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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 49 · I.49.45.1–I.49.45.2

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Book I Chapter 49 · I.49.45.1–I.49.45.2

Ancient Greek

p. 1318

45.1

I.49.45.1

Ἐν ταὐτῷ. “Σὺ δέ, ὦ παῖ μεγαλόψυχε, εἴ τι θέλεις ἕτερον, ἐπερώτα.” Καὶ εἶπεν Ὧρος· “Ὦ πολυτίμητε μῆτερ, εἰδῆσαι θέλω, πῶς γίγνονται βασιλικαὶ ψυχαί;” Καὶ εἶπεν Ἶσις· “Ἡ γιγνομένη, τέκνον Ὧρε, περὶ τὰς βασιλικὰς ψυχὰς διαφορὰ τοιαύτη τίς ἐστιν.

45.2

I.49.45.2

Ἐπεὶ γὰρ τόποι τέσσαρές εἰσιν ἐν τῷ παντὶ οἵτινες ἀπαραβάτῳ νόμῳ καὶ προστασίᾳ ὑποπίπτουσιν, ὅ τε οὐρανὸς καὶ ⟨ὁ⟩ αἰθὴρ καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ καὶ ἡ ἱερωτάτη γῆ, [καὶ] ἄνω μέν, ὦ τέκνον, ἐν οὐρανῷ θεοὶ κατοικοῦσιν, ὧν ἄρχει μετὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πάντων ὁ τῶν ὅλων δημιουργός· ἐν δὲ τῷ αἰθέρι ἀστέρες, ὧν ἄρχει ὁ μέγας φωστὴρ ἥλιος· ἐν δὲ τῷ ἀέρι ψυχαὶ δαιμόνιαι, ὧν ἄρχει σελήνη· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς γῆς ἄνθρωποι καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ζῷα, ὧν ἄρχει ὁ κατὰ καιρὸν γενόμενος βασιλεύς.

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Stobaeus, Volume I: Book I Chapter 49

p. 1319

45.1 · From the same work: royal souls

I.49.45.1

From the same work. “And you, child of great spirit, if there is anything else you wish, ask.” Horus said, “Mother held in great honor, I wish to know: how do souls become royal?” Isis replied: “The distinction that arises concerning royal souls, my child Horus, is something of this kind.1594

45.2 · The four regions and their rulers

I.49.45.2

For there are four regions in the universe subject to inviolable law and governance: heaven, ⟨the⟩ aether, air, and most sacred earth. [And] above, my child, gods dwell in heaven; the maker of the whole rules them, together with all other things. In the aether are stars, ruled by the great luminary, the Sun. In the air are daimonic souls, ruled by the Moon. Upon earth are human beings and the other animals, ruled by the king who comes to power at the appointed time.1595

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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.