Good Works Translation from Ancient Greek

This page translates Kern fragments 107-108 from the Orphic Sacred Discourses in Twenty-Four Rhapsodies. The witnesses gather around the Orphic sequence of divine kings: Phanes, Night, Heaven, Kronos, Zeus, and Dionysus. They also preserve the verse in which renowned Erikepaios first ruled after distributing the cosmos to gods and mortals.

Translation

Kern Fr. 107 — The Kingdoms of the Gods

Alexander of Aphrodisias says:

Aristotle, after saying that some theologians of his own time openly proclaim that the good and best is later than the nature of beings, adds that the ancient poets say nearly the same things about the good and best. He is hinting at Orpheus. For Orpheus too says that the good and best is later than the others.

Since the thing that reigns and rules over the nature of all things is the good and best, and Zeus reigns and rules, Zeus, then, is the good and best. And since according to Orpheus Chaos came to be first, then Ocean, third Night, fourth Heaven, and then Zeus, king of the immortal gods, it is clear that Orpheus too supposes Zeus, that is, the good and best, to be later than Chaos, Ocean, Night, and Heaven, or the cosmos.

But these poets, Aristotle says, because they change rulers and make different beings rule at different times, make the good and best later. For the poem says:

first renowned Erikepaios ruled.

After him came Night,

holding in her hands the conspicuous sceptre of Erikepaios.

After her came Heaven,

who first ruled the gods after mother Night.

Syrianus, chiefly following Alexander, says:

This account of the theologians is not true. They say that Night and Heaven reign, and before them their greatest father:

Having taken this, he distributed the cosmos to gods and mortals,

over which renowned Erikepaios first ruled.

After him came Night,

holding in her hands the conspicuous sceptre of Erikepaios.

After her came Heaven,

who first ruled the gods after mother Night.

Chaos is beyond the rank of the one who reigns. And the oracles given to Zeus by Night clearly call Zeus not the first king but the fifth:

You are to become the fifth king of the immortal gods.

Therefore the very first principle for them too is the One and the Good. After it comes the dyad that is above kingship; Aether and Chaos are named in the damaged sequence. Then come the first and hidden races of gods, over whom is the first father and king of the wholes to appear, whom they therefore called Phanes. Thus neither the best of the philosophers stand apart from the theologians, nor do the theologians say that secondary things are stronger and better than the more primal things. The same truth is present among all of them.

Proclus says:

What, then, are the Orphic traditions to which we think Plato's teaching about the gods should be referred? Orpheus handed down kingdoms of gods, set over the wholes in their full number: Phanes, Night, Heaven, Kronos, Zeus, and Dionysus.

First Phanes holds the sceptre, and:

first renowned Erikepaios ruled.

Second is Night, receiving it from the Father. Third is Heaven, receiving it from Night. Fourth is Kronos, who, as they say, castrated his father. Fifth is Zeus, who overpowered his father. After Zeus, sixth is Dionysus.

All these kings, beginning from the intelligible and intellectual gods above, proceed through the middle orders and into the cosmos, so that they may order the things here too. Phanes is not only among the intelligibles, but also among the intellectuals, in the demiurgic order, among the supercosmic beings, and among the encosmic beings. Night and Heaven are likewise present in this way, for their proper characters pass through all the middle orders.

And is not great Kronos also ranked both before Zeus and after the kingship of Zeus, dividing the Dionysian demiurgy with the other Titans? One Kronos is in heaven, another below the moon; one is in the fixed sphere, another among the wandering stars. Zeus and Dionysus are likewise set in many orders. All these things have been stated openly by the ancients.

In a scholion on Proclus, the order is explained in this way:

The first king is Phanes, for Aeon and the first triad are above the rank of king. The second king is Night, the first triad of the intelligible and intellectual triads. The third king is Heaven, the second triad of the same intelligible and intellectual triads. The fourth is Aether, the third triad of the same. The fifth is Zeus.

Proclus says elsewhere:

The first is Phanes; the second, both moved and unmoved, is Heaven; the one only moved is Kronos. Amelius, then, posits these three minds and craftsmen, as well as the three kings in Plato and the three in Orpheus: Phanes, Heaven, and Kronos. The one who is most of all craftsman in Orpheus is Phanes.

