From the book
Marsilio Ficino’s Platonic Theology, Volume II
Marsilio Ficino · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordImago and simulacrum are images or likenesses; umbra is shadow.
- In the Platonic TheologyV.12345 uses visible spheres and circuits as shadows of invisible spiritual spheres.
- In this editionThe edition keeps image and shadow distinct in V.15.3 and avoids “illusion” for simulacrum at V.15.8.
- A place to readVisible shadows and irrational likenesses establish derivative relations.
Meaning
Imago and simulacrum are images or likenesses; umbra is shadow. Verus can mean genuinely belonging to a rank, not simply making a true assertion. A derivative image can be real in its own lower order without being the original whose power it reflects.
Use in the book
V.12345 uses visible spheres and circuits as shadows of invisible spiritual spheres. V.2 calls irrational lives images and likenesses of rational souls. The figures establish asymmetrical dependence, but do not mean that bodily life is nonexistent.
V.14.9 makes the logic explicit through five stages. God is true good. Angel images goodness yet is true intellect. Rational soul images intellect yet is true soul. Irrational soul images soul yet is true nature. A quality divided in matter images nature yet is a true instrument of natural agents. Each intermediate level is derivative relative to what stands above and genuine relative to its own characteristic function.
The vocabulary thus does more than sort “real” from “fake.” A false or derivative soul can still name a real animation lacking the self-subsisting status of true soul. The reader should not translate every simulacrum as hallucination.
V.15.2–423 connects images with the soul’s middle position. Divine images shine in soul while shadows appear in bodily things. Since some bodily shadows are taken to be everlasting, the superior soul-images support an a fortiori inference. Life is prior to radiance, which Ficino calls life’s reflection and outpouring. The reasoning is hierarchical and causal, not an inference from visual brightness alone.
Places to read
Translation in this edition
The edition keeps image and shadow distinct in V.15.3 and avoids “illusion” for simulacrum at V.15.8. The “false soul” terminology reports ranked Platonist usage rather than denying every reality to lower life.
idolum / simulacrum
idolum / simulacrum. Printed forms: idola; simulacra; simulacrorum; simulacrum.
An image or likeness rather than the original subsisting source. Irrational lives are called images of souls; mirror images illustrate reception without destructive alteration. References: V.2.1, V.8.3, V.15.8. See Image, shadow and ranked truth.
imago
imago. Printed forms: imaginem; imagines; imaginibus; imaginum; imago.
An image or likeness; an inferior manifestation can remain genuine at its own level. Mirrors model dependence, the ranked ladder distinguishes image from original, and divine images shine in soul. References: V.6.1, V.10.2, V.12.12, V.14.9, V.15.4. See Image, shadow and ranked truth.
An image or representation, sensible or mental according to context. Internal sense handles bodily residues; the cave displays projected likenesses; the closing memory proof tests images retained by or allegedly transferred between subjects. References: VI.2.1, VI.2.7, VI.2.14, VI.13.11. See Images, migration and the perfect agent.
An image through which something is represented or perceived. Plato’s image is the image of a visible person; it is not a technical reference to a separate Platonic Idea. References: VII.1.1. See Receiving images: wax, seals and mirrors.
similitudo
similitudo. Printed forms: dissimiles; dissimillimas; simile; similes; similis; similitudine; similitudinem; similitudinemque; simillima; simillimas.
Likeness, the resemblance by which an image or effect answers to a source. The bronze figure resembles its model, and the relation to God in V.1023 is expressed through formal likeness. References: V.8.1, V.10.1. See Image, shadow and ranked truth.
Likeness or resemblance, whose role can be representational, causal or comparative. Shared likeness supports comparison, but perfectly similar hypothetical parts create redundancy rather than an articulated account of a whole. References: VIII.1.2, VIII.2.3, VIII.2.5, VIII.4.3, VIII.4.4, VIII.10.1, VIII.10.2, VIII.14.1, VIII.16.4. See Definition, genus, difference, and mindless parts.
splendor / reflexio
splendor / reflexio. Printed forms: reflexio; splendor.
Radiance and reflection, effects or manifestations of life. Life is declared prior to its divine radiance, supporting the soul's reception of immortal life before the splendor of images. References: V.15.3, V.15.4. See Image, shadow and ranked truth.
umbra
umbra. Printed forms: umbrae; umbram; umbram tuam.
A shadow, a derivative image of a higher source. Visible circuits shadow spiritual ones; irrational life is pictured as an outflowing shadow, not as absolutely nonexistent. References: V.1.5, V.14.8, V.15.3. See Image, shadow and ranked truth.
A shadow dependent on what casts it. Body is called the soul’s shadow, and the well and bird examples expose mistaken identification with its location. References: VI.2.3, VI.2.4, VI.2.5. See Garment, mud and misleading shadows.
verus / falsus
verus / falsus. Printed forms: falsas; vera; veras; verum; verus.
True or genuine and derivative or false relative to a specified rank. The ladder allows angel to image goodness while being true intellect, and irrational soul to image soul while being true nature. References: V.14.8, V.14.9. See Image, shadow and ranked truth.