERS OF ZOROASTER,
also many others, hold that the human soul
immortal; and descanded from above to
the mortal body, i. e. q to operate there
in a certain time; and to animate and ador it to her
power; and then returns to the place from which she-'
came. And whereas there are many Mansions there for
the soul, one wholly bright, another wholly dark; others
betwixt both partly bright, partly dark: The soul being
descended from that which is wholly bright, into the
body, if she perform her ofice well, runs back into the
same place; but if not well, she retires into worse Man
sions, according to the things which she has done i Life.
The Oracle therefore says, "Seek thou the Soul's Path,"
or the way by which the soul foweth into thee; or by
what course (viz., of Life) having performed thy charge
toward the body, thou may'st mount up to the same'
place from which thou didst flow down, viz., the same
track of the soul, ' joining Action to Sacred Speech. "
43
JULIAUS
word, or conceive in her thoughts a certain speech, cal
ling to remembrance the Paternal Divine Symbol or
Watch-word; this is the persuit of the good which the
soul calling to remembrance hereby becomes most ac
ceptable to her Maker.
It behoves thee to hasten to the Light, and to the Beams of
the Father:
202
From whence there was sent to thee a soul endued with much
Mind.
The Light and Splendor of the Father is that Mansion
of the Soul which is circumlucid, from whence the Soul
arrayed with much of the Mind was sent hither, where
fore we must hasten to return to the same Light.
These the Earth bewails, even to their own children. 280
Those who hasten not to the Light, from which their
Soul was sent to them, the Earth or mortal Nature be
wails, for that they being sent hither to adorn_ her, not
only not adorn her, but also blemish themselves by living
wickedly; moreover the wickedness of the parents is
transmitted to the children, corrupted by them through
il education .
CHALD.AN ORACLES
47
The ungirders of the soul, which give her breathing, are easy
to be loosed. 264
The Reasons which expell the Soul from wickedness,
and give her breathing, are easy to be untied; and the
oblivion which keeps them, is easily put of
In the side f the sinister Bed there is a Fountain of virtue: 26
5
which remains entire within; not emmitting her virginity.
In the left side of thy bed, there is the Power or Fount
ain of Virtue, residing wholly within, and never casting
of her Virginity, or Nature void of passion: for there is
always in us the power of Virtue without passion which
cannot be put of; although her Energy or Activity may
be interrupted: he said the power of Virtue is placed on
the left side, because her Activity is seated on the- right.
By the Bed is meant the Seat of the Soul, subject to her
several Habits.
The soul of Man will, in a manner, clasp God to herself 2
4
2
Having nothing Mortal, she is wholly inebriated from God;
For she boasts Harmony, in which the Mortal Body consists.
"The Human Soul will in a manner clasp God," and
join him strictly "to herself," (who is her continual de
fence) by resembling him as much as we can possibly;
JULIANUS
"having nothing mortal" within her, "she is wholly
drenched in Divinity," or replenished with Divine goods;
for though she id fettered to this mortal body, yet she-
"glories in the Harmony [or union] in which the mortal
body exists;" that is, she is not ashamed of it, but thinks
well of herself for it; as being a cause, and afording to
the Universe, that, as Mortals are united with Immortals
in Man, so the Universe is adorned with one Harmony.
Because the soul being a bright fre by the power of the
Father, 1
3 3
Remains Immortal, and is Mistress of L
i
,
And possesseth many completions of the cavities of the world.
The second God, who first before all other things pro
ceeded from the Father and Supreme God, these Oracles
call all along, "The Power of the Father," and his "In
tellectual Power," and the "Paternal Mind." He said
therefore, that "the Soul procreated by this power of the
Father, is a bright fire; " that is, a Divine and Intellectual
Essence, and "presisteth immortal" through the Divinity
of its Essence, "and is the Mistress of Life," viz., of her
self possessing Life which canot be taken away from
her, for, how can we be said to be masters of such things,
as may be taken from us, seeing the use of them is only
allowed us ? but of those things which cannot be taken
from us, we are absolute masters: The Soul according to
her own eternity, "possesseth many Rooms in the Re
ceptacles of the World," or divers places in the World,
CHALDlAN ORACLES
4
9
which accordig as she has led Life past is alloted to eve
ry one-.
seek Paradise. 23
4
The circumlucid Mansion of the Soul.
Defle not the spirit, nor deepen a superfcies. 260
The followers of Pythagoras and Plato conceive the-
Soul to be a Substance not wholly separate from all
Body, nor wholly inseparate; but partly seperate, partly
inseparate; separable potentially, but ever separate act
ually. For they assert three kinds of Forms, one wholly
separate from matter, the Supercelestial Intelligences; an
other wholly inseparate from matter, having a Subst
ance not subsistent by itself but dependant on matter;
together with which matter, which is sometimes dissol
ved by reason of its nature subject to mutation, this kind
of Soul is diasolved also and perishes: this kind they
hold to be wholly irrational. Betwixt these they place a
middle kind, the rational Soul, difering from the Super
celestial Intelligences, for that it always co-exists with
matter; and from the irrational kind, for that it is not'
dependant on matter; but, on the contrary, matter is
dependant on it, and it has a proper substance potentially
D
50 JUI US
subsistent by itself; it is also indivisible, as well as the-
Supercelestial Intelligences, and performing some works
i some manner allayed to theirs, being itself also busied
in the knowledge and contemplation of Beings even un
to the Supreme God; and for this reason is incorruptible.
This kind of Soul is always co-existent with an .thereal
Body as its ' Vehiculum,' which she by continual approx
imation makes also Immortal : neither is this her 'Vehic
ulum' inanimate in itself but it is itself animated with
the other species of the Soul, the irrational (which the
wise cal the Image of the rational Soul) adored with
Phantasie and Sense, which sees and hears itself whole
through whole; and is fshed with all the Senses and
with all the rest of the irrational Faculties of the Soul.
Thus by the principal Faculity of this Body, Phantasie,
the rational Soul is continually joined to such a Body,
and by such a Body sometimes the human Soul is joined
with a mortal Body by a certain afmity of Nature, the
whole being infolded in the whole enlivening Spirit of
the Embryon. This 'Vehiculum' itself being of the nature
of a Spirit. The Dmons Souls difer not much from
the human, only they are more noble and use more
noble Vehicles. Moreover, they caru1ot be mingled with
corruptible Nature. Likewise the Souls of the Stars are
much better than the Dmons, and use better Vehicles;
are Bodies splendid by reason of the greatness of the op
erative faculity: These Doctrines concerg the Soul the
Magi, followers of Zoroaster, seem to have used long
before. Defile not this kind of Spirit of the Soul, said the
Oracle, nor deepen it being a superfcies; he- calls it
superficies, not as if it had not a triple demention, for
CHLD..A ORCLES 51
it is a Body; but to signify its extraordinary rarity: nor
make it become gross by accession of more matter to
its Bulk: for this Spirit of the Soul becomes gross, if i t
declines too much towards the mortal Body.
