Simplicius On The Planets and Their Moti PDF

Simplicius on the Planets and Their Motions
Philosophia Antiqua
A Series of Studies on Ancient Philosophy
Previous Editors
J.H. Waszink †
W.J. Verdenius†
J.C.M. Van Winden
Edited by
K.A. Algra
F.A.J. de Haas
J. Mansfeld
C.J. Rowe
D.T. Runia
Ch. Wildberg
VOLUME 133
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/pha

Simplicius on the Planets
and Their Motions
In Defense of a Heresy
By
Alan C. Bowen
LEIDEN • BOSTON
2013
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Simplicius, of Cilicia.
[Aristotelis De caelo commentaria. English]
Simplicius on the planets and their motions : in defense of a heresy / by Alan C. Bowen.
pages. cm. – (Philosophia antiqua ; volume 133)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-90-04-22708-8 (hardback : alk. paper) – ISBN 978-90-04-24171-8 (e-book)
1. Astronomy–Early works to 1800. 2. Simplicius, of Cilicia. 3. Aristotle. De caelo. I. Bowen, Alan
C. II. Title. III. Series: Philosophia antiqua ; v. 133.
Q151.A8S5713 2013
523.4–dc23
2012035045
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For Pamela
CONTENTS
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi
THE ARGUMENT
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Simplicius’ Life and Writings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
The Commentary on De caelo 2.10–12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
The Place of 2.10–12 in the De caelo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Simplicius’ Predicament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Text and Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The Annotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Planetary Retrogradation: A Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
1. The Heresy of Non-Homocentric Aetherial Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Aetherial Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
The Task Remaining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Simplicius on the Heavens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
2. The Heretical Rejection of All Hypotheses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Simplicius, In phys. 2.2 193b22–35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Aristotle on Physical Theory and Mathematical Science . . . . . . . . . . 38
Physical Theory and Astronomy Recast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Simplicius and the Path Not Taken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
The Need for Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
The Empirical Limitations of Astronomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
A Question of Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
3. Simplicius, the Apologist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Saving Aristotle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
The Harmonized Aristotle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Aristotle, the Physical Theorist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
viii contents
Saving the De caelo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Saving the Late Platonists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
4. Simplicius, the Historian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Simplicius and His Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Alexander of Aphrodisias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
On Teleology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
On the Isodromic Planets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
On the Motion by Nature of Larger Spheres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
On a Circular Argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
On an Ellipsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
On the First Problem of 2.12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
On the Four Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
On a Lexical Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Alexander and Porphyry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Eudemus of Rhodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
On Anaximander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Eudemus with Sosigenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
On Callippus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Claudius Ptolemy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Sosigenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Coda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
5. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
TRANSLATION
In de caelo 2.10. The proportionality of the planetary speeds . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

291a29–b10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
470.29–471.11 Contextualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
471.12–14 Basic Astronomical Fact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
471.14–28 This Fact Is Unexpected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
471.29–472.4 Aristotle’s Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
472.4–7 Problem with This Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
472.8–20 Alexander’s Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
472.21–473.7 Problem of Natural Motion Remains . . . . . . . . . . . 102
473.8–474.6 Another Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
contents ix
474.7–13 Alexander: The Isodromic Planets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

474.14–30 Criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
474.30–33 Alexander: The Upper Planets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
474.33–475.8 Criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
475.9–23 Plato on Planetary Speeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
475.23–476.10 Aristotle Reinterpreted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
476.10–27 Rejection of Yet Another Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
476.28–477.2 Problem of Isodromic Planets Remains . . . . . . . . 109
In de caelo 2.11. The Sphericity of the Wandering Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

291b11–17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
477.5–14 Contextualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
477.14–23 First Argument for Sphericity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
477.24–27 Question of Circularity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
477.27–478.3 Alexander’s Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
478.3–8 Criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
478.8–14 Aristotle Reinterpreted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
478.15–32 Further Explication of First Argument . . . . . . . . . 113
291b17–23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
479.3–10 Second Argument for Sphericity (Part 1) . . . . . . . 114
479.10–23 The Meaning of ‘dichotomos’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
479.23–480.15 Lunar Phases and Sphericity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
480.16–24 Second Argument for Sphericity (Part 2) . . . . . . . 117
In de caelo 2.12. The Proportionality of the Planetary Motions . . . . . . . . . . 119

291b24–292a18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
480.26–481.22 Restatement of the Lemma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
481.22–30 Alexander’s Comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
292a18–b10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
482.3–485.2 The First Problem and Its Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
292b10–25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
485.5–487.20 Further Explication of the Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
487.20–488.9 Simplicius’ Reconstruction of the Solution . . . . . 134
488.10–14 Planetary Hypotheses Rejected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
488.14–24 Planetary Hypotheses: Genesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
488.25–489.4 Criticism of the First Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
489.5–11 Plato and the True Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
489.12–30 Alexander: The Elements Lack Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
292b25–30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
489.33–490.16 Second Problem and First Response . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
x contents
292b30–293a4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
490.19–491.11 Second Response (or the First Continued) . . . . . 140
293a4–11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
491.15–492.11 Second (or Third) Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
492.12–24 This Response Assumes the Preceding . . . . . . . . . 144
492.25–493.11 A History of Planetary Hypotheses . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
493.11–494.23 The Solar Hypothesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
494.23–495.17 The Lunar Hypothesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
495.17–497.24 Hypotheses for the Five Planets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
497.24–499.15 Unwinding Spheres Hypothesized. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
499.16–501.21 Theorems on Homocentric Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
501.22–502.19 The Unwinding Spheres Explained . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
502.19–504.3 The Total Number of Spheres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
504.4–15 A Lexical Coda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
504.16–505.19 The Failure of Homocentric Hypotheses . . . . . . . 165
505.19–506.8 The Early Theorists Excused . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
506.8–16 The School’s Proper Choice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
506.16–22 Ptolemy’s Criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
506.23–507.8 Simplicius Puzzled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
507.9–508.16 Eccentric and Homocentric Hypotheses . . . . . . . 170
508.17–509.12 The Epicyclic Hypothesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
509.13–510.35 Aristotle and the New Hypotheses . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
COMMENTS
In de caelo 2.10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Comment 10.01. De caelo 291a29–34: A Question of Proportionality 201
Comment 10.02. De caelo 291a29: τὸ ἄστρον / ὁ ἀστήρ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Comment 10.03. De caelo 291a30: κινεῖται . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Comment 10.04. De caelo 291b9–10: οἱ µαθηµατικοί . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Comment 10.05. In de caelo 471.1: «καταλαµβάνω» and Its Cognates 204
Comment 10.06. In de caelo 471.9: παραβολῆς . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Comment 10.07. In de caelo 471.11: οἱ περὶ ῞Ιππαρχον . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Comment 10.08. In de caelo 471.20: Larger Bodies Move Faster by
Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Comment 10.09. In de caelo 472.5–7: The Two Planetary Motions
Thus Far . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Comment 10.10. In de caelo 472.13–14: ἀναγκαῖον … βίαιον µόνον . . . . . . 209
contents xi
Comment 10.11. In de caelo 473.15: A Lacuna? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Comment 10.12. In de caelo 473.26–27: Planetary Bodies as
Hypostases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Comment 10.13. In de caelo 474.26–28: Planetary Eccentricity . . . . . . . 211
Comment 10.14. In de caelo 475.2–4: On Linear and Angular Speed . . 213
Comment 10.15. In de caelo 475.11–12: An Emendation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
In de caelo 2.11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Comment 11.01. In de caelo 479.12: An Emendation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Comment 11.02. In de caelo 480.10–15: On Drum- or Lentil-Shaped
Moons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Comment 11.03. In de caelo 480.17–19: The Shape of Eclipsing
Bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Comment 11.04: In de caelo 480.19–21: On Flat or Convex Moons at
Syzygy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Comment 11.05: In de caelo 480.21–23: Another Mistaken Argument 221
In de caelo 2.12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Comment 12.01. De caelo 291b35–292a1: On ‘Fewer Motions Than
Some’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Comment 12.02. De caelo 292a3–6: Aristotle’s Occultation of Mars . . 224
Comment 12.03. In de caelo 481.12–15: Ancient Records of
Occultations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Comment 12.04. In de caelo 481.22–24: The Encouragement Offered 226
Comment 12.05. De caelo 292a18–21: The Heavenly Bodies
Ensouled? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Comment 12.06. In de caelo 485.10–12: Fewer Motions: Better or
Worse? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Comment 12.07. In de caelo 487.20–488.2: Awareness of
Retrogradation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Plato, Timaeus 40c3–d3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Plato, Respublica 617a4–b4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
The Planetary Turnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Epinomis 986a8–987d2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Epicurus, Epistula ad Pythoclem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Ptolemy, Alm. 12.1: Apollonius of Perga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Comment 12.08. In de caelo 488.20: Proclus on Sosigenes . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Comment 12.09. In de caelo 488.21–24: On ‘Saving the Phenomena’ . . 251
Plutarch, De facie 923a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
xii contents
Archimedes, Arenarius 1.4–7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Seneca, Nat. quaest. 7.2.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Stobaeus, Ecl. 1.25.3k . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Plutarch, Plat. quaest. 1006b–c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Geminus, Intro. ast. 1.19–22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Comment 12.10. In de caelo 488.27–30: An Alternative Reading . . . . . . 260
Comment 12.11. De caelo 292b29–30: The Living Sources of
Celestial Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Comment 12.12. In de caelo 493.15–17: The Third Solar Motion . . . . . . . 262
Comment 12.13. In de caelo 494.9–12: An Error in the Solar
Hypothesis? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Comment 12.14. In de caelo 494.20–22: The Length of the Day . . . . . . . 264
Comment 12.15. In de caelo 495.5–8: On Latitude (πλάτος) . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Comment 12.16. In de caelo 495.10–13: The Third Lunar Motion . . . . . . 265
Comment 12.17. In de caelo 495.13–16: An Error in the Lunar
Hypothesis? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Comment 12.18. In de caelo 495.23–29: Values for the Sidereal
Periods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Comment 12.19. In de caelo 495.29: The Particle «πως» . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Comment 12.20. In de caelo 496.6–9: Values for the Synodic Periods 271
Comment 12.21. In de caelo 496.27–28: The Verb «ἥκω» . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Comment 12.22. In de caelo 497.3: The Hippopede . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Comment 12.23. In de caelo 497.24–504.3: The Unwinding Spheres . . 273
Comment 12.24. In de caelo 498.5–10: An Emendation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Comment 12.25. In de caelo 502.10–11: Sosigenes: The Unwinding
Spheres. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Comment 12.26. In de caelo 504.24–25: Aristotherus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Comment 12.27. In de caelo 32.12–33.16: Simplicius versus
Philoponus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Comment 12.28. In de caelo 504.28–29: The Size of Venus and Mars 288
Comment 12.29. In de caelo 504.29–30: Shadows Cast by Venus . . . . . . 289
Comment 12.30. In de caelo 504.30–32: The Size of the Moon . . . . . . . . 290
Comment 12.31. In de caelo 504.33: Moerbeke: The Digression . . . . . . . 291
Comment 12.32. In de caelo 504.33–505.1: The Ancient Digit
(δάκτυλος) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Comment 12.33. In de caelo 505.11–17: An Invisible Variation in Size 292
Comment 12.34. In de caelo 505.21–23: Homocentric Hypotheses:
A History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
contents xiii
Comment 12.35. In de caelo 506.2: Who Cares about the Number of

Spheres? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Comment 12.36. In de caelo 506.11–15: Callisthenes and Aristotle . . . . 295
Comment 12.37. In de caelo 506.16: Simplicius on Ptolemy . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Comment 12.38. In de caelo 506.22: Herophilus and the Nervous
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Comment 12.39. In de caelo 507.12–14: Simplicius and the
Pythagoreans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Index of Passages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Passages in I.G. Kidd 1988–1999, vol. 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Index of Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Index of Subjects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
PREFACE
This book has its genesis in work funded by a very generous three-year grant
from the National Endowment for the Humanities that I began with Bernard
R. Goldstein in 1988. Our project was entitled ‘Early Hellenistic Astronomy
and Its Historical Context’, and its stated aim was
to produce a book about the introduction and use of geometrical models
for predicting celestial phenomena quantitatively, a peculiar contribution of
Greek astronomy in the third and second centuries bc to Western Civilization.
This contribution marks a break with preceding Greek theory, which was
geometrical but qualitative, and contrasts with contemporary Babylonian
theory, which, though quantitative and predictive, was wholly arithmetical.
In light of the debt of Hellenistic Greek astronomers to the Babylonians, we
will determine what views and factors in Greek scientific, philosophic, and
literary culture made the Greeks receptive to Babylonian influence.
The book never materialized and for good reason: as we quickly discov-
ered once we started serious research and then subsequently explained in
our reports, not only were the facts that we had presumed in making our
proposal corrupt to their smallest details, the methods of ‘learned’ analysis
by which these facts had been determined were hopeless if one’s goal was
knowledge rather than a pretty story willfully preferring but one of a num-
ber of conflicting possibilities. Mercifully, our Program Specialist at the NEH,
Elizabeth Arndt, was quite supportive and willing to accept instead a series
of articles in which we explored particular issues in the history of Hellenistic
astronomy by critically evaluating current views and developing strategies
of reading focused rigorously on what actually could be known.
Now, as some readers may recognize, our initial account of the great inno-
vation in Hellenistic astronomy is very much a creature of the scholarly
practice of using Simplicius’ digression in his commentary on Aristotle’s De
caelo 2.12 to explain Aristotle’s report of the homocentric theory of planetary
motion in Meta. Λ.8. (Of course, this is only after Simplicius’ commentary
has been laundered of the numerous defects perceived in it by modern his-
torians.) And so I have returned on several occasions in the intervening years
to Simplicius’ testimony, concentrating mostly on how it has been misread
but more recently on how it should be read. In truth, the account of Simpli-
cius’ discussion of Aristotle’s reports and contribution to the theory of plan-
etary motion to be found in the following pages redresses a misstep taken
xvi preface
so many years ago. It may also be seen, I suppose, as an act of penance—the

next to come in a history of Hellenistic astronomy during the first centuries
at the turn of the millennium that I am currently writing.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is only recently that I have moved from criticism of modern readings of

