From the MS. Scholia likewise of Proclus on the Cratylus of Plato, we
derive the following very important information concerning Apollo; in
which the principal powers of the God are unfolded by him with his
usual magnificence of diction, and divine fecundity of conception.
Socrates, therefore, in the Cratylus says, “that there is no other name
[than that of Apollo] which can more harmonize with the four powers of
this God, because it touches upon them all, and evinces in a certain
respect his _harmonic_, _prophetic_, _medicinal_, and _arrow-darting
skill_.” And shortly after he adds, “that the name is so composed that
it touches upon all the powers of the God, viz. his _simplicity_,
_perpetual jaculation_, _purifying_, and _joint-revolving nature_.” On
these words Proclus observes, that very rationally after Proserpine,
Plato analyzes Apollo. For there is a great communion between the Coric
and the Apolloniacal series; since the former is the unity of the
middle triad of the supermundane Gods, and emits from herself vivific
powers; but the latter converts the solar principles to one union;
and the solar principles are allotted a subsistence immediately after
the vivific. Hence, according to Orpheus, when Ceres delivered up the
government to Proserpine, she thus admonished her:
Αυταρ Απολλωνος θαλερον λεχος εισαναβασα,
Τεξεται αγλαα τεκνα πυριφλεγεθοντα προσωποις.[111]
That is,
But next Apollo’s florid bed ascend;
For thus the God fam’d offspring shall beget,
Refulgent with the beams of glowing fire.
But how could this be the case, unless there was a considerable degree
of communion between these divinities?
It is necessary however, to know thus much concerning Apollo, that
according to the first and most natural conception, his name signifies
the cause of union, and that power which collects multitude into one;
and this mode of speculation concerning his name harmonizes with all
the orders of the God. But Socrates alone considers his more partial
powers: for the multitude of the powers of Apollo are not to be
comprehended, nor described by us. For when will man who is merely
rational, be able to comprehend not only all the peculiarities of
Apollo, but all those of any other God? Theologists indeed deliver
to us a great multitude of Apolloniacal peculiarities; but Socrates
now only mentions four of them. For the world is as it were a decad,
being filled from all productive principles, receiving all things in
itself, and being converted to the proper principle of the decad,
of which the tetrad proximately contains the cause, but in an exempt
manner the monad. And the former without separation and occultly, but
the latter with separation; just as Apollo proximately unites the
multitude of mundane natures, but the demiurgic intellect exemptly. Why
then does Socrates use an order of this kind? For beginning from the
_medicinal_ power of the god, and proceeding through his _prophetic_
and _arrow-darting_ powers, he ends in his _harmonic_ power. We
reply, that all the energies of this god, are in all the orders of
beings, beginning from on high and proceeding as far as to the last of
things; but different energies appear to have more or less dominion in
different orders. Thus for instance the _medicinal_ power of Apollo is
most apparent in the sublunary region, for
There slaughter, rage, and countless ills beside,
Disease, decay, and rottenness reside.[112]
And as these are moved in an inordinate manner, they require to be
restored from a condition contrary, into one agreeable to nature, and
from incommensuration and manifold division, into symmetry and union.
But the _prophetic_ energy of the god is most apparent in the
heavens; for there his enunciative power shines forth, unfolding
intelligible good to celestial natures, and on this account he revolves
together with the sun, with whom he participates the same intellect
in common; since the sun also illuminates whatever the heavens
contain, and extends a unifying power to all their parts. But his
_arrow-darting_ energy mostly prevails among the _liberated_
gods; for there ruling over the wholes which the universe contains,
he excites their motions by his rays, which are always assimilated to
arrows, extirpates every thing inordinate, and fills all things with
demiurgic gifts. And though he has a separate and exempt subsistence,
he reaches all things by his energies.
Again, his _harmonic_ power is more predominant in the _ruling
supermundane_ order; for it is this divinity who harmonizing the
universe, establishes about himself according to one union the choir
of the Muses, and produces by this mean as a certain Theurgist says
“_the harmony of exulting light_.” Apollo therefore as we have shown
is _harmonic_, and this is likewise the case with the other Apollos
which are contained in the earth and the other spheres; but this
power appears in some places more, and in others less. These powers
too subsist in the god himself in an united manner, and exempt from
other natures, but in those attendants of the Gods who are superior to
us, divisibly, and according to participation; for there is a great
multitude of medicinal, prophetic, harmonic, and arrow-darting angels,
dæmons, and heroes, suspended from Apollo, who distribute in a partial
manner the uniform powers of the god.
