Clark, Gillian 1989. In: Iamblichus, On the Pythagorean Life. Translated with notes and introduction by Gillian Clark. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, ix-xxi.
A few philosophers in the early centuries AD were counted as Pythagorean, because of their concern with number as an organising principle of the universe, and a few people were "Pythagorean" in the popular sense: they were vegetarian, or they believed in reincarnation. But there was no major Pythagorean revival, and any need for information had recently been met by Iamblichus's senior contemporary Porphyry. Porphyry's Life of Pythagoras was not a special study, but part of a four-book history of philosophy from Homer to Plato. Iamblichus's book is also, conventionally, known as the Life of Pythagoras (hence the standard abbreviation VP, from de vita Pythagorica), but that is a misleading translation. He uses, but does not duplicate, Porphyry. His title is On the Pythagorean Life, and his book was the introduction of a ten-volume sequence on Pythagorean philosophy. (Clark 1989: ix)
See on muidugi märgiline, et Iamblichuse raamatuseeria Pythagorasest oleks pidanud saama olema kümneköiteline.
- O'Meara, D. J. 1989. Pythagoras Revived: Mathematics and Philosophy in Late Antiquity. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [ESTER | lg]
The Pythagorean life, Iamblichus tells us, is organised so as to follow God (VP 86, 137). Pythagorean lifestyle is a discipline for body and soul. Pythagoras himself, as Iamblichus presents him, is proof that the gods are concerned for human life: they send his godlike soul to be embodied so that he may enlighten humanity. Earnest commitment to the philosophic life, as manifested by Pythagoras and his followers, can make human souls worthy of being raised to the level of the divine. (Clark 1989: ix)
"Ja sa muutud Jumalaks, surematuks ja hävimatuks, ning surmal ei ole enam võimu sinu üle." (Kuldvärsid)
The Hellenic religious tradition, which Pythagoras assimilates and develops, offers divinely inspired teaching, profound religious experience, personal holiness and communal love. Iamblichus does not say explicitly that in all these respects Graeco-Roman religion can meet the Christian challenge, but the pagan-Christian debate of the third and fourth centuries is the necessary background to his book. (Clark 1989: x)
Pythagorase süntees kreeka varasemast religioonist pakub "jumalikult inspireeritud õpetust, sügavat religioosset kogemust, isiklikku pühadust ja kogukondlikku armastust": (a) Pythagoras sai oma õpetuse jumalatelt; (b) arvud on pühad ja nende harmoonia mõistmine on religioosne kogemus; (c) pütaagorlik eluviis on püha inimese oma; (d) "sõprade seas on kõik ühine". See, et Iamblichus reageeris kristlusele, võib seletada miks Pythagoras esineb tema eluloos Jeesuselaadse tegelasena. Varasema tõlke lugemisel jäi mitmest stseenist selline mulje, et kui Pythagoras Jeesusega asendada, oleks pilt enam-vähem sama.
Julian became sole emperor in 361, and appears to have made a shrewd assessment of the problems facing a pagan revival after nearly fifty years of state-subsidised Christianity. Graeco-Roman paganism had an ancient tradition, drawing on the glamorous wisdom of the eastern cultures. Its local civic cults united the simple faithful, and its mysteries provided for other religious aspirations. It could cite divinely inspired texts: Homer, Hesiod, Plato, Aristotle, the Orphic Hymns and the "Chaldean oracles". But there was nothing comparable to Christian ethical and theological instruction, offered to all comers at weekly meetings: ethics and theology were for the elite who could afford to spend time with a philosopher. They were not linked with the civic cults, even though the gods were believed to be angered by failure to maintain moral standards. The emperor Maximin Daia, during the Great Persecution, had decided that what paganism lacked was a visible, integrated, spiritually authoritative priesthood. Julian, in his brief reign (361-3), went further, proposing basic religious teaching and a budget for [|] charitable activities to make the pagan priesthood an exact parallel to the Christian clergy. As emperor, he could supply the budget: it was the writings of Iamblichus which were to train the priests. (Clark 1989: xii-xiii)
Kogu maailm oleks peaaegu võinud hoopis teistsuguse näo omandada kui pütaagorlik paganlus oleks pakkunud kristlusele võrdväärselt sponsoreeritud võistlust.
What, then, would the priests learn from Iamblichus? The aim of all the Platonist philosophers was that of Plato and Aristotle: the union of the philosopher's mind with the mind of God. Platonists held that reality is not the changing world which we see and touch, but the absolute values and unchanging being we discover by the exercise of reason. This reality is not itself God, who is beyond all our categories of thought, but God gives it being by thinking it. Human reason, the power to make sense of the world and to understand what reality is, is the aspect of human beings which is closest to the divine. (It would be misleading to make a distinction here between "mind" and "soul".) The more we engage in the activity of reason, the more we love and desire wisdom, the closer we are to God. Conversely, the more we involve ourselves in this transient material world, the further we are from God. The philosopher thus becomes a religious leader, not just an expert in argument. (Clark 1989: xiii)
"Platonistid arvasid, et tegelikkus ei ole see muutlik maailm, mida me näeme ja katsume, vaid need absoluutsed väärtused ja muutumatu olemus, mille me avastame mõistust kasutades. See tegelikkus ei ole iseenesest Jumal, kes on väljaspool meie mõtlemise kategooriaid, vaid Jumal annab sellele mõtte abil olemasolu." - Universum on nagu simulatsioon, mida Jumal aktiivselt "mõtleb" nagu arvuti protsessor; meil, individuaalsetel jooksvatel programmidel ei ole ligipääsu sellele, mis asub väljaspool seda simulatsiooni, aga me võime mõeldes-arutledes avastada need universaalsed seaduspärad, mille abil Jumal seda simulatsiooni jooksutab.
