On Numenius the Platonic Philosopher

But Eusebius more frequently provides the name of the author only at the end of an excerpt. In the same way as here, shortly before (chap. 15), he provides a larger fragment of the same Arius Didymus, whereas the preceding chapter is taken from the seventh book of Aristocles on philosophy, and only at the end of chapter 15 do we read: "Let these be set before us from the epitome of Arius Didymus." Although Eusebius proceeds after chapter 17 as if he were using the same author as before to cite these Stoic dogmas, nevertheless, chapters 18 and 19 cannot belong to Numenius, but should be attributed to Arius Didymus, especially since both the method of writing and what is set forth in them harmonize very well with other fragments of the same author ¹).

Among the fragments of the first book, the first is certainly that which exists in Eusebius, book IX, chapter 7, and begins with these words: "But for this it will be necessary... to withdraw, etc." (fr. IX, 1). We see, therefore, that at the beginning of this book Numenius explained his method of philosophizing. Having neglected the philosophy of the Academics, Peripatetics, and Stoics, he thinks that one must return to Plato’s doctrine of the highest good, and that one must combine with it the opinions of Pythagoras and the most noble nations ²) concerning the One, God, and other matters, which

1. After I wrote this, I saw that Krische, Forschungen Researches, etc., I, p. 359, 483, had already silently attributed these fragments to Arius Didymus.
   Although the old index of Eusebius’s books does not attribute chapters XV, 18–20 to Numenius, his name having been inscribed on chapter 17 (in manuscripts) at an early time caused those that follow to be referred to Numenius as well. Certainly, the mention of Didymus at the end of c. 20 could not prevent Theodoret (Graecarum affectionum curatio Cure of Greek Affections V, p. 73, 48) from attributing the passage taken from here to Numenius: "But Numenius the Pythagorean, aiming at them (the Stoics), said, 'The soul... times.'"
2. Numenius calls those nations "most noble" that thought God to be incorporeal and one. cf. Origen, Contra Celsum Against Celsus I, p. 13 H. (fr. IX a.)