On the Chaldean Oracles (1894) - Page 23

For these errors lie either in the perverse reasoning of the Chaldean The "Chaldean" refers to the supposed Babylonian authors of the Oracles, often associated with Julian the Theurgist., about whom you should be careful not to think we judge too unfairly—since he named these same gods both "minds" and "fiery spheres"—or they lie in the foreign origin of this fragment.

All things have arisen from the father:

"All things have been brought forth from a single fire."

original Greek: εἰσὶ πάντα ἑνὸς πυρὸς ἐκγεγαῶτα.

Psellus 1145ᵃ (so the manuscripts, though the printed edition omits "single"). Truly, he is not only fire and mind, but also the monad The Monad refers to the "One" or the ultimate source of all existence.. Proclus, Commentary on the Alcibiades 356,20: "There being three substances among the intelligible and hidden gods, and the first being characterized by the Good and perceiving the Good itself,"

"where the paternal monad is."

original Greek: ὅπου πατρικὴ μονάς ἐστι.
So says the oracle; compare Commentary on Euclid 98,17. The accounts handed down by Proclus are obscure (Commentary on Euclid 98,23): "For these reasons, therefore, it imitates wholeness and that order which is both the extended monad and gives birth to two," and Damascius II 29,16: "For it is an extended monad, according to the oracle, which gives birth to two," referring back to the second intelligible original: νοητόν; referring to the realm of pure thought/being order, that is, the Aeon; nor are these verses any clearer:

"From both of these surely flows the body of the first triad,"

"being not the first, but where the intelligible things are measured."¹)

Proclus and Damascius refer these lines to the third intelligible triad arising from the preceding ones; we certainly gain this much: that there is some trinity in the intelligible world, which the oracle nevertheless forbids us to measure (cf. p. 11 v. 6 Damascius I 109,16. 306,12). We see this agrees marvelously with the dogma of Iamblichus, who produces an intelligible trinity out of the monad, dyad The principle of "twoness" or duality., and triad The principle of "threeness" or the first grouping. (Damascius I 86,20).

We learn from these scraps that God is perfect and benign:

"For nothing incomplete runs from the paternal principle."

Psellus 1145 ᵈ.

"The Father does not instill fear, but pours forth persuasion."

Psellus 1145 ᵈ. (One might attempt to reshape these if they believe a fruitful criticism of the fragments is possible); to these I add Proclus, Commentary on the Republic 355,50 B.:

"Not even knowing that every god is good; O you who endure toil,"

"sober up!"²)

¹) Damascius II 63,21: Ruellius reads "surely" instead of "to the." Manuscript M reads "before the." Ruellius reads "of the essence," Heitzius reads "being." Proclus regards this in Platonic Theology 167,30: "According to both the pre-existing triads, this one has come forth flowing according to the oracle."
²) Compare the Hermetic homily 16,5 P.: "O people, earth-born men, you who [have given yourselves over] to drunkenness and [sleep]..."