There is a room for the Image also in the circumlucid place. 2
4
7
He calls the Image of the Soul that part which being
itself void of irrational, is joined to the rational part, and
depends upon the 'Vehicle' thereof: now he said that
this kind of "Image hath a part in the circumlucid Reg
ion;" for the Soul never layeth down the 'Vehicle' ad
herent to her.
Leave not the dross of Matter on a Precipice. 261
He calls the Mortal Body "the dross of Matter," and
exhorts that we neglect it not being il afected, but take
care of it whilst it is in this life, to preserve it in health as
much as possible, and that it may be pure, and in all
things else correspond with the Soul.
carry not frth, least going forth she have something. 262
Do
JUIA US
"Carry not forth," meaning the Soul, out of the Mor
tal Body, "least by going forth" thou incur some danger,
implying as much as to carry her forth beyond the Laws
of Nature-'.
r thou extend the fery Mind to the work of Piety, thou shalt
preserve the fuxible Body. 2
45
"Extending up thy Divine Mind to the Exercise of
Piety" or to Religious Rites, and thou "shalt preserve
the Mortal Body" more sound by performing these.
certainly out of the cavities of the Earth spring Terrestrial
Dogs, 2
9
8
which shew no true sign to Mortal Man.
Sometimes to many initiated persons there appear,
whilst they are sacrificing, some apparitions in the shape
of 'Dogs,' and several other figures. Now the Oracle
says, that these "issue out of the Receptacles of the Earth; "
that is, out of the terrestrial and mortal Body, and the-
irrational passions planted in it, which are not yet suf
ficiently adorned with Reason . These are apparitions
of the passions of the Soul in performing Divine Rites:
mere appearances having no substance, and therefore "not
signifig anything true--. "
CHLDlA ORCLES
53
Nature persuadeth that Dcmons are pure; 28I
The bourgeons, even of ill matter, are proftable and good.
'Nature' or natural Reason "persuadeth that Dcmons
are Sacred," and that all things proceeding from God,
who is in himself good, "are beneficial;" and the "very
bloomings of il
Matter," or the forms dependent upon
Matter are such. He calls Matter 'il,' not as to its sub
stance, for how can the substance be bad, the bloomings
whereof are beneficial and good ? but for that it is
ranked last among the substances, and is the least parti
cipant of good, which littleness of good is here expressed
by the word il. Now the Oracle means, that if the
bloomings of
il
Matter, viz. of the last of substances are
good, much more are the Dcmons such, who are in aiL
excellent rank as partaking of rational Nature and being
not mixed with mortal Nature.
The Furies are stranglers o Men.
'The Furies' or the vindictive Dcmons clasp Men close,
or restrain and drive them from vice and excite them to
virtue-.
Let the immortal depth o the soul be predominant; but all thy
Eyes 22
5
EXtend quite upward.
54
JULIANUS
Let the "divine depth of thy Soul" govern and lift
thou all thy Eye or all thy knowing faculties 'upward.'
o Man, the Machine of boldest Nature!
He calls Man the "Machine of boldest Nature-' ! " be
cause he attempts great things.
if thou speak ofen to me, thou shalt see absolutely that which
is spoken: 291
For there neither appears the celestial conclave bulk
Nor to the stars shine: the liht of the Moon is covered,
The Earth stands not still, but all things appear Thunder.
The Oracle speaks as from God to an initiated person,
"If thou often speak to me," or call me, "thou shalt see-'
that which thou speakest," viz. Me whom thou calles t
everywhere': for then thou shalt perceive nothing but
'Thunder' all about, fre gliding up and down all over
the World.
call not on the selconspicuous Image of Nature. 29
5
Seek not to behold the self-seeing 'Image of Nature, '
viz., of the Nature of God, which is not visible to our
CHALDlAN ORACLES
55
eyes: but those things which appear to the initiated per
sons, as Thunder, Lighting, and all else whatsoever, are
only symbols or signs, not the Nature of God.
Every way to the unfashioned soul stretch out the Reins of
Fire. 248
Draw unto thyself every way the 'Reins of Fire,' which
appear to thee when thou art sacrifcing, with a sincere
Soul; viz,. a simple, and not of various habits.
when thou seest a sacred Fire, without Form,
3
04
shining fasingl
y

hrough the depth o the world,

Hear the votce oj Fire.
When thou beholdest the divine fire void of fgure-
brightly glding up and down the World and graciously
smiling, listen to this voice as bringing a most perfect
prrscience'.
The Paternal Mind hath implanted symbols in souls. 20
5
The Pateral Mind, viz., the- Sedulous Maker of the
substance of the Soul, "hath ingrafted Symbols" or the-
JULINUS
Images of the Intelligibles i Souls, by which every Soul
possesses i herself the reasons of Beings.
Learn the Intell i gible,for as much it exists beyond the Mind. 47
"Lear the Intelligible, because it exists beyond thy
Mind," viz., actually; for, though the Images of Intel
lectual things are planted in thee by the Maker of All ;
yet they are but potentially i thy Soul; but it behoves
thee to have actually the knowledge of the- Intelligible-.
There's a certain Intelligible which it behoves thee to compre-
hend with the fower of thy Mind.
5
2
The Supreme God, who is perfectly One, is not con
ceived after the same manner as other things, but "by
the fower of the Mind," that is, the supreme and sing
ular part of our understanding.
For the Father perected all things and delivered them
over to the 24
second Mind, which Nations of Men call the First.
"The Father perfected all things," viz., the Intelligible
Species, (for they are absolute and perfect) "and delivered
CHALDAAN ORACLES
5
7
them over to the second God," next him to rule and
guide them: whence, if any thing be brought forth by
this God, and formed after the likeness of him, and the
other Intelligible Substance, it proceeds from the Sup
reme Father; this other God, "Men esteem the First,"
that is, they who think him the Maker of the World, to
whom there is none Superiour.
Intell i gent Iynges do themselves also understand from the

I
BY unspeakable counsels being moved so as to understand
He calls 'Iynges' the Intellectual Species which are con
ceived by the Father; they themselves also being con
ceptive, and exciting conceptions or notions, by unspeak
able or rmutterable counsels: by 'Motion' here is rmder
stood intellection, not transition, but simply the habitude
to notions so as rmspeakable counsels is as much as un
moved, for speaking consists in 'Motion; ' the meaning
is this, that these Species are immoveable and have a
habitude to notions not transiently as the Soul.
oh how the world hath Intellectual Guides infexible. I 14
The most excellent of the Intelligible Species, and of
those which are brought down by the Immortals in this
Heaven, he calls the 'Intellectual Guides of the World;'
ss
JULANUS
the Coryphaus whom he conceives to be a God, which
is the second from the Father. The Oracle saying that
'the World hath infexible Guides, ' means that it is i
corruptible-.
The Father hath snatched away himsel 23
Neither hath he shut up his own Fire in his Intellectual Power.
