From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Darkness
σκότος
skotosSkotos is darkness, a condition in which sight or the manifestation of color becomes problematic.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordSkotos is darkness, a condition in which sight or the manifestation of color becomes problematic.
- In StobaeusEpicurus and Aristarchus are reported to deny hue to bodies in darkness.
- In this edition“Darkness” retains the physical condition.
- A place to beginBodies in darkness are said to have no hue.
- English renderings
- darkness
Meaning
Skotos is darkness, a condition in which sight or the manifestation of color becomes problematic. Its presence need not carry a moral or symbolic meaning.
Use in the book
Epicurus and Aristarchus are reported to deny hue to bodies in darkness. The neighboring Aristotelian report instead distinguishes potential possession from actual manifestation and separates having no hue from not being seen. The disagreement is preserved in the anthology; it should not be resolved by reading the later qualification into the earlier statement.
Places to read
Translation in this edition
“Darkness” retains the physical condition. The difference between “not present” and “not visible” belongs to the argument, not merely to an English choice of synonym.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 149–150.
From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Darkness
darkness; dark; obscure; Prince of Darkness
Darkness can be the absence of visible light, the concealment of something from understanding, or a moral condition opposed to divine illumination.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordDarkness can be the absence of visible light, the concealment of something from understanding, or a moral condition opposed to divine illumination.
- In TraherneThe striking phrase “riches of darkness” names socially invented objects of rivalry.
- In this editionCheck whether the passage concerns physical night, ignorance, sin, or punishment.
- A place to beginHidden divine thoughts become intelligible through God’s works and attributes.
Meaning
Darkness can be the absence of visible light, the concealment of something from understanding, or a moral condition opposed to divine illumination. These meanings overlap without becoming interchangeable.
Use in the book
The striking phrase “riches of darkness” names socially invented objects of rivalry. Darkness therefore need not feel empty or look poor: it can be crowded with possessions and strenuous activity. What is missing is a true understanding of value. Traherne connects this obscurity with ingratitude, because gifts lose their visibility when familiarity makes them contemptible. Yet hiddenness is not always wickedness. God’s thoughts are initially secret and become accessible through works and attributes; the movement out of darkness may be a disclosure rather than an escape from an evil substance.
Places to read
- I.13Hidden divine thoughts become intelligible through God’s works and attributes.
- I.32Neglect of genuine treasures leads through moral darkness toward the image of eternal darkness.
- I.33The “riches of darkness” produce contention through a mistaken choice of goods.
- II.9Literal darkness on the earth’s other side figures in the defence of alternating day and night.
In this edition
Check whether the passage concerns physical night, ignorance, sin, or punishment. A night that gives repose is not morally equivalent to the “works of darkness.”