Iamblichus held (e.g. On the Mysteries 5.26) that the gods help us on our way: they respond to prayer and make supernatural guidance available to those who practice theurgy. This was a technique of ritual invocation, which the followers of Iamblichus held to be divinely inspired. The name "theurgy" was taken to mean "divine works" (in Greek, theia erga or theon erga). Iamblichus taught that the beings who appeared were not the gods themselves, but daimones, lesser spirits who give expression to that which, in the gods, is ineffable. The gods, being many, are themselves lesser than the One God, though immeasurably superior to mortals. Daimones, and below them heroes, bridge the gulf between divine and human. (Clark 1989: xiv)
"Austa ennekõike surematuid jumalaid, sest seadus on nad siia seadnud ja nõnda määranud. [...] Järgmisena austa sangareid, kelles sisaldub headus ja valgus. Austa ka maa deemoneid, teenides neid seaduslikult vastavalt nende teenetele." (KV 1; 3-4)
A scatter of comment survives even from the fifth century BC, but the main lines of debate were established in the fourth century BC. Plato's pupils (Aristotle, Speusippos, Xenokrates) discussed what exactly Pythagoras taught about the relationship of number to God and to the material world, and what, if [|] anything, Plato owed him. In the next generation (Aristoxenos, Dikaiarchos, Herakleides of Pontus) the debate was more political: was Pythagoras an activist or a contemplative, did he train oligarchs to despise the people, was he a fraud? Some saw him as an archaic religious genius to be followed in simple faith, others as a rigorous modern intellectual who insisted on the higher mathematics. Then there was the question of Pythagorean influence on the politics of South Italy, which interested the Sicilian historian Timaeus. (Clark 1989: xviii-xix)
Pütaagorlaste mõju Platonile on vahest huvitavaim küsimus üldse. Mil määral võib Platoni hilisemaid dialooge lugeda Pythagorase filosoofia läbinämmutamisena?
Then, in the first and second centuries AD, attempts were made to harmonise Pythagoras and Plato in what are now called Neopythagorean writings. Iamblichus cites two of these authors, both of the second century AD: the mathematician Nicomachos of Gerasa (Jerash), and the wonderworker Apollonius of Tyana, who claimed to rival the powers of Pythagoras. (Clark 1989: xix)
Philostratuse elulugu Apolloniusest ikka veel ootab lugemist.
He does not, as a rule, name sources; he does not distinguish his own interpretations from earlier tradition; he is unclear and sometimes contradictory; he repeats material, sometimes for paragraphs at a time. Some scholars have been exasperated enough to conclude that Iamblichus was hopelessly muddle-headed, or that he died leaving a mass of notes which someone else edited badly. (Clark 1989: xx)
Pudrupäised mõtlejad, kes kirjutavad ainult märkusi.
Iamblichus 1989. On the Pythagorean Life. Translated with notes and introduction by Gillian Clark. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.
The school has long been neglected, hidden from view by unfamiliar doctrines and secret symbols, obscured by misleading forgeries, impeded by many other such difficulties - let us disregard all that. (Iamblichus 1989: 1)
Pythagorase koolkond oli pikka aega "peidetud pilgu eest võõraste õpetuste ja salajate sümbolitega".
The oracle replied that his voyage would be most satisfying and profitable, and that his wife was already pregnant and would give birth to a child surpassing all others in beauty and wisdom, who would be of the greatest benefit to the human race in all aspects of life. Mnesarchos reckoned that the god would not have told him, unasked, about a child, unless there was indeed to be some exceptional and god-gives superiority in him. So he promptly changed his wife's name from Parthenis to Pythias, because of the birth and the prophetess. When she gave birth, at Sidon in Phoenicia, he called his son Pythagoras, because the child had been foretold by the Pythia. So we must reject the theory of Epimenides, Eudoxos and Xenokrates that Apollo had intercourse at that time with Parthenis, made her pregnant (which she was not before) and told her of it through the prophetess. (Iamblichus 1989: 3)
Iamblichus lükkab siin ümber loo, mis sarnaneb Jeesuse sünniloole.
Awestruck, as his teacher Thales had promised, he crossed without delay to Egypt, conveyed by Egyptian seamen who had made a timely landing on the shore below Mount Carmel in Phoenicia, where Pythagoras had been spending most of his time alone in the sanctuary. They were glad to take him on board, hoping to exploit his youthful beauty and get a good price if they sold him. But on the voyage he behaved with his habitual self-control and decorum, nad they became better disposed to [|] him. They saw something superhuman in the lad's self-discipline, and remembered how they had seen him, just as they landed coming down from the summit of Mount Carmel (which they knew to be the most sacred of the mountains, and forbidden to ordinary people), descending at leisure, without turning back, unimpeded by precipice or rock-face. He had stood by the boat, said only "Are you bound for Egypt?" and when they agreed had come on board and sat down where he would be least in the way of nautical tasks. Throughout the voyage - three days and two nights - he had remained in the same position. He had not eaten or drunk or slept, unless he had dozed briefly, unobserved, where he sat, secure and undisturbed. Moreover, to their surprise, the journey had been stright, continuous and direct, as though some god were present. So, putting all this together, they concluded that there really was a divine spirit travelling with them from Syria to Egypt, and they completed the voyage with ektreme reverence. (Iamblichus 1989: 6-7)
Kena lugu, mida esimesel lugemisel ei trükkinud ümber (ja ükskord oli vaja ning ei leidnud).