The Father has made-- himself exempt frol all others;
not including himself either in his own Intellectual Pow
er, or in the second God who is next him; or limiting his
own Fire, his own Divinity; for it is absolutely ungen
erate, and itself existing by itself; so that his Divinity is
exempt from all others; neither is it communicable to
any other, although it be loved of all. That he commun
icates not himself, is not out of envy, but only by reason
of the impossibility of the thng.
The Father infuseth not Fear
b
ut Persuasion.
The Father makes no impression of fear, but infuses
persuasion or love; for he being extremely good, is not
the-' cause of il to any, so as to be dreadful; but is the-
cause-' of good to all; whence-- he is loved of all.
CHALDJAN ORACLES
5
9
THESE ORACLES OF ZOROASTER MANY EMINENT PERSONS
have- confrmed by following the like- opinions;
especially the- Pythagoreans and Platonists.
COMMENTARY ON THE ORACLES BY
MICHL CONSTANTINE PSELLUS
1018 -L- 1079 AD
PSELLUS' EXPOSITION OF
THE ORACLES
There is a Room for the Image also in the circumlucid place
24
7
GES WITH THE PmLOSOPHERS, AR THOSE
which are connatural to things more'
CJLCI1L1IL than themselves, and are worse than
as the Mind is connatural to God, and
Rational to the Mind, and Nature to the Rat-
ional Soul, and the Body to Nature, and Matter to the
Body. The Image of God is the Mind; of the Mind,
the Rational Soul; of the Rational Soul, the Irrational;
of the Irrational Soul, Nature; of Nature, the Body; of
the Body, Matter. Here the chaldcan oracle calls the Ir
rational Soul the Image of the Rational, for it is con
natural to it in Man, and yet worse than it . It says,
moreover, that there is a part assigned to the Image iiL
the circumlucid region, that is to say, the Irrational Soul,
which is the Image of the Rational Soul, being purified
by virtues in this life, after the dissolution of the human
life, ascends to the place above the Moon, and receives
its lot in the circumlucid place, that is, which shineth on
every side, and is splendid throughout; for the place be
neath the Moon is circunebulous, that is, dark on every
side. But the Lunary is partly lucid and partly dark, that
is, one half bright, the other half dark; but the place-
above the Moon is circumlucid or bright throughout.
63
JULIUS
Now the Oracle says, that the circumlucid place-', is not
designed only for the Rational Soul, but for its Image
also, or the Irrational Soul is destined to the circumlucid
place, when as it cometh out of the Body bright and
pure, for the Gracian Doctrine asserting the Irrational
Soul to be Immortal, also exaults it up to the elements
under the Moon; but the chaldCan oracle, it being pure
and unanimous with the Rational Soul, seats it in the
circumlucid region above the Moon. These are the
Doctrines of the Chaldaans.
Leave not the Dregs of Matter on a Precipice. 26!
By the dregs of Matter the Oracle understands the body
of man consisting of the four elements, it speaks to the-'
disciple by way of instruction and exhortation, thus : not
only raise up thy Soul to God, and procure that it may
rise above the confusion of life; but, if it be possible,
leave not the Body wherewith thou are cloathed, (and
which is 'dregs of Matter,' that is, a thing neglected and
rejected, the sport of Matter) in the inferior World: for
this place, the Oracle calls a 'Precipice.' Our Soul being
darted down hither from Heaven, as from a sublime-'
place-'. I exhorts therefore-, that we- refme the Body
(which he understands by the 'dregs of Matter' ) by di
vine, or that, being stripped, we raise it up to the .ther;
or that we be exaulted by God to a place immaterial and
incorporeal, or corporeal but .thereal or c cdestial, which
Elias the Tisbite attained; and before him Enoch, being
CHALDJAN ORACLES
translated from this life into a more Divine condition,
not leaving the 'dregs of Matter', or their bodies in a
Precipice; the 'Precipice' is, as we said the Terrestrial
Region.
Bring [her] not forth, leastgoingforth she have something. 262
This Oracle is recited by Plotinus in his book of the
Education of the Irrational Soul; it is an excellent and
transcendent exhortation. It advises, that a man busy not
himself about the going forth of the Soul, nor take care-'
how it shall go out of the Body; but remit the business
of its dissolution to the course of Nature; for, anxiety
and solicitude about the solution of the Body, and the'
education of the Soul out of it, draws away the Soul
from better cogitations, and busy it in such cares that
the Soul cannot be perfectly puried; for if death come
upon us at such time as we are busied about this dis
solution, the Soul goes forth not quite free, but retaing
something of a passionate life. Passion the Chaldaans
defines, a man's sollicitous thinking of death; for we
ought not to think of anything, but of the more excel
lent illuminations; neither concerning these ought we-'
to be sollicitous: but resigning ourselves to the Angelic
and Divine Powers, which raise us up and shutting up
all the organs of sense in the Body and in the Soul also
without distractive cares and sollicitudes, we must fol
low God who cals us.
E
6 JUIS
Some interpret this Oracle more simply: "Bring i t
not out least i t go forth, having something;" that is,
anticipate not thy natural death, although thou be wholly
given up to Philosophy; for as yet thou has not a com
plete expiation; so that if the Soul pass out of the Body
by the way of educting, it will go forth retaining some
thing of mortal life: for if we Men are in the Body, as
in a prison (as Plato says) certainly no man can kl him
self but must expect 'till God shall send a necessity.
subject not thy Mind to the vast measures of the Earth; 268
For the Plant of Truth is not upon the Earth.
Nor measure the Measures of the sun, gathering together canons:
He is moved by the Eternal will of the Father, not for thy sake.
Let alone the swit course of the Moon: she runs ever by the
impule of Necessity.
.
The Progression of the stars was not brought forth for thy sake.
The Jtherial broad footed fight of Birds is not voracious.
And the Dissections of Entrails and victims, all these are Toys.
The supports of gainful cheats. Fly thou those,
i thou intend to open the sacred Paradise ofPiety.
where virtue, wisdom, and Equity are assembled.
