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Ancient Greek Page · Branch 75 of 879
Book I Chapter 3 · I.3.56b–I.3.56c
Ancient Greek
p. 14656 Πορφυρίου (βʹ)
Διέρχονται τοίνυν οἱ ἐπιβαίνοντες τοῦ ὕδατος εἰς ἕτερον μέρος τῆς λίμνης· τὸ βάθος δ’ ἐστὶν ἄχρι τῶν γονάτων παντὸς οἱουοῦν εἰς αὐτὴν ἐπιβάντος. Ὅταν δ’ ⟨ὁ⟩ κατηγορούμενος ἐπιβῇ, ἀναμάρτητος μὲν ὤν, ἀδεῶς διέρχεται ἄχρι τῶν γονάτων ἔχων τὸ ὕδωρ· ἁμαρτὼν δὲ ὀλίγον προβὰς βαπτίζεται μέχρι κεφαλῆς. Οἱ δὲ Βραχμᾶνες ἀνασπῶντες αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος παραδιδόασι τοῖς ἐνάγουσι ζῶντα καὶ ἀξιοῦσι παιδευθῆναι χωρὶς θανατικῆς καταδίκης. Γίγνεσθαι δὲ τοῦτο σπανίως τῷ μηδένα τολμᾶν ἀρνεῖσθαι τὸ ἁμάρτημα διὰ τὸν ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος γιγνόμενον ἔλεγχον.
56 Πορφυρίου (γʹ)
Ἑκουσίων τοίνυν ἁμαρτημάτων δοκιμαστήριον Ἰνδοῖς τοῦτ’ ἔχειν τὸ ὕδωρ· ἀκουσίων δὲ ὁμοῦ καὶ ἑκουσίων καὶ ὅλως ὀρθοῦ βίου ἕτερον εἶναι, περὶ οὗ ὁ Βαρδισάνης τάδε γράφει· θήσω γὰρ τἀκείνου κατὰ λέξιν·
“Ἔλεγον δὲ καὶ σπήλαιον εἶναι αὐτόματον, μέγα, ἐν ὄρει ὑψηλοτάτῳ σχεδὸν κατὰ μέσον τῆς γῆς, ἐν ᾧ σπηλαίῳ ἐστὶν ἀνδριάς, ὃν εἰκάζουσι πηχῶν δέκα ἢ δώδεκα, ἑστὼς ὀρθός, ἔχων τὰς χεῖρας ἡπλωμένας ἐν τύπῳ σταυροῦ· καὶ τὸ μὲν δεξιὸν τῆς ὄψεως αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἀνδρικόν, τὸ δ’ εὐώνυμον θηλυκόν· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ὁ βραχίων ὁ δεξιὸς καὶ ὁ δεξιὸς ποὺς καὶ ὅλον τὸ μέρος ἀρσενικὸν καὶ τὸ εὐώνυμον θηλυκόν, ὡς ἰδόντα τινὰ ἐκπλαγῆναι τὴν σύγκρασιν, πῶς ἀδιαιρέτως ἐστὶν ἰδεῖν τὴν ἀνομοιότητα ⟨τήνδε⟩ τῶν δύο πλευρῶν ἐν ἑνὶ σώματι.
Stobaeus, Volume I: Book I Chapter 3
p. 14756 Porphyry (2)
Those who enter the water then cross to another part of the lake. It is only knee-deep for anyone at all who enters it. When ⟨the⟩ accused enters, if he is innocent, he crosses fearlessly with the water up to his knees; but if he has done wrong, after going a little way he is submerged up to his head. The Brahmans pull him out of the water, hand him over alive to those bringing the case, and ask that he be punished without a death sentence.
They say that this happens rarely, because no one dares deny his wrongdoing in view of the exposure brought about by the water.153
56 Porphyry (3)
Thus, they said, the Indians have this water as a test of voluntary wrongdoings. There is another test of both involuntary and voluntary wrongdoings, and of right living generally. About this Bardisanes writes as follows; I shall set down his own words.154
“They also said there was a large natural cave in a very high mountain, almost at the center of the earth. In this cave stands a statue, which they estimate at ten or twelve cubits, upright with its arms spread in the form of a cross. The right side of its face is male, the left female; likewise its right arm, right foot, and whole right side are male, and its left side female. A person seeing it is astonished at the blending: how ⟨this⟩ difference between the two sides can be seen, without division, in a single body.”155
Socrates
Reading Stobaeus, Volume I · Book I Chapter 3 · I.3.56b–I.3.56c
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.
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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.
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