From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordDiastēma is an extent or interval.
- In StobaeusThe Stoic dimensional account uses the word of bodily extents measured by relative size or by direction.
- In this edition“Extent” suits dimensions of a body; “interval” suits temporal or separated limits.
- A place to beginLength, breadth, and depth receive alternative definitions through extents.
- English renderings
- interval; extent; span
Meaning
Diastēma is an extent or interval. It may be spatial or temporal and does not necessarily signify an empty gap.
Use in the book
The Stoic dimensional account uses the word of bodily extents measured by relative size or by direction. In accounts of time, it describes an interval of motion. The common feature is an extended span, while the object and mode of comparison determine its precise meaning.
Places to read
Translation in this edition
“Extent” suits dimensions of a body; “interval” suits temporal or separated limits. Avoid introducing emptiness where none is asserted.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 105–106, 143–144. The printed phrase “inward extent” in I.14.1l.1 is difficult; an apparatus alternative is not silently adopted.