Simplicius’ commentary on In de caelo 2.12 to the related but vastly more
interesting and worthwhile question of how one ought to read this text, that
is, to the question of what Simplicius was trying to accomplish in it and why.
Indeed, such progress was made possible by a year as a Visiting Member at
the Institute for Advanced Study (2009–2010). For only there did I really have
the leisure and the facilities to pursue my questions beyond their originally
conceived limits. To Heinrich von Staden I am, thus, immensely indebted
for his generous advice and support: I especially appreciate the hours spent
with him discussing difficult passages in Heiberg’s Greek text. To Serena
Connolly, James Rives, Michael Lurie, William G. Thalmann, Nicole Belay-
che, Ruth Bielfeldt, and Judith Pfeiffer, classicists and historians who so
kindly attended a seminar on Simplicius that I gave in the spring of 2010
and then offered very useful criticism and advice, I likewise extend warm
thanks. I am also most grateful to Hannah Gutschow and Julia Bernheim for
their expert proofreading of the translation and comments on In de caelo
2.10–11.
It is also a pleasure to thank Dave Herald for sharing his own study of
Aristotle’s report at De caelo 292a2–6 of a lunar occultation of Mars, and for
preparing Figures 12.01 and 12.02. I am grateful as well to Clemency Montelle
and the late Christopher Walker for their advice about some Babylonian
texts.
Over the years, of course, I have had the privilege of engaging the help
of numerous other scholars. To Bob Todd, Fabio Acerbi, Bernie Goldstein,
Taïeb Farhat, Bernard Vitrac, Jim Lennox, Dirk Baltzly, and Christian Wild-
berg I offer my profound thanks and appreciation for all that they have done
to assist me in bringing this project to light. Their generosity in answering
questions and offering guidance is exemplary. To Andrea Falcon I am espe-
cially grateful for his showing me the final draft of his study of Xenarchus
and his criticism of Aristotle’s arguments in the De caelo for the existence of
a special celestial matter, aether (now published by Cambridge University
Press [see Falcon 2012]).
I am also pleased to acknowledge Carlos Steel for his great kindness
in sending me photocopies of work (both unpublished and published but
difficult to get) by the late Fernand Bossier on the Latin translations of
xviii acknowledgments
Simplicius’ commentary by Robert Grosseteste and William of Moerbeke.

These translations, though they belong to what scholars call the indirect
tradition of transmission, are invaluable witnesses to Greek manuscripts
antedating those which have survived. In this instance, they have enabled
me to resolve numerous puzzles in Heiberg’s Greek text.
The annotated translation and comments that I include in this book
entail extensive revision of work published some years ago in SCIAMVS
[2003b, 2008d]. I am grateful to the editors of that journal for permission
to draw freely on this material and especially to Ken Saito for his generous
support and encouragement during its preparation.
Finally, though my words fail, I thank my wife, Pamela, for her constant,
good-natured support and warm encouragement over the years as I have
pursued this and other projects. To her I dedicate this book.
With such support and counsel, it is hard to believe that errors remain.
But I am sure that they do, and they will be mine. Yet none will, I pray, be so
egregious as the one that beset my initial steps in this inquiry.
Princeton, NJ
June, 2012
CONVENTIONS
() Parentheses enclose remarks that are parenthetical in Simplicius’ exposition.

[] Brackets enclose words and phrases typically implied by Simplicius’ Greek
but included explicitly in the translation in order to clarify its meaning.
hi Angle brackets enclose text that is not in Simplicius’ Greek. Their main use is
in the lemmata to mark off the parts of Aristotle’s text that Simplicius omits.
hh ii Double angle brackets enclosing text in the translation signal text in Simpli-
cius’ Greek that should be deleted.
Italic text in the translation serves primarily to highlight the lemmata. It also
marks the paraphrases and quotations of Aristotle’s texts in Simplicius’ com-
ments on a given lemma and is used occasionally as well in the translation
to convey the force of a single word.
LIST OF FIGURES
1. The conjunction and opposition of an outer planet with the Sun . . . . 22

2. The conjunctions of an inner planet with the Sun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3. The retrogradation of an inner planet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4. The retrogradation of an outer planet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
5. The retrogradation of Venus in 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6. The retrogradation of Mars in 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7. Nested spherical shells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
10.01. The eccentricity of a planet according to Simplicius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
11.01.
(a) Lunar phases: Conjunction to Full Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
(b) Lunar phases: Full Moon to conjunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
11.02. The phases of a drum-shaped Moon: Conjunction to opposition 184
11.03. The phases of a lentil-shaped Moon: Conjunction to opposition 185
12.01. The occultation of Mars (–360 Mar 20) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
12.02. The occultation of Mars (–356 May 4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
12.03. The hypotheses for the Sun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
12.04. The length of the day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
12.05. The motions of the Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
12.06.
(a) Placement of the third and fourth planetary spheres . . . . . . . . . . 190
(b) Generation of the hippopede . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
12.07. Homocentric motion (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
12.08. Homocentric motion (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
12.09. An analysis of compound motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
12.10.
(a) Motion on a circle homocentric to the observer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
(b) Motion on a circle eccentric to the observer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
12.11. Motion on an epicycle with deferent homocentric to the
observer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
12.12. Apparent motion near apogee on a circle eccentric to the
observer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
12.13. Epicyclic planetary hypothesis in spherical shell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
12.14. Eccentric planetary hypothesis in spherical shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
THE ARGUMENT
᾽Αρχὴ δέ τοι ἥµισυ παντός

(Γνώµη ἀδέσποτος)
INTRODUCTION
Simplicius’ Life and Writings
Little is known of Simplicius’ life. He is often referred to as Simplicius of

Cilicia, which presumably means that he came from the coastal region of
Asia Minor that is south of the central Anatolian plateau and north to north-
east of Cyprus. He was an adherent of that school of late antique Platonism
which has been named ‘Neoplatonic’. I will not use this designation, how-
ever, because it obscures the broader history of Platonism by casting it as
a story of doctrinal purity and its contamination, and grievously misrepre-
sents the spirit of late Platonism, the chief aim of which was to understand
Plato’s original meaning by close study of his writings and not to advance
new speculation based on them.1
From his own writings, we learn that Simplicius studied under two of
Proclus’ pupils: first, Ammonius (son of Hermeias) in Alexandria and, then,
Damascius in Athens.2 Sometime after the closure of the Athenian philo-
sophical schools in ad 529 and the promulgation of laws affecting their own-
ership of property in 531, Simplicius left Athens, so the partisan Christian
historian Agathias tells us,3 with Damascius and five others4 to take refuge
at the court of the new Persian king Chosroes in Ctesiphon.5 With the signing
in 532 of a treaty between Chosroes and Justinian that included provisions
guaranteeing the safe return and acceptance of pagan philosophers without
1 Cf. Hoffmann 2000, 610 (on the late Platonist view of innovation); Baltussen 2007, 274–
275 and 2008, 1. See Hager 1983 on the coinage of the term ‘Neoplatonism’. See Sedley 1989 on
what the allegiance of a philosophical school to its founder or founders meant for the study
of philosophy itself.
2 For Simplicius’ acknowledged debt to Proclus (ad 410–485), see Diels 1882–1895, 611.11–
12, 795.4–5 and 12–14. On Ammonius, see Heiberg 1894, 271.19, 462.20–21; Diels 1882–1895,
59.23–24 and 30–31, 183.18, 192.14, 198.17, 1363.8–9. On Damascius, see Diels 1882–1895, 601.9,
630.35, 642.17, 644.10, 774.28–29, 778.27, 795.14.
3 See Agathias, Hist. 2.30.3–31.4.
4 They are Priscian of Lydus, Eulamius (perhaps Eulalius: the mss give both names) of
Phrygia, Hermes and Diogenes of Phrygia, and Isadore of Gaza.

5 See Agathias, Hist. 2.30.3–4 with Hadot 1987b, 7–8. On Justinian’s edict and how it con-
tributed to the closing of the Athenian philosophical schools, see Watts 2004 and Wildberg
2006, 329–333. For an insightful study of this edict and why the schools in Alexandria sur-
vived, see Watts 2006.
4 introduction
requirement of conversion to Christianity,6 it seems, if we follow Agathias,

that the refugees left the court of Chosroes and lived happily ever after.7
But where they actually went and stayed is a matter of dispute.8 According
to some scholars today, it was to Harrân (Roman Carrhae, close by Edessa)
in the Byzantine Empire but bordering Persia and still within the sphere
of Chosroes’ influence.9 But while there may be tenuous indications that
he migrated to Harrân, there are serious problems with any claim that he
actually stayed there.10 Other scholars maintain that Simplicius returned
to Athens.11 More recently, it has been suggested that, given Damascius’
advanced age in 532, the late Platonic Athenian School may simply have
dissolved, with Simplicius and his fellow students going their separate ways
to establish their own schools in any one of a number of communities in
the Roman East promising protection from Christian interference.12 There
is, however, evidence that Damascius returned to Syria and some reason to
think that Simplicius and the other exiles accompanied him.13
In any event, it was in the period after 532 that Simplicius wrote (in order)
his commentaries on Aristotle’s De caelo, Physica, and Categoriae.14 There
is a commentary on the De anima ascribed to Simplicius as well, but this
attribution is controversial.15 Related to this is the question of whether Sim-
plicius wrote a commentary on the Metaphysica and an Epitome physicorum
Theophrasti, since the author of In de anima refers to the former twice and
the latter once, in addition to making three references to a commentary on
the Physica. So, if Simplicius did write the In de anima, he did so sometime
after his commentary on the Physica as well as after his commentary on
6 This treaty was, however, no longer in force by ad 540.

7 Agathias, Hist. 2.31.3–4 with Hadot 1987b, 8–9.
8 See Golitsis 2008, 19–21 for an overview of the various locations that have been sug-
gested.
9 See Hadot 1987b, 9–21. Ilsetraut Hadot, following Michel Tardieu, argues that there is
evidence of a school of late Platonic thought in Harrân; but this has been denied recently [cf.
Baltussen 2008, 13, 48–51].
10 See Watts 2005, 290–298.
11 So, e.g., Cameron 1969, 22–25. But see Thiel 1999. Han Baltussen inclines to the view
that Simplicius returned to Athens, where he lived ‘in a kind of virtual exile, because he was
unable to teach’ [2008, 48–51, 112].
12 Watts 2005, 298–315.
13 Golitsis 2008, 21–22, 203.
14 See Hadot 1987b, 22–23. Pantelis Golitsis [2008, 18–19] argues that Simplicius’ commen-
taries were written between ad 535 and 545.

15 Bossier and Steel [1972] maintain that it is by Priscian; but Hadot [1987b, 23–27] argues
that it is by Simplicius. See Huby et al. 1997, 105–140 for Steel’s restatement and amplification
of his case.
introduction 5
Aristotle’s Metaphysica and his epitome of Theophrastus’ Physica, neither

of which is extant.16 Finally, there is Simplicius’ commentary on Epictetus’
Enchiridion, which is undatable in relation to Simplicius’ other works.17
The question of where Simplicius resided after leaving Ctesiphon bears
importantly on the question of his intellectual and institutional contexts, as
well on the more general issue of the institutional continuity of late Platon-
ism and how this connects with doctrinal continuity.18 But such matters will,
I think, remain little more than an occasion for conflicting speculation until
there is a fuller accounting of all the evidence in Greek, Latin, Syriac, Arabic,
and so forth bearing on the period of Simplicius’ life after 532.
Still, it is undeniable that Simplicius is addressing readers (οἱ ἐντυγχά-
νοντες or ἐντευξόµενοι) and, thus, that his commentaries are meant in the
first instance as literary works for readers of considerable sophistication.19
Moreover, given that Simplicius’ commentaries neither originated in any
classroom nor were intended for use in such a context,20 it follows that such
indications of a school as one finds in his commentaries are a literary fic-
tion.21 The question is, then, What is the nature of this fiction? Who are the
informed readers constituting his school? Such hints as one finds in the In
de caelo suggest that they were, or were imagined to be, late Platonists like
himself. In other words, Simplicius, so far as one can tell, was writing either
for contemporary Platonists in some community (to which he did or did
not belong) or for readers imagined to be of like mind in a counterfactual
present: his use of the first person plural in addressing his readers would
suggest that he was not writing for those yet unborn.
As for the order in which these readers were to take up his commentaries,
there is no reason to expect that his works were written in the order in which
they were to be read. In fact, Simplicius himself affirms that Aristotle’s Phys-
ica is to be read before his De caelo;22 and this, combined with the notions
16 See Hadot 1987a, for argument that Simplicius did write a commentary on Aristotle’s
Metaphysica.
17 See Hadot 1987b, 18–19, 27–28; 1996, 8–50. On the references in medieval Latin and
Arabic texts to other lost works by Simplicius, see Hadot 1987b, 28–39.
18 See Watts 2005, 287–290.
19 See Todd 2008, 219–220.
20 So Golitsis 2008, 16–18, 22. But see Baltussen 2008, 22, 122, 205–207 for the thesis that,
though Simplicius’ commentaries did not arise from actual teaching, they constitute instead
a summa philosophiae paganae that was to serve as a resource for teachers as well as for
students.
21 Note, for example, «µηδεὶς ἡµῶν» (‘none of us’) at the close of the comments on De caelo
2.12 [510.33].
22 3.8–12, 5.35–6.4.
6 introduction
of spiritual progress and discipline that one finds in his commentaries, indi-
cates that his commentaries on these treatises were to be read in the same
order and, moreover, that his commentary on the Enchiridion was to be read
first.23
In the same vein, though one can list the numerous works that Simplicius
cites, there is at this stage no sure way to specify the circumstances in which
the materials cited were available to him. The commentaries themselves
would suggest that he had access to a substantial library.24 But the nature
and range of the works collected, the owner, and the location are unknown.25
The Commentary on De caelo 2.10–12
Simplicius’ is the only surviving commentary in ancient Greek on Aristotle’s

De caelo. It has typically been prized for the care of its citations of texts
by earlier authors which are no longer extant. Indeed, it is fair to say that,
until recently, Simplicius’ In de caelo has been more mined for its Presocratic
nuggets than actually read on its own terms.26 To today’s reader, however,
such valuation pales against the appreciation of what the In de caelo reveals
about how Simplicius and his philosophical school understood Aristotle’s
great cosmological work, and how their interpretation of it battled with
Christian teaching, particularly, that teaching armed with philosophical
justification by the renegade convert John Philoponus.27
23See Golitsis 2008, 12–13: cf. Hoffmann 2000, 611–614.

