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| Pythagoras' Astronomic System.
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Chapter
XXIII.—Pythagoras’ Astronomic System.
These, then, and such like assertions, the
Pythagoreans put forward; and the heretics, imitating these, are
supposed by some to utter important truths. The Pythagorean
system, however, lays down that the Creator of all alleged existences
is the Great Geometrician and Calculator—a sun; and that this one
has been fixed in the whole world, just as in the bodies a soul,
according to the statement of Plato. For the sun (being of the
nature of) fire,670
| 670 The text
seems doubtful. Some would read, “The sun is (to be
compared with) soul, and the moon with body.” | resembles the
soul, but the earth (resembles the) body. And, separated from
fire, there would be nothing visible, nor would there be any object of
touch without something solid; but not any solid body exists without
earth. Whence the Deity, locating air in the midst, fashioned the
body of the universe out of fire and earth. And the Sun, he says,
calculates and geometrically measures the world in some such manner as
the following: The world is a unity cognizable by sense; and
concerning this (world) we now make these assertions. But one who
is an adept in the science of numbers, and a geometrician, has divided
it into twelve parts. And the names of these parts are as
follow: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra,
Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces. Again, he
divides each of the twelve parts into thirty parts, and these are days
of the month. Again, he divides each part of the thirty parts
into sixty small divisions, and (each) of these small (divisions) he
subdivides into minute portions, and (these again) into portions still
more minute. And always doing this, and not intermitting, but
collecting from these divided portions (an aggregate), and constituting
it a year; and again resolving and dividing the compound, (the sun)
completely finishes the great and everlasting world.671
| 671
Or, “completes the great year of the world” (see book
iv. chap. vii. of The Refutation). | E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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