§1.11.1τοὺς δʼ οὖν κατʼ Αἴγυπτον ἀνθρώπους τὸ παλαιὸν γενομένους, ἀναβλέψαντας εἰς τὸν κόσμον καὶ τὴν τῶν ὅλων φύσιν καταπλαγέντας τε καὶ θαυμάσαντας, ὑπολαβεῖν εἶναι δύο θεοὺς ἀιδίους τε καὶ πρώτους, τόν τε ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην, ὧν τὸν μὲν Ὄσιριν, τὴν δὲ Ἶσιν ὀνομάσαι, ἀπό τινος ἐτύμου τεθείσης ἑκατέρας τῆς προσηγορίας ταύτης.
They say, then, that the men who came into being in Egypt in ancient times, looking up at the universe and the nature of all things, and being both struck with awe and wondering, supposed that there are two eternal and first gods, the sun and the moon, of which they named the former Osiris and the latter Isis, each of these appellations having been given from some etymology.
§1.11.2μεθερμηνευομένων γὰρ τούτων εἰς τὸν Ἑλληνικὸν τῆς διαλέκτου τρόπον εἶναι τὸν μὲν Ὄσιριν πολυόφθαλμον, εἰκότως· πανταχῇ γὰρ ἐπιβάλλοντα τὰς ἀκτῖνας ὥσπερ ὀφθαλμοῖς πολλοῖς βλέπειν ἅπασαν γῆν καὶ θάλατταν.
For when these are translated into the Greek way of speech, Osiris is "many-eyed," and with good reason; for casting his rays everywhere, he looks upon the whole earth and sea as if with many eyes.
καὶ τὸν ποιητὴν δὲ λέγειν σύμφωνα τούτοις ἠέλιός θʼ, ὃς πάντʼ ἐφορᾷ καὶ πάντʼ ἐπακούει. §1.11.3τῶν δὲ παρʼ Ἕλλησι παλαιῶν μυθολόγων τινὲς τὸν Ὄσιριν Διόνυσον προσονομάζουσι καὶ Σείριον παρωνύμως· ὧν Εὔμολπος μὲν ἐν τοῖς Βακχικοῖς ἔπεσί φησιν
"ἀστροφαῆ Διόνυσον ἐν ἀκτίνεσσι πυρωπόν,"
Ὀρφεὺς δὲ
"τούνεκά μιν καλέουσι Φάνητά τε καὶ Διόνυσον. " §1.11.4φασὶ δέ τινες καὶ τὸ ἔναμμα αὐτῷ τὸ τῆς νεβρίδος ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἄστρων ποικιλίας περιῆφθαι.
And the poet also says things in agreement with this: "and the sun, who sees all things and hears all things." And of the ancient mythologists among the Greeks, some call Osiris Dionysus and, by a derivative name, Sirius; of whom Eumolpus says in his Bacchic verses: "star-bright Dionysus, fiery among his rays," and Orpheus: "therefore they call him Phanes and Dionysus." And some say that also the garment of nebris is bound about him from the variety of the stars.
τὴν δὲ Ἶσιν μεθερμηνευομένην εἶναι παλαιάν, τεθειμένης τῆς προσηγορίας ἀπὸ τῆς ἀιδίου καὶ παλαιᾶς γενέσεως.
And Isis, being translated, is "ancient," the appellation having been given from her eternal and ancient generation.
κέρατα δʼ αὐτῇ ἐπιτιθέασιν ἀπό τε τῆς ὄψεως ἣν ἔχουσα φαίνεται καθʼ ὃν ἂν χρόνον ὑπάρχῃ μηνοειδής, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς καθιερωμένης αὐτῇ βοὸς παρʼ Αἰγυπτίοις.
And they place horns on her both from the appearance which she is seen to have at whatever time she is crescent-shaped, and from the cow consecrated to her among the Egyptians.
§1.11.5τούτους δὲ τοὺς θεοὺς ὑφίστανται τὸν σύμπαντα κόσμον διοικεῖν τρέφοντάς τε καὶ αὔξοντας πάντα τριμερέσιν ὥραις ἀοράτῳ κινήσει τὴν περίοδον ἀπαρτιζούσαις, τῇ τε ἐαρινῇ καὶ θερινῇ καὶ χειμερινῇ· ταύτας δʼ ἐναντιωτάτην ἀλλήλαις τὴν φύσιν ἐχούσας ἀπαρτίζειν τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν ἀρίστῃ συμφωνίᾳ· φύσιν δὲ συμβάλλεσθαι πλείστην εἰς τὴν τῶν ἁπάντων ζωογονίαν τῶν θεῶν τούτων τὸν μὲν πυρώδους καὶ πνεύματος, τὴν δὲ ὑγροῦ καὶ ξηροῦ, κοινῇ δʼ ἀμφοτέρους ἀέρος· καὶ διὰ τούτων πάντα γεννᾶσθαι καὶ τρέφεσθαι.
And they suppose that these gods govern the whole universe, nourishing and increasing all things by three seasons that complete their cycle with an invisible movement, namely, spring, summer, and winter; and that these seasons, having natures most opposite to each other, complete the year in the best harmony; and that these gods contribute the greatest nature to the generation of all things, the former contributing that of fire and breath, the latter that of wet and dry, and both in common that of air; and that through these all things are generated and nourished.
§1.11.6διὸ καὶ τὸ μὲν ἅπαν σῶμα τῆς τῶν ὅλων φύσεως ἐξ ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης ἀπαρτίζεσθαι, τὰ δὲ τούτων μέρη πέντε τὰ προειρημένα, τό τε πνεῦμα καὶ τὸ πῦρ καὶ τὸ ξηρόν, ἔτι δὲ τὸ ὑγρὸν καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον τὸ ἀερῶδες, ὥσπερ ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπου κεφαλὴν καὶ χεῖρας καὶ πόδας καὶ τἄλλα μέρη καταριθμοῦμεν, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον τὸ σῶμα τοῦ κόσμου συγκεῖσθαι πᾶν ἐκ τῶν προειρημένων.
Wherefore also the whole body of the nature of all things is completed by the sun and the moon, and the five aforementioned parts of these, namely, the breath, the fire, the dry, and further the wet, and lastly the airy, just as in the case of a man we enumerate head, hands, feet, and the other parts, in the same manner the whole body of the universe is composed of the aforementioned elements.