24For a list of the books presumably in it, see Baltussen 2008, 211–215. On the libraries of
the late Platonists, see Hoffmann 2000.
25 On the more general question of the late Platonist libraries and the formation of
philosophical corpora in Armenian, Syriac, Arabic, and Hebrew, see the collection of papers
edited by Cristina D’Ancona [2007].
26 See Hadot 1987b, 3.
27 On Philoponus, see Sorabji 1996. It is ironic that for all his pains in challenging the later
Greek Platonists as he struggled to supply a rationale for Christian doctrine in Greek phi-
losophy, John was anathematized in ad 681, roughly a century after his death, for tritheism,
an account of the Trinity born of the effort to settle a dispute using philosophical ideas [see
Wildberg 2008, §§ 4.2–3]. On the late Platonist view of Christians, see Hoffmann 1987, 187–
188. According to Simplicius, Christians are atheists who inconsistently value the heavens as
the dwelling-place and throne of God but nevertheless prefer them to τὰ κοπρίων ἐκβλητότερα
[370.29–371.4].
Incidentally, the phrase «τὰ κοπρίων ἐκβλητότερα» at 371.2 shows the full measure of
Simplicius’ palpable disgust with the Christian veneration of relics [cf. Hoffmann 1987, 201–
203, 208–209]. But the exact nature of his polemic is elusive because we do not know which
practices of personal hygiene and sanitation he is assuming. Ian Mueller’s ‘more worthy to
be thrown out than dung’ [2004a, 15] is possible but raises the questions of whom Simplicius
introduction 7
The present study, I hasten to say, is neither a general account of Simpli-

cius’ commentary on Aristotle’s De caelo as a whole nor an essay on Simpli-
cius the commentator, though either is undoubtedly an important desider-
atum. It is instead a narrowly focused analysis of In de caelo 2.12 with due
attention to its place in the sequence of In de caelo 2.10–12.
But, the reader may well wonder, what actually warrants isolating Simpli-
cius’ comments on these three chapters of the De caelo? The warrant lies in
three considerations. First is that Simplicius’ commentary on 2.12 concludes
with an astronomical digression, a much cited if not well-known passage
which has been abstracted and reconstructed in modern times to form the
bedrock of most histories of astronomy and science in Greco-Latin antiquity.
Second, that 2.10–12 form a coherent, logical unit in the overall argument of
the De caelo; and, as one might expect, the same is true of the commentary
on these chapters. Third, that these chapters bring to the fore an acute prob-
lem regarding the motions of the heavenly bodies that Simplicius is able to
suppress earlier in his commentary when dealing with Philoponus’ attack
on the De caelo.
This focus notwithstanding, the following study of Simplicius’ commen-
tary on 2.12 will, I trust, still be seen as a contribution to our understanding of
the challenge of confronting the criticism of the De caelo put forward by John
Philoponus,28 as well as to the growing literature on Simplicius’ strategies
and methods as a reader and exegete of Aristotelian and Platonic works.29
was writing for and where they lived that it was the practice to throw feces (human or animal)
out. One philological issue is whether κόπρια and κόπρος are in fact the same. If they are,
«ἐκβλητότερα» might better have the attenuated sense of ‘more to be rejected’. (Moerbeke
[1563, 128.col.A: see Bossier 2004, cxvi–cxx] has ‘abiectora’ without translating «κοπρίων»
and so inclines to such attenuation.) Curiously, however, in addition to the present passage,
there are only two others in which Simplicius speaks of feces and in each he uses «κόπρος».
(All three occur in the polemic of the In de caelo.) Further, so far as one can tell from these
instances, ἡ κόπρος is something to which one descends [119.12–13] or something into which
one falls [135.31–136.1]—in each case Simplicius presents himself as Heracles cleaning out the
Augean stables—not something that one throws out. (Moerbeke [see Bossier 2004, 158.70,
180.7] has ‘stercus’ for both occurrences.) So, even if the phrase «τὰ κοπρίων ἐκβλητότερα»
is found in numerous authors—Plutarch, for example, writes at Quaest. conv. 669a that,
according to Heraclitus, corpses are more to be rejected (thrown out?) than κόπρια—it does
not follow that, if κόπρος and κόπρια are the same there, they are the same here as well.
Simplicius may just as well be thinking instead of ‘shitty things’, that is, items used to clean
feces—the mosses, leaves, bits of cloth, and so forth used in ancient personal hygiene instead
of toilet paper, for instance—and thus intend a much more vivid invective.
28 I have found the papers by Han Baltussen [2007: cf. 2008, 172–209], Philippe Hoffmann
[1987], and Christian Wildberg [1999] most illuminating on this topic.

29 Baltussen 2008 is the first book-length study in English (at least) of Simplician exegesis.
8 introduction
At this juncture, however, I will elaborate only the second consideration

and merely outline Simplicius’ challenge in dealing with Philoponus in
the De caelo, thus leaving study of the third consideration proper to the
subsequent chapters. As for the first, though there will undoubtedly be
readers who come to this book in the expectation of finding the means
to advance the modern reconstructions of Simplicius’ comments, I will say
nothing now, mainly because these reconstructions constitute a misreading
of Simplicius, as I trust will become clear in the following chapters as well
as in my comments to the translation.
The Place of 2.10–12 in the De caelo

Chapters 10–12 of book 2 of the De caelo form a unit in Aristotle’s argumen-
tation that is defined by an explicit concern with the planetary motions and
their proportionality, as well as by the idea that the pursuit of these concerns
entails consultation of scientific works.
Consider the immediate context of these three chapters as defined by
chapter 8. This chapter opens by asking whether, given that the heavenly
bodies (the fixed stars) and the heavens (celestial sphere: οὐρανός) as a whole
are observed to change position, it is the case that:
– both the celestial sphere and the fixed stars are at rest, that
– both are in motion, or that
– one is in motion while the other remains at rest [289b1–4].30
After some deliberation, Aristotle concludes that it is reasonable (εὔλογον)
to hold that the fixed stars do not move on their own but are fixed in circles
(in the celestial sphere) that rotate with a speed which varies directly with
their distance from their center of rotation, the Earth [289b5–290a7]. Next,
he argues that since these bodies are spherical, they must either rotate
or roll, if they move by themselves; and, thus, that since they do not in
fact appear to rotate or to roll, it is reasonable that they do not move by
themselves [290a7–29]. And so he concludes:
This is why it would also seem reasonable that the entire heavens and each
heavenly body be spherical, since the sphere is the most useful of figures for
motion within itself (given that it can move most quickly in this way and,
most of all, occupy the same place) and least useful for motion forward, since
[this shape] is least like things capable of motion of their own accord (given
that it lacks an appendage or protuberance like a rectangle but stands farthest
30 The related question of whether the Earth rotates is taken up in 2.13–14: in 2.8, Aristotle
simply asserts that it does not [289b4–5].

introduction 9
apart in shape from bodies capable of progression). Since, then, the heavens
must perform a motion within themselves but the other [bodies] must not go
forward on their own accord, either would reasonably be spherical, since, in
this way, the former will be in motion and the latter, at rest.
[De caelo 290a36–b11]
That is, given the conclusion that the fixed stars do not move on their own
and yet make a daily revolution about the Earth, and that the celestial sphere
carries these bodies round as it rotates about an internal axis, it follows
reasonably that all such bodies are spherical—the celestial sphere because
this shape is best suited for rotation and the fixed stars because sphericity
befits what is by itself immobile.31
Chapter 2.9 takes this up by focusing on a feature of celestial motion
that has not yet been addressed explicitly in the De caelo, the motion of
the wandering, as opposed to the fixed, stars. But it does so obliquely by
attacking immediately (one version of) the Pythagorean contention that
the planetary motions produce a ἁρµονία [290b12–291a6], and then showing
that the absurdity of this contention affords proof by modus tollens that the
heavenly bodies are in fact spherical and do not move on their own accord,
the very point of chapter 2.8.
In chapter 2.10, Aristotle recovers from the ‘false start’ of chapter 2.9.
He breaks new ground by introducing the distinction between fixed and
wandering stars, that is, between the daily motion westwards performed
by all heavenly bodies, but most notably by the celestial sphere, and the
slower motion eastwards performed in addition by seven of these bodies.
The question at issue, though connected to chapter 9, takes him in a new
direction. For, though he rejects the Pythagorean idea of ἁρµονία in the plan-
etary motions, he finds well worth study the related matter of proportion-
ality (ἀναλογία) in the motions by which these seven bodies progress in the
direction opposite to the daily rotation. To determine and explain such pro-
portionality as there may be, however, Aristotle abandons the Pythagoreans
and turns instead to those whom he calls µαθηµατικοί, the scientists who
study the heavens using mathematics.32
31 This conclusion, though established with an eye to the fixed stars, is held to be true of all
heavenly bodies, both fixed and wandering: cf. 290a12–14, 291b17–18. Aristotle never explains
how it is that a fixed star or planet can be immobile per se when it is composed of aether,
a simple body that moves in a circle about the center of the universe by nature. Likewise,
he does not address the question of why we can see the fixed stars and planets but not the
spheres that move them.
32 On this term and its translation, see Comment 10.04, pp. 203–204. It is worth noting
that, for Aristotle, the Pythagorean treatment of the heavens did not count as µαθηµατική.
10 introduction
The next two chapters continue in this vein: both concern the planets and
both take recourse (though not exclusively) to the science of the heavens
for information and arguments. Chapter 2.11 argues on empirical grounds
that the planets are spherical in shape and thus secures the conclusion of
chapter 2.8 about their not moving of their own accord. Chapter 2.12, which
now (and only now) allows that the planets have more than two motions,
undertakes to explain the obvious lack of proportionality in the number of
motions that these bodies have as well as in the number of bodies that these
motions move.
In chapters 13 and 14, the last of book 2, Aristotle takes up the questions of
the position of the Earth in the cosmos, its motion, and its shape. Granted,
the answers given here do connect to preceding claims: the cosmology of
the De caelo is, after all, coherent. Still, these chapters offer nothing about
planetary motion per se and so mark the end of the discussion of planetary
motion.
Simplicius’ Predicament
Simplicius’ primary purpose in writing his commentary on the De caelo is in
part the same as in his other commentaries on Aristotle’s works—to enable
the reader or student to grasp Aristotle’s meaning, thereby turning the eyes
of his soul to the truth and promoting his assimilation to the divine.33 Related
to this is Simplicius’ narrower aim in his In de caelo of repudiating the
impiety and atheism of those who deny the truth as it is found in the De
caelo. Consider the prayer which concludes Simplicius’ commentary:
To you, Lord of the entire cosmos and Craftsman of the simple bodies in it,
for what has come into being through you do I offer in praise these words out
of eagerness to survey the magnitude of your works and to reveal them to the
worthy so that in reckoning nothing petty or human about you, we adore you
for the preeminence which you have in relation to all that is created by you.34
This prayer, which gives voice to the underlying and pervasive religious
motive of the In de caelo,35 highlights the fact that one of Simplicius’ sub-
sidiary aims is to ensure that the worthy, presumably, those with the charac-
33 On the eyes of the soul, see Plato, Resp. 533c7–d4 and Soph. 254a4–b1. In his In de caelo,
Simplicius writes instead of those whose passions and related opinions blind the eyes of the
soul: see 74.4–5, 141.19–21. On assimilation (ὁµοίωσις), see, e.g., 483.15–19 and Chapter 2, esp.
pp. 54–56. On the late Platonic curriculum, see Hoffmann 2000, 611–614; Golitsis 2008, 10–14.
34 731.25–29. Cf. Hoffmann 1987, 203–210; Todd 2008, 220–221.
35 See also the prayers at the close of his In cat. [Kalbfleisch 1907, 438.33–36] and In Epict.
ench. [Hadot 1996, 454.6–15].

introduction 11
ter, ability, and education to understand their relation to the divinity, do so

properly and, specifically, that they ascribe nothing petty or human to this
divinity.
But what is it that Simplicius wishes to forestall by his commentary?
What specific sins, as it were, does he seek to obviate in explicating the De
caelo? The answer is not to be found at the very start of the treatise—there
Simplicius meets the school’s requirement to identify the single objective or
theme (σκοπός) to which the De caelo is addressed36—but only later, after
he deals with some objections to Aristotle’s argumentation in 2.1 offered
by Xenarchus of Seleucia (first century bc)37 and then turns to John the
Grammarian, also known as John Philoponus.38
It is important to bear in mind that Simplicius, like any late Platonist,
had a very well-defined agenda in reading Plato and Aristotle, and that his
conclusions about their meaning are from the standpoint of scholarship
today untenable. But it is equally important to recognize that there is no
way to explicate Simplicius’ predicament in dealing with Philoponus unless
we start with his interpretation of Plato and Aristotle. On this basis, then, I
will amplify what I take to be his predicament in the following chapters; but
for now it will suffice to record that, for Simplicius, the truth, as enunciated
by Aristotle, is that:
– the heavens are composed of a simple body called aether, the nature
of which is to move in a circle;
– since its natural motion has no opposite, aether is immutable; it can-
not change in any respect other than place;
– aether and the heavens are, therefore, eternal, and, thus
– radically unlike the sublunary elements (earth, water, air, and fire),
elements which are by nature mutable and perishable because each
has a natural motion to or from the center of the cosmos in a straight
line and, thus, an opposite (unnatural) motion.
36 1.1–6.27 (esp. 4.25–31, 5.35–37) for the commentary’s prologue and the assumption that
the De caelo has a single objective.

