- Source
- Diogenes Laertius. Hicks, R. D., editor. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1925.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.8-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0004.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.4.24
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-09-29
The lineage, teachers, and political and naval achievements of Melissus of Samos, followed by his philosophical doctrines regarding the unity, infinity, and immobility of the universe and his dates.
Μέλισσος Ἰθαιγένους Σάμιος. οὗτος ἤκουσε Παρμενίδου· ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς λόγους ἦλθεν Ἡρακλείτῳ· ὅτε καὶ συνέστησεν αὐτὸν τοῖς Ἐφεσίοις ἀγνοοῦσι1, καθάπερ Ἱπποκράτης Δημόκριτον Ἀβδηρίταις. γέγονε δὲ καὶ πολιτικὸς ἀνὴρ καὶ ἀποδοχῆς παρὰ τοῖς πολίταις ἠξιωμένος· ὅθεν ναύαρχος αἱρεθεὶς ἔτι καὶ μᾶλλον ἐθαυμάσθη διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀρετήν. Ἐδόκει δʼ αὐτῷ τὸ πᾶν ἄπειρον εἶναι καὶ ἀναλλοίωτον καὶ ἀκίνητον καὶ ἓν ὅμοιον ἑαυτῷ καὶ πλῆρες· κίνησίν τε μὴ εἶναι, δοκεῖν δʼ εἶναι. ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ θεῶν ἔλεγε μὴ δεῖν ἀποφαίνεσθαι· μὴ γὰρ εἶναι γνῶσιν αὐτῶν2. Φησὶ δʼ Ἀπολλόδωρος ἠκμακέναι αὐτὸν κατὰ τὴν τετάρτην καὶ ὀγδοηκοστὴν Ὀλυμπιάδα.
Melissus, son of Ithagenes, of Samos. He was a pupil of Parmenides, but he also entered into conversation with Heraclitus; at which time he also introduced Heraclitus to the Ephesians, who failed to understand him, just as Hippocrates introduced Democritus to the Abderites. He was also a statesman and was held in high regard by his fellow citizens; hence, having been elected admiral, he was even more admired for his own personal excellence. It was his opinion that the universe is infinite, unalterable, motionless, one, uniform with itself, and full; and that there is no motion, but it only seems to exist. Furthermore, he used to say that one ought not to make declarations about the gods, for there is no knowledge of them. Apollodorus says that he flourished during the eighty-fourth Olympiad.
- 9.4.24ὅτε καὶ συνέστησεν αὐτὸν τοῖς Ἐφεσίοις ἀγνοοῦσι
The pronoun αὐτόν refers back to Ἡρακλείτῳ. The participle ἀγνοοῦσι describes the Ephesians who 'did not recognize / failed to understand' him. The parallel structure introduced by καθάπερ (recalling the tradition of Hippocrates vindicating and introducing Democritus to the Abderites) confirms that Melissus is the subject who introduced Heraclitus to his fellow citizens.
- 9.4.24μὴ γὰρ εἶναι γνῶσιν αὐτῶν
In the subordinate causal clause with γάρ, the indirect discourse dependent on ἔλεγε continues, governing the infinitive εἶναι. The genitive αὐτῶν functions as an objective genitive dependent on γνῶσιν ('knowledge of them').