§2.33 Ἐπεὶ δʼ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐναντία κίνησις ἡ κύκλῳ τῇ κύκλῳ, σκεπτέον διὰ τί πλείους εἰσὶ φοραί, καίπερ πόρρωθεν πειρωμένοις ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ζήτησιν, πόρρω δʼ οὐχ οὕτω τῷ τόπῳ, πολύ δὲ μᾶλλον τῷ τῶν συμβεβηκότων αὐτοῖς περὶ πάμπαν ὀλίγων ἔχειν αἴσθησιν.
3 Since there is no motion contrary to circular motion, we must consider why there are several revolutions, even though we attempt to make this inquiry from afar—afar, however, not so much in place as because we have sensory perception of utterly few of the attributes belonging to them.
ὅμως δὲ λέγωμεν.
Nevertheless, let us speak.
ἡ δʼ αἰτία περὶ αὐτῶν ἐνθένδεληπτέα.
The cause concerning them must be grasped from the following starting point.
ἕκαστόνἐστιν, ὧν ἐστὶν ἔργον, ἕνεκα τοῦ ἔργου.
Each thing that has a function exists for the sake of its function.
θεοῦ δʼ ἐνέργεια ἀθανασία· τοῦτο δʼ ἐστὶ ζωὴ ἀΐδιος.
And the activity of a god is immortality, and this is eternal life.
ὥστʼ ἀνάγκη τῷ θείῳ κίνησιν ἀΐδιον ὑπάρχειν.
Therefore, it is necessary that eternal motion belongs to the divine.
ἐπεὶ δʼ ὁ οὐρανὸς τοιοῦτος (σῶμα γάρ τι θεῖον), διὰ τοῦτο ἔχει τὸ ἐγκύκλιον σῶμα, ὃ φύσει κινεῖται κύκλῳ ἀεί.
And since the heaven is of this sort (for it is a kind of divine body), for this reason it has the circular body, which by nature always moves in a circle.
διὰ τί οὖν οὐχ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τοιοῦτον;
Why, then, is not the whole body of the heaven of this sort?
ὅτι ἀνάγκη μένειν τι τοῦ σώματος τοῦ φερομένου κύκλῳ τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ μέσου, τούτου δʼ οὐθὲν οἷόν τε μένειν μόριον, οὔθ᾿ ὅλως οὔτʼ ἐπὶ τοῦ μέσου.
Because it is necessary that some part of the body which is carried in a circle should remain at the center, but it is impossible for any part of this circular body to remain still, either as a whole or at the center.
καὶ γὰρ ἂν ἡ κατὰ φύσιν κίνησις ἦν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ μέσον· φύσει δὲ κύκλῳ κινεῖται·
For indeed, [if it were to do so,] its motion according to nature would have been towards the center; but by nature it moves in a circle.
οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἦν ἀΐδιος ἡ κίνησις· οὐθὲν γὰρ παρὰ φύσιν ἀΐδιον.
For otherwise its motion would not have been eternal; for nothing contrary to nature is eternal.
ὕστερον δὲ τὸ παρὰ φύσιν τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν, καὶ ἔκστασίς τίς ἐστιν ἐν τῇ γενέσει τὸ παρὰ φύσιν τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν.
And that which is contrary to nature is posterior to that which is according to nature, and that which is contrary to nature is a kind of departure from that which is according to nature in generation.
ἀνάγκη τοίνυν γῆν εἶναι· τοῦτο γὰρ ἠρεμεῖ ἐπὶ τοῦ μέσου.
Therefore, it is necessary that earth exists; for this remains at rest at the center.
νῦν μὲν οὖν ὑποκείσθω τοῦτο, ὕστερον δὲ δειχθήσεται περὶ αὐτοῦ.
For now let this be assumed, and later it will be demonstrated concerning it.