37 See Falcon 2012, esp. 51–126 for a thorough study of Xenarchus and his criticisms.
38 On the diverse ways in which Simplicius refers to Philoponus, see Hoffmann 1987, 184–
199. As Hoffmann notes, Simplicius never uses the epithet ‘Philoponus’, a term which might
otherwise indicate membership in a group of Christian lay workers [Watts 2006, 213–219],
because it also designates a philosophical virtue and so would, in his view, be most inappro-
priate. Note: «φιλοπόνως» applied to Alexander’s work and «διὰ φιλοπονίαν» to Damascius
[316.3 and Diels 1882–1895, 129.32, 291.21, 795.16: cf. 795.34 (Alexander is φιλοπονώτατος of Aris-
totle’s interpreters)].
12 introduction
Now, Xenarchus’ criticisms were not, it seems, a real problem for Sim-
plicius. At no point does Simplicius even acknowledge that Xenarchus was
in fact a Peripatetic, which means that, for Simplicius, Xenarchus was not
a credible reader of Aristotle.39 Moreover, Simplicius already had in hand
Alexander’s counter-arguments and he is typically content to deploy them
with some refinements.40 But most important, I think, is that Xenarchus’
attack posed no substantial threat to the late Platonic reading of Aristo-
tle: his criticisms were, it seems, focused on particular assumptions in the
arguments that there is a fifth simple body, aether, and came without any
indication that their aim was to deny the eternity and, hence, the divinity of
the heavens.41 In short, Xenarchus posed no certain challenge to any funda-
mental tenets of late Platonic piety.
But Philoponus was a different matter altogether. His aim was to defend
the Christian account of creation in Genesis, not by citing Scripture, but by
attacking on their own terms the arguments in Aristotle’s De caelo for the
eternity of the heavens and, hence, of the cosmos. To Simplicius, this attack
demeaned the heavens by supposing them to be, like the sublunary world,
subject to generation and decay. As he saw it, Philoponus was a blasphe-
mer whose atheism was so entrenched that he likened the divine Craftsman
(∆ηµιουργός), the maker of the visible world, to an ordinary human crafts-
man and held His work, the divine, eternal heavens, to be no better than the
petty, perishable objects that fill human lives.
As Simplicius writes after dealing with the Xenarchan assault on Aristo-
tle’s aether:
These objections Xenarchus has raised against the hypotheses handed down
from Aristotle. But one among us,42 a hunter of fame, so it seems, has emerged,
39 See Wildberg 1999, 115–120 on how the late Platonists read Aristotle. Why Simplicius
omits this detail about Xenarchus’ philosophical affiliation is a good question. It might be
a feature of his own polemic, a way of diminishing the seriousness of Xenarchus’ views.
Alternatively, if Simplicius had access to Xenarchus only through Alexander’s (now lost)
commentary on the De caelo—Alexander is the only authority that Simplicius cites in reject-
ing them—then Alexander may be the one responsible for suppressing this fact. See Falcon
2012, 20–25, 42–47, 167–174 on the nature of Peripatetic readings of Aristotle in the first cen-
tury bc and the treatment of Xenarchus by Alexander and the later commentators.
40 In six of the 10 occasions in which Simplicius cites Xenarchus’ criticisms of Aristotle’s
argument for the fifth simple body, Simplicius cites Alexander’s rebuttal(s) and then adds
some considerations of his own: cf. 13.22–14.29, 21.33–23.10, 23.11–31, 23.31–24.21, 42.6–16,
50.18–52.18. It is unclear whether Xenarchus’ reported description of void (τὸ κενόν) as what is
receptive (τὸ δεκτικόν) of body, rather than as what is capable of receiving (τὸ οἷόν τε δέξασθαι)
it [286.2–13], bears on his arguments against aether [Falcon 2012, 31].
41 See Falcon 2012, 31, 113–119.
42 25.23 τῶν δέ τις ἐφ’ ἡµῶν: Simplicius is, I suspect, not thinking of Philoponus as a mere
introduction 13
a critic of Aristotle, who palms off some of Xenarchus’ objections [as his own]
and collects others like [them], and who sets for himself the objective, his
entire objective, as he says, to demonstrate that the cosmos is perishable, as
though he will get some great prize from the Craftsman if he demonstrates
that He is a craftsman of perishable things alone and of nothing imperishable.
On account of this desire, he proposes to contradict what is said here by
Aristotle through books of many lines not only in the hope of astounding
the witless by quantity but also, I think, of turning the many (and especially,
the more refined) from the study of his gross nonsense, with the result that
his writings, which remain unexamined, have afforded the writer renown
for wisdom from the mere fact that such a great number of lines contradict
Aristotle.
But I know that such brazen acts, which seem to blossom among the witless,
vanish in a few days just as the so-called Gardens of Adonis.43 And for my
part, in proposing to clarify to the extent possible Aristotle’s treatise De caelo,
I thought that I should not overlook the objections of this man, [objections]
which trouble none of the educated but rather those of the uneducated who
always take pleasure in strange things and are weighed down by the good
repute of ancient men and still further think that they revere God if they
believe that the heavens, which exist for the service of men, possess nothing
special in relation to things below the Moon and if they assume that [the
heavens] are perishable in the same way as they. For these men who think
that these objections support their belief about God hold [them] in great
honor, though they know nothing of these [matters] and still less of Aristotle’s
[views] against which they dare to raise them, but chatter to one another
and claim with youthful insolence in response to us that the doctrines of the
philosophers are overturned.
Thus, for the sake of these [philosophers] and of those more disposed to listen,
and in order that Aristotle’s treatise De caelo and its reverent conception of
the universe remain undisputed in their good repute of old, it seemed right to
me both to set forth these objections and to resolve them to the extent of my
ability, since putting both the objections and their solutions together with my
comments on the treatise seemed quite fitting.44
Therefore, it seemed right to me to help those who have been led by his
insolence into scorn of Aristotle’s [views] by showing that his vainglorious
lack of education is to be spat on.45
contemporary but as a (former) student in the same school of late Platonism: cf. 26.19–21.
Moerbeke has ‘modernorum quidem’ [Bossier et al. 2004, 34.41]: cf. Wildberg’s ‘But one of
our contemporaries’ [1987, 39].
43 See Hoffmann 1987, 196–197 on the theme of the Gardens of Adonis in Simplicius’
polemic.
44 25.22–26.17. This attack is reprised in Simplicius’ commentary on Aristotle, Phys. 8.10
[Diels 1882–1895, 1326.38–1327.11: see Wildberg 1991].

45 26.28–31.
14 introduction
Philoponus was plainly an embarrassment. Though raised in late Pla-

tonic thought by the same teacher and in the same school as Simplicius,46
he converted to Christianity and began a philosophical assault on some key
doctrines of his former school. His attack on Aristotle’s arguments for the
eternity of the cosmos was especially dangerous in that it focused on Aris-
totle’s argument that the heavens were composed of aether. The problem
here was that this argument is an argument not merely for the existence of
a special matter that moved by nature in a circle, but for the existence of a
special matter that moved by nature in a circle about the center of the cos-
mos. Thus, for Aristotle, given that the heavenly bodies do not move of their
own accord but are carried round by spheres, it was an argument requiring
that all these spheres rotate about the Earth, the body at the center of the
cosmos, a view that Aristotle develops in Meta. Λ.8.
Of course, Philoponus quite reasonably turns this requirement against
Aristotle: after all, astronomers had since the first century bc been using
epicyclic and eccentric spheres to account for planetary motion.47 But curi-
ously enough, when Simplicius turns to this particular bit of Philoponus’
corrupt and corrupting nonsense, he first asserts that, for Aristotle, motion is
circular if it is about a center and that the claim about its having to be about
the center of the universe is but a concession to earlier astronomical the-
ory. Then, he mounts a polemical diversion in which he takes Philoponus’
point to concern the rotation of the planets (and not also their revolution)
and asks whether it is through misreading Ptolemy’s Canones manuales
or Handy Tables that Philoponus learned that the planetary bodies rotate
about their own centers.48 The upshot is that, whatever the warrant for Sim-
plicius’ focus on rotation—whether it lies in something Philoponus wrote
or whether it is merely a polemical riposte—Philoponus’ attack is nicely
deflected. Indeed, only later in commenting on 2.12, long after Philoponus’
objections to the Aristotelian aether have been answered, does Simplicius
again take up, without mentioning Philoponus, the question of the homo-
26.30 κατάπτυστον: or less concretely, ‘despicable’, as Moerbeke [Bossier et al. 2004, 36.82]
has it [cf. Wildberg 1987, 40].
46 Both Simplicius and Philoponus studied under Ammonius in Alexandria: see 26.19–
21 for an allusion to Philoponus’ background in late Platonic exegesis. Simplicius, however,

affirms that they never met: see 26.17–19 (with Hoffmann 1987, 197–199 on Philoponus’
‘anonymity’ in Simplicius’ writings).
47 See 32.1–7 [= Wildberg 1987, F7].
48 See Comment 11.05, p. 221. Ptolemy was active in the middle parts of the second century
ad [cf. Toomer 1978, 186–187].

introduction 15
centric planetary theory developed in Meta. Λ.8, and defend his own convic-
tion that, in matters concerning how the planets move, it is better to follow
planetary hypotheses developed long after Aristotle.
So, the astronomical digression (παρέκβασις) at the close of In de caelo 2.12
is, logically speaking, a part of Simplicius’ attempt to deal with Philoponus.
But placed and cast as it is, this digression turns out in fact to be a delicate
apologia that negotiates the need to depart from Aristotle’s explicit teaching
about the motions of the planets, all the while avoiding Philoponus’ impious
denigration of the heavens. But there is more. This departure from Aristo-
tle involves more than a simple preference for the sort of planetary theory
found in Ptolemy’s works. It is, as I will show, a nuanced argument that this
departure is not a heresy but still in accord with Aristotle’s teaching. Sur-
prisingly, however, this defense against Philoponus’ heresy broaches in turn
another heresy of its own, one far more radical than anything envisaged
by Philoponus—the idea that none of the current astronomical theories or
hypotheses is adequate and that what is yet to be expounded is a physical
theory identifying and explaining the real planetary motions. I will return
to this ‘heresy’ in the following chapters, where I suggest reasons why Sim-
plicius is content to raise it and then to leave it without direct comment.
The Text and Translation

To supplement the chapters analyzing In de caelo 2.12, I have included in this
volume an annotated translation of In de caelo 2.10–12. I have have deemed
this advisable for several reasons. First, as I have already indicated, the
technical points at issue in In de caelo 2.12 have In de caelo 2.10–11 as their
immediate context, and so understanding these points and how they arise
requires a sure grasp of what precedes. Moreover, the numerous translations
of the astronomical digression concluding In de caelo 2.12 that have been
offered in English since the beginning of the 20th century are not only
incomplete, they are typically supported by anachronistic analysis. As for
the lightly annotated version of Simplicius’ commentary on In de caelo 2.10–
12 found in Mueller 2005, though it is vastly better in offering this passage
in its full context, it is not designed for readers with the purpose at hand
and, indeed, is too often uncertain or misleading. Then too, as I will explain,
access to Fernand Bossier’s unpublished papers bearing on the text of In de
caelo 2.10–12 has allowed me to supersede the annotated translation that I
published several years ago in SCIAMVS [2003b, 2008d]. Finally, my study of
In de caelo 2.12 is very much part of my understanding of the Greek text and
its meaning, and supplementing this study with an annotated translation
16 introduction
has seemed a good way to develop the thread of my analysis without losing
it in the numerous interpretative details supporting it—to say nothing of
explaining technical issues to those unfamiliar with Hellenistic astronomy
or addressing alternative accounts.
Simplicius’ commentary on Aristotle’s De caelo divides that treatise into
sections or lemmata which are cited in abbreviated form by quoting the
opening and closing words. Thus, for example, the lemma for the first section
of the commentary on De caelo 2.11 reads:
‘The shape of each of the heavenly bodies’ up to ‘clear that they must be spherical
in bulk’. [477.3–4]
The assumption is that the reader will have a copy of Aristotle’s treatise at
hand. And so the problems begin. In the first place, it is hardly certain that a
reader today will have a Greek text of the De caelo in hand and ready for this
exercise or, for that matter, even an English translation. For this reason then,
as Robert Grosseteste and others later, I have decided to expand each of
Simplicius’ lemmata by translating the entire section of the De caelo at issue.
Yet, while this may aid the reader, it exposes another problem: Simplicius’
lemmata do not always agree with the received text used today; and, what is
even more surprising, they are frequently at odds with the quotations and
paraphrases found in his commentary on the text lemmatized.
To address these problems, one might choose, as Mueller [2005] does, for
instance, to homogenize the lemmata and the quotations and paraphrases
by adapting the translation of the sections of the De caelo under commen-
tary. But this will not do. There is no warrant for assuming that the lemmata
from Aristotle’s De caelo in Simplicius’ text come from the same source as
his quotations and paraphrases.49 Indeed, it is unwise to suppose that the
lemmata and the material quoted and paraphrased in the comments them-
selves were even made by the same person.50 Consequently, in rendering the
expanded lemmata, I have relied strictly on modern editions of Aristotle’s
De caelo and have relegated to footnotes my remarks about any differences
49 See Moraux 1965, clxxxiv–clxxxvi: cf. 1954 on the complex relation between the text of
Simplicius’ commentary and the medieval manuscripts of Aristotle’s De caelo. On the history
of the transmission of the Aristotelian corpus, see Moraux 1970, 1–40, 67–94.
50 Paul Moraux concludes that the lemmata were taken from a different text of the De
caelo than the one which Simplicius used in writing his quotations and paraphrases, and that
they were entered at some unknown date after the comments were completed [cf. Moraux
1954, 151–154, 179]. As Heinrich von Staden, however, has suggested in conversation, it would
perhaps be better to imagine that Simplicius’ original lemmata were revised by a later copyist
unconcerned with the quotations and paraphrases in the comments proper.
introduction 17
with Simplicius’ abbreviated lemmata. After all, since we have only Simpli-
cius’ lemmata and not the full text of the De caelo that he used, there seems
little sense when presenting Aristotle’s text in full to combine it with read-
ings from Simplicius’ and thus to imply a text that may not have existed. At
the same time, I have preserved the fact that the text quoted or paraphrased
in the comments proper differs on occasion from the text of the lemmata.
For the modern text of Aristotle’s De caelo, my primary source is Moraux’s
critical edition since it makes extensive use of the indirect tradition.51 I have
also used Heiberg’s edition of 1894 for the text of Simplicius’ commentary.
But caveat lector. Fernand Bossier has made it clear that Heiberg’s edi-
tion needs revision in light of two recent advances in our understanding of
the indirect tradition of the text of the In de caelo.52 First, there is D.J. Allan’s
discovery of a Latin translation by Grosseteste (d. 1253) of Simplicius’ com-
mentary (with fully expanded lemmata) on all of De caelo 2 and the opening
section of the commentary on De caelo 3. This plainly bears on our under-
standing of the Greek text of Simplicius’ commentary because Grosseteste
drew on a manuscript unaffiliated to the earliest ones that have survived to
this day. (The earliest extant Greek manuscript of the commentary derives
from the 13th/14th century.)53 Next, as Bossier argues, at some time in 1264–
1265, William of Moerbeke (d. 1286) prepared a translation of a lengthy
section of the astronomical digression in In de caelo 2.12 [492.25–504.32]
for Thomas Aquinas, a document which Bossier discovered and named the
Fragmentum Toletanum.54 In preparing the Fragmentum, Moerbeke used a
manuscript related to Mutinensis gr. 161; whereas in making his full trans-
lation of the commentary in 1271, he revised this earlier translation using a
better manuscript that enabled him to fill in various gaps in the Fragmen-
tum.55 Heiberg’s edition, however, antedates the discovery of Grosseteste’s
51 See Moraux 1965, clviii–clxxii.