From there he visited all the sanctuaries, making detailed investigations with the utmost zeal. The priests and prophets he met responded with admiration and affection, and he learned from them most diligently all that they had to teach. He neglected no doctrine valued in his time, no man renowned for understanding, no rite honoured in any region, no place where he expected to find some wonder. So he visited all the priests, profiting from each one's particular wisdom. (Iamblichus 1989: 8)
Kerge sooritada ajal mil õpetusi ja õpetajaid on vähe. Tutvuda kõikide teooriate ja mõtlejatega tänapäeval oleks ühele inimesele tõenäoliselt võimatu.
He realised that if he stayed in Samos, obedient to his country's laws, it would be hard for him to do philosophy; and all the earlier philosophers had continued their careers abroad. So, taking all this into account, and wishing to avoid political business (or, some say, objecting to the contempt for education shown by those who then lived on Samos), he left for Italy, resolved to take as his homeland a country fertile in people who were well-disposed to learning. (Iamblichus 1989: 11)
20. sajandil, nagu osutub Ernst Cassireri ja Karl Bühleri elulugudest, ei näi see enam olevat kõige mõistlikum ettevõte.
"Coenobites", Greek koinobioi is rare in non-Christian literature, and there may be conscious rivalry with Christian monasticism as it developed in the late C3 AD. (Clark 1989: 11, fn)
Tõenäoliselt Peirce'i koinopütagorismi ajend.
Some called him Apollo Pythios, some Hyperborean Apollo, some Apollo Healer (Paian), some said he was one of the spirits who live in the moon, some said one, some another, of the Olympians, who had appeared in human form to the people of that time for the benefit and amendment of mortal life, and to grant mortal nature the saving spark of happiness and philosophy. (Iamblichus 1989: 12)
Pythagoras oli tulnukas, Kuu-asukas.
Aristotle, in his The Philosophy of Pythagoras, says that the Pythagoreans make a distinction as follows, guarding it among their most secret teachings: among rational beings there are gods, and humans, and beings like Pythagoras. This was a perfectly reasonable belief about him, since through him there came to be a true understanding, according with reality, of gods and heroes and spirits and the universe, the various movements of the spheres and stars, eclipses and eastward motion and anomalies, eccentrics and epicycles - everything in the universe, heaven and earth and the beings between, visible and invisible. (Iamblichus 1989: 12)
See lektüür, mis on ajas kaduma läinud.
The best form of crivic life, community living, the principle "friends have all in common", worship of the gods and respect for the departed, lawgiving, education, control of speech, mercy towards living things, self-control, temperance, alertness of mind and likeness to god - in a word, all good things: all these, through him, were seen by lovers of learning to be desirable and worthy of effort. (Iamblichus 1989: 13)
Ülevaade pütaagorlikest voorustest: "kogukonnas elamine, põhimõte, et "sõpradel on kõik ühine", jumalate kummardamine ja surnute austamine, seadusandlus, haridus, kontrollitud kõnekasutus, halastus elusolendite suhtes, enesevalitsemine, mõõdukuks, vaimuerksus ja sarnasus jumalaga".
There was a pregnant saying, like the advice of an oracle, which summed up and epitomised his beliefs: he addressed it to everyone everywhere, both the few and the many. "These things are to be avoided by every means, eradicated by fire or iron or any other means: disease from the body, ignorance from the soul, luxury from the belly, factions from the city, division from the household, excess from everything." This was an affectionate reminder to everyone of the best beliefs. (Iamblichus 1989: 14)
Justkui kaks triaadi: (1) kõht/luksus; (2) keha/haigus; (3) hing/teadmatus; ja (1) majapidamine/lahkhelid; (2) linn/kildkonnad; (3) kõiksus/liiasus. Korrastasin need omavoliliselt järjestusse väiksemast suuremani, aga tõenäoliselt toimib siin ikkagi see loogika, et keskmine vahendab ümbritsevaid - hing vahendab keha ja kõhu vahel? linn vahendab majapidamise ja kõiksuse vahel?
They spread the story, and told everyone his name, which they learnt from the servants. Those who heard wanted to see the stranger, and that was easy, for his appearance was such as to strike awe into those who saw him, and made them aware of his true nature. (Iamblichus 1989: 15)
Kui Pythagoras oli tulnukas, siis "tall white" tüüpi (Pleiadean). Sobitub ka sellega, et ta õpetas loori taga kuniks õpilane oli valmis teda nägema.
A few days later he went to the gymnasium. The young men flocked round him, and tradition says that he addressed them, urging them to respect their elders. He demonstrated that in the universe, in life, in cities, in nature, that which comes before is more honoured than that which follows in time. Thus sunrise is more honoured than sunset, dawn more than evening, beginning more than end, coming to be more than passing away. Likewise natives are more honoured than incomers, and similarly in colonies the founders and settlers of cities receive more honour. In general, the gods are more honoured than spirits, spirits more than demigods, heroes more than humans, and among them those who caused the birth of the younger ones. (Iamblichus 1989: 15)
Universum, elu, linnad ja loodus. Pole kindel, kas järjekord on oluline, aga tetraktüülis võiks olla (1) universum - jagamatu tervik, üks, "Jumal"; (2) elu vs surm/elutu aines? (3) linnu on palju ja üksteise vahel; (4) loodus on mitmekesisem kui inimkond ja selle asustus. Teine järjestus on kuldvärssidest tuttav: (1) surematud jumalad; (2) vaimud/deemonid; (3) kangelased/pooljumalad; (4) inimesed, eriti (lapse)vanemad.
The path to success in their relations with one another was to treat their friends as if they would never be enemies, and their enemies as if they would soon be friends, and to practise in courtesy to their elders the good will they had for their parents, and in kindness to others the fellow-feeling they had for their brothers. (Iamblichus 1989: 16)
Kohtle oma sõpru nagu neist ei võiks kunagi saada vaenlased ja kohtle vaenlasi nagu neist võiksid peagi saada sõbrad.