Olympiodorus says:

Just as Empedocles said that the intelligible cosmos and the sensible cosmos come to be in turn, not meaning that one comes to be at one time and the other at another, since both always exist, but that our soul sometimes lives according to the intelligible and then the intelligible cosmos is said to come to be, and sometimes according to the sensible and then the sensible cosmos is said to come to be, so also in Orpheus these four kingdoms do not exist at one time and not at another. They always exist, but they hint at the different degrees of the virtues according to which our soul acts, having symbols of all the virtues: contemplative, purifying, political, and ethical.

When the soul acts according to the contemplative virtues, the kingdom of Heaven is its paradigm, so that we may begin from above; for Heaven is named from looking at the things above. When it lives according to purification, the kingdom of Kronos is its paradigm; for Kronos is as one who is full and looks toward himself. For this reason he is said to swallow his own offspring, turning back toward himself.

When the soul acts according to the political virtues, the kingdom of Zeus is its symbol; for Zeus is craftsman, acting about secondary things. When it acts according to the ethical and natural virtues, the kingdom of Dionysus is its symbol. For this reason Dionysus is torn apart: the virtues do not accompany one another, and the Titans divide the flesh, because learning shows much division. Dionysus is guardian of the things here, where there is much division through "mine" and "yours." He is torn apart by the Titans, which signifies the divided thing. The universal form is torn apart in generation, and Dionysus is the monad of the Titans. He is said to be torn apart by generation, when one hears the causes of generation.

Hermias says:

Let us understand these four things: the One, the first principle, Phanes, who is the limit of the intelligible gods and the separate beginning of the intellectual gods, since the Nights are principles with which the beginning is ordered; Zeus, who is king of the supercosmic gods and the limit of the properly intellectual gods; and the Sun, who is king of the sensible.

Again, Zeus shines intellectual light on the supercosmic gods. Again, Phanes shines intelligible light on the intellectual gods. The principle of all things fills both the intelligible gods and everything divine that comes from it with light.

Kern Fr. 108 — Erikepaios First Ruled

Syrianus says:

They say that Night and Heaven reign, and before them their greatest father:

Having taken this, he distributed the cosmos to gods and mortals,

over which renowned Erikepaios first ruled.

Simplicius says:

The intelligible orders have been allotted the different receptacles of the intelligible cosmos as different places. Orpheus says of the one who holds the differences of allotments:

Having taken this, he distributed the cosmos.

And in that realm, containment too is often called place.

Damascius says:

For this reason, in Orpheus, Phanes is not coordinated with the other gods. If he reigns, he reigns over the things in himself. At any rate, among those after him, Night leads.

Colophon

This Good Works translation was made from Otto Kern's Orphicorum fragmenta (Berlin: Weidmann, 1922), frr. 107-108, in the section headed "Hieroi logoi en rhapsodiais ka'." Kern's numbering is retained.

The source witnesses translated here include Alexander of Aphrodisias, Syrianus, Proclus, Olympiodorus, Hermias, Simplicius, and Damascius as printed by Kern.

Source Text

Kern Fr. 107 — Alexander, Syrianus, Proclus, Olympiodorus, and Hermias

Alexander of Aphrodisias, on Aristotle's Metaphysics:

εἰπὼν ὅτι τινὲς τῶν νῦν θεολόγων διαρρήδην ἀνακηρύττουσιν, ὅτι τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἄριστον ὕστερόν ἐστι τῆς τῶν ὄντων φύσεως, ἐπιφέρει ὅτι παραπλησίως τούτοις περὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ ἀρίστου λέγουσι καὶ οἱ ἀρχαῖοι ποιηταί· αἰνίττεται δὲ τὸν Ὀρφέα. καὶ οὗτος γὰρ φησὶν ὅτι τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἄριστον ὕστερόν ἐστι τῶν ἄλλων. ἐπεὶ γὰρ τὸ βασιλεῦον καὶ κρατοῦν τῆς τῶν ἁπάντων φύσεώς ἐστι τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἄριστον, ὁ δὲ Ζεὺς βασιλεύει καὶ κρατεῖ, ὁ Ζεὺς ἄρ᾽ ἐστὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἄριστον. καὶ ἐπεὶ πρῶτον μὲν κατ᾽ Ὀρφέα τὸ Χάος γέγονεν, εἶθ᾽ ὁ Ὠκεανός, τρίτον Νύξ, τέταρτον ὁ Οὐρανός, εἶτ᾽ ἀθανάτων βασιλεὺς θεῶν ὁ Ζεύς, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ οὗτος τὸν Δία, ταὐτὸν δ᾽ εἰπεῖν τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἄριστον, ὕστερον νομίζει καὶ τοῦ Χάους καὶ τοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ καὶ τῆς Νυκτὸς καὶ τοῦ Οὐρανοῦ, ἤτοι τοῦ κόσμου.

πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ βασίλευσε περικλυτὸς Ἠρικεπαῖος,

μεθ᾽ ὃν Νὺξ σκῆπτρον ἔχουσ᾽ ἐν χείρεσσιν ἀριπρεπὲς Ἠρικεπαίου,

μεθ᾽ ἣν Οὐρανός,

ὃς πρῶτος βασίλευσε θεῶν μετὰ μητέρα Νύκτα.

Syrianus, on Aristotle's Metaphysics:

οὐδὲ ταῦτα κατὰ τὸ ἀληθὲς ἱστόρηται περὶ τῶν θεολόγων· ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ Νύκτα μὲν καὶ Οὐρανὸν φασὶ βασιλεύειν καὶ πρὸ τούτων τὸν μέγιστον αὐτῶν πατέρα:

τὸν τόδ᾽ ἑλὼν διένειμε θεοῖς θνητοῖσί τε κόσμον,

οὗ πρῶτος βασίλευσε περικλυτὸς Ἠρικεπαῖος.

μεθ᾽ ὃν ἡ Νύξ σκῆπτρον ἔχουσ᾽ ἐν χείρεσσιν ἀριπρεπὲς Ἠρικεπαίου, μεθ᾽ ἣν ὁ Οὐρανὸς, ὃς πρῶτος βασίλευσε θεῶν μετὰ μητέρα Νύκτα. τὸ δὲ Χάος ὑπὲρ τὴν τοῦ βασιλεύοντός ἐστι σχέσιν· τὸν δὲ Δία οὐ πρῶτον ἀλλὰ πέμπτον βασιλέα σαφῶς ὀνομάζουσιν οἱ πρὸς αὐτὸν παρὰ τῆς Νυκτὸς δοθέντες χρησμοί:

ἀθανάτων βασιλῆα θεῶν πέμπτον σε γενέσθαι.

Proclus, on Plato's Timaeus:

θεῶν βασιλείας παραδέδωκεν Ὀρφεὺς κατὰ τὸν τέλειον ἀριθμὸν τῶν ὅλων προεστηκότας, Φάνητα, Νύκτα, Οὐρανόν, Κρόνον, Δία, Διόνυσον. πρῶτος γὰρ ὁ Φάνης κατασχέθει τὸ σκῆπτρον καὶ πρῶτος βασίλευσε περικλυτὸς Ἠρικεπαῖος· δευτέρα δὲ ἡ Νύξ, δεξαμένη παρὰ τοῦ πατρός, τρίτος δὲ ὁ Οὐρανὸς παρὰ τῆς Νυκτός, καὶ τέταρτος ὁ Κρόνος, μιανάμενος, ὡς φασί, τὸν πατέρα, καὶ πέμπτος ὁ Ζεύς, κρατήσας τοῦ πατρός, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον ἕκτος ὁ Διόνυσος.

οὗτοι δὴ πάντες οἱ βασιλεῖς ἄνωθεν ἀπὸ τῶν νοητῶν καὶ νοερῶν ἀρξάμενοι θεῶν χωροῦσι διὰ τῶν μέσων τάξεων καὶ εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ἵνα καὶ τὰ τῇδε κοσμήσωσι. Φάνης γὰρ οὐ μόνον ἐστὶν ἐν τοῖς νοητοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς νοεροῖς, ἐν τῇ δημιουργικῇ τάξει καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὑπερκοσμίοις καὶ τοῖς ἐγκοσμίοις, καὶ Νὺξ καὶ Οὐρανὸς ὁμοίως· αἱ γὰρ ἰδιότητες αὐτῶν διὰ πάντων χωροῦσι τῶν μέσων.