52 See Bossier et al. 2004, xix–xxi, ciii–cxvi: cf. Bossier 1975, Bossier 1987.
53 See Bossier 1987, 289–290; Bossier et al. 2004, x.
54 See Bossier et al. 2004, xxii–xxvi (for a description of the Fragmentum and of the two
manuscripts in which it appears), xxvii–xxxix (for argument that Moerbeke is the author of
the Fragmentum and that he wrote it ca 1265), xliii–xlix (for the claim that the Fragmentum
was intended for Thomas Aquinas and was used in the latter’s commentary In meta.): cf.
Bossier 1987, 298–308. But, pace Bossier, the facts that Moerbeke translated the text for
someone interested in the homocentric theory of Meta. Λ.8 and that Thomas used it in his In
meta., are only consistent with the inference that the translation was actually prepared for
Thomas; they do not warrant it [cf. Musatti 2006, 527–532].
55 See Bossier et al. 2004, xxxii–xxxviii, xli–xliii: note also lxxxv [with Bossier 1987, 305–
308] on Thomas’ use of the translation of 1271 in preparing his Expositio in libros de celo et
mundo.
18 introduction
translation; moreover, though Heiberg rightly recognized the immense

value of Moerbeke’s translation in establishing Simplicius’ text,56 he places
undue confidence in the edition published in 1540 of the translation of In de
caelo made in 1271.57
Regrettably, Bossier died shortly after the publication of the first volume
of his edition of Moerbeke’s translation of Simplicius’ commentary on the
De caelo [Bossier et al. 2004], and work on this translation has come to
what one can only hope is a temporary halt: while it is very good to have
a proper edition of Moerbeke’s translation of the commentary on De caelo 1,
the edition of Moerbeke’s version of the commentary on books 2–4 will be
invaluable.
As it is, however, my own work on Simplicius was greatly assisted when
Carlos Steel very graciously sent me a copy of Bossier’s typescript edition
of Grosseteste’s translation of Simplicius’ commentary on De caelo 2.10–
12 [470.27–510.35] and included a copy of Bossier’s handwritten draft of
his edition of Moerbeke’s translation of 1271 of the same passage [470.27–
491.11] along with a copy of Bossier’s typescript edition of the text originally
translated by Moerbeke in the Fragmentum Toletanum [492.25–504.32]. As
the reader will see, I have made liberal use of these papers in understanding
and rendering Heiberg’s Greek text, and am much indebted to Professor
Steel for his kindness in supplying me with them.
Simplicius’ Greek throughout his commentary on De caelo 2.10–12 is in
the main pedantic and prolix with many long sentences that are both com-
pound and complex, though there are on occasion passages that are ellip-
tical and crabbed. Moreover, in spite of Simplicius’ tendency to explain his
terms, there remain sentences which the modern reader at least may find
difficult because they draw on the technical vocabulary of Platonic philoso-
phy in the sixth century ad or of Hellenistic astronomy.58 I have tried to deal
with all this by supplying in square brackets what is not explicit in the Greek
whenever this seemed necessary or likely to make the meaning easier for the
reader to grasp. At the same time, I have tried, so far as it is reasonable and
I am able, to capture Simplicius’ technical vocabulary and to preserve the
logical structure of his sentences. I have not, however, been a slave to the
56 It is worth noting that no Greek source preserves the end of Simplicius’ commentary
on De caelo 1: for that we are wholly dependent on Moerbeke [see 361.5–364.14].

57 See Bossier 1987, 293–298; Bossier et al. 2004, ciii–cxvi, cxxv–cxxxiii.
58 For a fuller description of Simplicius’ style, see Steel’s account in Huby et al. 1997, 114–
115.
introduction 19
dogma that key words in Greek must have unique renderings in English. Still,
though I trust that the resulting translation is sufficiently reliable to support
fairly close work on the many questions of Simplicius’ meaning and method,
I confess that I will not be disappointed if readers throw up their hands and
turn to the original to see what they can make of it on their own. In fact, I
have included page and line numbers of Heiberg’s edition of the Greek text
in the margin of my translation for this purpose.59 In the same spirit, I have
also put in italics those passages from Aristotle’s writings (mostly the De
caelo) that Simplicius quotes without specific notice, along with a footnote
giving the proper citation.
The Annotation
The annotation, that is, the footnotes to the translation and the comments,
is designed, as I have already indicated, to assist readers by explicating the
many issues that they should understand in order to assess what Simplicius
actually offers in his account of De caelo 2.10–12. Readers may well disagree
with the claims and arguments made. Still, I trust that this annotation will at
least help them to avoid missteps, mine included, and that I have not missed
the mark too often in guessing what might be helpful.
But let me clarify this further. Though some readers might wish other-
wise, what I have not done in the annotation is to engage systematically and
directly the voluminous literature offering reconstructions of the arrange-
ment of homocentric spheres that Simplicius describes in the astronomical
digression concluding his comments on 2.12, a digression that includes an
interpretation of Aristotle’s cosmology in Meta. Λ.8: all I have done on this
score is to note the failings of its tacit assumptions. The reason is that my
overriding aim in this book is to establish a reading of Simplicius e Simplicio.
Thus, in annotating the translation, I have included only such information as
will allow readers to confront Simplicius’ interpretation on their own with-
out having to plumb the many layers of learned speculation that now lie
between the text and them. My hope is that this will encourage readers to
view these reconstructions critically rather than simply acquiescing to them
or rashly setting out directly to tinker with their details or even just turning
tail in the face of their billowing mathematical exegesis.
59 My rule in positioning the numbers was to put them beside the line in English where
the first word of the line in Greek is translated. The outcome is hardly exact so far as the
actual line count goes; but it should be good enough to allow readers to move between my
translation and Heiberg’s edition, if they so wish.
20 introduction
Admittedly, this accords with my own conclusion that these reconstruc-

tions of the astronomical import of Simplicius’ interpretation, reconstruc-
tions which go back to Schiaparelli [see 1925–1927] in the 19th century and
are substantially no more than variants of a project and way of reading Sim-
plicius that was codified by Thomas Heath [1913],60 must be viewed today
as an egregious example of how scholars and their communities read them-
selves into the past.61 Moreover, as will become clear in the following chap-
ters, it fits my firm conviction that Simplicius’ commentary on De caelo 2.10–
12 is interesting and historically significant in its own right as a witness to late
Platonism and concerns in later antiquity about the nature and foundations
of what the astronomer knows and how he knows it.
Planetary Retrogradation: A Review
To understand Simplicius’ project in commenting on Aristotle’s De caelo,

the reader must first have a sure grasp of the phenomena of planetary
station and retrogradation. Of course, how Simplicius understood these
phenomena is different from how we do today. To begin, as most other Greek
and Roman writers, he held that there were seven planets or wandering
stars—the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn—
each of which had two distinct, real motions about an Earth that was itself
thought to be motionless at the center of the universe: a diurnal motion
from east to west and a direct motion through the zodiacal constellations
from west to east.62 Today, we know that the Moon is a satellite of the Earth,
that Earth is a planet, and that all the planets—Mercury, Venus, Earth,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—travel about the Sun. We also
know that their diurnal motion is an apparent motion caused by the Earth’s
rotation from west to east about an axis inclined to the ecliptic plane that
is defined by its direct (or, now prograde) motion from west to east about
the Sun. Still, it is agreed that each planet has synodic planetary events
and motions. What this means is that a particular planet’s phases are to
be understood in relation to its conjunction (coniunctio, σύνοδος) with the
60 See, e.g., Neugebauer 1953; Maula 1974; Heglmeier 1996; Mendell 1998, 2000; and Yavetz
1998, 2001, 2003.

61 I have made this charge in earlier publications [see, e.g., Bowen 2001, 2002] and will
substantiate it even more fully in the course of the following study.

62 For discussion of the ancient testimony concerning the views held by Heraclides of
Pontus about the rotatory motion of the Earth and about the motions of Mercury and Venus
around the Sun, see Todd and Bowen 2009 and Bowen and Todd 2009, respectively.
introduction 21
Sun and that the interval between consecutive phases of the same sort is
constant and characteristic of each planet. For an outer or superior planet,
that is, for a planet farther from the Sun than the Earth, there is conjunction
when the Sun and the planet are on the same side of the Earth and, hence,
are observed ‘together’. These same planets are each said to be in opposition
when the Earth intervenes and the observer sees the planet on the side
opposite to the Sun [see Figure 1, p. 22]. Inner or inferior planets, in contrast,
have two conjunctions and no opposition [see Figure 2, p. 22], precisely
because the planet is closer to the Sun than the Earth—which obviously
means that the Earth cannot ever come between the Sun and the planet.
For present purposes, the reader should bear in mind that
– the synodic periods of the planets range from 116 to 687 days,63
– a planet is invisible to the naked eye when it is in conjunction with the
Sun because it is lost in the Sun’s light, and
– retrograde motion is an apparent synodic phenomenon observed
before and after the inferior conjunction of an inner planet, and before
and after the opposition of an outer planet.
Retrogradation itself is quite striking. During the course of its synodic
period, each planet will to a northern observer on Earth making observa-
tions at regular intervals seem to cover less and less (angular) distance in
its direct or prograde motion eastward through the zodiacal constellations
until it actually appears to stop. This stopping is its first station. After an
interval of several days or even of a few weeks, the planet will then seem to
reverse itself and move back westwards covering increasing distances until
once more it appears to slow down and then, again, to stop. This is its second
station and the motion from first to second station is its retrograde motion.
In the days after second station, the planet will seemingly reverse itself once
more and gradually resume its motion eastward.
Retrogradation is an apparent, not a real, motion. Its explanation
depends on whether the planet is inner or outer. If we simplify the config-
urations by supposing that the planetary orbits are circular and that they
move in the same plane as that defined by the course of the Earth about the
Sun (scil. the ecliptic plane), the inner planets will appear to move against
the background of the fixed stars as shown in Figure 3 [p. 23]; and the outer
planets, as shown in Figure 4 [p. 23].
63 For the synodic periods of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, see Comment
12.20, pp. 271–272. Those of Uranus and Neptune are 369.7 and 367.5 days, respectively.
22 introduction
To get a sense of what an observer north of the terrestrial equator may

actually see, consider Figures 5 [p. 24] and 6 [p. 25]. The first shows the path
of Venus’ retrogradation during the months of October and November in
2010 when Venus was in the constellations of Virgo and Libra. The second
plots the path of Mars in roughly the first half of 1997. It shows that Mars
underwent retrograde motion during the months of February, March, and
April while it was in the constellations of Virgo and Leo; and that this took
place while Mars was north of the ecliptic plane. Indeed, as one can see, the
path of Mars’ orbit is oblique to the Earth’s orbit (or the ecliptic), though
only by a small amount (1;54°).64
Figure 1. The conjunction and opposition of an outer planet with the Sun
Figure 2. The conjunctions of an inner planet with the Sun
64 In representing degrees, the semicolon serves to separate units and sixtieths; and
commas, to separate sexagesimal places, that is, the first sixtieths or units of 60-1, the second
sixtieths or units of 60-2, and so on, which are to the right of the semicolon.
introduction 23
Figure 3. The retrogradation of an inner planet
Figure 4. The retrogradation of an outer planet

