Philo Judaeus, De Opificio Mundi, ed. Leopold Cohn, 141

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[141] ὅπερ ἐπί τε πλαστικῆς καὶ ζῳγραφίας γινόμενον
εἶδον· ἀποδεῖ γὰρ τὰ μιμήματα τῶν ἀρχετύπων, τὰ δ’ ἀπὸ τῶν μιμημάτων γραφόμενα καὶ πλαττόμενα πολὺ μᾶλλον, ἅτε μακρὰν ἀφεστῶτα τῆς ἀρχῆς· παραπλήσιον δὲ πάθος καὶ ἡ μαγνῆτις λίθος ἐπιδείκνυται· τῶν γὰρ σιδηρῶν δακτυλίων ὁ μὲν αὐτῆς ψαύσας βιαιότατα κρατεῖται, ὁ δὲ τοῦ ψαύσαντος ἧττον, ἐκκρέμαται δὲ καὶ τρίτος δευτέρου
καὶ τέταρτος τρίτου καὶ πέμπτος τετάρτου καὶ ἑτέρων ἕτεροι κατὰ μακρὸν στοῖχον ὑπὸ μιᾶς ὁλκοῦ δυνάμεως συνεχόμενοι, πλὴν οὐ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον· ἀεὶ γὰρ οἱ πόρρω τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀπηρτημένοι χαλῶνται διὰ τὸ τὴν ὁλκὴν ἀνίεσθαι μηκέθ’ ὁμοίως σφίγγειν δυναμένην. ὅμοιον δή τι πεπονθέναι καὶ τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων φαίνεται καθ’ ἑκάστην γενεὰν ¹ ἀμυδροτέρας λαμβανόντων τάς τε τοῦ σώματος καὶ τὰς τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις καὶ ποιότητας.

De Opificio Mundi. Philo Judaeus. ed. Leopold Cohn. Germany. 2014.

Funding provided by European Social Fund Saxony.

Current edition First1KGreek

De Opificio Mundi (Greek) (Philo Judaeus. Opera que supersunt, Volume 1. Cohn, Leonard, editor. Berlin: Reimer, 1896.)

Translations (1)

On the Creation of the World First1KGreek (The works of Philo Judaeus, the contemporary of Josephus, volume 1. Yonge, C. D., translator. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854.) — 141 focus

[141] which same thing I have also seen to be the case in the instance of the sculptors’ and painters’ art. For the imitations always fall short of the original models. And those works which are painted or fashioned from models must be much more inferior, as being still further removed from the original. And the stone which is called the magnet is subject to a similar deterioration. For any iron ring which touches it is held by it as firmly as possible, but another which only touches that ring is held less firmly. And the third ring hangs from the second, and the fourth from the third, and the fifth from the fourth, and so on one from another in a long chain, being all held together by one attractive power, but still they are not all supported in the same degree. For those which are suspended at a distance from the original attraction, are held more loosely, because the attractive power is weakened, and is no longer able to bind them in an equal degree.

And the race of mankind appears to be subject to an influence of the same kind, since in men the faculties and distinctive qualities of both body and soul are less vivid and strongly marked in each succeeding generation.

Notes on the current edition

De opificio mundi

1.
1 τὸ μίμημα MD: τὸ om. ceteri
2 φύσει αἰσθητῷ Mang.
3 κάλλει αἰσθητῷ Christophorson αὐτός M: αὐτὸς ὤν ceteri ἐκπρεπέστατος FGH
5 μὲν οὖν Mang. (Christophorson)
6 γενέσθαι M
7 γέννησις Η
8 κρεῖττον M ὂν τοσοῦτο Η, τοσούτω G
9 γινόμενον M: γενόμενον ceteri γὰρ] γε GH, τὲ F αἰεὶ M: ἀεὶ ceteri
10 εἴτ’ ἄλλο] εἴτε τῶν ἄλλων M
11 τυγχάνει BG μὲν om. ABP
13 ἐπακμάζοντες M τῶν—λαμβανόντων (14) secl.
14 λαβόντων ABP πλαστικῆς M: τῆς πλαστικῆς ceteri 14.
15 γενόμενον ABP
15 εἶδος ἐστίν M, ἰδεῖν ἔστιν coni. Mang. ἀποδέει M μιμητὰ FGH δ’ om. M 17.
18 ἐπιδείκνυσι M ἐπιδείκνυται λίθος (sic) H
18 βεβαιότατα ΑΒ, βεβαιώτατα P
19 δὲ alterum om. M
21 μακρὸν α ι στοῖχον FGH: μικρὸν στοῖχον Β, μικρὸν στοῖχον (οι ex ϊ corr.) P, μικρὸν στοῖχον μικρὸν στίχον M πλὴν δὲ οὐ ABP
22 ἐπηρτημένοι Η τὸ om. M
23 ἀνίεσθαι M: ἀνεῖσθαι ceteri δή] δέ M Philonis opera νοl. I 4

Philo Judaeus De Opificio Mundi 141

ed. Leopold Cohn

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Notes on the current edition

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