Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation

Use in the book

At 976e the Athenian says that a god, rather than some fortune, has given number and preserves us. The god is named at 977a as “Heaven, very nearly.” The qualification belongs to the naming and should not disappear in a confident summary. The argument extends the acknowledged source of other goods to the greatest good, intelligence. This is its reason for identifying the giver, not an independent observation of a deity handing over a numeral system.

The following invitation is broad about names but exacting about conduct. Call the object cosmos, olympus, or heaven as one pleases, but follow how it adorns itself, turns the stars through their courses, and supplies seasons and nourishment (977b). Flexibility of designation is not indifference to the thing designated. The important task is right contemplation of its activity.

The gift is both past and prospective. Heaven has given number and will give it again if one is willing to follow. The conditional qualification makes education ongoing: the visible order is there, but the learner must receive the gift and go through the whole circuit. The passage therefore exceeds a one-time story about the first inventor of counting.

At 978c the god first installs in humans a capacity to understand what is shown and then shows it. At 978d Heaven never ceases teaching through the repeated day-night alternation. Cosmic order and human receptivity cooperate in this account. The phrase “from the father” in the comparison with other animals is left open by the edition: it may refer to the god or to the creature's own parent. A lexicon should not use the theological setting to erase that grammatical and interpretive uncertainty.

The later work deepens the account by describing the stars as living beings, connecting order with intelligence, and distinguishing five bodily kinds, including ether. Those arguments are not all already contained in the word ouranos. The opening teaches the reader to look for a systematic relation between heavenly order and human understanding; the rest must supply the account that makes this contemplation wisdom.

Places to read

1. 976eδόντα ἡμῖν σῴζειν ἡμᾶς — Having given number, the god preserves us
2. 977aσχεδὸν Οὐρανόν — The name is Heaven, with an explicit qualification
3. 977a–b2ἔτι δὲ καὶ δώσειν, ἐάν τις θέλῃ συνακολουθεῖν — The continuing gift depends on willingness to follow
4. 977bεἴτε κόσμον εἴτε ὄλυμπον εἴτε οὐρανόν — Alternative names do not replace contemplation
5. 977bτὴν ἀριθμῶν αὐτοῦ δόσιν δεξάμενος — The learner receives his gift of numbers
6. 978cπρῶτον ἐνῴκισεν ὁ θεός — Human receptivity is first established by the god
7. 978dπαύεται διδάσκων ἀνθρώπους ἕν τε καὶ δύο — In the surrounding negative construction Heaven never ceases teaching one and two

Translation in this edition

The capitalized “Heaven” at 977a marks the divine name; the alternatives at 977b follow Burnet's lowercase printing. “Contemplation” is distinguished from ordinary seeing and observing. The last quotation must be read with οὐδέποτε before it across the Burnet page break: removing the negative would reverse the sentence.

Heaven’s varied display — ποικίλλειν (poikillein)

ποικίλλειν (poikillein)

Heaven’s varied display. Heaven varies or adorns itself while turning the stars within itself, providing the visible differences the learner follows. Attested: ποικίλλων (977b). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

From other goods to intelligence — αἴτιος (aitios)

αἴτιος (aitios)

From other goods to intelligence. The giver of all other goods is inferred to be the cause of intelligence, the greatest good. The adjective names an explanatory role within the argument. Attested: αἴτιον (976e–977a). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Whole celestial course — περίοδος (periodos)

περίοδος (periodos)

Whole celestial course. The receiver of number is invited to go through the entire circuit rather than rest with an isolated benefit. Attested: περίοδον (977b). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Right attention to Heaven — θεωρία (theōria)

θεωρία (theōria)

Right attention to Heaven. The learner approaches a right contemplation of the heavenly object, whatever acceptable name he prefers to give it. Attested: θεωρίαν (977b). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Alternative name for the contemplated object — κόσμος (kosmos)

κόσμος (kosmos)

Alternative name for the contemplated object. Cosmos is one of three permitted names at the beginning of heavenly contemplation; flexibility in name does not remove the demand to follow the object’s courses. Attested: κόσμον (977b). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Routes through Heaven — διέξοδος (diexodos)

διέξοδος (diexodos)

Routes through Heaven. The stars’ courses are followed as Heaven supplies seasons and nourishment. The word is kept distinct from circuit and cycle. Attested: διεξόδους (977b). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Divine co-honorers — δαίμων (daimōn)

δαίμων (daimōn)

Divine co-honorers. Daimons and gods alike are invoked as honoring Heaven. Their detailed hierarchy is not yet supplied in this opening occurrence. Attested: δαίμονες (977a). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Condition of continuing instruction — συνακολουθεῖν (synakolouthein)

συνακολουθεῖν (synakolouthein)

Condition of continuing instruction. Heaven will continue giving number if the learner is willing to follow along; the gift requires an active receptive response. Attested: συνακολουθεῖν (977a–b2). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Reception of number — δόσις (dosis)