The Chaldaan withdraws the disciple from all Grac
ian Wisdom, and teaches h to adhere only to God,
"Subject not to thy Mind the vast measures of the Earth;
for the Plant of Truth is not on the Earth;" that is,
enquire not sollicitously into the vast measures of the
Earth, as Geographers use to do, measuring the Earth;
CHALDlAN ORACLES
for the seed of Truth is not in the Earth. Nor "measure
the measures of the Sun, gathering together Canons; he
is moved by the Eteral Will of the Father, not for thy
sake: " that is, busy not thyself about the motion and
doctrine of the Stars, for they move not for thy sake, but
are perpetually moved according to the Will of God;
"Let alone the swift course of the Moon, she runs ever
by the impulse of Necessity: " that is, enquire not anxio
usly the rollig motion of the Moon, for she runs not
for thy sake, but is impelled by a greater necessity. "The
Progression of the Stars was not brought forth for thy
sake;" that is, the leaders of the Fixed Stars and the-
Planets received not their essence for thy sake-. "The
.thereal broad-footed fight of Birds is not veracious;"
that is, the Art concerning birds fying in the Air, called
Augury, observing their fight, notes, and pearching, is
not true. By "broad feet" he means the walking or pace
of the foot, in respect of the extention of the toes in the
skin. "And the Dissections of Entrails and Victims, all
these are- Toys: " that is, the Art of Sacrificing, which
enquireth after future events, as well by Victims, as by
inspection into the Entrails of sacrificed beasts, are mere
Toys. "The supports of gainful Cheats: fy thou those,"
that is, fraudulent acquisitions of gain. "If thou intend
to open the Sacred Paradise of Piety, where Virtue,
Wisdom, and Equity are assembled." Thou (said he)
who art under my discipline, enquire not curiously after
these things, if thou wouldst that the Sacred Paradise of
Piety be opened to thee . The Sacred Paradise of Piety,
according to the Chaldaans, is not that which the book
EE
68 JUS
of Moses describes, but the Meadow of sublimest con
templations, in which there are several Trees of Virtues;
and the Wood, (or Trunk) of knowledge, of good and
evil, that is, Dijudicative Prudence which distinguishes
good from evil; likewise, the Tree of Life, that is, the
Plant of Divine Illumination, which brings forth to the
Soul the fruit of a more holy and better life; in this
Paradise, therefore, grow Virtue, Wisdom, and Equity;
Virtue is one in general, but has many Species; Wisdom
comprehends within itself all the Virtues, which the Di
vine Mind pronounces, as only unspeakable--.
seek thou the way of the soul, whence or by what order 23
5
Having served the Body, to the same order fom which thou
didst fow,
Thou mayst rise up agai11; joining Action to sacred speech.
That is, "Seek the Origin of the Soul," from whence
it was produced and served the Body, and how Men
cherishing and raising it up br the exercise-' of Divine
Rites, may reduce it to the place whence it came. "Unit
ing Action to Sacred Reason," is to be understood thus :
' Sacred Reason,' or discourse in us is the Intellectual
Life, or rather the supreme faculty of the Soul, which
the Oracle elsewhere styles the Flower of the Mind; but
this Sacred Reason cannot by its own guidance aspire to
the more sublime Institution, and to the comprehension
of Divinity; the work of piety leads it by the hand to
God, by assistance of Illuminations from thence: but'
CHALDlAN ORCLES
the Chaldran by the 'Telestick Science,' perfects (or in
itiates), the Soul by the power of materials here on Earth.
To this Sacred Reason, when thou hast united Action,
that is, joined the work oflnitiation to the Sacred Reason,
or better faculity of the Soul.
Our Theologist Gregory raised the Soul to the more
Divine things by Reason and comtemplation: by Rea
son which is in us the best and most intellectual faculty;
by contemplation, which is an illumination coming from
above: But Plato afrms, that we may comprehend the
ungenerate essence by reason and intellect. But the Chal
drn says, that there is no other means for us to arrive at
God, but by strengthning the 'Vehiculum' of the Soul
by Material Rites; for it supposes that the Soul is purified
by Stones and Herbs, and Charms, and is rendered ex
pedite for Ascent.
stoop not down; for a Precipice lies below on the Barth. 23 8
Drawing through the Ladder which hath seven steps, beneath
which
I the Throne of Necessity.
The Oracle advises, the Soul which is next to God,
that she adhere only to him with her whole mind, and
bend not downwards; for there is a great 'Precipice'
betwixt God and the Earth which draws Souls down.
the 'Ladder' which has seven steps : The Ladder of seven
steps signifies the Orbs of the seven Planets; if therefore
the Soul decline, she is carried to the Earth through the
JULIUS
seven Orbs: but the passage through the seven circles
leads her as by so many steps to the 'Throne of Necessity, '
whither, when the Soul arrives, she is necessitated to suf
fer the terrestrial W odd.
Never change barbarous Names. 30!
That is, there are certain Names among all Nations
delivered to them by God, which have an unspeakable
power in Divine Rites : change not these into the Greek
dialect; as 'Seraphim' and 'Cherubin,' and 'Mich;l' and
'Gabriel : ' these in the Hebrew dialect have an unspeak
able eficacy in Divine Rites; but changed into Greek
names, are inefectual.
The world hath intellectual Guides infexible. I I4
The Chald;ans assert 'Powers' in the World, and call
them 'Cosmogogi' [or] 'Guides of the World,' for that
they guide the World by provident motions: These pow
ers the Oracle calls ' Sustainers,' as sustaining the whole-
World. Unmoveable implies their seteled power; sust
entive, their guardian-ship; these powers they design.
only by the cause and immobility of the W odds : There-'
are also other 'Powers' (Amilicti) implacable-', as being
frm and not to be converted towards these inferior
CHLDAA ORCLES 7I
things, and cause that Souls be never allured with afec
tions.
Labour about the Hecatine strophalus.
3
00
The 'Hecatine Strophalus' is a golden ball, in the midst
whereof is a saphhire; they fold about it a leather-thong;
i t i s beset all over with characters : thus wihpping i t about
they made their invocations : these they use to call Iynges,
whether it be round or triangulat, or any othre figure-';
and whilst they are doing thus, they make insignificant
or brutish cries, and lash the Air with their whps. The-'
Oracle advises to the performance of these Rites or such
a motion of the ' Strophalus,' as having an expressible-'
power. It is called 'Hecatine,' as being dedicated to
Hecate: Hecate is a Goddess among the Chaldrans, hav
ing at her right side the Fountain of Virtues.
i thou speak ofen to me, thou shalt see absolutely that which
is spoken. 2
9
1
For then neither appears the c<lestial concave
Bulk, nor do the stars shine,; the light of the Moon is covered,
The Earth stands not still, but all things appear Thunder.
The Lion is one of the twelve Signs of the Zodiak, and
i called the House of the Sun, whose Fountain or the
cause of his Lion-formed Constellation the Chaldrans
7
2 JULINUS
calls leontochon: now he said, that admidst the Sacred
Rites thou call this Fountain by its Name, thou shalt see
nothing else in Heaven but the apparition of a LioiL,
neither will the 'Concave Bulk,' or the circumference of
Heaven appear to thee, neither shall the Stars shine, even
the Moon herself shall be covered, and all things shall be
shaken; but this Lion-having Fountain takes not away
the essence of those, but their own predominating ex
istence hides their view.
Every way to the unfashioned soul, extend the Reins of Fire. 24
8
The Oracle calls the Soul aplason, that is, without form
and figure, or most simple, and most pure. Reins of
Fire of such Soul are the expeditious activity of the
Theurgick Life, which raises up the- Fiery Mind to the
Divine Light: therefore by stretching the Reins of Fire-'
to the inform Soul, he means: endeavour that' all the
faculties consisting both in the Intellect, Cognition, and
Opinion, may receive Divine illuminations suitable to
themselves. This is the meaning of 'stretch the Reins of
Fire;' but Nature useth to fail, and busy itself in the-'
second or worse Life-'.
oh Man, the Machine of boldest Nature!