Concern for the body, like friends of no account, quickly leaves us in the lurch, but education, like men of virtue, remains with us until death - and for some even after death, creating immortal fame. (Iamblichus 1989: 17)
Jälle nagu peidetud viide kuldvärssidele: tühised sõbrad tulevad ja lähevad, aga "Ülejäänud inimkonna hulgast vali parimaks sõbraks keegi, kes paistab vooruslikuna silma ja kuula tema hüva nõu ning järgi tema eeskuju" (KV 6-7). Erinevalt kehalistest hüvedest, mis surevad koos kehaga, võivad haridus ja vaimutöö teha inimese sümboolselt surematuks - igavesti kuulsaks.
He gave them many other arguments, some from history, some from philosophy, to show that education is the collective genius of those outstanding in every subject, for their discoveries have become the education of others. Education is by its nature so important, that whereas other objects of praise either cannot be got from someone else (like strength and beauty and health and courage) or cannot be kept if you give them away (like riches and office and many others), education can be got from someone else and can be given away without loss. (Iamblichus 1989: 17)
Haridus/õpetamine kui kollektiivne mõistus. Allpool sama antiikne argument, mida mainitakse sageli seoses autoriõiguste rikkumisega - faili kopeerimine on jagamine ilma kadudeta.
He advised them first to found a temple of the Muses, to preserve their existing concord. These goddesses, he said, all had the same name, went together in the tradition, and were best pleased by honours to all in common. The chorus of the Muses was always one and the same, and they had charge of unison, harmony and rhythm, all that goes to make up concord. He explained that their power extends not only to the most splendid objects of thought, but also to the concert and harmony of being. (Iamblichus 1989: 18)
Märgin ära, sest tundub väga krüptiline. Kas muusasid oli sel ajal kolm või üheksa?
The best man is the one who can himself foresee what is beneficial, the second best he who realises, from the experience of others, what is profitable, and the worst he who waits until he learns from suffering to see what is best. (Iamblichus 1989: 19)
Täitsa triaadiline: parim on see, kes omaenda mõistusega näeb ette, mis on parim; kehvem on see, kes jälgib ühiskonda enda ümber ja õpib teiste kogemusest; kõige kehvem on aga see, kes ise ei mõtle, teistelt ei õpi ja alles siis, kui endal häda kallal, saab aru. Thomas Taylori tõlkes: "And said, that he ought to be considered as the most excellent man, who is able to foresee what will be advantageous to himself; but that he ranks as the next in excellence, who understands what is useful from things which happen to others. But that he is the worst of men who waits for the perception of what is best, till he is himself afflicted." (Iamblichus 1818: 23) - See katkend meenub mulle sageli seoses regressiividega, kes laidavad maha kõik ühiskondlikud hüved (nt tervisekindlustuse, abordiõiguse, jne) kuniks endal on häda käes. Pandeemia ajal nägime ka küllalt näiteid inimestest, kes massimeediat ei usalda, st uudiseid ja teateid kaugemalt mujalt maailmast ei usu, samuti ei võta tõsiselt seda, et kaasmaalased on juba nakatunud, kannatavad ja surevad; alles siis kui ise on nakatunud, jõuab kohale, et midagi tõesti on lahti.
People who seek honour will not go wrong if they copy those who win races: their aim is not to injure their opponents, but to achieve victory. People engaged in politics should help their supporters, not obstruct their opponents. Anyone who wants a truly good reputation, he said, should be as he would like to appear to others. (Iamblichus 1989: 19)
Puudutab "teist" inimkategooriat, st neid, kes lähevad olümpiamängudele võistlema, et teenida au ja kuulsust. See kategooria hõlmab sportlasi, poliitikuid ja neid, kes tahavad kuulsad (mainekad, nüümkad) olla.
That, he said, is why everyone paints or portrays [|] Apollo and Eros, the gods who most love humans, as children. (Iamblichus 1989: 20-21)
Seda ma küll ei teadnud, et jumalatel on selliseid eelistusi.
They should not ruin their inherited reputation and disprove the myth-makers, who saw the justice of women in their lending clothes and jewels, when someone else needed them, without a witness, and without any sawsuits and quarrels arising from the loan. So they told of three women who, because of their cooperation, used one eye in common. If they had told that story of men, saying that the one who had the eye first cheerfully gave it back and willingly shared what he had, no-one would have believed it: it is not in men's nature. (Iamblichus 1989: 22)
See jäi juba sissejuhatusest silma, sest Taylori tõlkes ei märganud ma seda üldse: naised peaksid üksteisega riideid ja ehteid jagama ilma tunnistajateta ja ilma sellest tüli tegemata.
Pythagoras is said to have been the first person to call himself a philosopher. It was not just a new word that he invented: he used it to explain a concern special to him. He said that people approach life like the crowds that gather at a festival. People come from all around, for different reasons: one is eager to sell his wares and make a profit, another to win fame by displacing his physical strength; and there is a third kind, the best sort of free man, who come to see places and fine craftsmanship and excellence in action and words, such as are generally on display at festivals. Just so, in life, people with all kinds of concerns assemble in one place. some hanker after money and an easy life; some are in the clutches of desire for power and of frantic competition for fame; but the person of the gretaest authority is the one who has chosen the study of that which is finest, and that one we call a philosopher. (Iamblichus 1989: 23)
Lemmik. Vt ka Thomas Taylori varasemat tõlget (Iamblichus 1818: 28), kus see, et Pythagoras mõistis filosoofiat erilises tähenduses, on imelikult vahendatud, festivali asemel on "avalik vaatemäng", "vaba mehe" asemel "kõige liberaalsem", jne.