ἀλλά μὴν εἰ γῆν, ἀνάγκη καὶ πῦρ εἶναι· τῶν γὰρ ἐναντίων εἰ θάτερον φύσει, ἀνάγκη καὶ θάτερον εἶναι φύσει, ἐάν περ ᾖ ἐναντίον, καὶ εἶναί τινα αὐτοῦ φύσιν (ἡ γὰρ αὐτὴ ὕλη τῶν ἐναντίων)·
But indeed, if earth exists, it is necessary that fire also exists; for if one of contraries exists by nature, it is necessary that the other also exists by nature, if indeed it is contrary, and that it has some nature (for the matter of contraries is the same).
καὶ τῆς στερήσεως πρότερον ἡ κατάφασις (λέγω δʼ οἷον τὸ θερμὸν τοῦ ψυχροῦ), ἡ δʼ ἠρεμία καὶ τὸ βαρύ λέγονται κοτὰ στέρησιν κουφότητος καὶ κινήσεως.
And affirmation is prior to privation (as I say, for example, the hot is prior to the cold), and rest and heaviness are spoken of in terms of privation of lightness and motion.
ἀλλὰ μὴν εἴπερ ἔστι πῦρ καὶ γῆ, ἀνάγκη καὶ τὰ μεταξύ αὐτῶν εἶναι σώματα· ἐναντίωσιν γὰρ ἔχει ἕκαστον τῶν στοιχείων πρὸς ἕκαστον.
But indeed, if fire and earth exist, it is necessary that the bodies between them also exist; for each of the elements has contrariety towards each.
ὑποκείσθω δὲ καὶ τοῦτο νῦν, ὕστερον δὲ πειρατέον δεῖξαι.
Let this also be assumed now, and later we must attempt to show it.
τούτων δʼ ὑπαρχόντων φανερὸν ὅτι ἀνάγκη γένεσιν εἶναι διὰ τὸ μηδὲν οἷόν τʼ αὐτῶν εἶναι ἀΐδιον· πάσχει γὰρ καὶ ποιεῖ τἀναντία ὑπʼ ἀλλήλων, καὶ φθαρτικὰ ἀλλήλων ἐστίν.
With these existing, it is clear that it is necessary that there be generation, because it is impossible for any of them to be eternal; for contraries suffer action and act upon one another, and are destructive of one another.
ἔτι δʼ οὐκ εὔλογον εἶναί τι κινητὸν ἀΐδιον, οὗ μὴ ἐνδέχεται εἶναι κατὰ φύσιν τὴν κίνησιν ἀΐδιον· τούτων δʼ εἴς τι ἡ κίνησις.
Furthermore, it is not reasonable for there to be anything eternally mobile whose motion according to nature cannot be eternal; and the motion of these is towards some place.
ὅτι μὲν τοίνυν ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι γένεσιν, ἐκ τούτων δῆλον.
That it is necessary, then, for there to be generation is clear from these.
εἰ δὲ γένεσιν, ἀναγκαῖον καὶ ἄλλην εἶναι φοράν, ἢ μίαν ἢ πλείους· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ ὅλου ὡσαύτως ἀναγκαῖον ἔχειν τὰ στοιχεῖα τῶν σωμάτων πρὸς ἄλληλα.
And if there is generation, it is necessary that there also be another revolution, either one or several; for under the influence of the revolution of the whole, the elements of the bodies must necessarily have the same relation to one another.
λεχθήσεται δὲ καὶ περὶ τούτου ἐν τοῖς ἑπομένοις σαφέστεροννῦν δὲ τοσοῦτόν ἐστι δῆλον, διὰ τίνα αἰτίαν πλείω τὰ ἐγκύκλιά ἐστι σώματα, ὅτι ἀνάγκη γένεσιν εἶναι, γένεσιν δʼ, εἴπερ καὶ πῦρ, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τἆλλα, εἴπερ καὶ γῆν· ταύτην δʼ ὅτι ἀνάγκη μένειν τι ἀεί, εἴπερ κινεῖσθαί τι ἀεί.
But concerning this too it will be said more clearly in what follows; for now so much is clear, for what cause there are several circular bodies: because it is necessary that there be generation, and generation if indeed fire exists, and this and the others if indeed earth exists; and that earth exists because it is necessary that something always remains still, if indeed something always moves.