First Physical Dissertation on the Bond Connecting Soul and Body

Furthermore, the aforementioned ZENO, with his followers, posited that this Soul is God himself pronoetikon kosmou te kai ton en kosmo providing for the world and those things in the world, being the creator of all things, and as it were the father of all in common, and that part of him which passes through all things. By this title of "Divine part," we judge that Zeno understood that which he later describes under the name of Physeos Nature; see Laertius, l. c. PHILO the Jew agrees with this assertion in his book peri aphtharsias kosmou On the Incorruptibility of the World, page 951, B. (Paris Edition, 1640), where he clearly asserts that the World Soul is (God's own) providence. (*)

(*) Here, lest someone trip over the fact that "God's Providence" is not explicitly read in Philo, I would suggest that the antecedents and consequences be compared. From them it will be clear that the Author was speaking about God. I, indeed, lest by occupying myself too much with these things I deprive more necessary matters of space, will only bring forward a few things from what follows. Let us therefore attend above all to the passage found on page 953. When he disputes there from BOETHUS against those who held the world to be corruptible, among other things he writes: "Furthermore, if nature should burn up all things, what will God do at that time? Nothing at all? And might one not wonder at this? For now he inspects each thing and cares for all things like a genuine father, and, if the truth must be told, like a charioteer and navigator he guides and steers all things, assisting the sun, the moon, and the wandering and fixed stars, and furthermore the aether and the remaining parts of the world, and cooperating in whatever pertains to the permanence of the whole and its correct and blameless administration. If all things were destroyed by idleness and terrible inaction, he would lead a life that is not worth living. What could be more absurd? I hesitate to say what it is not even lawful to say, that death would follow God if idleness falls to him. For if you take away the unmoving from the soul, you will entirely destroy it as well." Now the Soul of the world, according to those who differ in opinion, is God.