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Theophrastus · Fragments §42.1

Cosmology and Doctrines on Intellect in Parmenides

Passage 32 of 196 · Greek

Summary

This fragment outlines the doctrines of Parmenides, including the sphericity and central position of the earth, the two elements (fire and earth), the origin of humans from slime, and the identity of hot/cold and intellect/soul, as recorded by Theophrastus.

§42.1Fr. 42 Πρῶτος δʼ οὗτος Παρμενίδης τὴν γῆν ἀπέφηνε σφαιροειδῆ καὶ ἐν μέσῳ κεῖσθαι· δύο τʼ εἶναι στοχεῖα, πῦρ καὶ γῆν, καὶ τὸ μὲν δημιουργοῦ τάξιν ἔχειν, τὴν δὲ ὕλης, - γένεσιν τʼ ἀνθρώπων ἐξ ἰλύος πρῶτον γενέσθαι, - ταὐτὸν δʼ ὑπάρχειν τὸ θερμὸν καὶ τὸ ψυχρὸν ἐξ ὧν τὰ πάντα συνεστάναι· καὶ τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ταὐτὸν εἶναι, καθὰ μέμνηται καὶ Θ. ἐν τοῖς Φυσικοῖς πάντων σχεδὸν ἐκτιθέμενος τὰ δόγματα.
Fr. 42 This Parmenides was the first to declare that the earth is spherical and lies in the center; and that there are two elements, fire and earth, and that the one has the rank of creator, and the other that of matter—and that the generation of humans first arose from slime—and that the hot and the cold exist as the same, from which all things are composed; and that intellect and soul are the same, just as Theophrastus also mentions in his Physics when setting out the doctrines of almost all.

Notes

  1. §42.1ἀπέφηνε — The indicative verb ἀπέφηνε first takes the predicate adjective σφαιροειδῆ ("declared the earth to be spherical") and is then coordinated by καὶ with the infinitive ἐν μέσῳ κεῖσθαι ("and to lie in the center"). This creates an asymmetrical construction where the main finite verb governs both a predicate adjective and an infinitive complement.
  2. §42.1δημιουργοῦ τάξιν ἔχειν, τὴν δὲ ὕλης — The latter phrase τὴν δὲ ὕλης is contrasted with the preceding τὸ μὲν δημιουργοῦ τάξιν ἔχειν, with the identical elements τάξιν and ἔχειν being omitted in the second clause: τὴν δὲ [τάξιν] ὕλης [ἔχειν]. The genitives δημιουργοῦ and ὕλης function here to denote roles or classifications ("having the rank of...").
  3. §42.1συνεστάναι — The perfect active infinitive of συνίστημι, expressing a state ("to be composed/constituted"). Within the relative clause ἐξ ὧν, it takes the infinitive form because it is attracted into the indirect speech construction that governs the main clauses.
  4. §42.1Θ. — An abbreviation in the manuscripts for the proper name Θεόφραστος (Theophrastus).

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §42.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:42.1

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