But it is necessary to consider each of these powers according to
one definite characteristic; as for instance, his _harmonic_ power,
according to its binding together separated multitude; his _prophetic_
power according to the enunciative; his _arrow-darting_ power,
according to its being subvertive of an inordinate nature; and his
_medicinal_ power, according to its perfective energy. We should
likewise speculate these characteristics differently in Gods, angels,
dæmons, heroes, men, animals, and plants; for the powers of the Gods
extend from on high to the last of things, and at the same time appear
in an accommodated manner in each; and the telestic (i.e. mystic) art
endeavours through sympathy to conjoin these ultimate participants with
the Gods. But in all these orders we must carefully observe, that this
God is the cause of union to multiplied natures: for his _medicinal_
power, which takes away the _multiform_ nature of disease, imparts
_uniform_ health; since health is symmetry and a subsistence according
to nature, but that which is contrary to nature is multifarious. Thus
too, his _prophetic_ power, which unfolds the simplicity of truth,
takes away the variety of that which is false; but his _arrow-darting_
power, which exterminates every thing furious and wild, but prepares
that which is orderly and gentle to exercise dominion, vindicates
to itself unity, and exterminates a disordered nature tending to
multitude; and his _musical_ power, through rhythm and harmony, places
a bond, friendship and union in _wholes_, and subdues the contraries to
these.
And all these powers indeed, subsist primarily, in an exempt manner,
and uniformly in Jupiter the demiurgus of wholes, but secondarily
and separately in Apollo. Hence Apollo is not the same with the
demiurgic intellect; for this comprehends these powers totally and
paternally, but Apollo with subjection, imitating his father; since
all the energies and powers of secondary Gods, are comprehended in the
demiurgus according to cause. And the demiurgus fabricates and adorns
the universe according to all these powers, and in a collected manner;
but the other deities which proceed from him, co-operate with their
father according to different powers.
Purification however being seen not only in the medicinal, but also
in the prophetic art evinces, that the cathartic power of Apollo
comprehends the two powers: for it illustrates the world with the
glittering splendors of light, and purifies all material immoderation
by Pæonian energies; which physicians and prophets among us imitating,
the former purify bodies, and the latter through sulphureous
preparations render themselves and their associates pure. For, as
Timæus says, the Gods purify the universe, either by fire or water;
and prophets also in this respect imitate the Gods. In the most sacred
of the mysteries too, purifications are employed prior to initiation
into them, in order to take away every thing foreign from the proposed
sacred mystery. We may likewise add, that the referring multiform
purifications to the one cathartic power of the Gods, is adapted to
him. For Apollo every where unites and elevates multitude to _the
one_, and uniformly comprehends all the modes of purification;
purifying all heaven, generation, and all mundane lives, and separating
partial souls from the grossness of matter. Hence the theurgist who is
the leader of the mysteries of this God begins from purifications and
sprinklings:
Αυτος δ’ εν πρωτοις ιερευς πυρος εργα κυβερνων,
Κυματι ραινεσθω παγερῳ βαρυηχετος αλμης.
i.e. “The priest in the first place governing the works of fire,
must sprinkle with the cold water of the loud-sounding sea,” as the
Oracle says concerning him. But the assertion that the God presides
over simplicity according to knowledge, and unfolds truth into
light, presents him to our view as analogous to _the good_, which
Socrates celebrates in the Republic; in which place he calls the sun
the progeny of _the good_, and says that the former is analogous to
the latter. Apollo therefore being the source of union, and this to
the mundane Gods, is arranged analogous to _the good_; and through
_truth_, he unfolds to us his similitude to it, if it be lawful so to
speak. For _the simple_ is a manifestation of _the one_, and the truth
which subsists according to knowledge is a luminous representation of
superessential truth, which first proceeds from _the good_. But _the
perpetually prevailing might of the God in the jaculation of arrows_,
evinces his dominion which vanquishes every thing in the world. For on
high from the supercelestial order, he scatters the rivers of Jupiter,
and pours his rays on the whole world: for his arrows obscurely signify
his rays. Again, the assertion that he presides over music, represents
to us that this God is the cause of all harmony, both unapparent and
apparent, through his ruling supermundane powers, according to which
he generates together with Mnemosyne and Jupiter, the Muses. But he
orderly disposes every thing sensible by his _demiurgic powers_, which
the sons of _theurgists_ denominate _hands_; since the energy of
the harmony of sounds is suspended from the motion of the hands. He
likewise orderly disposes souls and bodies through harmonic reasons,
using their different powers as if they were sounds; and he moves all
things harmoniously and rythmically by his demiurgic motions. The
whole of the celestial order too, and motion, exhibit the harmonious
work of the God; on which account also, partial souls are no otherwise
perfected than through an harmonic similitude to the universe, and
abandoning the dissonance arising from generation; for then they obtain
the most excellent life, which is proposed to them by the God.