CHALD1AN ORACLES
73
Man is called a Machine
as being framed by God with
unspeakable Art: the Oracle likewise calls hm audcaious
Nature, as being
busied ab
out excellent things, sometimes
measuring the course of the Stars, sometimes
enquiring
into the Orders
of the
supernatural Powers; contei1
plating also the things which are far above the Cclestial
Orb, and
extending to discourse something of God. For
these endeavours of the Mind in disquisition proceed
from an
audacious Nature: he calls it boldness, not by
way of
reproach, but to express the forwardness of
Nature.
In the side sinister of Hecate is a Fountain of much virtue; which
remains entire within, not emitting her virginity. 26
5
The Chaldans esteem Hecate a Goddess, seated i the
middle rank, and possessing as it were the centre of all
the Powers; in her right parts they place the Fountait
of Souls, in her left, the Fountain of Goods, or ofVirtues;
and they say, that the Fountai of Souls is prompt to
propagations, but the Fountain of Virtues continues with
in the bounds of its own essence, and is as a Virgin in
corrupted: this settledness and immobility it receives
from the power of the 'Amicti,' the Implacables, is girt
with a Virgin Zone- .
74
JULI US
when thou seest a sacred Fire without Form
304
shining jashingly through the depths of the whole world,
Hear the voice of Fire.
The Oracle speaks of Divine Light, seen by many men,
and advises, that if anyone see such a Light in some figure
and form, he apply not his mind to it, nor esteem the
voice proceeding from thence to be true; but if he see
this without any fgure or form he shall not be deceived:
and whatsoever question he shall propose, the answer will
be most true, he calls this euieron ' Sacrosanct,' for that it
is seen with a beauty by sacred persons, and glides up and
down pleasantly and graciously through the Depths of
the World.
Invoke not the selconspicuous Image of Nature. 2
9
5
Autopsia, Self-inspection, is, when the iniated person
or he who performs Divine Rites sees the Divine Lights:
but if he who orders the Rites sees an apparition, this, in
respect of the iniated person is super-inspectioi. The
Image which is evocated at Sacred Rites, must be Intel
ligible and wholly seperate from Bodies. But the Form.
or Image of Nature is not every way Intelligible: for
Nature is for the' most part ai administrative faculty.
Call not, said he, i the Rites the self-conspicuous Image
of Nature; for it will bring thee nothing along with i t'
but only a crowd of the four Natural Elements.
CHALD.AN ORACLES 75
Nature persuades that Damons are pure. 281
The bourgeons even ofill matter are proftable and good.
Not that Nature herself persuades this, but that being
called before her presence there floweth in a great com
pany ofDa:mons and many Da:monious forms of several
shapes appear raised up out of all the Elements, compoun
ded and shaped from all the parts of the Lunar course',
and many times appearing pleasant and gracious, they
make show of an apparition of some good to the iit
iated person.
The soul of Man will in a manner clasp cod to hersel. 2
4
2
Having nothing Mortal she is wholly inebriated from God.
For she boast Harmony, in which the mortal body exists.
He said that the Soul 'forceth,' the Divine Fire into
herself, through Immortality and Purity, for then she is
'wholly inebriated,' that is, she is replenished with the
most excellent Life and Illumination, and exists as it were
out ofherself: the Oracle said to her, 'boast ofHarmony; '
that is, glory in the obscure and unintelligible Harmony
by which thou art tied together in Arithmetical and
Musical Proportions: for under this unintelligible Har
mony even the Mortal and compounded Body is com
posed, having its compositions derived from thence.
JULIAS
Let the Immortal depth of the soul be predominant, but all
thy Eyes 22
5
Extend upward.
The 'depth of the Soul' is her three-fold powers; the'
intellectual, the intelligent, and the opinionative. Her
Eyes are the three-fold cognoscitive operations of these;
for the Eye is the symbol of Knowledge, as Life is of
Appetite. Open therefore-', said he, the immortal depth
of the Soul, and extend thy cogniscitive Powers upwards,
and even thy own self (to use our own expression) trans
fer to the Lord.
ntle not the spirit, nor deepen a supercies. 260
The Chald<ans cloathe the- Soul with two 'Garments :'
one they call Spiritual, woven for it by the sensible World
and the other Luci-form, tenuious and intangible, which
is here termed ' Superficies : ' Defile not , said he, the'
Spiritual garment of thy Soul with impurity; neither
cause its ' Superficies' to grow deep by certai material
additions: but preserve both in their own Natures, one-
pure, the other undip t.
seek Paradise. 2
3
4
CHALDlAN ORACLES
77
The Chaldaan Paradise is the whole Chorus of Divine
Powers about the Father, and the-' Fiery Beauties of the
creative Fountains. The opening thereof by piety is the'
participatioi of the Goods; the flaming Sword is the
implacable Power which withstands those that approach
it unworthily; to such persons it is shut, for they are not
capable of its felicity. To the pious it is open. To this
place tend all the Theurgick Virtues.
This vessel the Beasts of the Earth shall inhabit. 2
7
9
The 'Vessel' is the compound mixture of the Soul, the
Beasts of the Earth are the Damons which rove-' about
the Earth: our life therefore being full of passions shall
be inhabited by such Beasts: for such kinds are essent
iated in passions, and have a material seat and order.
Wherefore such as are addicted to passions are glued to
them by assimilation, for they attract what is like ther,
having a motive faculty from the passions.
!
f
thou extend the fery Mind to the work of Piety, thou shalt
preserve the fuxible Body. 2
45
That is, "If thou extend thy ill uminated Mind" up
wards, and the work of fire to the works of Piety, (the
works of Piety, with the Chaldaans, are the methods of
Rites) , thou shalt not only render the Soul unvanquish-
JULIANUS
able by passions, but shalt also preserve thy Body the-
more healthful; for this ordinarily is the efect of Divine
Illuminations, viz., to consume the Matter of the Body,
and to establish Health, that it be not seized either by
passion or diseases.
certainly out of the cavities of the Earth spring terrestrial
Dogs,
which shew no true sign to mortal Man.
The speech is of material D:mons : these he calls Dogs,
for that they are executioners of Souls; Terrestrial, for
that they fall from Heaven, and are rolled about the
Earth. These, said he, beig removed far from the Be
atitude of Divine Life, and destitute of Intellectual con
templation, cannot pre-signif futures; whence all that
they say or show is false, and not solid: for they know
Beings morphotikos, by their outsides; but, that which
knoweth fgures merikos, particularly, uses notions indiv
isible and not fgured.
For the Father percted all things, and deliver' d them over
to the second 2
4
Mind, which all Nations of Men call the frst.
The first Father of the Triad, having made the Univer
sal Frame, delivered it over to the Mid; which Mind
CHDlAN ORACLS
7
9
the whole Race of Mankind (being ignorant of the pat
eral excellency) call the frst God: but our Doctrin
holds the contrary, viz., that the frst Mind, the Son of
the Great Father, made and perfected every creature; for
the Father, in the book of Moses, declared to the Son
the Idca of the production of Creatures, but th Son
himself is the Maker of the Work.
The Furies or stranglers of Men.
