Proclus: Commentary on Plato's Timaeus, Vol. I

...and having within itself movement and life, not only bubbling forth from itself, but also bestowing it upon the entire mass of the body. And because of this, either alone or especially because the creation was perfected as an image of the intelligible gods, the Demiurge was delighted and even more joyful, and brought it to a greater and more perfect likeness of the intelligibles by making it, as it were, eternal. For the intelligible is eternal properly and primarily, but secondarily that which is extended along with the procession and unfolding of time. For the "always" is twofold: one is eternal aeonian, the other is temporal.

Why then, on almost all these things, does he bestow this gift upon the whole world, having introduced this eighth gift of the Demiurge before? Because it is the greatest and most perfect, and brings the image to the extreme likeness of the paradigm. And it is necessary for one who sets forth the generation of the whole in the discourses to transition from the less perfect to the more perfect. For in this very way, things that exist by themselves and things that come to exist in others are, in a sense, opposed to one another. Because among those established in themselves and in no way coming to exist in others, it is necessary to say that the more venerable ones lead, according to which, for which, and by which the things that follow appear. But among those participated in by others, the less perfect come first, and become, as it were, subordinate to the more perfect, having become accustomed to arrive later.

Such, then, is the whole purpose of the proposed words. It follows to say for what causes, and what kind of thing time is, and of how many and what great goods it is the cause for the soul and the heaven that the Creator of all established along with it, and especially because many, even of Plato’s friends, assumed time to be some dim form and only the count of movements, not reflecting that of the ten things of all that exist, which the Father gives to the world, each of the subsequent things is entirely greater than those before it. If, therefore, he has already ensouled the world and [made it] a happy god...

Q D (ς)

1 "bubbling forth" Platonic word 2 s "of one" D ς 6 "god" omitted D ς 10 "these" D ς 11 compare II 5, 26s 13 "it brings" manuscripts: "it sets forth"? 27 "of times" Q 28 "dim" Q 29 as for example Aristotle (compare p. 9, 23 ss) 30 compare II 5, 17 ss 32 s compare Tim. 34 B