§141πῶς οὖν οἷόν τε ἔσται τινὸς ἢ πρεσβύτερον ἢ νεώτερον εἶναι ἢ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡλικίαν ἔχειν τῳ τοιοῦτον ὄν; οὐδαμῶς. οὐκ ἄρα ἂν εἴη νεώτερόν γε οὐδὲ πρεσβύτερον οὐδὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡλικίαν ἔχον τὸ ἓν οὔτε αὑτῷ οὔτε ἄλλῳ. οὐ φαίνεται. ἆρʼ οὖν οὐδὲ ἐν χρόνῳ τὸ παράπαν δύναιτο ἂν εἶναι τὸ ἕν, εἰ τοιοῦτον εἴη;
"How then will it be possible for it, being such, to be either older or younger than anything, or to have the same age as anyone?" "In no way." "Therefore, the one would be neither younger nor older, nor having the same age, either with itself or with another." "It does not appear so." "Would then the one not even be able to be in time at all, if it were such?
ἢ οὐκ ἀνάγκη, ἐάν τι ᾖ ἐν χρόνῳ, ἀεὶ αὐτὸ αὑτοῦ πρεσβύτερον γίγνεσθαι; ἀνάγκη. οὐκοῦν τό γε πρεσβύτερον ἀεὶ νεωτέρου πρεσβύτερον; τί μήν; τὸ πρεσβύτερον ἄρα ἑαυτοῦ γιγνόμενον καὶ νεώτερον ἑαυτοῦ ἅμα γίγνεται, εἴπερ μέλλει ἔχειν ὅτου πρεσβύτερον γίγνηται. πῶς λέγεις; ὧδε· διάφορον ἕτερον ἑτέρου οὐδὲν δεῖ γίγνεσθαι ἤδη ὄντος διαφόρου, ἀλλὰ τοῦ μὲν ἤδη ὄντος ἤδη εἶναι, τοῦ δὲ γεγονότος γεγονέναι, τοῦ δὲ μέλλοντος μέλλειν, τοῦ δὲ γιγνομένου οὔτε γεγονέναι οὔτε μέλλειν οὔτε εἶναί πω διάφορον, ἀλλὰ γίγνεσθαι καὶ ἄλλως οὐκ εἶναι. ἀνάγκη γὰρ δή. ἀλλὰ μὴν τό γε πρεσβύτερον διαφορότης νεωτέρου ἐστὶν καὶ οὐδενὸς ἄλλου. ἔστι γάρ. τὸ ἄρα πρεσβύτερον ἑαυτοῦ γιγνόμενον ἀνάγκη καὶ νεώτερον ἅμα ἑαυτοῦ γίγνεσθαι. ἔοικεν. ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ μήτε πλείω ἑαυτοῦ γίγνεσθαι χρόνον μήτε ἐλάττω, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἴσον χρόνον καὶ γίγνεσθαι ἑαυτῷ καὶ εἶναι καὶ γεγονέναι καὶ μέλλειν ἔσεσθαι. ἀνάγκη γὰρ οὖν καὶ ταῦτα. ἀνάγκη ἄρα ἐστίν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὅσα γε ἐν χρόνῳ ἐστὶν καὶ μετέχει τοῦ τοιούτου, ἕκαστον αὐτῶν τὴν αὐτήν τε αὐτὸ αὑτῷ ἡλικίαν ἔχειν καὶ πρεσβύτερόν τε αὑτοῦ ἅμα καὶ νεώτερον γίγνεσθαι. κινδυνεύει. ἀλλὰ μὴν τῷ γε ἑνὶ τῶν τοιούτων παθημάτων οὐδὲν μετῆν. οὐ γὰρ μετῆν. οὐδὲ ἄρα χρόνου αὐτῷ μέτεστιν, οὐδʼ ἔστιν ἔν τινι χρόνῳ. οὔκουν δή, ὥς γε ὁ λόγος αἱρεῖ.
Or is it not necessary that, if anything is in time, it is always becoming older than itself?" "Necessary." "And is not that which is older always older than something which is younger?" "Of course." "Therefore, that which is becoming older than itself also becomes at the same time younger than itself, if indeed it is to have that than which it becomes older." "How do you mean?" "In this way: there is no need for anything to become different from something else which is already different, but rather to be already different from that which is already different, to have been different from that which has been different, to be about to be different from that which is to be different, but from that which is becoming different, it must neither have been, nor be about to be, nor yet be different, but must be becoming different and in no other way." "For that is indeed necessary." "But indeed, being older is a difference from what is younger, and from nothing else." "For it is so." "Therefore, that which is becoming older than itself must also at the same time become younger than itself." "It seems so." "But indeed, it also becomes, is, has been, and is about to be, for an equal time to itself, and neither for more nor for less time than itself." "For these too are indeed necessary." "Therefore, it is necessary, as it seems, that whatever is in time and participates in such a condition, each of them should have the same age as itself and at the same time become both older and younger than itself." "It is likely." "But indeed, the one had no share in any of such conditions." "For it had not." "Therefore, it does not participate in time, nor is it in any time." "Certainly not, at least as the argument shows." "What then?
τί οὖν; τὸ ἦν καὶ τὸ γέγονε καὶ τὸ ἐγίγνετο οὐ χρόνου μέθεξιν δοκεῖ σημαίνειν τοῦ ποτὲ γεγονότος; καὶ μάλα. τί δέ; τὸ ἔσται καὶ τὸ γενήσεται καὶ τὸ γενηθήσεται οὐ τοῦ ἔπειτα;
Do 'was', 'has become', and 'was becoming' not seem to signify participation in time past?" "Very much so." "And what of 'will be', 'will become', and 'will be generated'?
ναί. τὸ δὲ δὴ ἔστι καὶ τὸ γίγνεται οὐ τοῦ νῦν παρόντος; πάνυ μὲν οὖν. εἰ ἄρα τὸ ἓν μηδαμῇ μηδενὸς μετέχει χρόνου, οὔτε ποτὲ γέγονεν οὔτʼ ἐγίγνετο οὔτʼ ἦν ποτέ, οὔτε νῦν γέγονεν οὔτε γίγνεται οὔτε ἔστιν, οὔτʼ ἔπειτα γενήσεται οὔτε γενηθήσεται οὔτε ἔσται. ἀληθέστατα. ἔστιν οὖν οὐσίας ὅπως ἄν τι μετάσχοι ἄλλως ἢ κατὰ τούτων τι; οὐκ ἔστιν. οὐδαμῶς ἄρα τὸ ἓν οὐσίας μετέχει. οὐκ ἔοικεν. οὐδαμῶς ἄρα ἔστι τὸ ἕν. οὐ φαίνεται.
Do they not signify participation in time to come?" "Yes." "And do 'is' and 'becomes' not signify participation in the present now?" "Certainly." "If therefore the one in no way participates in any time, it has neither become, nor was it becoming, nor was it ever in the past; nor has it now become, nor is it becoming, nor is it now; nor in the future will it become, nor will it be generated, nor will it be." "Most true." "Is there then any way in which something could participate in being otherwise than in one of these ways?" "There is not." "Therefore, the one in no way participates in being." "It does not seem so." "Therefore, the one in no way is." "It does not appear so."