Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §12.5.1

Extinction of Virtuous Souls and Divine Justice

Passage 456 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author questions the apparent injustice of virtuous people being completely extinguished after death, but argues that if a different reality had been just and possible, the most excellent and just gods would surely have made it so.

§12.5.1Πῶς ποτε πάντα καλῶς καὶ φιλανθρώπως διατάξαντες οἱ θεοὶ τοῦτο μόνον παρεῖδον, τὸ ἐνίους τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ πάνυ χρηστοὺς καὶ πλεῖστα πρὸς τὸ θεῖον ὥσπερ συμβόλαια θεμένους καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον δι’ ἔργων ὁσίων καὶ ἱερουργιῶν συνήθεις τῷ θείῳ γενομένους, ἐπειδὰν ἅπαξ ἀποθάνωσι, μηκέτι αὖθις γίνεσθαι, ἀλλ’ εἰς τὸ παντελὲς ἀπεσβηκέναι;
How on earth is it that the gods, having ordered all things well and benevolently, overlooked this one thing alone: that some of the very best of men—who made, as it were, the most covenants with the divine, and through holy deeds and sacred rites became most intimate with the divine—should, once they have died, never exist again but be completely extinguished?
τοῦτο δὲ εἴπερ ἄρα καὶ οὕτως ἔχει, εὖ ἴσθι ὅτι, εἰ ὡς ἑτέρως ἔχειν ἔδει, ἐποίησαν ἄν·
But if indeed this is so, rest assured that, if it ought to have been otherwise, they would have made it so.
εἰ γὰρ δίκαιον ἦν, ἦν ἃν καὶ δυνατόν, καὶ εἰ κατὰ φύσιν, ἤνεγκεν ἂν αὐτὸ ἡ φύσις.
For if it were just, it would also have been possible, and if it were according to nature, nature would have brought it about.
ἐκ δὴ τοῦ μὴ οὕτως ἔχειν, εἴπερ οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει, πιστούσθω σοι τὸ μὴ δεῆσαι οὕτως γίνεσθαι·
From the very fact that it is not so, if indeed it is not so, let it be a proof to you that it was not necessary to be so.
ὁρᾷς γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ὅτι τοῦτο παραζητῶν δικαιολογῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν·
For you yourself see that in raising this question you are arguing about justice with God.
οὐκ ἂν δ’ οὕτως διελεγόμεθα τοῖς θεοῖς, εἰ μὴ ἄριστοι καὶ δικαιότατοί εἰσιν.
But we would not be debating in this way with the gods unless they were most excellent and most just.
εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, οὐκ ἄν τι περιεῖδον ἀδίκως καὶ ἀλόγως ἠμελημένον τῶν ἐν τῇ διακοσμήσει.
And if this is the case, they would not have allowed anything in the ordering of the universe to be neglected unjustly and irrationally.

Notes

  1. §12.5.1τὸ ἐνίους τῶν ἀνθρώπων ... μηκέτι αὖθις γίνεσθαι, ἀλλ’ εἰς τὸ παντελὲς ἀπεσβηκέναι — An articular infinitive clause in apposition to the preceding demonstrative pronoun τοῦτο μόνον ('this one thing alone'). The subject of the infinitives γίνεσθαι and ἀπεσβηκέναι is the accusative ἐνίους τῶν ἀνθρώπων... ('some of the men...'), with a temporal clause ἐπειδὰν ἅπαξ ἀποθάνωσι ('once they have died') embedded within.
  2. §12.5.1ἦν ἃν — Although printed as ἃν with a rough breathing and grave accent in some textual traditions, this is functionally identical to the particle ἂν indicating an unreal (contrary-to-fact) past potential in the apodosis.
  3. §12.5.1πιστούσθω σοι τὸ μὴ δεῆσαι οὕτως γίνεσθαι — The verb πιστούσθω is the third-person singular present passive imperative of πιστόω ('let it be proved/assured to you'). Its subject is the articular infinitive phrase τὸ μὴ δεῆσαι οὕτως γίνεσθαι, where δεῆσαι is the aorist infinitive of the impersonal verb δεῖ ('to be necessary'), meaning 'the fact that it was not necessary to happen in this way.'
  4. §12.5.1οὐκ ἂν δ’ οὕτως διελεγόμεθα τοῖς θεοῖς, εἰ μὴ ἄριστοι καὶ δικαιότατοί εἰσιν — A mixed conditional sentence. The apodosis with 'οὐκ ἂν + imperfect indicative' (διελεγόμεθα) expresses a contrary-to-fact situation in the present ('we would not be debating as we are'), whereas the protasis with 'εἰ μὴ + present indicative' (εἰσιν) states a general, real condition ('unless they are indeed most excellent and just').
  5. §12.5.1οὐκ ἄν τι περιεῖδον ἀδίκως καὶ ἀλόγως ἠμελημένον τῶν ἐν τῇ διακοσμήσει — The verb περιεῖδον ('overlooked/allowed') governs an accusative pronoun (τι, 'anything') and a supplementary participle (ἠμελημένον, 'neglected'), meaning 'they would not have allowed anything to be neglected.' The genitive phrase τῶν ἐν τῇ διακοσμήσει ('of the things in the ordering') functions as a partitive genitive modifying τι.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §12.5.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:12.5.1

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