On the Psychē by Themistius the Philosopher

Name: On the Psychē
Author: Themistius the Philosopher

Period: Ὀψιμαρχαία Late Antique

Dialect: Ἀττική Attic

Domain: Ῥητορική Oratory

Domain: Φιλοσοφία Philosophy

Genre: Ἐπιδεικτικός Epideictic

Genre: Λόγος Speech

Affiliation: Eclectic

Themistius’s On the Soul is a fourth-century CE philosophical treatise that provides a systematic paraphrase and commentary on Aristotle’s foundational work of the same name. Written in Greek by the prominent Constantinopolitan philosopher and statesman Themistius, it aims to elucidate Aristotle’s complex investigation into the nature of psychē for pedagogical purposes. The work meticulously follows the structure of Aristotle’s three books, examining the ousia of psychē, sensation, and nous—and its relationship to the body. As a key document of the late-antique revival of Aristotelian thought, it engages with prior interpretations and reflects the intellectual milieu where Aristotelian and Neoplatonic ideas converged, serving as an advanced textbook for students and scholars.

The treatise survives in its complete form and exerted a profound influence through its transmission. Preserved in Greek manuscripts, it was translated into Arabic in the ninth century, where it became a crucial text for Islamic philosophers. Its subsequent translation into Hebrew and, during the Renaissance, into Latin ensured its continued study in Europe, offering a significant alternative to other medieval interpretations of Aristotle’s psychology.

Themistius the Philosopher On the Psychē in Greek in PDF

Themistius the Philosopher On the Psychē in Greek in MD

Ἰωάννης ὁ Στοβαῖος ΘΕΜΙΣΤΙΟΥ ΕΚ ΤΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΨΥΧΗΣ

Εἰ μὲν οὖν ὀρθῶς ἐπὶ Πλάτωνος εἶπε Διογένης «τί δαὶ ὄφελος ἡμῖν ἀνδρός, ὃς πολὺν ἤδη χρόνον φιλοσοφῶν οὐδένα λελύπηκεν;» ἕτεροι κρινοῦσιν. ἴσως γὰρ ὡς τὸ μέλι δεῖ καὶ τὸν λόγον τοῦ φιλοσόφου τὸ γλυκὺ δηκτικὸν ἔχειν τῶν ἡλκωμένων.

Ἰωάννης ὁ Στοβαῖος ΘΕΜΙΣΤΙΟΥ ΕΚ ΤΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΨΥΧΗΣ

Ἀλλʼ οὖν μάλιστα διψῶν ἀπέθανεν τῆς γυναικός, ἐρῶν ἐρώσης ἀπολειπόμενος ... οὐθὲν εἰπεῖν οὔτε ποιῆσαι πρὸς αὐτὴν ἰταμὸν ἐτόλμησαν· ἀλλʼ οὕτως ἐνεκαρτέρησαν ἀμφότεροι τῷ πρέποντι, ὥσπερ ἀποδείξασθαι θέλοντες ὅτι πλεῖστον αἰδοῦς ἔρωτι δικαίῳ μέτεστιν· ὅθεν ἔμοιγε πλεῖστον αὐτῇ φαίνεται χρόνον ἀνὴρ συμβεβιωκέναι. πάντα γὰρ διόλου τὸν δεκαετῆ χρόνον ὁμαλῶς συνεβίωσεν. αἱ δὲ ἄλλαι συνοικοῦσιν οὐ συμβιοῦσιν, ὅταν λυπῶσι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἢ ζηλοτυπῶσιν ἢ διαφέρωνται περὶ χρημάτων ἢ κακῶς λέγωσιν ἢ φεύγωσι θρυπτόμεναι τὰς φιλοφροσύνας καὶ συνδιαιτήσεις· ὥστε ἂν τοῦτον ἐξαιρῇς τὸν χρόνον ἐν ᾧ ταῦτα πράττουσιν, ἀπολείπεται βραχὺς ἐκεῖνος ὁ τῆς συμβιώσεως.

Ἰωάννης ὁ Στοβαῖος ΕΚ ΤΟΥ ΘΕΜΙΣΤΙΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΨΥΧΗΣ

Καίτοι περί γε τῶν γερόντων ὁ Σοφοκλῆς εἴρηκε χαριέντως· σμικρὰ παλαιὰ σώματʼ εὐνάζει ῥοπή. καταγωγῇ γὰρ ἔοικεν ὁ γεροντικὸς θάνατος, ἐκβολὴ δὲ καὶ ναυάγιόν ἐστιν ὁ τῶν νέων· ἐκπίπτει γὰρ ἡ ψυχὴ βίᾳ συντριβομένου τοῦ σώματος.

Ἰωάννης ὁ Στοβαῖος ΘΕΜΙΣΤΙΟΥ ΕΚ ΤΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΨΥΧΗΣ

Ὅπου τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς στοᾶς φιλόσοφον Ἀντίπατρον ἀποθνήσκοντα λέγουσιν ἐν εὐτυχήματος μέρει διακεῖσθαι καὶ τὴν ἐκ Κιλικίας αὐτῷ γενομένην εἰς Ἀθήνας εὔπλοιαν.

On the Psychē by Themistius the Philosopher

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