Olympiodorus, on Plato's Phaedo:

οὕτως καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ὀρφεῖ αἱ τέσσαρες βασιλεῖαι αὗται οὐ ποτὲ μὲν εἰσί, ποτὲ δὲ οὔ, ἀλλ᾽ ἀεὶ μὲν εἰσί, αἰνίττονται δὲ τοὺς διαφόρους βαθμοὺς τῶν ἀρετῶν, καθ᾽ ἃς ἡ ἡμετέρα ψυχὴ ἐνεργεῖ σύμβολα ἔχουσα πασῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν, τῶν τε θεωρητικῶν καὶ καθαρτικῶν καὶ πολιτικῶν καὶ ἠθικῶν. ἡ γὰρ κατὰ τὰς θεωρητικὰς ἐνεργεῖ, ὧν παράδειγμα ἡ τοῦ Οὐρανοῦ βασιλεία· ἡ καθαρτικῶς ζῇ, ἧς παράδειγμα ἡ Κρονία βασιλεία· ἡ κατὰ τὰς πολιτικάς, ὧν σύμβολον ἡ τοῦ Διὸς βασιλεία· ἡ κατὰ τὰς ἠθικὰς καὶ φυσικὰς ἀρετάς, ὧν σύμβολον ἡ τοῦ Διονύσου βασιλεία.

Hermias, on Plato's Phaedrus:

νοήσωμεν τοίνυν τέσσαρα ταῦτα· τὸ ἕν, τὴν πρώτην ἀρχήν, τὸν Φάνητα, ὅπερ ἐστὶ πέρας τῶν νοητῶν θεῶν, ἀρχὴ δὲ τῶν νοερῶν θεῶν ἐξῃρημένη· τὸν Δία, ὃς τῶν ὑπερκοσμίων ἐστὶ βασιλεύς, πέρας δὲ τῶν ἰδίως νοερῶν θεῶν· τὸν ἥλιον, ὃς βασιλεύς ἐστι τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ.

πάλιν ὁ Ζεὺς φῶς ἐλλάμπει τοῖς ὑπερκοσμίοις νοερόν· πάλιν ὁ Φάνης φῶς ἐπιλάμπει τοῖς νοεροῖς θεοῖς νοητόν· ἡ δὲ πάντων ἀρχὴ καὶ τοὺς νοητοὺς καὶ πάντα τὸ ἀπ᾽ αὐτῆς θεῖον πληροῖ φωτός.

Kern Fr. 108 — Syrianus, Simplicius, and Damascius

Syrianus, on Aristotle's Metaphysics:

ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ Νύκτα μὲν καὶ Οὐρανὸν φασὶ βασιλεύειν καὶ πρὸ τούτων τὸν μέγιστον αὐτῶν πατέρα:

τὸν τόδ᾽ ἑλὼν διένειμε θεοῖς θνητοῖσί τε κόσμον,

οὗ πρῶτος βασίλευσε περικλυτὸς Ἠρικεπαῖος.

Simplicius, on Aristotle's Physics:

καὶ γὰρ αἱ νοηταὶ τάξεις ὡς τόπους διαφόρους ἐκληρώσαντο τὰς τοῦ νοητοῦ κόσμου διαφόρους ὑποδοχάς. λέγει γοῦν Ὀρφεὺς περὶ ἐκείνου τοῦ τὰς τῶν λήξεων διαφορὰς ἔχοντος:

τοῖον ἑλών . . . κόσμον,

καὶ ἡ περιοχὴ δὲ τόπος ἐκεῖ λέγεται πολλάκις.

Damascius, On First Principles:

διὰ καὶ παρ᾽ Ὀρφεῖ ὁ Φάνης ἀσύντακτός ἐστι πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους θεούς. εἰ δὲ βασιλεύει, πάντως ὅτι τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ βασιλεύει. τῶν γοῦν μετ᾽ αὐτὸν ἡ Νὺξ ἀφηγεῖται.