24 introduction
Figure 5. The retrogradation of Venus in 2010 plotted against

the celestial sphere as seen from northern latitudes
introduction 25
Figure 6. The retrogradation of Mars in 1997 plotted against the celestial

sphere as seen from northern latitudes and marked in intervals of 4 days
chapter one
THE HERESY OF
NON-HOMOCENTRIC AETHERIAL MOTION
The great digression at the end of Simplicius’ In de caelo 2.12 [492.25–510.35]

is an apologia precipitated by Philoponus, the renegade Platonist, and his
attack on Aristotle’s arguments for a fifth simple body, aether. The specific
criticism [32.1–11] instigating this apologia begins by citing Alexander for
the claim that, according to Aristotle, circular motion in the strict sense
has to be about the center of the universe. By itself, Alexander’s remark was
surely meant to make sense of Aristotle’s argument that, since there are but
two simple motions—motion in a straight line and motion in a circle, the
straight line and the circle being the only simple magnitudes—and given
that each simple motion must belong to simple body by nature, there must,
therefore, be a simple body the nature of which is to move in a circle, a body
which Aristotle named aether. For, as Alexander apparently realized, this
argument has little to commend it unless one gives proper weight both to
the fact that the subject concerns physical bodies and magnitudes, and to
the assertion that such bodies and magnitudes are intrinsically in motion
from place to place, their nature being an internal source of this motion [De
caelo 268b14–16: cf. 8.11–12]. Thus, when Aristotle maintains that there are
but two simple physical magnitudes (the circle and the straight line), and
infers that there can only be two simple locomotions, where motion in a
circle is about a center and motion in a straight line is up and down, that is,
motion to a center and from a center respectively [268b17–24], Alexander
contributes the remark that the center in question has to be the center of
the physical world or, in other words, the center of the totality of what there
is.1
But this creates a problem. As Philoponus remarks, none of the planetary
bodies can, therefore, be said to move in a circle because, not only do they
rotate about their own centers, they evidently have apogees and perigees—
1 Cf. 14.27–29, 14.31–15.2, 15.22–31. See 10.28–11.30 for Simplicius’ comment on De caelo
268b11–13, in which he locates the discussion in physical theory, that is, in philosophical
reflection on the cosmos. See also 286n187.
28 chapter one
a fact which, as he further notes, is inconsistent with Aristotle’s plane-

tary hypotheses [32.4–11].2 This is, of course, but one thrust in Philoponus’
attack on the late Platonist conviction that the universe is eternal. Yet it
is a telling thrust. For Simplicius not only believes that the stellar bod-
ies, both fixed and wandering, rotate about their axes, he too holds that
the planets have apogees and perigees. Thus, to his chagrin, we may infer,
this particular criticism brings to the fore two points against Aristotle in
which he sides with Philoponus.3 The danger here is heresy: Simplicius is
now obliged to show that his agreement with Philoponus does not entail
Philoponus’ blasphemous conclusion that the Craftsman God has fash-
ioned a cosmos or universe akin to shoes and other human artifacts, all
of which come to be at some time and then eventually perish [see 731.25–
29].
In his immediate response, Simplicius counters with three assertions
[32.12–32]:
– for Aristotle, circular motion in the strict sense was motion about a
center, not necessarily the center of the universe;
– so far as Aristotle does say that it is about the center of the universe
and even posits homocentric planetary hypotheses, he is following the
hypotheses maintained in astronomy during his time; and
– Aristotle deserves no reproach for his homocentric planetary hypothe-
ses, since all such hypotheses are but different answers to the question
of how to save the phenomena.
But rather than develop his defense at this time, Simplicius deflects Philo-
ponus with his own polemic to the effect that Philoponus has no good rea-
son for holding that the stellar bodies rotate on their own axes [32.32–33.36].
Be that as it may, for his part, Simplicius can cite Plato as his authority [33.13–
14]. As for Aristotle’s views of how the heavenly bodies move, Simplicius
proposes to take that up in commenting on De caelo 2 [cf. 33.14–16 with 11.7–
10].
In point of fact, the question of the rotation of the heavenly bodies
is reprised in In de caelo 2.8, when Simplicius undertakes to demonstrate
that Aristotle agrees with Plato that all such bodies rotate about their own
axes.
2 See Comment 12.27, pp. 284–288 for an annotated translation of 32.12–33.16.

3 Cf. 32.32–34 and 32.34–33.13; 506.8–10.
the heresy of non-homocentric aetherial motion 29
Aetherial Rotation
The critical locus is De caelo 290a7–24, in which Aristotle mounts a second

argument that the stars (fixed and wandering) do not move of their own
accord.4 He maintains that since the heavenly bodies are spherical, they
must either rotate or roll if they move on their own, where rotation is
circular motion in the same place and rolling is rotation combined with
locomotion.5 Thus, given that the heavenly bodies should all perform the
same motion by nature (in that they are made of the same stuff), that they
are all observed to change place, and that only the Sun would appear to
rotate, albeit only at its rising and setting, he infers that the heavenly bodies
do not in fact rotate. As for the Sun’s seeming to rotate, Aristotle explains
this as a result of the fact that the Sun is observed at a great distance. As
he says, ‘When vision is extended over a great [distance], it dances about
on account of its weakness’ [290a17–18].6 Likewise, he would seem to imply,
one should not infer that the heavenly bodies rotate because the fixed
stars twinkle: their twinkling is due to the attenuation of our vision when
it reaches them, though it is steady enough when it reaches the planets
[290a18–24].7
Simplicius sets this out at greater length in 452.9–453.21. But then he asks:
But that there is twinkling too in the case of the Sun is manifest.8 Why then,
one might ask, is rotation evident in the case of the Sun alone and not in that
of the [bodies] beyond the Sun as well? When our vision is extended to these
bodies, which are farther away, it should shake and quiver more on account
of its weakness. [453.22–25]
He then cites (with approval, it seems) Alexander’s answer to this question,
an answer which includes an elaboration of what Aristotle meant in talking
of extending vision a great distance [453.25–454.14]. Simplicius, having thus
secured the possibility that the fixed stars rotate as the Sun does, now
4 See De caelo 289b1–290a7 for the first argument.

5 One the sense in which the planets and fixed stars are heavenly bodies, see Comment
10.02, pp. 201–202.
6 290a17 ἑλίσσεται: though often rendered by ‘rolls’ [see, e.g., Mueller 2004a, 109], this is
misleading. Note «κραδαίνεται» at 290a22.

7 It is admittedly unclear whether these lines about the fixed stars and their twinkling is
a direct contribution to the argument at hand (as I have construed them) or an aside meant
only to elaborate the attenuation of vision by distance.
8 453.22: Simplicius, unlike Alexander [cf. 453.25–34], would seem to suppose that what
one observes in looking at the Sun as it rises or sets is the same as what one observes in
looking at the fixed stars.
30 chapter one
undertakes to explain away Aristotle’s assertion that the planets do not

twinkle, an assertion that conflicts prima facie with the view that the Sun
is one of the planets and does twinkle.
This explanation advances on two fronts. In the first, Simplicius mitigates
the apparent contradiction. As he sees it, in asserting that the planets do
not twinkle, Aristotle may have been thinking of the five planets9 and, in
any event, Aristotle made this claim with respect to what is predominately
the case. In other words, Simplicius implies, he knew that the Sun twin-
kled but generalized with an eye to the other six that do not [454.15–18].
Such mitigation is supplemented by further remarks about Mercury’s other
name, «Στίλβων» (‘Twinkler’) and the view held by some that Venus also
twinkles, though Simplicius does allow that it might be better to explain
such twinkling in terms of features specific to the two planets in question
[454.18–22].
In the second, Simplicius gets to the point. He starts by addressing those
‘who in vain contention separate Aristotle from Plato’ on the ground that
they disagree about the motion of the fixed stars—Plato writing that they
rotate in place and are carried round by the heavens, and Aristotle denying
that they rotate. Simplicius does not identify whom he has in mind but it is
worthwhile to consider the question.
One possibility is that he is thinking of Alexander.10 But, more likely, I
think, given his description of them as φιλονεικοῦντες [454.23], is that Sim-
plicius means Philoponus and his fellow Christians. First, as we have seen,
Simplicius agrees with Philoponus that each heavenly body rotates about an
internal axis; and this agreement poses a problem in that Philoponus seeks
to use the claim in the De caelo that the heavenly bodies do not rotate against
Aristotle. Next, the verb «φιλονεικέω» and its cognates in the In de caelo is
Simplicius’ word of choice in describing Philoponus’ criticisms of Aristotle.
In fact, of its 19 occurrences in the In de caelo, all but four bear on Philo-
ponus’ polemic and they do this unkindly.11
Granted, Simplicius has not mentioned Philoponus since his comments
on De caelo 1.5. And so the question is, ‘Why is Philoponus not named again
9 A standard grouping which is based on fact that unlike the Sun and Moon the other
planets exhibit stations and retrogradations.

10 Cf. 377.20–34. See pp. 60–61.
11 Hence, the primary sense of «φιλονεικέω» is ‘engage in empty contention’. See 26.17–21,
70.16–19, 74.4–7, 87.29–88.2, 90.13–18, 143.9–17, 157.1–12 and 19–21, 164.21–23, 173.23–30, 178.26–
28, 185.23–186.1: cf. 371.1–4 (of Christian criticism). The exceptions are at 65.9, 85.24–31, and
196.23–33.
but only alluded to here?’ The answer comes with reflection on Simplicius’
predicament. Philoponus’ other criticisms of Aristotle were dispatched di-
rectly and with some ease. It was, indeed, tactically useful to name him,
thereby making him a clear target for abuse, because these criticisms did
not involve any key elements that were also accepted by Simplicius and
the late Platonists. But the criticisms concerning aetherial rotation and the
homocentric planetary hypotheses were different because the premisses
were in agreement on both sides.
It is interesting, then, that when he does address the difficulties posed
by these two points of agreement, Simplicius addresses his readers, clearly
his fellow Platonists [454.27–28, 510.31–34], thus revealing that these par-
ticular issues cut deeply and that his primary aim is to reassure the faith-
ful.12
That there is an allusion at all to Philoponus at 454.24 is a mark of
Simplicius’ confidence in his subsequent demonstration that the views of
Plato and Aristotle are in accord, and that Aristotle did in fact hold that
the heavenly bodies rotate. But if he could save Aristotle from Philoponus
on this issue of aetherial rotation by a proper reading of what Aristotle has
written, there was no such remedy for Aristotle’s adoption of homocentric
planetary theory. And so there is no mention or comparable allusion to
Philoponus when Simplicius eventually comes to that issue. Indeed, in the
polemical context of the In de caelo, there would be nothing gained by
explicitly accrediting Philoponus, a noisome distraction to the unwary in all
other matters, any standing as a worthy opponent on such a delicate issue as
the preference for non-homocentric planetary hypotheses. It would be hard
enough to show his readers or fellow Platonists that in correcting Aristotle
they do not follow Philoponus into heresy, that Aristotle’s error can be
mitigated, and that their preference for more recent planetary hypotheses
is to be understood in a way that preserves their faith and their way of
life.
12 In 509.16–510.8, when Simplicius reprises the question of aetherial rotation, he writes
of Aristotle’s axiom (ἀξίωµα) or principle (λόγος) that circular motion is by definition motion
about the center of the cosmos. Granted, he does unpack this to give its ‘proper’ meaning.
But he is notably much less defensive here in presenting what Aristotle has written. This
marks, I think, that his focus is on readers who are sympathetic and who, having read what
has preceded, now understand the late Platonic interpretation of Aristotle in these matters.
With them, there is no need to forestall criticism that seizes on surface meaning to show that
Aristotle somehow missed the truth. Indeed, with them, one can even speak as though he
had.
32 chapter one
In fact, so delicate is the matter that, though the digression concluding

In de caelo 2.12 is focused and organized as an apologia, Simplicius does
even not draw attention to this explicitly. All he offers instead are the veiled
remarks:
One should understand that this argument too advances as though in depen-
dence on astronomical hypotheses bearing on turning [spheres] that are truly
the case, although [these hypotheses] have no necessity, as I have also said
earlier, since different [people] in fact saved the phenomena through differ-
ent hypotheses. It would be appropriate for our accounts of the heavens and
the heavenly motions to speak briefly about these hypotheses too, given that
when they are hypothesized each [of their proponents] maintains that he
saves the phenomena. [492.25–31]
Thus, while we give credence to Aristotle, we must follow more those who
come later, on the grounds that they save the phenomena more [effectively]
even if they do not save them completely … [506.8–10]
Now, if this is more fitting to chapters about the heavens than to ones about
first philosophy, none of us will criticize the rather lengthy digression from
the [present] chapter, since it has come about at the right time. [510.31–34]
The actual demonstration that Plato and Aristotle maintain sidereal rota-
tion need not detain us much longer beyond noting that Simplicius cites
Timaeus 40a2–b8 to show that Plato does indeed suppose that each fixed
star rotates about an internal axis [454.28–455.11] and then finds the same
thesis in De caelo 290a7–24 (with a33–b11) [455.11–456.22]. In this way, he
displays—or, one might better say, creates—an instance of that harmony of
Plato and Aristotle which is a fundamental tenet of the late Platonic reading
of these two thinkers. Moreover, it is also noteworthy that Simplicius con-
cludes his defense of the thesis that the heavenly bodies rotate by adducing
the authority of Ptolemy:
One should also pay attention to Ptolemy, the best of the astronomers, when
he says in the second book of his Hypotheses:
Consequently, it is quite reasonable that, because this is both a capacity
and an activity of theirs, each of the heavenly bodies moves, to be sure, in
its own place, that is, [each moves] smoothly and in a circle back around
its own center, since it is right that this [moving in its own place], which
also secures [each heavenly body] in the structures containing it, belong
to it first.13
13 456.22–27. For a German translation of the Arabic version of this text, see Nix 1907,
131.9–15.
The Task Remaining
I have argued that defending Aristotle against Philoponus’ attack on homo-

centric planetary theory was, for Simplicius, of a very different order than
warding off his attack on Aristotle’s denial that each heavenly body rotates
about an internal axis. Whereas the latter thrust could be parried by a
‘proper’ reading of Aristotle showing that there was in truth no such denial,
there is no avoiding the fact that Aristotle propounds a false theory of plan-
etary motion in Meta. Λ.8. Indeed, the challenge facing Simplicius was to
show that his agreement with Philoponus on this point was not a heresy,
that it did not in any way entail following Philoponus in inferring by modus
tollens that the heavens are not made of aether and, therefore, that neither
the heavens nor the cosmos are eternal.14 Such a conclusion was for him and
his fellow Platonists shameless blasphemy and irrational.15
To counter Philoponus’ attack, then, Simplicius mounts a complex apolo-
gia with three interlocking aims. First, he seeks to mitigate Aristotle’s error
in a manner that preserves Aristotle’s authority, that is, his standing as the
most genuine or truest student of Plato [378.20–21: cf. 26.22–25], who is
himself the prophet of the Craftsman God [106.4–6]. At the same time, Sim-
plicius also tries to uphold the validity of the cosmology expounded in the
De caelo and, thus, its authority as a sacred text in the late Platonic program
of education. Finally, he endeavors to palliate the late Platonist preference
for epicyclic and eccentric planetary hypotheses by showing that such devi-
ation from Aristotle does not make them heretical and apostate; rather, it
marks them as his faithful followers and as devotees of the divine truth
[26.11–15, 377.29–34].16
In Chapters 2–4, I will show how this is accomplished. Chapter 2 explains
Simplicius’ view of astronomical hypotheses in general, a view foundational
to the apologia. Chapter 3 details the apologia itself; and Chapter 4 looks
to how Simplicius uses past literature to construct and supplement his
apologia. But first I will conclude the present chapter with a thumbnail
account of Simplicius’ own account of the heavens and their motions.
14 On Philoponus’ aim, see 34.5–7, 35.31–33, 50.15–18 (with 731.25–29), 80.23–26, 81.10–11,
119.7–13.
15 Cf. 25.22–26.17 and 26.28–31 (with pp. 12–13), 35.33–35, 70.17–18, 135.9–10, 731.25–29 (the
concluding prayer, with p. 10).

