Epinomis

Name: Epinomis
Author: Plato

Ancient Greek with an independent English translation.

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EpinomisEpinomis · 986a–986e

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Epinomis · 986a–986e

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Ancient Greek

p. 34

ΑΘ. Ἴστε ὀκτὼ δυνάμεις τῶν περὶ ὅλον οὐρανὸν γεγονυίας ἀδελφὰς ἀλλήλων, ὧν καθεώρακα ἐγώ—καὶ οὐδὲν μέγα διαπέ986bπραγμαι· ῥᾴδιον γὰρ καὶ ἑτέρῳ—τούτων δ’ εἰσὶ τρεῖς αὗται, μία μὲν ἡλίου, μία δὲ σελήνης, μία δὲ τῶν [πλανητῶν] ἄστρων ὧν ἐμνήσθημεν ὀλίγον ἔμπροσθεν, πέντε δὲ ἕτεραι. ταύτας δὴ πάσας καὶ τούτους τοὺς ἐν ταύταισιν εἴτε αὐτοὺς ἰόντας εἴτε φερομένους ἐν ὀχήμασι πορεύεσθαι ταύτῃ, μηδεὶς ἄλλως ποτὲ νομίσῃ πάντων ἡμῶν ὡς οἱ μὲν θεοί εἰσιν αὐτῶν, οἱ δ’ οὔ, μηδ’ ὡς οἱ μὲν γνήσιοι, οἱ δὲ τοιοῦτοί τινες οἵους οὐδὲ θέμις εἰπεῖν ἡμῶν οὐδενί, πάντες δὲ δὴ πάντας λέγωμέν τε καὶ 986c φῶμεν ἀδελφούς τ’ εἶναι καὶ ἐν ἀδελφαῖς μοίραις, καὶ τιμὰς ἀποδιδῶμεν μὴ τῷ μὲν ἐνιαυτόν, τῷ δὲ μῆνα, τοῖς δὲ μήτε τινὰ μοῖραν τάττωμεν μήτε τινὰ χρόνον ἐν ᾧ διεξέρχεται τὸν αὑτοῦ πόλον, συναποτελῶν κόσμον ὃν ἔταξεν λόγος ὁ πάντων θειότατος ὁρατόν· ὃν ὁ μὲν εὐδαίμων πρῶτον μὲν ἐθαύμασεν, ἔπειτα δὲ ἔρωτα ἔσχεν τοῦ καταμαθεῖν ὁπόσα θνητῇ φύσει δυνατά, ἡγούμενος ἄρισθ’ οὕτως εὐτυχέστατά τε 986d διάξειν τὸν βίον τελευτήσας τε εἰς τόπους ἥξειν προσήκοντας ἀρετῇ, καὶ μεμυημένος ἀληθῶς τε καὶ ὄντως, μεταλαβὼν φρονήσεως εἷς ὢν μιᾶς, τὸν ἐπίλοιπον χρόνον θεωρὸς τῶν καλλίστων γενόμενος, ὅσα κατ’ ὄψιν, διατελεῖ. νῦν δὴ τὸ μετὰ τοῦθ’ ἡμῖν λοιπὸν λέγειν ὅσοι τ’ εἰσίν, καὶ τίνες· οὐ γὰρ 986e μήποτε φανῶμεν ψευδεῖς. βεβαίως δὴ διισχυρίζομαι τό γε τοσοῦτον. λέγω γὰρ πάλιν ὀκτὼ μὲν εἶναι, τῶν δὲ ὀκτὼ τρεῖς μὲν εἰρῆσθαι, πέντε δ’ ἔτι λοιπάς. ἡ τετάρτη δὲ φορὰ καὶ διέξοδος ἅμα καὶ πέμπτη τάχει μὲν ἡλίῳ σχεδὸν ἴση, καὶ οὔτε βραδυτέρα οὔτε θάττων τό γ’ ἐπίπαν. δεῖ τούτων τριῶν ὄντων τὸν νοῦν ἱκανὸν ἔχοντα ἡγεῖσθαι. λέγωμεν δὴ ταύτας ἡλίου τ’ εἶναι καὶ ἑωσφόρου, καὶ τρίτου—ὡς μὲν ὀνόματι φράζειν οὐκ ἔστιν διὰ τὸ μὴ γιγνώσκεσθαι, τούτου δ’ αἴτιος ὁ πρῶτος ταῦτα κατιδὼν βάρβαρος ὤν· παλαιὸς γὰρ δὴ

Epinomis

p. 35

Ath. Know that there are eight powers of the things about the whole heaven, born sisters of one another, which I have seen — and I have accomplished nothing great, 986b for it is easy for another too — and of these, these are three: one of the sun, one of the moon, and one of the stars that we mentioned a little before,¹ and five others. All these, then, and those that are in them, as they travel this way, whether they go of themselves or are carried along in vehicles: let none of us all ever hold otherwise, that some of them are gods and others not, nor that some are true-born and others of such a sort as it is not permitted for any of us even to say; but let us all speak and 986c say that they are all brothers and in sister portions, and let us render them honors, not to one a year and to another a month, while to others we assign neither any portion nor any time in which it goes through its own orbit, helping to complete the cosmos that reason, the most divine of all, set in order to be visible. The happy man first wonders at it, and then he comes to have a love of learning thoroughly as much as is possible for mortal nature, thinking that in this way he 986d will pass his life best and most fortunately, and, when he has died, will come to places that belong to virtue; and, initiated² truly and really, having had a share, being one, in one intelligence, he continues for the rest of time as a contemplator of the finest things, as many as there are for sight. Now, then, what remains for us after this is to say how many they are, and which; for 986e we shall never appear false. I affirm this much, at least, firmly. For I say again that they are eight, and that of the eight three have been spoken of, and five are still left. The fourth motion and course, and the fifth along with it, are in speed very nearly equal to the sun, and neither slower nor faster, on the whole. The one that has sense good enough must lead these, which are three.³ Let us say, then, that these are the sun’s and the Dawn-bringer’s,⁴ and a third’s — which it is not possible to declare by a name, because it is not known; and the cause of this is the first to observe these things, being a barbarian; for indeed an ancient

About This Reading Edition

The complete Epinomis, 973a–992e: the Athenian stranger, Clinias, and Megillus examine wisdom, number, the soul, and the ordered heavens. Burnet’s Greek faces a new Diotimos Editions English translation, with an introduction, key words, outline, glossary, critical apparatus, and linked translator notes. Transmitted under Plato’s name, the dialogue’s authorship is disputed; the supplied Introduction presents the question without deciding it.

Historical Text and Translation

Greek: Epinomis, transmitted under Plato’s name, with disputed authorship, in John Burnet, Platonis Opera, volume V, part II (Oxford, 1907; a later impression printed by John Johnson, issued 1936–1945). The words were taken from the Perseus Digital Library transcription and checked against the printed pages by the supplied edition; Burnet’s lineation and critical apparatus are retained. The digital Greek transcription and its modifications are attributed to the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, under CC BY-SA 4.0. English translation and editorial matter: Diotimos Editions, 2026.

About Diotimos Editions

This historical edition credits Diotimos Editions as its English translator.

Rights

The ancient Greek work and Burnet’s printed edition are in the public domain. The Perseus digital Greek transcription and its modifications are reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. The new English translation and editorial matter are credited to Diotimos Editions, 2026; no open license is stated in the supplied edition.