Anagogoi aggeloi The reductive Angels reduce Souls to
them, drawing them from general things; but the Furies
being the tormentors of the Natures which are dispersed,
and envious of human Souls, entangle them in material
passions; and as it were strangle them: and not only
torture such as are full of passions, but even those that
are converted towards the immaterial essence, for these
also coming into Matter and into Generation, stand in
need of such purifcation; for we see many persons even
of those who live holy and purely, fall into unexpected
m1senes.
The Paternal Mind hath implanted symbols in souls. 20
5
As the Mosaic book says, that Man was formed after
the Image of God; so the Chaldcan says, that the Maker
and Father of the World sowed symbols ofhis essence in
8o JULI US
the Souls thereof. For out of the paternal Seed, not only
Souls, but all superior Orders sprung. But in Incorporeal
substances there is one kind of signs, viz., incorporeal,
and individual; in the W odd, there are other Signs and
Symbols, the unspeakable properties of God, which are-
far more excellent than the Virtues themselves.
The souls of those who quit the Body violently are
most pure. 263
Whosoever shall take this saying rightly will fi nd that
it contradicts not our Doctrine; for the crowned martyrs
who in time of persecution leave their Bodies by a vio
lent end, purif and perfect their Souls: but this is not
that which the Chaldaa means. He- praises all violent
death, because the Soul, which leaves the Body with
trouble, abhors this life, and hates conversation with the
Body, and, rejoycing, flys up to the things above; but
those Souls which forsake this life, their Bodies being
naturally dissolved by sickness, do regrett its propension
and inclination to the Body.
Because the soul being a bright Fire, by the Power
of the Father 133
Remains immortal, and is Mistress of Li,
And possesseth many completions of the Cavities of the world.
CHALDlAN ORACLES 81
The Soul being an immaterial and incorporeal Fire,
exempt from all compounds, and from the material Body
is immortal; for nothing material or dark is commixed
with her, neither is she compounded, so as that she may
be resolved into those things of which she consists; but
she is the Mistress of Life, enlightning the Dead with
Life-; she hath the Complements of many Recesses, that
is, susceptive of the Government of Matter, for she is
enabled according to her diferent Virtues to dwell in
diferent Zones of the W odd.
The Father infuseth not Fear, but instead persuasion.
That is, the Divine Nature is not ster and ful l of
Indignation, but sweet and calm; whence it doth not
cause Fear in the Natures subjected to it, but attracts all
things by persuasion and graciousness; for if it were-
formidable and minacious, every Order of Beings would
have been dissolved; none of them being able to endure
his Power. And this Doctrine, is in part esteemed true
amongst us, for God is a Light, and a Fire consuming
the wicked. The menaces and afrightings of God are-
the intermission of the Divine Goodness towards us, by
reason of our ill management of our afairs.
F
82 JULIANUS
The Father hath snatched away himsel 23
Neither hath he shut up his own fre in his Intellectual fre.
The meaning of which Oracle is this : The God of all
things, who is also termed Father, hath made himself
incomprehensible, not only to the first and second Na
tures, and to our Souls, but even to his own Power; for
the Father, says he, has snatched himself away from every
Nature. But this Doctrine is not Orthodox; for with us
the Father is known in the Son, as the Son in the Father,
and the Son is the definition of the Father, and the Divine
superatural World.
For the intelligible is something, which it behoves thee to com
prehend with the fower of thy mind. 52
The Soul hath a power correspondent to e.ery thing
that is conceivable by the Mind: as to sensibles, Sense;
to cogitables, Cognition; to intelligibles, Mind. Now
the Chaldran says, that although God is an Intelligible,
yet he is not comprehensible by the Mind, but only by
the 'Flower of the Mind.' The Flower of the Mind is the
(eniaia) singular power of the Soul: since therefore, God
is properly one, endeavour not to comprehend him by
the Mind, but by the singular power: for that which is
first one, can only be apprehended by that which is one'
in us, and not either by cognition or Mind.
CHALDJAN ORACLES
The ungirders of the soul which give her breathing are easy to
be loosed. 26
4
Least any one should say: "I would free my Soul from
my Body, but I cannot;" the Oracle tells us, that the
Powers, which thrust the Soul out of the natural Body,
and give her breathing, as it were, from the toil and
trouble of the Body, are easily loosed; that is, these fac
ulties are free and not restrained by any Nature, and able
to set the Body at liberty generously from corporeal
Bonds.
It behooves thee to hasten to the Light, and to the Beams of
the Father,
202
From whence was sent to thee a soul cloathed with much Mind.
Seeig that the Soul hath not its Being from Seed,
neither consists of corporeal mixtures but had its essence
from God above; therefore she ought to turn towards
him, and to make her retur to the Divine Light: for
she came down cloathed with much Mind: that is, she
was furnished by the Maker and Fathre, with many re
membrances of Divine sayings, when she came hither,
whence she should endeavour to return by the same-
remembrances.
FF
JULIUS
Al things are produced out of one Fire.
This i a true Doctrine, conformable to our Religion;
for all Beings, as well intelligible as sensible, received
their essence from God above, and are converted to God
alone; those which have Being only essentially; those
which have Beig and Life, essentially and vitally; those
which have Being and Life and Mind, essentially and
vitally and Intellectually. From One therefore all things
came, and to One is their return: this Oracle is not to
be condemned, but is full of our Doctrine-.
what the Mind speaks, it speaks by Intellection. So
When thou shalt hear an articulate voice, thundering
from above out of Heaven, think not that the Angel or
God who sends forth that voice, did articulate it after our
manner enunciatively; but that he, according to his own
Nature, conceived it only inarticulately: but thou, ac
cording to thy own impotence, hearest the notion syl
labically and enuntiatively. For as God hearetb our voice
not vocally, so Man receivetb the notions of God voc
ally, every one according to the operation of his Nature.
These the Earth bewails, even to their children. 280
CHLD.A ORCLES
ss
It is meant of Atheists, that God extends his venge
ance even to their posterity: for the Oracle-, to express
the torments which they shall receive under the Earth,
says, "It howls beneath for them: " that is, the place under
the Earth bellows to them, and roareth lie a Lion.
Whence Proclus also said: The composition of Souls
that are of afinity with one another, is of like Nature;
and those which are not yet loosed from the bands of
Nature, are entangled and detained by like passions.
These therefore must fulfill all punishments, and since by
natural afmity they are infected with pollutions, must
again be cleansed fom them.
Enlarge not thy Destiny,
The wisest of the Greeks call Nature or rather the com
pletion of the illuminations which the Nature of Beings
receiveth: Fate. Providence is an immediate beneficence
from God. But Fate is that which governs all our afairs,
by the concatenation of Beings. We are subjects to Prov
idence, when we act Intellectually; to Fate, when Cor
poreally. Encrease not therefore thy Fate, nor endeavour
to surmount it, but commit thy self wholly to the gov
ernment of God.
For nothing proceeds from the paternal Principality imperfct.