At Taras he saw an ox, in a field of mixed fodder, munching on ripe beans as well. He went over to the oxherd and advised him to tell the ox to abstain from beans. The oxherd made fun of his suggestion. "I don't speak Ox," he said, "and if you do you're wasting your advice on me: you should warn the ox." So Pythagoras went up and spent a long time whispering in the bull's ear. The bull promptly stopped eating the bean-plant, of his own accord, and they say he never ate beans again. He lived to a very great age at Taras, growing old in the temple of Hera. Everyone called him "Pythagoras' holy bull" and he ate a human diet, offered him by people who met him. (Iamblichus 1989: 25)
Jällegi parim tõlge sellest loost, mida nii sageli mainitakse. Eriti tähelepanuväärne on siin see, et ta elab (eeldatavasti ebaloomulikult) kaua.
In educating humans he had an excellent starting-point: it was something, he said, which had to be understood, if people were to learn the truth in other matters. He aroused in many of those he met a most clear and vivid remembrance of an earlier life which their souls had lived long ago, before being bound to this present body. (Iamblichus 1989: 26)
Pythagoras tuleb puudutab sõrmega so otsmikku ja ühtäkki mäletad kõiki oma eelnevaid elusid.
He believed that he, alone of those on earth, could hear and understand the utterance of the universe, and that he was worthy to learn from the fountain-head and origin of existence, and to make himself, by effort and imitation, like the heavenly beings; the divine power which brought him to birth had given him alone this fortunate endowment. (Iamblichus 1989: 28)
Ainult Pythagoras ise kuuleb sfääride muusikat, sest tema sünnis mängisid jumalad mingit osa.
For the same reasons he enjoined abstinence from wine, frugal diet, and rationing of sleep; spontaneous contempt for fame, wealth and the like, and resistance to them; sincere reverence for those who have gone before, unfeigned goodwill and fellow-feeling for one's peers, willing encouragement, without envy, of those younger than oneself, and friendship of all for all. (Iamblichus 1989: 29)
Siin meeldis mulle küll Taylori sõnastus rohkem: "to have an unstudied contempt of, and hostility to glory, wealth, and the like" (Iamblichus 1818: 36).
He asked first how they got on with their parents and other members of the family. Then he considered whether they laughed at the wrong moment, whether they could be silent and whether they talked too much, what their desires were, which of his students they knew and how they behaved towards them, how they spent their days, what made them happy or sad. He also considered their physical form, their walk and their general coordination, using their physical characteristics as visible evidence of the habits of soul that could not be seen. (Iamblichus 1989: 31)
(a) head suhted vanematega; (b) ei naera valel ajal - enesevalitsemine; (c) suudab vaikida või räägib liiga palju - samuti enesevalitsemine; (d) mida nad soovivad - millisesse kolmest kategooriast nad kuuluvad; (e) milliseid teisi õpilasi teavad ja kuidas neisse suhtuvad - sotsiaalne läbikäimine kogukonnas üsna oluline; (f) kuidas veedavad päevi - ideaalis mediteerides, musitseerides, õppides; (g) mis teeb neid õnnelikuks või kurvaks - eeldatavasti tuleks mõlemat äärmust vältida.
[Lysis:] "You say we should philosophise in public, for whoever comes along. Pythagoras said not, and so you learnt, Hipparchos, in all seriousness. But you did not keep the teaching safe. You had a taste of sicilian high living, man, though you should have got the better of it. If you change, I shall requice; if not, you are dead. It is right, they say, to keep in memory his commands on divine and human matters, and not to share the goods of wisdom [|] with people whose souls are not remotely purified. It is not right to hand out to chance-met persons what was achieved with so much effort and toil, nor yet to expound to the uninitiated the mysteries of the Two Goddesses of Eleusis - those who do either are equally wrong and impious." (Iamblichus 1989: 32-33)
Need kaks jumalannat peaksid olema Demeter (Ceres) ja Kore (Persephone).
The Hearer's study of philosophy consists of maxims without demonstration or argument: "do this", and the other pronouncements of Pythagoras. They try to preserve these as divine teachings; they make no claim to speak for themselves, nor do they think it right to speak, but they hold those who have acquired the most axioms to be the best equipped for wisdom. (Iamblichus 1989: 36)
Meenutab kangesti eristust teadmistest, mis on selgeks õpitud, aga mille põhjendused on ära unustatud vs teadmised, mida inimene oskab ka vabalt põhjendada. Esimese kohta on Locke'il mõned krõbedad sõnad, nt "The floating of other Men's Opinions in our Brains, makes us not one jot the more knowing, though they happen to be true" (Locke 1741a: 65). Analoogseid eristusi olen kohanud ka mujal, aga ei hakka neid praegu otsima.
He returned to Pythagoras an arrow, which he had brought when he left the temple as a help against difficulties he might meet on his lengthy wanderings. Riding on the arrow, he crossed impassable places - rivers, marshes, swamps, mountains and the like; and by speaking to it, so the story goes, he could achieve purifications and drive away plagues and tempest from the cities which asked his help. (Iamblichus 1989: 41)
Kõlab kangesti nagu võlukepp, see Abarise kuldne nool.
He first considered, in testing people, whether they could "hold their peace" (that was his expression), and whether they could learn all they heard and keep it safe and secret; then whether they were modest. He showed more concern for silence than for speech. He considered everything else too, lest they should be volatile or uncontrolled in giving way to passions and desires, and he was particularly interested in how they dealt with anger and desire, whether they were ambitious for victory or honour, and whether they were quarrelsome or friendly. (Iamblichus 1989: 42)
"Rahu hoidmine" meenutab Düüni käsi-karbis eksperimenti. Kirgede (1) ja ihade (2) vältimine.
