Isagoge 0888442653

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Porphyry the Phoenician

Isagoge

Translated by

EDWARD W . WARREN

MEDIAEVAL SOURCES IN TRANSLATION

16

PORPHYRY THE PHOENICIAN

ISAGOGE

Translation, introduction and notes by EDWARD W. WARREN

PONTIFICAL INSTITUTE OF MEDIAEVAL STUDIES

MEDIAEVAL SOURCES IN TRANSLATION

16

LIBRARY CATALOGUING DATA

Porphyrius. Isagoge / Porphyry the Phoenician; translation, introd. and

.fi I I . notes by Edward w. Warren . Toronto: Ponti ca nshtute of Mediaeval Studies, 1975. (Mediaeval sources in translation; 16 ISSN 0316-0874-2)

65 p.; 20 cm. Includes bibliographical references.

Index: p. [63]-65. ISBN 0-88844-265-3 1. Aristotle. Categoriae. 2. Predicate (Logic). 3. Metaphysics - Early Works to 1800. I. Warren, Edward W., 192911. Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies. III. Title. IV. Series.

B697.I73W35

160

Copyright© 1975 by Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies 59 Queen's Park Crescent East Toronto, Ontario, Canada MSS 2C4 www.pims.ca

Printed in Canada

for Ludwig Edelstein and Albert Hammond

-

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

................................... 9

Porphyry ........................... ........... . The Logical Tradition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Isagoge and Metaphysics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Commentaries of Boethius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Text and Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9

11 18 21 23

26

ISAGOGE ......................................... ·. 27 Genus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Difference . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......... ·. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Accident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Common Characteristics of the Five Predicables . . . . . . . . . . 49 Common Characteristics of Genus and Difference . . . . . . . . 50 The Difference Between Genus and Difference ........... 51 Common Characteristics of Genus and Species . . . . . . . . . . 52 The Difference Between Genus and Species . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Common Characteristics of Genus and Property . . . . . . . . . 53 The Difference Between Genus and Property . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Common Characteristics of Genus and Accident . . . . . . . . . 54 The Difference Between Genus and Accident ............ 54 Common Characteristics of Difference and Species . . . . . . . . 56 The Difference Between Species and Difference . . . . . . . . . . 56 Common Characteristics of Difference and Property ...... 57 The Difference Between Property and Difference . . . . . . . . . 58

TABLE OF CONTENTS 8

Common Characteristics of Difference and Accident . Properties of Difference and Accident ............. : · · · · • 59 Common Characteristics of Species and Property .... . : · · · · 59 TTie Difference Between Species and Property . . . . . . . . · · · · 60 Common Characteristics of Species and Accident · · · · · 60 The Difference Between Species and Accident . .. : · · · · · · · · · 61 Common Characteristics of Property and the Jnsep~r~b~; · · · · 61 Accident .............. . The Difference Between Property

~~d· th~-I~~~~~;~b·l · · · · · · · · 62

Accident . . . . . . . . .................

e

. • . · · · · · • .... 62

INDEX . .............. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..................... · 63

Qi

INTRODUCTION

Porphyry Porphyry was born at Tyre in Syria about 232 A.O. and died in Rome sometime between 30 I and 306 A.O. He was educated in Syria and in Athens where he came under the influence of Longinus, who like Plotinus and the pagan Origen had been hearers of Ammonius Saccas in Alexandria. Longinus was a man of great learning, and Porphyry undoubtedly absorbed much of his knowledge of Greek philosophy at this time. Even after his departure he continued to be in touch and corresponded with Longinus. He went to Rome in 263 and became an ardent adherent of the neoplatonism of Plotinus, later editing the Plotinian Enneads and writing his Life of Plotinus. He stayed in Rome for six years. Later, when he became acutely depressed, Plotinus urged him to travel. He went to Sicily where he busied himself with Aristotle's writings as well as with other work, notably his polemic Against the Christians. Here, too, he wrote the Isagoge (a transliteration of the Greek ElaaywyiJ, or Introduction) for Chrysaorius, a Roman Senator, who had come upon Aristotle's Categories and could not make any progress. Chrysaorius wrote for help; but, since Porphyry could not return, he wrote his Introduction. This little work, written so much by chance, was destined for great popularity throughout the middle ages and even recently was praised by A. C. Lloyd: "In fact Porphyry's /sagoge and his elementary commentary on

INTRODUCTION

10

. are admirable introductions to the concepts of

the Categor1es . '" Aristotelian logic. . . . . His reputation during late ant1~u1ty w~s substantia~ and his • fl ce considerable in the ph1losoph1cal community. Porm uen . bl. hed . h ·s commentaries on Aristotle's logic esta 1s a tradition P yry ·1 h .h A. I' whereby young philosophers began phi osop Y wit nstot e s Organon. In the neoplatonic schools in Athens and Alexandria Aristotle became the logician and the philosopher of the natural world. while Plato became the theologian. The notion that Plato and Aristotle were in harmony was partially purchased at this time by assigning to each different spheres of interest. While Porphyry was in Sicily, Plotinus died (270 A.D.), and it fell to Porphyry to return to Rome to take his mentor's place. He became famous as an interpreter of the difficult and frequently obscure doctrines of Plotinus. Late in life he married the widow Marcella, for whom he wrote a consolation while he was absent from home, an absence apparently caused by political pr~ssures. Sometime after 298, Porphyry published the Enneads of Plotinus. Within a few years he died, and the center of neoplatonism shifted to the Near East and to Jamblichus who was perhaps a student of Porphyry. 2

' Cambridge History of Later Greek and Early Medieval • strong. Cambridge U. Press. 196 7. p. 281. Ph, losophy. ed. A. H. Arm2 For the historical importance of the Jsagoge consult A H st Bochenski. tr. and ed. by lvo Thomas. u. of Notre Dam~ ;:" of Formal logic. I. M. Kneale. The Development of Logic, Clarendon p ress. 1961 ; W. and M . .r ress, Oxfa-d 1962 . HISlory o, f.:ater Greek and Early Medieval Philosophy. ed. A H ' · ; the Cambridge phyre. J. Bidez. Ghent. 19 I 3, Georg Olms. Hildesheim 1964 . Annstrong; Vie de PorOc~. E. A. Moody. ~ .Y.• Russell and Russell. 1935, rep/ logic of William of 65 mention of R. Walzer. Porphyry in the Arabic Trad't• .: · Sec also the b • f L'A . . , Cl . Porph nt1qu1te ass1que. Tome XII. Vand~uvres-Geneve.'ion ' _ yre. Entretiens rae sur 19 65

r:e

I TR DU Tl N

II

The Logical Tradition

The significance of Porphyry's modest /sagoge is determined largely by the controversy over universals that arose during the middle ages and by the metaphysics developed with the aid of Aristotelian logic. The /sagoge is not an original contribution to metaphysics or logic nor is it intended to be. Rather it is an introduction to, an attempted explanation of, the Aristotelian terms later called predicables. His purpose was to help the student understand the Aristotelian text by making clear the meanings of genus (yoo~), species (doo~ ), difference (&arpop