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Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §10.5.1

Events Preordained from Eternity and the Web of Causes

Passage 379 of 486 · Greek

Summary

Explains that whatever happens to one has been prepared from eternity, and that the interweaving of causes has spun together one's existence and the occurrence of the event.

§10.5.1Ὅ τι ἄν σοι συμβαίνῃ, τοῦτό σοι ἐξ αἰῶνος προκατεσκευάζετο καὶ ἡ ἐπιπλοκὴ τῶν αἰτίων συνέκλωθε τήν τε σὴν ὑπόστασιν ἐξ ἀιδίου καὶ τὴν τούτου σύμβασιν.
Whatever may happen to you, this was prepared for you from all eternity, and the interweaving of causes spun together from everlasting both your existence and the occurrence of this event.

Notes

  1. §10.5.1Ὅ τι ἄν σοι συμβαίνῃ — The relative pronoun ὅστις with ἄν and the present subjunctive συμβαίνῃ expresses a general condition or concession, meaning "whatever may happen to you." It is picked up by the demonstrative pronoun τοῦτο in the main clause.
  2. §10.5.1την τουτου συμβασιν — The genitive demonstrative pronoun τούτου refers back to the content of the initial relative clause ὅ τι ἄν σοι συμβαίνῃ ("what happens to you"). Here, σύμβασις means "occurrence," "coincidence," or "eventuality," representing the fateful connection between an individual's existence (ὑπόστασις) and the events that befall them.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §10.5.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:10.5.1

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