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Diotimos Library · Greek Antiquity Collection · Bilingual Edition

John Stobaeus

Stobaeus, Volume I

Greek with an independent English translation.

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Stobaeus, Volume IBook I Chapter 6 · I.6.17a.1–I.6.17a.2

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Book I Chapter 6 · I.6.17a.1–I.6.17a.2

Ancient Greek

p. 202

17a ⟨Ἀετίου, Περὶ ἀρεσκόντων⟩

I.6.17a.1

Ἀριστοτέλης διαφέρειν τῆς τύχης τὸ αὐτόματον· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τύχης καὶ τοῦ αὐτομάτου εἶναι ἐν τοῖς πρακτέοις πάντως· τὸ δ’ αὐτόματον οὐκ ἀπὸ τύχης, ἐν γὰρ τοῖς ἔξω πράξεως· καὶ τὴν μὲν τύχην τῶν λογικῶν, τὸ δ’ αὐτόματον καὶ τῶν λογικῶν καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων καὶ ἀψύχων· καὶ τὴν μὲν τύχην προαιρέσεως συμβαίνειν, τὸ δ’ αὐτόματον ἀπροαιρέτως· καὶ τὴν μὲν τινος ὑπάρχοντος γίγνεσθαι, τὸ δὲ ἀλόγως, μηδενὸς ἔξω βουληθέντος.

17a ⟨Ἀετίου⟩· συνέχεια

I.6.17a.2

Πλάτων τὴν τύχην ἀπεφαίνετο αἰτίαν ἐν ἀπροαιρέτοις κατὰ συμβεβηκὸς καὶ παρακολούθημα καὶ σύμπτωμα, καὶ προαιρέσεως κατὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸ τέλος πρόθεσιν ἐναλλακτικὴν σχέσιν.

202

Stobaeus, Volume I: Book I Chapter 6

p. 203

17a ⟨Aëtius, Opinions⟩: Aristotle

I.6.17a.1

Aristotle says that spontaneous occurrence differs from chance. What happens by chance belongs also to spontaneous occurrence and lies entirely within the sphere of action; spontaneous occurrence, however, is not necessarily by chance, since it also takes place outside action. Chance belongs to rational beings, whereas spontaneous occurrence belongs to rational beings, irrational beings, and inanimate things alike. Chance accompanies deliberate choice, whereas spontaneous occurrence takes place without choice. The former occurs when something is already in place; the latter without a rational plan, with nothing outside having willed it.224

17a ⟨Aëtius⟩, continued: Plato

I.6.17a.2

Plato declared chance to be an incidental cause in things not chosen, an accompaniment and a coincidence, and an altered relation of choice with respect to the intention directed toward the end.225

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About This Reading Edition

Stobaeus gathered Greek philosophy and poetry for his son Septimius. Volume I presents the dedication testimony, On Arithmetic, Book I through chapter 60, and the ancient contents of all four books. This complete bilingual edition includes an introduction and 2,117 explanatory notes.

Historical Text and Translation

The Greek follows Curt Wachsmuth’s 1884 Volume I, checked against the supplied scan. Gaps, lost-chapter headings, and uncertain attributions remain visible. Chapter 2 includes a labeled proposed reconstruction. The appendix outlines Books I–IV; the full texts of Books II–IV are outside this volume. Reader pages preserve the companion PDF’s numbering.

About Diotimos Editions

Diotimos Editions prepared this independent English translation directly from the Greek. Prose and verse retain their distinct forms, with mixed passages preserving their quoted verse. Every passage is paired with its Greek and identified by the edition’s reference number. All 2,117 notes remain linked to their passages, with continuous numbering across the introduction and text.

Rights

Stobaeus’s ancient Greek work and Wachsmuth’s 1884 printing are in the public domain. The independent English translation, introduction, and explanatory notes are © 2026 Diotimos Editions. The complete supplied edition is available as PDF, EPUB, Word, and Markdown. The PDF retains the fixed page locations used by the companion lexicon.