δόσις (dosis)

Reception of number. The learner receives Heaven’s gift of numbers and should go through the whole circuit; reception calls for continued study. Attested: δόσιν (977b). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Divine giver and teacher — οὐρανός (ouranos)

οὐρανός (ouranos)

Divine giver and teacher. Heaven is named, with very nearly as qualification, as the god who gives number; the same word later names the continuously teaching sky. Attested: Οὐρανόν (977a). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Response to divine provision — τιμᾶν (timan)

τιμᾶν (timan)

Response to divine provision. Heaven is to be honored above all, in recognition of its gifts and in comparison with the other divine beings’ honoring of it. Attested: τιμᾶν (977a). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Heavenly provision — τροφή (trophē)

τροφή (trophē)

Heavenly provision. Nourishment for all is a benefit of Heaven’s turning stars and supplying seasons. Attested: τροφὴν (977b). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Alternative heavenly designation — ὄλυμπος (olympos)

ὄλυμπος (olympos)

Alternative heavenly designation. Olympus is offered alongside cosmos and heaven as a name the observer may prefer, without a separate geographical description of a mountain. Attested: ὄλυμπον (977b). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Response to the giver — εὔχεσθαι (euchesthai)

εὔχεσθαι (euchesthai)

Response to the giver. Prayer to Heaven accompanies exceptional honor in the first naming of the source of number. Attested: εὔχεσθαι (977a). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Continuing divine benefit — σῴζειν (sōizein)

σῴζειν (sōizein)

Continuing divine benefit. The god, having already given number, preserves humans. The participial sequence distinguishes giving from the continuing benefit. Attested: σῴζειν (976e). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Right contemplation — ὀρθός (orthos)

ὀρθός (orthos)

Right contemplation. The adjective qualifies the contemplation of Heaven from which the learner follows the varied display, stellar courses, and gifts of number. Attested: ὀρθὴν (977b). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Measured provision — ὥρα (hōra)

ὥρα (hōra)

Measured provision. Heaven’s courses supply seasons and nourishment, giving the same field a positive place in cosmic provision. Attested: ὥρας (977b). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Heavenly teaching through motion — ἄστρον (astron)

ἄστρον (astron)

Heavenly teaching through motion. The stars within Heaven are turned through all their courses, contributing the ordered phenomena associated with number’s gift. Attested: ἄστρα (977b). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Identify the giver of number — ἡγεῖσθαι (hēgeisthai)

ἡγεῖσθαι (hēgeisthai)

Identify the giver of number. The first-person verb marks the Athenian’s judgment that a god rather than fortune has given number and preserves humans. Attested: ἡγοῦμαι (976e). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Celestial courses — στρέφειν (strephein)

στρέφειν (strephein)

Celestial courses. Heaven turns the stars within itself through their courses; the motion supplies seasons and sustenance. Attested: στρέφων (977b). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Source of human receptivity — τὸ πᾶν (to pan)

τὸ πᾶν (to pan)

Source of human receptivity. The substantivized whole is that from which humans possess the nature enabling thought of one and two. Attested: παντὸς (978c). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Qualification of the divine name — σχεδόν (schedon)

σχεδόν (schedon)

Qualification of the divine name. The adverb qualifies the identification of the giver of number as Heaven; omitting it makes the naming less guarded than the printed sentence. Attested: σχεδὸν (977a). Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Having given the god preserves (contextual phrase)

δόντα ἡμῖν σῴζειν ἡμᾶς (976e)

The aorist participle δόντα presents the giving of number as accomplished relative to the preserving expressed by the infinitive. The god’s benefaction is thus not merely an initial event without ongoing significance. The phrase depends on the preceding identification of a god rather than some fortune as subject. Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Heaven very nearly (contextual phrase)

σχεδὸν Οὐρανόν (977a)

The divine name is given with σχεδόν, the edition’s very nearly. The qualification should be preserved even though the argument thereafter treats the visible heavenly order as teacher and giver. Capitalization reflects the naming of Heaven as a god in the adopted presentation. Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Call it as you like but follow (contextual phrase)

λεγέτω μέν, ἀκολουθείτω δὲ (977b)

The μέν–δέ pair permits freedom among the offered names cosmos, olympus, and heaven while insisting on following the object’s ordered activity. The liberty concerns designation, not indifference to truth about the courses, seasons, and nourishment supplied. Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.

Receive the gift and go through the circuit (contextual phrase)

τὴν ἀριθμῶν αὐτοῦ δόσιν δεξάμενος ἐπεξέλθῃ πᾶσαν τὴν περίοδον (977b)

The participle and subsequent verb connect receiving numerical provision with completing a course of attention. The gift does not cancel the learner’s work. The whole circuit also anticipates the later demand that the studies be understood together rather than as isolated achievements. Heaven as giver teacher and object of contemplation.