Cronus Zeus Ares and the slower stars

Use in the book

Three bodies remain after the sun's companions have been described. The Athenian identifies one by its outstanding slowness, remarking that some utter Cronus' title for it. He then instructs that the next in slowness should be called Zeus', and the one after that Ares'; the last also has the reddest color (987c). The supplied note identifies these as Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. The sequence is explicit: slowest Cronus, then Zeus, then Ares. Reversing it because one has supplied a different modern order would lose the text's stated criterion.

The gods' names are not all introduced with identical force. “Some” use Cronus' title; the name of Zeus is prescribed with “must”; Ares' body receives a distinctive visible color. These differences show the Athenian drawing on received nomenclature while instructing his hearers. The account combines speed, relative sequence, appellation, and color. It does not claim that name alone constitutes adequate astronomical knowledge.

The literary context is the duty to honor all the celestial powers. The neglected slow-moving bodies require an assigned portion and time no less than the sun and moon, whose year and month are familiar. Their less immediate place in ordinary calendars cannot justify withholding divine status. Yet the passage stops short of legislating a complete calendar of specific festivals for Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars.

At 987c–d the Athenian adds that apprehending these things is not difficult when someone explains them; the learner must then think accordingly. The later claim that the circuits are difficult to understand is not necessarily inconsistent. Identifying the named bodies through an explanation is a more limited achievement than comprehending the astronomical and mathematical relations that qualify the true astronomer.

The reading “Cronus” has a particularly important textual history in this edition. It is the accepted reading of L and a correcting hand of O, while other witnesses give a solar designation and early printed editions another name. Those alternatives are evidence about the text's transmission; they are not additional accepted names spoken by the Athenian in Burnet's reading text.

Places to read

1. 987cλοιποὶ δὴ τρεῖς ἀστέρες — Three heavenly bodies remain to be named
2. 987cβραδυτῆτι διαφέρων — One is distinguished by slowness
3. 987cΚρόνου δ’ αὐτόν τινες ἐπωνυμίαν φθέγγονται — Some utter Cronus' title for it
4. 987cτὸν δὲ μετὰ τοῦτον βραδυτῆτι; Διός — Zeus' is next by the same criterion
5. 987cἌρεως δὲ ὁ μετὰ τοῦτον — Ares' follows Zeus'
6. 987cἐρυθρώτατον ἔχει χρῶμα — Ares' has the reddest color
7. 987c–dφράζοντός τινος; μαθόντα — Explanation and learning mediate apprehension

Translation in this edition

The English uses “Cronus,” whereas the transliteration Kronos makes the Greek kappa visible. Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars belong to the explanatory note. The accepted inflections are Κρόνου, Διός, and Ἄρεως; alternative names reported in the apparatus should not be counted as dialogue attestations.

Learned recognition of planets — κατανοεῖν (katanoein)

κατανοεῖν (katanoein)

Learned recognition of planets. Apprehension is said to be accessible when another explains these bodies; it is less than the complete difficult understanding of all circuits. Attested: κατανοῆσαί (987c–d). Cronus Zeus Ares and the slower stars.

Title of the reddish planet — Ἄρης (Arēs)

Ἄρης (Arēs)

Title of the reddish planet. The body after Zeus' in slowness has Ares' title and the reddest color, identified as Mars in the note. Attested: Ἄρεως (987c). Cronus Zeus Ares and the slower stars.

Observable distinguishing property — χρῶμα (chrōma)

χρῶμα (chrōma)

Observable distinguishing property. Color helps identify Ares' planet, whereas the other remaining bodies are chiefly distinguished by relative slowness. Attested: χρῶμα (987c). Cronus Zeus Ares and the slower stars.

Title of the slowest remaining planet — Κρόνος (Kronos)

Κρόνος (Kronos)

Title of the slowest remaining planet. Some give this title to the slowest of the three remaining bodies, identified as Saturn in the edition's note. Attested: Κρόνου (987c). Cronus Zeus Ares and the slower stars.

Distinctive planetary color — ἐρυθρός (erythros)

ἐρυθρός (erythros)

Distinctive planetary color. The superlative identifies Ares' body as the reddest of the compared bodies; it supplements naming and motion with visible appearance. Attested: ἐρυθρώτατον (987c). Cronus Zeus Ares and the slower stars.

Order of the three slower bodies — βραδύτης (bradytēs)

βραδύτης (bradytēs)

Order of the three slower bodies. The sequence Cronus, Zeus, Ares is expressly ordered by slowness, not by the initial list's positions or a supplied modern radius. Attested: βραδυτῆτι (987c). Cronus Zeus Ares and the slower stars.

Learned judgment — ἡγεῖσθαι (hēgeisthai)

ἡγεῖσθαι (hēgeisthai)

Learned judgment. After the names and slower motions are explained, the learner is required to think accordingly; here the edition uses the cognitive sense. Attested: ἡγεῖσθαι (987d). Cronus Zeus Ares and the slower stars.

Planetary title of Zeus — Ζεύς (Zeus)

Ζεύς (Zeus)

Planetary title of Zeus. The body next after Cronus' in slowness must be called Zeus', identified as Jupiter in the edition's note. The divine title does not by itself identify every traditional narrative about Zeus with that planet's behavior. Attested: Διός (987c). Cronus Zeus Ares and the slower stars; Zeus Hera and the place left to traditional gods.

Some utter the title (contextual phrase)

Κρόνου δ’ αὐτόν τινες ἐπωνυμίαν φθέγγονται (987c)

The naming of Cronus is attributed to some speakers, unlike the subsequent instruction that the next body must be called Zeus'. This retains the difference between reporting an appellation and prescribing one. The edition's modern identification is Saturn. Cronus Zeus Ares and the slower stars.