The Fullness of God and the Myth of Lethe
God fills all things, without being limited by anything. For he who is not limited by place will be entirely in every place, according to the hymn of David. If it were said that he is outside of any place, it is necessary that he be limited by that which he is fixed to; therefore, becoming whole in all things, he does not move from one place to another while filling all.
The divine is not subject to description by explicit laws and temporal accounts.
But since they clearly know themselves to have been caught here, moving about, they muddy the water of forgetfulness, which they say causes each to forget the births of their own lives. Since these things are mythical and far from philosophy, no one of sound mind seems to be ignorant. For what do we say, O Pythagoreans and Platonists: did you yourselves drink the water that causes forgetfulness after taking it, or on the contrary do you flee it?
Greek
De anima contra philosophos (ap. Joannem Damascenum, Sacra parallela) (fragmenta) ΠΕΡΙ ΨΥΧΗΣ ΚΑΤΑ ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΩΝ 1 Ὁ Θεὸς τὰ πάντα πληροῖ ὑπ' οὐδενὸς περιοριζόμενος· ὁ γὰρ ὑπὸ τόπου μὴ περιοριζόμενος πάντως ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ (∆αυῒδ) ὑμνολογίαν ἔσται· εἰ γὰρ ἔξω λέγοιτο τόπου τινός, ἀνάγκη περιορίζεσθαι αὐτὸν ὑπ' ἐκείνου οὗπερ στερίσκεται· ὅλος οὖν ἐν πᾶσι γινόμενος, οὐδαμῶς ἐξ ἑτέρων εἰς ἑτέρους μεθίσταται τόπους τὰ πάντα πληρῶν. 2 Οὐ νόμων καὶ χρόνων ῥηταῖς τὸ θεῖον ὑπόκειται περιγραφαῖς. 3 Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ σαφῶς ἴσασιν ἁλισκομένους ἐντεῦθεν ἑαυτοὺς, μεταβαλλόμενοι πλάττουσιν τὸ τῆς λήθης ὕδωρ, ὅ φασιν πίνοντας ἑκάστους τὰς τῶν οἰκείων βίων γεννήσεις ἀμνημονεῖν. Ὅτι δὲ ταῦτα μυθώδη καὶ πόρρω φιλοσοφίας ἐστὶν, οὐδεὶς τῶν εὖ φρονούντων ἔοικεν ἀγνοεῖν. Τί γάρ φαμεν, ὦ Πυθαγόραι καὶ Πλάτωνες· αὐτοὶ τὸ ληθοποιὸν ὕδωρ πεπώκατε λαβόντες; ἢ τοὐναντίον ἐφύγετε
About this text
On the Soul against the Philosophers attributed to Eustathius of Antioch.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG 18 Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 18 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.