Chalcidius's Commentary on Plato's Timaeus

work offers an important tool for understanding the philosophy of the early Middle Ages.

Let us now turn to the content of the work. The translation itself extends from Timaeus 17 A to 63 C. Martin, Boeckh, and Schneider rightly criticize it as being inaccurate and unreliable. It does indeed adhere quite closely to the form of Plato's Timaeus. Like the original, Chalcidius presents the individual speakers, and his method differs in this from the Ciceronian translation, where the speaker also seems to be speaking to those present, but the direct address is avoided. In detail, however, there are countless

The writing of Chalcidius has come down to us in several manuscripts, of which Wrobel used 6 (2 from the Krakow library, 4 from the Vienna library) in the preparation of his critical edition. The work was first printed in Paris in 1520. Its editor was the already mentioned Aug. Justinianus. In 1617, Meursius published the commentary again in Leiden. This edition, however, is very faulty; the one published in Hamburg in 1718, which Jo. Alb. Fabricius took care of, is far better. His notes sometimes provide hints that should not be underestimated. In the 2nd volume of his Fragmenta Philosophorum Graecorum Fragments of Greek Philosophers, Fr. Guil. Aug. Mullach (Paris Didot 1867) edited Chalcidius anew. The latest and best critical edition was provided by Wrobel himself in 1876. Its title is: Platonis Timaeus Interprete Chalcidio cum eiusdem commentario ad fidem librorum manu scriptorum recensuit... Plato's Timaeus interpreted by Chalcidius, with his commentary, reviewed according to manuscript books, added the variety of readings, indices of authors, things, and words, geometric and astronomical descriptions, and a photographic image of the Krakow codex. I have used the last four editions; the citation usually follows the last one.