They took a morning walk, alone, and in places where peace and quiet were appropriate, whether there were shines or sacred groves or other delights of the heart. They thought it wrong to meet people before one's own soul is stable and one's mind adjusted, and this tranquility, they thought, helped to settle the mind, whereas it is disturbing to get up and immediately push one's way through crowds. So all the Pythagoreans always chose the places most suited to sanctity. (Iamblichus 1989: 43)
Pütaagorlane ei lähe kohe pärast hommikul ärkamist autoga liiklusesse.
When evening came, they went for walks again, but not in private as they did in the morning: they walked in twos or threes, recalling what they had learnt and exercising themselves in their admirable practices. After the walk they took a bath, then went to their mess: not more than ten people ate together. (Iamblichus 1989: 44)
Kui hommikul jalutatakse üksinda, siis õhtul seltskonnas. Õhtusööki süüakse ühiselt, aga maksimaalselt kümnekesi.
In their conversations and discussions, their notes and records, and even in all their published wor (most of which still survives today), they did not use common, vulgar, ordinary language, which could be superficially understood by anyone who heard it, in an attempt to make what they said easy to follow. Instead, they kept Pythagoras' rule of "holding your peace" about the divine mysteries, using secret devices to exclude the uninitiated and protecting their exchanges of speech and writing by the use of symbols. Unless one can interpret the symbols, and understand them by careful exposition, what they say would strike the chance observer as absurd - old wives' [|] tales, full of nonsense and idle talk. But once they are deciphered as symbols should be, and become clear and transparent instead of obscure to outsiders, they impress us like utterances of the gods or Delphic oracles, revealing an astounding intellect and having a supernatural influence on those lovers of learning who have understood them. (Iamblichus 1989: 46-47)
Arusaadavus ja kergestimõistetavus ei ole pütaagorlaste rida. Salaõpetusele on kohane peita sügavat ja olulist näiliselt pinnapealise ja mõttetu taha.
There were songs designed for afflictions of the soul, to counter depression and anguish of mind (some of Pythagoras' most helpful inventions); others to deal with anger and bursts of indignation and every disturbance of that kind of soul; and yet another kind of music devised to counter desires. (Iamblichus 1989: 49)
Muusikaga saab taltsutada (1) kirgesid, (2) ihasid, ja (3) depressiooni ja ärevust. (Üleval oli viimane puudu.)
Hades is called Pluto (the Rich One) because he likes acquiring things. Those who pay him simple honours he leaves in [|] the upper world for a long time, but he is for ever dragging down one of those inclined to unrestrained mourning, so as to get the honours which are paid him at tombs. This advice caused his audience to think that they could ensure their own safety by moderation in misfortune, whereas lavish expenditure would make them all die before their time. (Iamblichus 1989: 54-55)
Liitub küsimusega, miks rikkust tuleb jälestada.
They say Pythagoras also invented the whole system of [|] political education, when he said that none of the things in existence is pure. Earth partakes of fire, fire of water, air of both and both of air; similarly, good partakes of bad, just or unjust, and so on. (On the same principle, reason has impulses in both directions: there are two movements both of body and of soul, one irrational and one purposive.) He constructed, as it were, three lines, representing forms of government, and connected them at the ends to make a right-angled triangle: one side has the nature of the epitritos, the hypotenuse measures five, and the third is in the middle of the other two. If we calculate the angles at which the lines meet, and the squares on each side, we have an excellent model of a constitution. Plato appropriated this idea, when he expressly mentioned, in the Republic, the first two numbers in the ratio of four to three which join with the fifth to make the two harmonies. (Iamblichus 1989: 57-58)
Siin ei saa ma millestki aru. Mõistusel on impulsse mõlemas suunas. Kaks liikumist - kas üks keha ja teine hinge suunas, või on nii kehal kui hingel irratsionaalseid ja eesmärgipäraseid liikumisi? Teine variant tundub tõenäolisem. (Keha ja hinge saab tahtlikult liigutada, aga mõlemad liiguvad ka tahtmatult.) Tõlkija joonealune märkus ütleb ka selle kohta "A confusing passage".
So numbers which at first sight are unequal (or incommensurable) are connected in harmonious relationships. If the numbers are put together at a right angle, itself an image of rightness and equality, it is possible to achieve "proportional" or "geometric" equality: the squares are an image of political power proportionate to the original inequality of the lines. Democrats preferred "arithmetical" equality: one man, one vote. Anti-democrats said this was simply to declare that inequalities are equal (Aristotle, Politics 3.9; Plato, Republic 558c). The Plato reference is Republic 546b: see J. Adam, The Republic of Plato II (1902): 264-312. (Clark 1989: 58, fn)
Njaa. Sama teema nüüdisajal USA-s, kus ühel inimesel ei ole üks hääl - sõltuvalt osariigist võib inimese hääl olla väärt pool häält või mitu häält.
134-240 The sections organised by Virtue (piety 134-56, wisdom 157-66, justice 167-86, self-control 187-212, courage 214-28, friendship 229-40) recycle material I. has already used, but with additions. (Clark 1989: 59, fn)
Kasulik sisukord. Voorused: vagadus, tarkus, õiglus, enesevalitsemine, julgus ja sõprus.
And here is another proof: he was once crossing the river Nessos, with several companions, and spoke to it; the river replied in a deep, penetrating voice, audible to all, "Greetings, Pythagoras". (Iamblichus 1989: 60)
Millegi pärast pole ma varem märganud/täheldanud seda, et Pythagoras ise kõnetas jõge esimesena. Kas sina ajad jõgedega juttu?
These things, and others like them, are what they say as a guarantee: as these are generally accepted, and it is impossible for them to have happened to an ordinary human being, it must be obvious, they think, that one should accept what he said as coming from someone greater, not a mortal. Even the riddle, they say, means this: they have a saying "Humans are bipeds, and birds, and a third besides" and the third is Pythagoras. (Iamblichus 1989: 63)
Pythagoras oli midagi inimese ja linnu vahepealset - reptiliaan?
