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Calcidius on God* Gretchen Reydams-Schils (University of Notre Dame) In his 4th c. AD Latin commentary on the Timaeus, Calcidius very cleverly uses structuring devices from Plato’s original to arrange his exposition. Thus a crucial junction in the commentary, as in the Timaeus (47e), is the distinction between ‘the works of reason’ and those ‘of necessity,’ which introduces the third main part of Calcidius’ exposition: his discussion of matter (ch. 268). This is how Calcidius renders Plato’s text: (1) Ch. 268 Since, apart from a few exceptions, we have considered all that the insight of the provident mind has wrought, we have now to speak of the role of necessity (trans. van Winden, modified). Nunc quoniam cuncta exceptis admodum paucis executi sumus, quae providae mentis intellectus instituit, oportet de illis etiam quae necessitas invexit dicere. In his commentary on this passage Calcidius attributes the mens provida to god (dei), and he uses providus a third time in the space of a couple lines (providis rationibus, see also, in a passage attributed to Numenius, fr. 52 des Places, 298.16 Waszink). Divine Providence hence looms large in Calcidius’ rendering, whereas there is no trace of this notion in the Greek counterpart. In Plato’s phrase ‘the works of reason’ (or, as in Zeyl’s translation, ‘what has been crafted by Intellect,’ τὰ διὰ νοῦ δεδημιουργημένα), nous is rather underdetermined : whose nous? Presumably the Demiurge’s. And how is this nous related to divine agency and providence? These questions, of course, loom large in the ancient commentaries and reflections on the Timaeus. Plato’s Demiurge is good and cares for the universe by maintaining it and making it as perfect as possible, but the notion of Providence as such does not play a major role in the Timaeus. Plato mentions it once when he says * I would like to thank the organizers of the conference, and Mauro Bonazzi in particular, as well as Michele Abbate, Fred Brenk, Francesca Calabi, Carlos Lévy, Jaap Mansfeld, and Carlos Steel for their questions and suggestions in the discussion , and Béatrice Bakhouche for previous exchanges on this topic. 244 GRETCHEN REYDAMS-SCHILS that the world was endowed with soul and nous as a result of divine providence (30c1), a benevolent attitude which the younger gods will imitate in their actions (44c7, 45b1). After all, there are aspects of the physical universe which Plato’s Demiurge cannot transform. For Calcidius, by contrast, divine providence is central, and as I have argued elsewhere, in this respect he betrays a very strong Stoic influence.1 Calcidius has a cascading view of providence; it is anchored in the Demiurge, but this care for the world is passed along by other rational souls, namely, the World Soul, the so-called ‘younger gods’ of the Timaeus, good demons, as well as human beings. In order to get a better sense of what Calcidius means by the ‘provident mind of god’ specifically, though, we need to turn next to a more comprehensive assessment of his view of the divine. I Exhibit A consists of two passages from Calcidius’ exposition on fate that have drawn larger scholarly attention: (2) Ch. 176 In the first place all things and the world itself are held together and ruled principally by the highest god, who is the supreme Good, beyond all substance and all nature, above appraisal and understanding, after whom all things seek, whereas himself he possesses full perfection and does not need any fellowship; to say more about him would cause a deviation from the course of my subject. In the second place things are ruled by providence, which has the second eminence after that supreme god and which the Greeks call nous; this is an intelligible essence, which emulates the goodness of the highest god because of its unwearied turning to him, from whom it has a draught of goodness, by which it is as much adorned itself as other things, which are embellished on his personal authority. Therefore this will of god, because it is a wise guardianship of all things, is called providence by mankind, which name is not used, as most people think, because of its anticipation in seeing and understanding future events, but because it is characteristic of the divine mind to understand, which is the characteristic act of mind. And god’s mind is eternal: so god’s mind is the eternal activity of understanding. 1 For the edition of Calcidius, cf. Waszink (1962). (All references to Calcidius are...

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