16 See p. 60.
34 chapter one
Simplicius on the Heavens
Simplicius would, of course, maintain that his own understanding of the

heavens is not only to be found in Plato’s writings, it also underlies Aristotle’s
teachings. And yes, he would, in our view, be in error about this: but that has
no bearing now, if we are to discern the predicament into which Philoponus’
criticism at 32.1–11 puts Simplicius. For this, we must try to understand
the criticism as Simplicius saw it. The following outline, then, is limited to
those aspects of Simplicius’ interpretation of Aristotle and Plato which are
brought to bear on the account of the heavenly bodies and their motions in
his apologia.
To begin, for Simplicius, Aristotle’s fifth simple body, aether, is a blend
of the purest forms of each of the four sublunary elements (earth, water,
air, fire), that is, of fire in the sense of what shines, of earth in the sense of
what is resistant to sensation, and of the intermediates as what is purely
intermediate [12.29–31: cf. 16.18–26].17 This blend is unlike and irreducible
to any of the sublunary simple bodies. In it, fire qua light predominates
and thus gives this simple body its primary attribute [17.20–33], visibility.
It is the nature of aether to move in circle about a center. Since there is no
motion contrary to circular motion, there is no simple body that is opposite
to aether; hence, aether is free of the variety of mutation that governs the
sublunary simple bodies and their composites. Indeed, since it cannot come
into being or perish, aether is eternal18 (and with it, the cosmos).
All aetherial bodies are spherical and rotate about an internal axis. Some
of these bodies are carried around in other aetherial bodies which rotate
about other centers. The non-wandering or fixed stars are attached to a
single sphere that rotates about the center of the cosmos. The seven wander-
ing stars or planets are carried round in more complex systems containing
at least one rotatory motion that is not about the center of the cosmos.
These systems, however, are embedded in aetherial, spherical shells which
do rotate about the center of the cosmos.19 These systems are, in turn, nested
in a single complex [cf. 474.21–28].20
The planets understood as systems are ensouled and rational, and, hence,
capable of action. Indeed, though aether moves by nature in a circle, this is
17 See 12.16–27 for Simplicius’ contention that Plato posited a fifth simple body which he
called fire meaning light, since he held that light was a form of fire.
18 See 84.11–85.15, where these claims about aether are ‘found’ in Plato’s Timaeus.
19 Cf. Figures 12.13 and 12.14, pp. 196–197.
20 See Comment 10.13, pp. 211–213. See also Figure 7, p. 35.
Figure 7. Nested spherical shells [Apianus 1584]

36 chapter one
by itself insufficient to explain planetary motion. For that, one must grant
that the direction and speed in which a planet moves are matters of its
choosing what is best for the cosmos [472.8–15, 473.1–6: cf. 488.30–489.4].
What we see in the heavens, then, is the outcome of choices by divine,
rational animals, where each choice is a deliberate blending of the natural
motions in different directions of the rotating spheres constituting each
planet’s body [473.6–474.6].21
The cosmos or, more specifically, the celestial sphere, is a hypostasis or
substantive existence that derives from the Craftsman God. It too is a ratio-
nal animal, one that comprehends within itself undifferentiated all celestial
motions, in particular, the motion eastward and the motion westward.22 Its
‘creation’ is before time and, thus, does not impinge on the fact that the body
of this sphere is immune to generation and corruption and, hence, eternal.
The planets themselves are each hypostases of the celestial sphere [473.8–
474.1]: the blending of the motions in the nature of each planetary animal
shows its kinship to the celestial sphere, a kinship that decreases with dis-
tance from that sphere.
21 See Comment 10.12, pp. 210–211.

22 See 487.4–10 with 487.15–488.1, 490.6–16.
chapter two
THE HERETICAL REJECTION OF ALL HYPOTHESES
Simplicius’ excuse for following more recent theorists and not Aristotle
in matters concerning the motions of the heavenly bodies comes with a
brief and easily overlooked caveat—namely, that none of the astronom-
ical hypotheses currently in play has any necessity (ἀνάγκη) [488.25–27,
492.25–28, 502.2–3]. In other words, as Simplicius says, though each hypoth-
esis distinguishes appearance and reality and then posits a state of affairs
enabling one to ‘save’ or account for the phenomena, none of the hypothe-
ses is demonstrably true (ἀληθές, κατ’ ἀλήθειαν). Rather, for him, the true
account (ὁ ἀληθὴς λόγος) neither admits the apparent planetary motions as
real nor utilizes hypotheses; instead, it reasons on the basis of duly estab-
lished physical theory that the planets move with motions that are simple,
smooth, circular, and ordered [488.10–14], (real) motions which presumably
enable one to account for the motions observed.1
This caveat, with its strong affirmation of a non-hypothetical account
of the celestial motions, seemingly undercuts Simplicius’ apologia in its
entirety and puts into question the very point of commenting on the De
caelo. After all, why settle for the Ptolemaic account when it, like the homo-
centric theory as propounded by Aristotle, lacks proper warrant and cannot
be said to be true? If neither is true, is the choice of one over the other really
defensible? Further, given that the very goal of the De caelo is to demon-
strate the fundamental heavenly motions on the basis of a properly estab-
lished physical theory, why study this cosmological tract if its physical theory
licenses an account of the celestial motions which is inadequate and thus,
contrary to its intention, merely a hypothesis and not a good one at that?
This caveat would thus seem to entail an even more radical heresy. The
puzzle, then, is that Simplicius simply makes this criticism, argues that
adherence to the Ptolemaic hypotheses can accommodate the broad argu-
ment of De caelo 2.12, and closes his digression with the remark:
1 This is in part what lies behind his remark at 32.29–32 that differing about planetary
hypotheses is not a matter of reproach, since each is at best consistent with the phenomena.
See Comment 12.27, pp. 284–288.
38 chapter two
Now, if this is more fitting to chapters about the heavens than to ones about
first philosophy, none of us will criticize the rather lengthy digression from
the [present] chapter, since it has come about at the right time. But we must
return to what comes next in Aristotle’s chapters. [510.31–35]
Granted, Aristotle himself admits that inquiry about the heavens is difficult.
But at no point does he allow that one is therefore permitted to take a
position concerning their motions that is unwarranted by argument. Yet
Simplicius fails to provide an argument of his own or to show that there is
in fact one implicit in the works of Plato and Aristotle.
One might well be tempted to conclude that Simplicius is truly idiotic and
abandon him with dark thoughts about cultures of reading and how they
can thwart that impulse to understand which they are meant to serve. But
patience will, in this instance, vindicate Simplicius. As I will argue, there are
in his commentaries on the Physica and De caelo several considerations that
warrant his leaving unexamined the question of the physical theory required
to make due sense of the planetary motions.
Simplicius, In phys. 2.2 193b22–35
To begin our own apologia on Simplicius’ behalf, we should clarify what

astronomical hypotheses are for him and how they figure in the science
of the heavens. This means turning attention to a passage in the commen-
tary on Phys. 2.2, a passage in which Simplicius not only elaborates what
hypotheses are but also brings to the fore more urgently the need for an
unhypothetical account of the planetary motions.2
Aristotle on Physical Theory and Mathematical Science

The lemma at issue is Phys 2.2 193b22–35, a text in which Aristotle writes
briefly about the distinction between physical theorists (ὁ φυσικός) and
certain scientists (ὁ µαθηµατικός), that is, between philosophers engaged in
the study of Nature (φύσις) and non-philosophers who also study Nature but
characteristically with the help of mathematics.3
2 Simplicius’ commentary compares very interestingly with Philoponus’ remarks on
the same passage [Vitelli 1887–1888, 218.19–223.29]. (Philoponus’ commentary was written
around ad 517: see Golitsis 2008, 22–37, which includes criticism of Verrycken’s contention
that it was revised after 529.) It is worth noting that Philoponus does not broach the subject
of astronomical hypothesis.
3 290.3: the definite article here is generic in sense (that is, it refers to any member of the
the heretical rejection of all hypotheses 39
Simplicius’ comment opens with a paraphrase. As he says, Aristotle rea-

sonably wants to distinguish physical theorists and mathematical scientists
because they all seem concerned with the same things. Indeed, in that phys-
ical theorists study physical bodies which necessarily have vertices, lines,
surfaces, and shapes—the very things that mathematical scientists study—
it would follow that mathematical science (ἡ µαθηµατική) is part of philos-
ophy qua physical theory.4 Likewise, he says, Aristotle distinguishes astron-
omy (ἀστρολογία) and physical theory since they share concerns too—both
astronomers (ὁ ἀστρολόγος) and physical theorists study bodies in motion
(rather than bodies that cannot be moved, as geometers do) and so speak
about the same things. For, even if physical theorists typically focus on the
substance of these moving bodies and mathematical scientists limit atten-
tion to the incidental, quantitative features of these motions, it would be
absurd to suppose that physical theorists do not talk of motions as well.5
So, Simplicius suggests, it would seem that, since physical theorists address
both the substance and the incidental features of the heavenly bodies, while
astronomers consider only the latter, astronomy is a part of physical the-
ory. In this way, mathematical science and, specifically, astronomy, would
be closely related (σύνεγγυς) to physical theory—which is why it was neces-
sary to distinguish them.6
After explaining that mathematical science is not part of philosophy
qua physical theory,7 Simplicius then undertakes to show that astronomy
(in particular) is not one either. The difference, so he says, lies in the fact
that, when astronomers consider the heavenly bodies, they too do not treat
them qua physical by focusing on what belongs to them intrinsically; rather,
class, or to the class collectively) and will be translated consistently in the plural form. See
43n22 below. On the meaning of «ὁ µαθηµατικός», see Comment 10.04, pp. 203–204.
4 Diels 1882–1895, 290.3–9.
5 290.14 ὁ µαθηµατικός: in context, this ought to be «ἀστρολόγος», since Simplicius has
designated the practitioners of ἀστρολογία as ἀστρολόγοι. The problem is one of Simplicius’

own making: Aristotle does not use the word «ἀστρολόγος» but speaks only of the µαθηµατικός
in Phys. 193b22–35. The issue here need not be wholly terminological, but it may reflect a
difference in the social and intellectual awareness of astronomy as a discipline or profession.
Cf. Diels 1882–1895, 293.7–15.
6 290.9–26.
7 290.27–291.7. As Simplicius explains, the physical theorist, unlike the mathematical sci-
entist, talks of the matter that physical bodies have in addition to their properties. Moreover,
when the physical theorist discusses these properties, he construes them as properties of
physical bodies, whereas the mathematical scientist treats the properties as though they
existed on their own. That is, unlike the physical theorist, the mathematical scientist sep-
arates these properties in thought from the bodies to which they belong.
40 chapter two
they view them as moving bodies exhibiting configurations and ignore any
intrinsic connection that these configurations might have to the bodies
themselves. Thus, physical theorists argue that the heavenly bodies are
spherical because of all the shapes that bodies may have, this one alone
is primary, simple, complete, uniform and, therefore, appropriate to the
first body. Astronomers, however, argue to the same conclusion from the
fact that the sphere is more capacious than any other solid with the same
perimeter.8
Physical Theory and Astronomy Recast

But this is clearly insufficient for Simplicius. After all, the preceding charac-
terization of astronomy with its example of an astronomical argument for
the sphericity of the heavenly bodies would undoubtedly seem antiquated
and curiously out of touch in the sixth century ad. For, though his physical
theory was resolutely rooted in the fourth century bc, astronomy in Sim-
plicius’ time was a muscular science replete with geometrical argument;
moreover, its leading edge was planetary theory, the defining characteristic
of which was the use of hypotheses and the production of numerical tables.9
Further, and perhaps just as important, was the fact that Phys. 2.2 provided
a fitting occasion to address something lacking in In de caelo 2.12, a detailed
explication of what Simplicius understood by an astronomical hypothesis.10
And so, immediately after remarking that
in this way Aristotle has pointed out in a few words the difference of physical
theory in relation to science and astronomy, [Diels 1882–1895, 291.18–20]
Simplicius updates this account by citing Alexander:11
8291.7–20.
9Recall the commentaries written in Alexandria of the fourth century ad by Theon on
Ptolemy’s Almagest and Canones manuales [see Watts 2006, 187–188, 191–192] and by Pappus
on the Almagest, along with book 6 of Pappus’ Collectio and Proclus’ own treatise outlining
the planetary hypotheses developed in the Almagest.
10 While Simplicius’ In phys. was written after the In de caelo, it was in fact meant to
be read before it. Indeed, it would seem a reasonable working hypothesis that Philoponus’
attack on Aristotle and the exigencies of replying to it were factors that figured importantly
in determining the order in which Simplicius wrote his commentaries.
11 Though there may be instances in which Simplicius’ comments on a lemma are moti-
vated by a desire for magisterial completeness [see Baltussen 2008, 22, 122, 205–207], Simpli-
cius continues here, I think, because the distinction made by Aristotle is problematic as it
stands.
[F18.1] Alexander [of Aphrodisias] assiduously12 quotes a certain text of Geminus,

derived from [the latter’s] epitome expounding Posidonius’ Meteorologica13—
[a text] that takes its starting points from Aristotle. It goes as follows:
It is for physical theory to inquire into the substance of the heavens and of [F18.5]
the heavenly bodies, into their power and quality, and into their coming into
existence and destruction. Through these [investigations],14 it can certainly
offer demonstrations concerning size, shape, and ordering. Astronomy, on the
other hand, does not attempt to speak about anything of that sort. Instead,
it demonstrates the order of the celestial [bodies] after declaring that the [F18.10]
heavens really are a cosmos, and speaks about the shapes, sizes, and distances
of the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon, about the eclipses and conjunctions of
heavenly bodies, and about quality and quantity in their movements.
It follows that since astronomy deals with the theory of quantity, duration,
and type of shape, it is reasonable for it to need arithmetic and geometry [F18.15]
for this. And concerning these matters, which are the only ones about which
it undertakes to supply an account, it has the authority to make inferences
through arithmetic and geometry.
[Kidd 1988–1999, 18.1–18 ~Diels 1882–1895, 291.21–292.3]
12 Kidd 1988–1999, F18.1 ~Diels 1882–1895, 291.22 φιλοπόνως. See 11n38.

