Diotimos Library · Greek Antiquity Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Facing Pages · Branch 73 of 879
Book I Chapter 3 · I.3.55b.3–I.3.55c.1
Ancient Greek
p. 14255b Τοῦ αὐτοῦ (γʹ)
Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ξυγκεχωρήκαμεν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς εἶναι τὸν οὐρανὸν μεστὸν μὲν πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν, πολλῶν δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων, πλειόνων δὲ τῶν μή, μάχη δή, φαμέν, ἀθάνατός ἐστιν ἡ τοιαύτη καὶ φυλακῆς θαυμαστῆς δεομένη. Ξύμμαχοι δ’ ἡμῖν θεοί τε ἅμα καὶ δαίμονες· ἡμεῖς δὲ αὖ κτήματα θεῶν καὶ δαιμόνων· φθείρει δ’ ἡμᾶς ἀδικία καὶ ὕβρις μετὰ ἀφροσύνης, σῴζει δὲ δικαιοσύνη καὶ σωφροσύνη μετὰ φρονήσεως, ἐν ταῖς τῶν θεῶν ἐμψύχοις οἰκοῦσαι δυνάμεσιν.
55c Ἐν ταὐτῷ (αʹ)
Τίσιν οὖν δὴ τῶν προρρηθέντων ἀπεικάζων ὁμοίους εἶναι φύλακας θεοὺς οὐκ ἂν καταγέλαστος γίγνοιτο ἀνθρώπων ὁστισοῦν; πότερον κυβερνήταις, λοιβῇ τε οἴνου κνίση τε παρατρεπομένοις αὐτοῖς, ἀνατρέπουσι δὲ ναῦς τε καὶ ναύτας; — Μηδαμῶς.
— Ἀλλ’ οὔτι μὴν ἡνιόχοις ἐν ἁμίλλῃ ξυντεταγμένοις, πεισθεῖσιν ὑπὸ δωρεᾶς τὴν νίκην ἑτέροις ζεύγεσι προδοῦναι. — Δεινὴν γὰρ εἰκόνα λέγοις ἄν, λέγων τοῦτον τὸν λόγον.
— Οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ στρατηγοῖς γε οὐδὲ ἰατροῖς οὐδὲ γεωργοῖς· οὐδὲ νομεῦσί μὴν οὐδέ τισι κυσὶ κεκηλημένοις ὑπὸ λύκων. — Εὐφήμει. Πῶς γὰρ ἄν;
Stobaeus, Volume I: Book I Chapter 3
p. 14355b The same author (3)
“For since we have agreed among ourselves that heaven is full of many good things and many of their opposites, with those that are not good more numerous, we say that such a battle is unending and requires extraordinary vigilance. Gods and divine spirits are our allies, while we in turn are the possessions of gods and divine spirits. Injustice and insolence joined with folly destroy us; justice and self-restraint joined with understanding save us, dwelling in the ensouled powers of the gods.”150
55c In the same work (1)
“Which of those just mentioned could anyone compare to the gods as guardians without becoming ridiculous? Helmsmen, perhaps, who are themselves swayed by libations of wine and the savor of burnt offerings, and so overturn ships and sailors?” “Certainly not.”151
“Nor surely charioteers lined up for a race who are persuaded by a gift to betray the victory to other teams.” “That would be a terrible image to use.”
“Nor generals, physicians, or farmers; nor herdsmen, nor dogs bewitched by wolves.” “Speak reverently! How could they be?”
Socrates
Reading Stobaeus, Volume I · Book I Chapter 3 · I.3.55b.3–I.3.55c.1
Ask about a concept, passage, contradiction, or connection.
Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.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.