Diotimos Library · Greek Antiquity Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Book I Chapter 49 · I.49.69.1–I.49.69.3
Ancient Greek
p. 154669.1
[περὶ ἐμψυχώσεως καὶ μετεμψυχώσεως].
“Τὸ μεταξὺ γῆς καὶ οὐρανοῦ κεχώρισται, τέκνον Ὧρε, πρὸς μέτρον καὶ ἁρμονίαν. Αἱ δὲ χῶραι αὗται ὑπὸ τῶν προγόνων καλοῦνται ὑφ᾽ ὧν μὲν ζῶναι, ὑφ᾽ ὧν δὲ στερεώματα, ὑπὸ δὲ ἑτέρων πτυχαί.”
69.2
Ἐν δὲ ταύταις φοιτῶσιν αἵ τε ἀπολελυμέναι τῶν σωμάτων ψυχαὶ αἵ τε μηδέπω ἐνσωματισθεῖσαι. Ἑκάστη δὲ τούτων, ὦ τέκνον, κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν καὶ χώραν ἔχει ὥστε τὰς μὲν θείας καὶ βασιλικὰς ἐν τῇ ὑπεράνω πάντων κατοικεῖν, τὰς δὲ ἐλαχίστας κατὰ τιμὴν καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ὅσαι εἰσὶ χαμαιπετεῖς ἐν τῇ ὑποκάτω πάντων, τὰς δὲ μέσας ⟨ἐν⟩ τῇ μέσῃ.
69.3
Αἱ μὲν οὖν εἰς τὸ ἄρχειν καταπεμπόμεναι, ὦ τέκνον Ὧρε, ἐκ τῶν ὑπεράνω ζωνῶν καταπέμπονται, αἳ καὶ λυθεῖσαι εἰς τὰς αὐτὰς ἢ καὶ ἔτι ὑπεράνω ἀνέρχονται, πλὴν εἰ μή τινές τι εἶεν ⟨παρὰ⟩ τὴν ἀξίαν τῆς ἑαυτῶν φύσεως καὶ τὴν τοῦ θείου νόμου παραγγελίαν πεπραχυῖαι·
Stobaeus, Volume I: Book I Chapter 49
p. 154769.1 · Regions between earth and heaven
[On ensoulment and transmigration].
“The space between earth and heaven, my child Horus, has been divided according to measure and harmony. Our ancestors call these regions by different names: some call them zones, others firmaments, and others folds.”1862
69.2 · A place suited to each soul
“These are frequented both by souls released from bodies and by those not yet embodied. Each, my child, has a region corresponding to its worth: divine and royal souls dwell in the region above all the others; those lowest in honor, and all the others that cling to the ground, in the region below all; and those between, ⟨in⟩ the middle region.”1863
69.3 · The return of ruling souls
“Souls sent down to rule, my child Horus, are sent from the higher zones. When released, they ascend to those same zones, or even higher, unless some have done something ⟨contrary to⟩ the worth of their own nature and the command of divine law.”1864
Socrates
Reading Stobaeus, Volume I · Book I Chapter 49 · I.49.69.1–I.49.69.3
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.