Plutarch, De Iside et Osiride, Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator), 60

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[60] In general this god is the better, as both Plato and Aristotle conceive. The creative and conserving element of Nature moves toward him and toward existence while the annihilating and destructive moves away from him towards non-existence. For this reason they call Isis by a name derived from hastening ( hiemai) with understanding,¹ or being borne onward ( pheromai), since she is an animate and intelligent movement; for the name is not a foreign name, but, just as all the gods have a name in common² derived from two words, visible ( theaton) and rushing ( theon), in the same way this goddess, from her understanding³ and her movement, we call Isis and the Egyptians call her Isis. So also Plato⁴ says that the men of ancient times made clear the meaning of essence ( ousia) by calling it sense ( ista). So also he speaks of the intelligence and understanding as being a carrying and movement of mind hasting and being carried onward; and also comprehension and good and virtue they attribute to those things which are ever flowing and in rapid motion, just as again, on the other hand, by means of antithetical names they vilified evil: for example, that which hinders and binds fast and holds and checks Nature from hasting and going they called baseness, or ill-going ( kak-ia), and helplessness or difficulty of going ( apor-ia), and cowardice or fear of going ( deil-ia), and distress or not going ( an-ia).⁵

De Iside et Osiride. Plutarch. Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator). Cambridge, MA. 1936.

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Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Isis and Osiris (English) (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. V. Babbitt, Frank Cole, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).)

Editions (1)

Περὶ Ἴσιδος και Ὀσίριδος Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol II. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1889.) — 60 focus

[60] καθόλου δʼ ἀμείνων οὗτός¹ ἐστιν, ὥσπερ καὶ 10 Πλάτων ὑπονοεῖ καὶ Ἀριστοτέλης. κινεῖται δὲ τῆς φύσεως τὸ μὲν γόνιμον καὶ σωτήριον ἐπʼ αὐτὸν καὶ πρὸς τὸ εἶναι, τὸ δʼ ἀναιρετικὸν καὶ φθαρτικὸν ἀπʼ² αὐτοῦ καὶ πρὸς τὸ μὴ εἶναι. διὸ τὸ μὲν Ἶσιν καλοῦσι παρὰ τὸ ἵεσθαι μετʼ ἐπιστήμης καὶ φέρεσθαι, 15 κίνησιν οὖσαν ἔμψυχον καὶ φρόνιμον. οὐ γάρ ἐστι τοὔνομα βαρβαρικόν, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ τοῖς θεοῖς πᾶσιν 375d ἀπὸ δυεῖν γραμμάτων³ τοῦ θεατοῦ καὶ τοῦ θέοντος ἔστιν ὄνομα κοινόν, οὕτω τὴν θεὸν ταύτην ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπιστήμης ἅμα καὶ τῆς κινήσεως Ἶσιν μὲν ἡμεῖς, 20 Ἶσιν δʼ Αἰγύπτιοι καλοῦσιν. οὕτω δὲ καὶ Πλάτων⁴ φησὶ τὴν ὁσίαν⁵ δηλοῦν τοὺς παλαιοὺς ἰσίαν καλοῦντας· οὕτω καὶ τὴν νόησιν καὶ τὴν φρόνησιν, ὡς νοῦ φορὰν καὶ κίνησιν οὖσαν ἱεμένου καὶ φερομένου καὶ τὸ συνιέναι καὶ τἀγαθὸν ὅλως καὶ ἀρετὴν 25 ἐπὶ τοῖς ῥέουσι⁶ καὶ θέουσι θέσθαι· καθάπερ αὖ πάλιν τοῖς ἀντιφωνοῦσιν ὀνόμασι λοιδορεῖσθαι τὸ κακόν,⁷ τὸ τὴν φύσιν ἐμποδίζον καὶ συνδέον καὶ ἴσχον καὶ κωλῦον ἵεσθαι καὶ ἰέναι κακίαν ἀπορίαν δειλίαν ἀνίαν προσαγορευόντων. 5 375e

Translations (1)

Of Isis and Osiris, or of the Ancient Religion and Philosophy of Egypt. Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. IV. Goodwin, William W., editor; Baxter, William, translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.) — 60 focus

[60] And in general, Typhon is the prevailing power, as both Plato and Aristotle insinuate. Moreover, the generative and salutary part of nature hath its motion towards him, in order to procure being; but the destroying and corruptive part hath its motion from him, in order to procure not-being. For which reason they call the former part Isis, from going ( ἴεσθαι) and being borne-along with knowledge, she being a kind of a living and prudent motion. For her name is not of a barbarous original; but, as all the Gods have one name ( θεός) in common, and that is derived from the two words, θέων ( running) and θεατός ( visible); so also this very Goddess is both from motion and science at once called Isis by us and Isis also by the Egyptians. So likewise Plato tells us, that the ancients called οὐσία ( being) ἰσία ( knowledge), as also that νόησις ( intelligence) and φρόνησις ( prudence) had their names given them for being a φορά ( agitation) and motion of νοῦς ( mind), which was then, as it were, ἱέμενος and φερόμενος ( set in motion and borne-along); and the like he affirmeth of συνιέναι ( to understand), that it was as much as to say to be in commotion.¹ Nay he saith, moreover, that they attribute the very names of ἀγαθόν ( good) and ἀρετή ( virtue) to the ideas of running ( θέω) and of ever-flowing ( ἀεὶ ῥέω)² which they imply; as likewise, on the other hand again, they used terms opposite to motion by way of reproach; for they called what clogged, tied up, locked up, and confined nature from agitation and motion κακία ( baseness or ill motion), ἀπορία ( difficulty or difficult motion), δειλία ( fearfulness or fearful motion) and ἀνία ( sorrow or want of motion).

Notes on the current edition

Isis and Osiris

1. Cf. 351 f, supra.

2. Cf. Plato, Cratylus, 397 d.

3. Cf. 351 f, supra.

4. Ibid. 401 c.

5. Cf. 376 d, infra. It is impossible to reproduce these fanciful derivations in an English translation. Most of them may be found in Plato, Cratylus, 401 c-415 e. Note that Plutarch would connect the abstract suffix - ία with the shorter stem of εἶμι go.

Plutarch De Iside et Osiride 60

Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator)

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