86 JIS
The Father produceth all things perfect and self-suf
fcient accordig to their Order, but the imbecillity and
remission of the things produced sometimes causeth a.
defect and imperfection, but the Father calleth back again
that defect to perfection; and converts it to its self-suf
ficience. Like this, is that which James the brother of
our Lord pronounceth i the beginning of his Epistle,
"Every perfect Gift cometh down from above, from the
Father ofLights. " For nothing proceeds imperfect from
the perfect, and especially when we chance to be ready
to receive that which is primarily distilled from him..
But the Paternal Mind accepts not her until she come forth. 2 55
The Paternal Mind doth not admit the impulsions of
the desires of the Soul, before she hath ecxluded the for
getfulness of the riches which she received from the most
bountiful Father, and called back to her memory the
Sacred Watch-words which she received from him, and
pronounce the good speech imparting in her remembr
ance the Symbols of the Father who begot her. For the
Soul consists of Sacred Words and Divine Symbols, of
which those proceed from the Sacred Species, these from
the Divine Monads; and we are (eikones) Images of the
Sacred essences, but (agalmata) Statues of the unknowr
Symbols. Moreover we must know that every Soul dif
fers from another Soul specifcally, and that there are
several Species of Souls as there are Souls.
CHDlAN ORACL
when thou seest the Terrestrial Damon approach, sacrice the
stone Mnizuris, using Invocation.
The Da:mons that are near the Earth are by Nature'
lying, as being far of from the Divine Knowledge, and
filed with dark Matter. Now if you would have any
true discourse from these, prepare an Altar, and "sacrifice
the Stone Mnisuris: " this Stone hath the power of eva
etng the other greater Da: mon, who, invisibly approach
ing to the material Da:mon, will pronounce the true-'
solution of demands, which he transmits to the demand
ant . The Oracle joineth the evocative Name with the
sacrifcing of the Stone. The Chalda:ans assert some Da:
mons good, others ill; but our Religion defmes theiiL
all to be il, as having by a premeditated defection ex
changed good for il.
Learn the Intell i gible ,for asmuch as it exists beyond the Mind. 4 7
For though all things are comprehended by the Mind,
yet God the first Intelligible exists 'without' or 'beyond
the Mind,' This 'without' you must not understand dis
tantially, nor according to intellectual alterity, but ac
cording to the intelligible excess alone, and the propriety
of the existence, it being without, or beyond all Mind,
whereby the superessential is mainifested. For the first
intelligible Mind is Essence, beyond which is the Self
intelligible. Besides these is God, who i beyond the-
88 JUS
Intelligible, and Self-intelligible: for we assert the Di
vity to be neither intelligible nor self-intelligible, it
being more excellent than all Speech and Notion, so as
that it is wholly unintelligible', and uncxpressible, and
more to be honoured by silence, than reverenced by won
derful expressions. For it is more sublime than to be-
reverenced, spokei, and conceived.
Intelligent Iynges do themselves also understand fom
the Father, IOS
By unspeakable counsels being moved so as to understand.
'Iynges' are certain (Virtues or) Powers, next the Pat
ernal Depth, consisting of three Triads. These understand
according to the Paternal Mind, which containeth their
cause solely in himself. Now the counsels of the Father
i regard of their intelligible sublimity, are not vocal;
but the intellectual marks of abstract things, though un
derstood by secondaries (or inferiors) are understood as
without speaking, and as it were abstracted from intel
ligible prolations. For as the conceptions of Souls, they
understand Intellectual Orders, yet understand them as
immutable: so the acts of the Intellectuals understanding
the Intellectual Signs, understand them as not a vocal
subsisting in unknown Existences.
COMMENTARY ON THE ORACLES BY
PROCLUS fDIADOCHUS]
41o48
5
AD
PROCLUS' EXPOSITION
OF THE ORACLES*
lTERNAL ORDERS ARE THE TEMPLES AND
tions of the Gods, and the paternal order
the all-receptive temple of the Father which
and unites ascending souls. The an
order in a characteristic way leads souls upwards to
cclestial region, 'appearing about the soul,' according
to the Oracle, i. L. illuminating it thoroughly, and caus
ing it to be full of undefiled fre, which imparts to it aiL
immutable and tranquil order and power, but is united
with the light of divine things : this, further, retains it in
its native place, and causes it to be unmixed with matter,
elevating the spirit by heat and raising it on high by
means of the anagogic life. For the heating of the spirit
is the imparting of life. But it is wholly elevated by has
tening into the cclestial region, just as by gravitating
downward it is carried into matter or the region of gen
eratioi. But the end of ascents is the participation of
divine fruits and the filing the soul with divine fire,
which is the contemplation of God, the soul being placed
in the presence of the Father. The soul celebrating di
vine things is perfected, according to the Oracle, placing
before and carrying to the Father the inefable symbols
of the Father, which the Father placed in the soul in the
*translated by Thomas Johnson; appended to Jamblichus Exhortation
to the Study of Philosophy; Osceola, Missouri, 1907.
91
92
JUL
US
frst progression
of essence. f
or such are the
intellectu
al
and invisible hym
s of the
;
scending soul,
awakening
the memory of harmonic rea
s
ons,
which bear the inex
pressible images in
it of the d
i
vine
powers.
The Oracle says
that the d
e
pth of the
soul is its triple
gnostic powers, viz.,
noetic,
J
iano
ctic, and doxastic, but
all the eyes are its
triple gno
st
ic energies. For the
eye is
the symbol of kn
owled
g
e, b
ut
life of desire:
and each of
these is triple-. But the earth
,
from which
it is necessary
that the heart be raised, signi
f
es all material
and mutable
things in
generation, i. e.
,
t
he
terrestrial
life, and
every
corporeal for
m
.
. To which f
o
llows, the Oracle
adds, the
contemplation of the
patern
l monad, the pure joy i
reference to this
contemplati
o
n, and a steady
tranquility
fom this noetic survey. Fro
r
these it is evident. that the
good of this
contemplation i
s mixed from the
apprehen
sion and the joy
which nat
!
ally
accompanies i r-. For
every life having
an energy
v
hich is by
its nature
easily
and quickly liberated is allott
e
d
a connate pleasure. The
hynm of the Father
does no
t
consist of
compound dis
courses nor the
preparation
of sacred
rites. For being
alone incorruptible
he does
not
receive a corruptible-
hymn.. Let us not therefore
imagine that we may per
suade the Master
of true disco
urses by a strange
hurricane
of words,
nor by show or
p

ade adored with artificial

rites: for God
loves the si
o'
ple, unadored
beauty of
form. Let us therefore
conse
c
rate this hymn
to God, viz. ,
an assimilation to
or beco
m
ing like
him: let us leave
CHALDlAN ORACLES
93
the earthly sphere, which is of a transient nature: let us
come to the true end: let us know the Master: let us
love the Father: let us obey the one calling: let us ruiL
to the hot, fying from the cold. Let us become fire: let
us travel through fire-'. We have a quick and easy way
to the ascent to the Father. The Father will guide, point
ing out the ways of fire: let us not fow with the hum
ble stream of Lethe, the river of oblivioiL.
