Ocellus Lucanus: On the Nature of the Universe. Taurus, the Platonic Philosoher, on the Eternity of the World. Julius Firmicus Maternus

by Thomas Taylor, Proclus, Julius Firmicus Maternus

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118 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1831

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database

Thomas Taylor was an English translator and Neoplatonist, the first to translate into English the complete works of Aristotle and of Plato, as well as the Orphic fragments. He published prolifically for over 50 years.

Reviews

[Per · Rating 4 out of 5]

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This collection of translations and notes by Thomas Taylor includes the full text of On the Nature of the Universe by Ocellus Lucanus as well as extracts from On the Eternity of the World by Taurus the Platonic Philosopher, Of the Thema Mundi by Julius Firmicus Maternus, Select Theorems of the Perpetuity of Time by Proclus and copious notes from Thomas Taylor with quotes from further ancient philosophers.

The focus is on the eternal question of whether the world and the universe has been created, or if it was always existing.

For science, truly so called, is, as Aristotle accurately defines it to be, the knowledge of things eternal, and which have a necessary existence. Hence it has for its basis universals, and not particulars; since the former are definite, immutable, and real; but the latter are indefinite, are so incessantly changing, that they are not for a moment the same, and are so destitute of reality, that, in the language of the great Plotinus, they may be said to be "shadows falling upon shadow, like images in water, or in a mirror, or a dream."

Besides giving the answer to the eternal question, the cosmology leading to hot/cold/dry/moist and fire/air/water/earth is explained.

In that part of the world, however, in which nature and generation predominate, it is necessary that the three following things should be present. In the first place, the body which yields to the touch, and which is the subject of all generated natures. [...] Hence matter (or a universal recipient) is necessary to the existence of generation.
The second thing which is necessary, is the existence of contrarieties, in order that mutations and changes in quality may be effected, matter for this purpose receiving passive qualities, and an aptitude to the participation of forms. [...] these powers are the hot and the cold, the dry and the moist.
Essences rank in the third place; and these are fire and water, air and earth, of which the hot and the cold, the dry and the moist, are powers.

N.B. According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocellus..., a pseudepigraphic work, "On the Nature of the Universe", was attributed to him, and the citation of its author nowadays appears as Pseudo-Ocellus Lucanus. Make of that what you will, Thomas Taylor makes a good case for the work to be authentic; either which way, the text is interesting in its own right.

My clippings: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s2/sh/...

[Nick McDowell]

Due to the zany character of astrological texts and the consistent desire for astrologers to coach their beliefs in ancient world mythology, it can be difficult to tell if an astrological text was penned in 200 AD by the best educated men of that epoch, or in 1983 by a man licking the precious lost driblets of LSD off of discovered blotter paper, not remembering that it is actually just tissue left in the place where he had cut himself shaving the day before.

Why did they cancel Happy Days?

This is actually a great text, penned in the nadir (read: Fat Elvis Years) of the Western Roman Empire. The author of Therma Mundi, Julius Firmicus Maternus, had two beliefs. Astrology, then orientated firmly in the direction of paganism, and Christianity, an upstart religion with cosmology that was not yet agreed upon. He took it upon himself to try and steer astrology into a Christian harbor, and reconcile the two. This includes such dizzying tasks as figuring out what the orientation of the stars must have been during Noah's deluge and whether or not the Age of Gemini is related to the earliest minutes of the old testament.

The best part of Therma Mundi by far was when it is postulated what it must have been like to be a devout ancient Egyptian at a turning point in its history, when its religion, its language, and every aspect of its culture is about to be supplanted by a new world wide force. Likely reflecting Julius' own position, as he watched the religions of the old world gutter towards obscurity.

I find the study of astrology more tedious than other mythologies, but that doesnt make the book bad in and of it self. I award Therma Mundi a positive rating, however I don't need to give it any stars, as they can speak for themselves.