"Number is the eternal and provident principle of heaven and earth and what is between, and source of the continuing existence of divine persons, gods and spirits." It is evident from these words that he derived from the Orphics his concept of divine being as defined by number. (Iamblichus 1989: 65)
Mis tähtsus oli numbritel Orfismis? Meenutab ka seda: "Eternal Nature's fountain I attest, who the Tetractys on our soul imprest." (KV #46)
But there is a form of oath ascribed to the Pythagoreans, since they were reluctant to name Pythagoras (just as they were very sparing in their use of the gods' names) and indicated him by reference to his discovery of the tetract:"No, by him who discovered the Tetract of our wisdom,(Iamblichus 1989: 66)
the source which contains the springs of everlasting nature".
Meie tarkuse tetrakt.
The "Chaldean oracles" were a collection allegedly produced by one Julian the Chaldean, and his son Julian the Theurgist, in the mid C2 Ad: see further Garth Fowden, Historia 36(1987)90-4): edition by E. des Places, Les Oracles Chaldaiques (Paris 1971). Text and commentaries (by Porphyry, I.- in at least 28 books - and Proclus) were earnestly studied in the Athenian philosophical school of the C4-5 AD, as a sacred book in the Hellenic tradition of Plato and Aristotle, rivalling the Christian scriptures. See H. Lewy (1956, ed.2 M. Tardieu 1978) Chaldean Oracles and Theurgy: Mysticism, Magic and Platonism in the Later Roman Empire; H. D. Saffrey, Revue des etudes augustiniennes 27 (1981)209-25. For Egyptian wisdom see l2n. Eleusis, in mainland Greece, was the archetypal "mystery cult", devoted to Demeter and her daughter Kore. The gods of Samothrace had secret names, but were sometimes identified with the Kabeiroi of Lemnos, sons of Hephaistos; it was at Samothrace that Cadmus married Harmonia, daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, a myth that must have appealed to Pythagoreans. (Clark 1989: 67, fn)
Huvitav kraam, säilinud fragmentidena, mille tõlge (Majercik 1989) on lg-s saadaval. Ka Iamblichuse ja Procluse kommentaarid tekstile on olemas.
He said that we make three libations to the gods, and Apollo gives his oracles from a tripod, because number first came into being as a triad. We sacrifice to Aphrodite on the sixth day because six is the first number to share the whole being of [|] number, and however you split it up, the product of what is taken away and what is left is the same. (Iamblichus 1989: 67-68)
Naiss. Triaadid ja heksaadid erilise tähtsusega.
It is thought that knowledge about lines derived from Egypt, whereas calculation and number theory were invented by people in Phoenicia, and astronomy some ascribed jointly to the Egyptians and the Chaldeans. (Iamblichus 1989: 71)
Kahtlane. Zeller jt on päris kindlad, et foiniiklased ei olnud üheski (teoreetilises) teaduses väga kõrgele arenenud.
Pythagoras handed down detailed knowledge of all this, leaving nothing uninvestigated. He also gave humanity general knowledge, such as demonstration, definition and distinction, as may be seen from the Pythagorean records. His practice was to use the very briefest speech to spark off in his disciples, by the method of symbols, infinitely varied interpretations; just as Apollo Pythios with a few easily handled words, or nature herself with seeds which are small in size, manifestations an endless and almost inconceivable multitude of ideas and their fruition. (Iamblichus 1989: 72)
Või siis, Pythagoras kõneles lakooniliselt ja hindas vaikust, sest ta oli telepaatiline tulnukas.
They thought one should hold and keep safe in the memory everything taught and said, and acquire learning and doctrines to the limit of one's capacity for learning and remembering: that is knowing as one should and keeping knowledge where one should. They set great store by memory, training it and exercising it carefully, never leaving what was taught until they had a firm grasp of what was first learnt, and recalling what was said each day, in the following way. (Iamblichus 1989: 74)
Kui kaasaegsel inimesel oleks vaid aega, et kõike, mida ta õpib, korrata ja püsimällu pühendada.
They made great efforts to train the memory, for nothing has more effect on knowledge, experience and understanding than the ability to remember. (Iamblichus 1989: 74)
(1) experience, (2) understanding, and (3) knowledge.
Now concerning justice: we shall best understand his own practice of it, and the tradition he left, if we grasp the origin of justice and the causes from which it arises, and also the first cause of injustice. Then we may discover how he warded off injustice and made it possible for justice to thrive. The origin of justice, then, is community feeling and fairness, for all to share experience, approximating as closely as possible to one body and one soul, and for everyone to say "mine" and "someone else's" about the same thing (just as Plato also testifies, having learnt it from the Pythagoreans). Pythagoras established this best of all men, eradicating all selfishness of character and extending the sense of community to the very last possessions, the things which cause faction and disruption. Everything was in common and the same for all: no-one had any private property. One who liked community living used to common possessions in the most just way; one who did not took back his own property, and more than he had brought to the common store, and left. (Iamblichus 1989: 75)
Siit johtub arutelu sellest, kas pütaagorlaste kogukond oli esimene (teadaolev) kommunistlik kommuun. "Sõprade vahel on kõik ühine" = eraomandit ei ole.
Arrogance, self-indulgence and contempt for law often prompt injustice: Pythagoras said, therefore, that every day one should assist the law and fight against lawlessness. That is also why he drew up a list like this: what is called self-indulgence is the first evil to slip into households and cities; second comes arrogance; third comes ruin. So one must always avoid and fend off indulgence, and be accustomed from birth to a temperate and virile way of life, and keep oneself clean from evil speaking, insult, aggression, abuse, and vulgar attempts to arouse laughter. (Iamblichus 1989: 76)
(1) self-indulgence, (2) arrogance, and (3) contempt for law.