The body is the root of evil, just as the Intellect is the
root of Virtue-'. For Virtue blossoms for souls in the cr
lestial region, but evil comes to souls from the worse, in
the region of matter. The casting into the material reg
ion the evil which is eliminated from our nature, will
enable the soul to go wherever it may aspire. It is now
temporarily allotted to the whole of generation or the
material nature, since evils are here and of necessity re
volve in and around this place-'. And our body is a part
of generation or the sphere of time and sense, but aiL
other part, viz., the soul, is able to act unsubdued by the
power of generation, but cannot conquer the whole of
generation, unless we destroy the being or essence of i r.
Into the material sphere, therefore, we must cast jealousy
and envy, whence the soul drew them.. For material
things have matter as a nurse. And 'the not extinguishing'
or restraining the tendancy of the mind to the worse
does not refer to a mere temporary disappearance-' of it,
just as all the passions which are restrained in a certain
being are contained in it and fil it with their ow hear.
9
4
JUI US
But instead of restraining cast it out, not keeping within
that which is only dammed up. On account of which
the Oracle adds: Do not refle the spirit through that
which is within and hidden. But envy is material: for
it dwells with the privation of goods. And privation co
exists with unproductive matter. But the theurgic race-
is benefcent, and devoted to a zealous imitation of the
goodness of God, but it is not drawn down to the con
tentiousness and enmity of mei. But these passions are
enclosed i souls, imparting to the spirit a certain mater
ial character, and flling it with material privation and
lifelessness.
The soul consisting according to its dianoetic power is
cognoscitive of true or divine beings. But establishing
itself in the intellectual life of its peculiar essence-, it
knows all things by simple and impartible intuitions. As
cending to the one, and folding up and laying aside all
multitude which is in itself, it energizes enthusiastically
and is united to the super-intellectual hyparxis. For every
where the similar is naturally united to the similar: and
every cognition through similitude binds to that which
is known the knower, to the sensible or object of sense
perception the perceptive, to cogita bles the dianoetic, to
the intelligible the noetic: and therefore- also to that
which is prior to intellect the fower of the intellect is
correspondent . For as in other things intellect is not the
highest but the cause superior to intellect, so in souls the
first form of energy is not intellect but that which is
more divine than the intellect. And every soul and every
CHALDJAN ORACLES
intellect have two-fold energies, viz., the unical which
are better than intellection, and the noetic. It is necessary
therefore to apprehend this intelligible, which exists per se,
and the hyparxis, our eyes being closed to all other lives
and powers. For as becoming noeidic we apprehend in
tellect, so becoming uniform we ascend to union, stand
ing on the characteristic summit of intellect,-since even
the eye does not otherwise see the sun than by becoming
solar-formed, but not by the light from fire. Moreover,
it is plain that this intelligible cannot be apprehended by
a reasoning process. But, as the Oracle says, if you apply
your intellect, you will come by intellectual intuitions
into contact with this intelligible, and thus you will ap
prehend it as understanding some particular thing, i. e. ,
you cannot grasp this intelligible by laying hold of it
according to a certain measure of form and knowledge-.
For though such simple intellections may be, they arc-
deprived of the unical simplicity of the intelligible, and
are carried into secondary conditions of the intellect, pro
ceeding into a multitude of intelligible things. For no
object of knowledge is known through or by an inferior
knowledge: neither therefore is that which is super-in
tellect known through intellect. For all at once the intel
lect hurls or projects itself to a certain thing, and pro
nounces that this or that is apprehended, which dictui
is the second from the intelligible-. But if by the flower
of our intellect we apprehend this itelligible, etablished
on the summit of the frst intelligible triad, are we united
by a certain relation to the one which is uncoordinated
with all things, and imparticipable- For if the first
Father is said by the Oracle to hastily withdraw himself
JULANUS
frotlL Intellect and Power, what is that which does not
need that it should thus be withdrawn, but is withdrawn
or isolated from all thigs simply, and is celebrated as the
God of al ? Is this also said by the Oracle in another
place about the Primary Father ? And the frst power of
the sacred reason: what is that which is above this, and
does not participate of this, and is said by the Oracle to
be sacred ? And if the reason shining forth is named by
the Oracle as a more inefable reason, it is necessary that
prior to reason Silence should subsist as a reason or pro
ductive principle, and prior to every sacred reason the-
deifing cause. As therefore beyond the intelligibles are
the reasons or productive pri nciples of intclligibles, things
being united, so the productive principle in them sub
sists from another more inefable unity, though there is
a reason of the Silence prior to intelligibles, but a Si
lence of silent intelligibles. Perhaps, therefore, this flower
of the intellect is not the fower of our whole- soul. But
this, i. e. , the fower of the intellect, is the most unical
of our intellectual life-, and that or the fower of the soul
is the one of all the psychical powers, they being multi
fortlL. For we are not intellect alone, but discursive-
reason and opiion and attention and will, and prior to
these powers we are one essence and many, partible and
impartible. And the one shining forth is twofold: one,
or the fower of the soul being the- first of our powers
the other beig the whole essence of the center and of
the all-various powers about it, but this, i. e., the fower
of the soul, alone unites us to the Father of the intel
ligibles. For the one is intellectual, but this is apprehen
ded by the Pateral Intellect according to the one which
CHAD1A ORCLS
9
1s m 1 t. But the one to which all the phychical powers
verge and in which they unite and center alone naturally
leads us to the principle which is beyond all beings, and
is the unifying power of all that is in us. So that we are
rooted or planted essentially in this Principle, and by
being rooted, even though we may descend from the
intelligible region, we will not be estranged from our
cause.
Philosophy says that a forgetfulness of eteral reasons
is the cause of the departure of the soul from the Gods,
and that a reminiscence of the knowledge of the eteral
reasons or ideas is the cause of the return to them, bur
the Oracles assert that the forgetfulness and reminiscence
of the paternal symbols are respectively the causes of the
departure and returiL. Both statements are in harmony.
For the soul is constituted from intellectual reasons and
divine symbols, of which the former proceed from the
intellectual species, but the latter from the divine unities:
and we are images of the intellectual essences, but statues
of the unknown symbols. And just as every soul is
pleroma of forms, but subsists wholly or simply accord
ing to one cause, thus also it indeed participates of all
symbols, through which it is united to divine things, but
the hyparxis of the soul in the one is separated or divided,
so that every multitude in the soul is lead into one sum
mi t. For it is necessary to know this, viz., that every
soul difers from every other soul according to form or
G
JUIANUS
specifcally, and that there are as many souls as there are
species of souls. For there is first indeed according to
one form a hypostasis of many individual, unical forms
about matter and the composites of beings, there being
one subject nature participating variously of the- same
form: then the essence of the soul is reason and simple
form, and to this extent one soul will difer in no respect
from another essentially, but will difer according to
form: for by character alone will it difer. But it is
form alone. Whence it is evident that every soul, even_
though it is replete to the same degree with the- same
reasons, yet is allotted a form distinct from others, jus t
as the sloar form characterizes the solar soul, and another
form another soul.