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ὅθεν οὐκ ἀπὸ τρόπου μυθολογοῦσι τὴν Ὀσίριδος ψυχὴν ἀίδιον εἶναι καὶ
ἄφθαρτον, τὸ δὲ σῶμα πολλάκις διασπᾶν καὶ ἀφανίζειν τὸν Τυφῶνα: τὴν δ᾽
Ἶσιν πλανωμένην καὶ ζητεῖν 1 καὶ συναρμόττειν πάλιν. τὸ γὰρ ὂν καὶ
νοητὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν φθορᾶς καὶ μεταβολῆς
κρεῖττόν ἐστιν: ἃς 2 δ᾽ ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ τὸ αἰσθητὸν καὶ σωματικὸν εἰκόνας
ἐκμάττεται , καὶ λόγους καὶ εἴδη καὶ ὁμοιότητας ἀναλαμβάνει, καθάπερ ἐν
κηρῷ σφραγῖδες οὐκ ἀεὶ διαμένουσιν, ἀλλὰ καταλαμβάνει τὸ ἄτακτον αὐτὰς
καὶ ταραχῶδες ἐνταῦθα
τῆς ἄνω χώρας
ἀπεληλαμένον καὶ μαχόμενον πρὸς τὸν Ὧρον, ὃν ἡ Ἶσις εἰκόνα τοῦ
νοητοῦ κόσμου αἰσθητὸν 3 ὄντα γεννᾷ. διὸ καὶ δίκην φεύγειν λέγεται
νοθείας ὑπὸ Τυφῶνος, ὡς οὐκ ὢν καθαρὸς οὐδ᾽ εἰλικρινὴς οἷος ὁ πατήρ,
λόγος αὐτὸς καθ᾽ ἑαυτὸν ἀμιγὴς καὶ ἀπαθής,
ἀλλὰ νενοθευμένος τῇ ὕλῃ διὰ τὸ σωματικόν. περιγίγνεται δὲ καὶ νικᾷ, 4
τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ, τουτέστι τοῦ λόγου, μαρτυροῦντος καὶ δεικνύοντος, ὅτι πρὸς
τὸ νοητὸν ἡ φύσις μετασχηματιζομένη τὸν κόσμον ἀποδίδωσιν. ἡ μὲν γάρ,
ἔτι τῶν θεῶν ἐν γαστρὶ τῆς: Ῥέας ὄντων,
ἐξ Ἴσιδος καὶ Ὀσίριδος γενομένη γένεσις Ἀπόλλωνος αἰνίττεται ,,τὸ [p. 529]
πρὶν ἐκφανῆ γενέσθαι
τόνδε τὸν κόσμον καὶ συντελεσθῆναι τῷ λόγῳ 5 τὴν ὕλην, τὴν φύσιν 6
ἐλεγχομένην ἐφ᾽ αὑτῆς 7 ἀτελῆ τὴν πρώτην γένεσιν ἐξενεγκεῖν. διὸ καί φασι
τὸν θεὸν ἐκεῖνον ἀνάπηρον ὑπὸ σκότῳ
γενέσθαι, καὶ πρεσβύτερον Ὧρον καλοῦσιν οὐ γὰρ ἦν κόσμος, ἀλλ᾽
εἴδωλόν τι καὶ κόσμου φάντασμα μέλλοντος.
Plutarch. Moralia. Gregorius N. Bernardakis. Leipzig. Teubner. 1889. 2.
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