We need a government against which we shall not see fit to rebel: divine government is such, for divinity is worthy to rule over all there is. They say, correctly, that living creatures are naturally aggressive, and experience a range of impulses and desires and other states of emotion, so they need this kind of control and threat to bring about moderation and order. (Iamblichus 1989: 77)
Teokraatiast kõrvale vaadates on siin justkui jälle (1) impulsid/kired, (2) ihad, ja 93) teised emotsionaalsed seisundid nagu ärevus ja depressioon.
So each one, realising the complexity of his nature, should never forget piety and worship of the divine, but should always keep in mind that the god watches over human progress. (Iamblichus 1989: 78)
Jumal saadab kuradikesi tšiksima meie tuumarelvadega ja inimesi öösel voodist röövima, et neid mõõteriistadega torkida ja kehavedelikeproove võtta.
In general, they thought one should hold anarchy to be the greatest evil, for human beings cannot be saved if no-one is in control. (Iamblichus 1989: 78)
Päästa? Kelle või mille käest?
One of the Krotoniate councillors, after denouncing the other aims of the ambassadors, that they had also been mad to cross Pythagoras: if we were back in the first age of which the stories tell, when all living creatures spoke like humans, not even an animal would have dared say a word against him. (Iamblichus 1989: 79)
Thomas Taylori tõlge jääb siin ikkagi peale: "Pythagoras, whom not even a brute would dare to blaspheme, though all animals should again utter the same voice as men, which fables report they did in the beginning of things." (Iamblichus 1818: 94-95)
Now there is also a kind of justice in dealing with others, and the Pythagoreans taught that too, in the following way. There is, they said, a right way and a wrong way of talking to people: it varies with age, status, kinship and favours done, [|] and with any other such difference between people. For instance, there is a kind of conversation which is appropriate from one young man to another, but not for one's elder: not all kinds of anger, menace or bashness are <out of place>, but any such inappropriate conduct must be avoided by a younger man talking to an older one. The same principle applies to status: it is not good or suitable behaviour to say what you like, or to behave in any other of the ways just described, to a man who has a deserved and distinguished reputation. Much the same was said about conversation with parents or benefactors. (Iamblichus 1989: 79-80)
See õpetlik näide võiks täitsa veeristada arutelu sellest, kuidas Mahaffy vestlusteooria põhineb Kanti kategooriatel, kui ma kunagi selleni peaksin jõudma.
In everything the starting-point is one of the most important matters: in knowledge, in experience, in coming to be, and indeed in a household or a city, or an army or any such association. (Iamblichus 1989: 80)
(1) experience, (2) coming to be, and (3) knowledge.
They also avoided bursts of pity, weeping and other such, and did not allow profit, desire, anger, ambition or anything like that to be a cause of division: all the Pythagoreans felt for each other as a good father would for his children. (Iamblichus 1989: 85)
Kired ja ihad.
And their excellence in keeping secrets also provokes admiration: in all those generations, no-one before the time of Philolaos, it seems, ever came upon any Pythagorean records. He was the first to publish the notorious "three books", which Dion of Syracuse is said to have brought, on Plato's advice, for one hundred minai, at a time when Philolaos was desperately poor. Philolaos himself belonged to the Pythagorean fellowship, and that was how he acquired the books. (Iamblichus 1989: 86)
Muudes versioonides on mängus Philolause lesk ja Platon mitte pelgalt ei soovita osta, vaid laseb enda jaoks osta.
The Pythagoreans told their followers and associates that if anything heeds caution, it is pleasure: no other experience has more power to trip us up and land us in error. In general, it seems, they exerted themselves never to do anything with pleasure as an aim (since that aim is usually shameful and harmful), but to act with an eye first to what is good and honourable, second to what is advantageous and beneficial - and that requires unusual judgement. (Iamblichus 1989: 87)
Ehk, (1) mis on kasulik ja kasumlik, ja (2) mis on hea ja auväärne.
Kylon was a Krotoniate, and the leading citizen in birth, fame and wealth; in other respects he was harsh, violent, disruptive and tyrannical in character. He had been very anxious to share the Pythagorean life and had applied to Pythagoras himself, then an old man, but was turned down for the reasons given. (Iamblichus 1989: 104)
Peaaegu: (1) wealth, (2) fame.... Aga (3) birth?
Likewise, Pythagoreans did not rise from their beds after the sun rose, and would not wear a ring with an image of a god: they would watch for sunrise to pray to the sun as it rose, and would not wear such a ring lest it come into contact with a bier or with some unclean place. They would do nothing without prior consideration and later assessment: in the morning they would decide what was to be done, and would reckon up into the night what action they had taken, training memory and assessment together. Similarly, if one of those who shared the way of life told another to meet him in a particular place, he would wait there for him to come through day and night. Pythagoreans were trained to remember what was said and to say nothing at random; they had their orders even to death. (Iamblichus 1989: 107)
Kaalutletus. Ettekavatsetus. Järelemõeldus. Lõik läheb edasi - jutt käib põhjustest, miks muud linnaasukad vihkasid pütaagorlasi - "Such things, as I said, annoyed everyone".
Epicharmos was also one of the hearers from outside, but did not belong to the fellowship. When he went to Syracuse he refrained from philosophising openly, because of the tyranny of Hieron, but he versified Pythagorean thought, conveying Pythagoras' teachings under the guise of amusement. (Iamblichus 1989: 111)
Samuti oluline uuendus: "often credited with being one of the first comic writers". Wikipediast jääb mulje, et tema pani esimesena kirja ütluse "käsi peseb kätt".
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