13 F18.2 ~Diels 1882–1895, 291.22: reading «τῆς» (conjectured by Diels) after «ἐπιτοµῆς»;
i.e., this is Geminus’ epitome of Posidonius’ treatise. On Geminus’ date, see Bowen 2006,
199n4 or, for a different line of argument to the same conclusion, Evans and Berggren 2006,
15–22.
Evans and Berggren [2006, 4 and 250n1] follow Jones [1999, 255] in speculating that
Simplicius is giving the actual title of that work, namely, Concise Exposition of the Meteorology
of Posidonius. This is possible but hardly necessary given Simplicius’ Greek. Moreover, one
should note that Priscian [Kidd 1988–1999, T72] calls the work a commentum (commentary),
not an epitome; and Ian Kidd in his commentary on T72 [1988–1999, 2.57] confidently
maintains that Priscian mentions ‘Geminus’ Commentary on Posidonius’ Meteorology’ (Kidd’s
italics).
As for the Posidonian treatise itself, it would appear that Alexander and Simplicius iden-
tified it as a work entitled «Μετεωρολογικά», a title which Simplicius may have intended to
mean ‘Matters pertaining to the Heavens’. No such title is attributed elsewhere to Posidonius
(ca 135–ca 51 bc), while Priscian [Kidd 1988–1999, T72] refers to a commentary by Geminus
on a Posidonian work called «Μετέωρα». Kidd [1988–1999, 2.129] refers to it as a ‘somewhat
general title’, and it is queried in the heading for F18 [1988–1999, 2.44]. Since F18 is markedly
synoptic and its subject matter closely resembles that deployed in the preliminary classifi-
cation in Diogenes Laertius’ survey of Stoic physics at Vitae 7.132–133 [see Kidd 1988–1999,
2.406], it may originally have been part of the preface to one of the works of Posidonius bear-
ing a similar title, perhaps the Μετεωρολογικὴ (στοιχείωσις) [Kidd 1988–1999, F14–15] rather
than the Περὶ µετεώρων [Kidd 1988–1999, F16–17].
In what follows I will speak of Alexander’s source as Posidonius/Geminus to forestall the
question of Geminus’ contribution [see Bowen 2007, 330–331]. Simplicius, for his part, seems
confident that the substance of this citation goes back to Posidonius [F18.50–53 ~Diels 1882–
1895, 292.29–31].
14 F18.7 ~Diels 1882–1895, 291.25: reading «νὴ διὰ τούτων» with Bake.
42 chapter two
This distinction between physical theory and astronomy is now made by

way of a fuller description of their subject matters. Physical theory focuses
on the essential nature and qualitative aspects of the heavens and the bodies
in them; whereas astronomy focuses on their quantitative aspects, which is
why it accordingly relies heavily on arithmetical and geometrical argument.
The report continues by elaborating a point already made several times—
that astronomy and physical theory often treat the same topics, e.g., the
shape, size, and order of the heavenly bodies—and by drawing attention
to the differences in their procedures.
Now astronomers and physical theorists15 will in many cases propose demon-
[F18.20] strating essentially the same [thesis] (e.g., that the Sun is large, that the Earth
is spherical), yet they will not follow the same procedures.16 For, whereas
[physical theorists] will make each of their demonstrations on the basis of
substance, or power, or ‘that it is better that it be thus’, or [the processes] of
coming into existence and change,17 astronomers [will do so] on the basis of
the [properties] incidental to shapes or to sizes, or on the basis of the quantity
[F18.25] of motion and of the time interval appropriate to it.18
Also, physical theorists will in many cases deal with the cause by focusing on
the causative power;19 whereas astronomers, since they make their demon-
strations on the basis of extrinsic incidental properties,20 are not adequate
observers of the cause in explaining that the Earth or the heavenly bodies are
spherical, for example. Sometimes they do not even aim to comprehend the
cause, as when they discourse on an eclipse.21
15 F18.19 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.4 ὅ τε ἀστρολόγος καὶ ὁ φυσικός.

16 F18.21 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.4 ὁδούς.
17 Thus, for example, given the premiss that every one of its parts moves by nature to
the center of the cosmos, Aristotle, [De caelo 2.14 297a8–b23] demonstrates that the Earth
is spherical. Cf. Cleomedes’ argument that the cosmos is spherical at Todd 1990, 1.5.126–145
[with Bowen and Todd 2004, 72–73].
18 Aristotle [De caelo 297b23–298a8] argues that the Earth is spherical on the basis of such
perceptual evidence as the appearance of the Moon during a lunar eclipse [see Comment
11.03, pp. 219–220] and the variation of the night sky as one moves north and south. Cf. Todd
1990, 1.5.1–125 [with Bowen and Todd 2004, 63–72; Bowen 2003c, 60–62].
19 F18.26 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.10 ποιητικὴ δύναµις.
20 F18.27 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.11 ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν συµβεβηκότων: cf. F18.23–24.
21 See Todd 1990, 2.4.95–107 [with Bowen and Todd 2004, 2.4 nn8, 19] on the Posidonian
physical theory underlying eclipses. Mueller [2004b, 69] claims that the mention of eclipses
shows that a special notion of causation is at issue, since, as he says,
it is hard to imagine that any astronomer or physicist … living after, say 400, would
have discussed solar or lunar eclipses without mentioning as an explanation the
interposition of the moon between the sun and the earth or of the earth between the
[F18.30] At other times [astronomers]22 make determinations in accordance with a

hypothesis23 by setting out some modes [of accounting for the phenomena];
and, if these are the case, the phenomena will be saved.24
This section of Simplicius’ report casts light on the relation of physical the-
ory and astronomy. In F18.18–30, it effectively distinguishes two forms of
explanation: the causal, demonstrative accounts offered by physical theo-
rists and the non-causal, demonstrative accounts offered by astronomers.
The former accounts are plainly assigned a higher cognitive worth. After
moon and sun, the latter being a well-known Aristotelian example of scientific causal
explanation.
Mueller suggests that Posidonius/Geminus discounts the astronomer’s geometrical models
as really explanatory because the alleged cause is not better known than the effect. I suspect,
however, that it may be a mistake to assume that, for Posidonius/Geminus, eclipses were to
be explained simply by the interposition of celestial bodies.
The problem is that by the first century bc, this may not have been good enough. Posido-
nius/Geminus may have deemed it important that not only are there species of eclipses (total
and partial) but that eclipses are also periodic [cf. Bowen and Goldstein 1996 on Geminus,
Intro. ast. 18.1 (the exeligmos)]. But giving a proper causal explanation of eclipses so under-
stood would require going beyond Aristotle by accounting for the occurrence of the various
species of lunar and solar eclipse as well as for the periodicity of their occurrences. Further,
such an account would necessarily lie outside astronomy, since it can at best quantify the
periods involved.
Note that Geminus describes when solar and lunar eclipses occur in Intro. ast. cc. 10–11
without using the language of causation except when drawing inferences from his descrip-
tion. Likewise, in 1.31–41, Geminus demonstrates that the Sun’s smooth motion along an
eccentric circle has the necessary consequence that the Sun appears to traverse equal arcs of
the zodiacal circle in unequal times, without saying that this eccentric solar motion is a cause.
22 F18.30–32 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.13–15: the subject is «ὁ ἀστρολόγος». Taking the definite
article as generic and construing the subject as the class of astronomers or ‘any astronomer’
[see 38n3] avoids attributing to Posidonius/Geminus the claim that a given astronomer will
commit to more than one hypothesis at a given time [see below].
23 At Todd 1990, 2.1.310–311 and 332–333 similar language is used in connection with
premises in a calculation of the size of the Sun. There, the hypotheses are assumptions made
within the context of a larger argument; here, they are foundational to the argument itself.
24 Kidd 1988–1999, F18.18–32 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.3–15. F18.31 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.14
τρόπους τινάς.
Evans and Berggren [2006, 254] misconstrue the syntax of this sentence. Moreover, by
adopting too narrow a notion of the intellectual context of this passage, they overlook the
fact that the term «τρόποι» had significance in contemporary philosophy [see 46n29], and
that the passage does indeed make sense if the occurrences of «τρόποι» at lines F18.31, and
38 are translated in the same way, rather than by ‘devices’ and ‘way’, respectively (or by
‘conditions’ and ‘method’ [so Mueller 2004a, 69]). Indeed, a ‘mode or way [of accounting for
the phenomena]’ [cf. ‘supply an account’ («λόγον ἀποδώσειν») at F18.17] is the adaptation of a
single hypothesis to account for the same phenomena in specific sets of circumstances. Thus,
for example, a phenomenon common to several objects, such as the first morning appearance
of an outer planet, might be accounted for on the basis of an epicyclic hypothesis that is
quantified differently for Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
44 chapter two
all, the physical theorist, by arguing in terms of the intrinsic properties of

some celestial object, secures knowledge of the object itself and explains
why something is as it is. In contrast, the astronomer, by arguing in terms of
the extrinsic properties of the same object, can show only that the thing is
as it is.25
F18.30–32 makes an important addition by affirming that even non-causal
accounts offered on the basis of hypotheses, rather than on the basis of
some (known) extrinsic properties of a celestial object, may still save the
phenomena if the hypotheses prove to be the case (or true).
The text itself is unmistakeable on this. In the conditional ‘if these are
the case, the phenomena will be saved’ («ὧν ὑπαρχόντων, σωθήσεται τὰ
φαινόµενα»), the antecedent of «ὧν» in the protasis «ὧν ὑπαρχόντων», a
genitive absolute, is «τρόπους τινάς» (‘some modes [of accounting for the
phenomena]’) in F18.31. Moreover, the apodosis contains a future indicative.
It identifies not the ways in which the phenomena might be saved (ἂν σωθείη
would be the Greek in that case), but the ways in which they will in fact be
explained and thus saved.
In sum, the force of «ὑπαρχόντων» is that the applications of the hypothe-
sis in the various modes of demonstrative explanation are the case, not just
that they successfully account for the phenomena. That is, the modes must
not only be logically valid arguments, they must be sound if they are to save
the phenomena. But, to repeat, this is possible only if the hypothesis which
these modes apply is in fact true as well.
But this raises an obvious question: ‘Who is concerned with the truth of
such hypotheses—the astronomer, or the physical theorist, or both?’ The
clear implication is that both are: the physical theorist, because he is con-
cerned with the realia by profession; and the astronomer, because, though
he cannot demonstrate this, he still wants to claim that a given hypothe-
25 Cf. Aristotle, An. post. 76a4–13, 78b34–39: the latter passage subordinates accounts
explaining that something is the case (ὅτι) to those explaining why it is the case (διότι).
Diogenes Laertius, in his book on the Stoic Zeno of Citium, asserts [Vitae 7.132–133] that
both scientists (οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν µαθηµάτων) and physical theorists study the cosmos but differ in
the particular subjects of their inquiries. After describing this difference in much the same
way as Simplicius reports, he then indicates that there is a similar difference in the sorts
of causal explanation (ὁ αἰτιόλογος λόγος) that they offer. It is interesting that in describing
the explanations offered by the scientists, Diogenes does not cite astronomical explananda
specifically but only vision and images in a mirror, as well as clouds, thunder, rainbows, halos,
and comets; and he maintains that the explanations offered are causal. For the view that
explanations in optics are not causal, a view that acknowledges its dependence on Posidonius
and seems to draw on what Simplicius reports of Posidonius/Geminus, see Seneca, Ep. 88.26
with Bowen 2009.
sis does indeed save the phenomena. Thus, while the astronomers being
envisaged may collectively, or even individually, have known a number of
hypotheses by which to account for the same astronomical phenomena, the
assumption in this report appears to be that each astronomer will offer only
one hypothesis in doing this, since, after all, only one of them can be actually
the case.26
One may, of course, debate whether such a realist interpretation of astro-
nomical hypothesizing is credible, and whether it is a decent characteriza-
tion of the typical practice and attitudes of astronomers of the time. Specif-
ically, one may challenge the claim that, when an ancient astronomer says
that a hypothesis saves the phenomena, he is committed to its actually being
the case, though, of course, qua astronomer he cannot demonstrate that.
This claim does have a certain plausibility prima facie, however. For, even
if astronomers were not really interested in offering non-causal accounts
per se, and regardless of their being troubled or untroubled by competing
hypotheses in accounting for given phenomena, each did, so far as we know,
settle on a single hypothesis in devising any given table quantifying these
phenomena.
In any event, this claim is essential to the view expressed subsequently
that the astronomer must take the starting points of his demonstrations
from the physical theorist. For Posidonius/Geminus, the dependence of
astronomy on physical theory is intrinsic to astronomy itself because physi-
cal theory is knowledge of the realia exhibiting the extrinsic properties stud-
ied by astronomers, and because astronomers wish to make claims about
how things are. That is, this dependence is rooted in the fact that, when
astronomers assert that they can save phenomena using a given hypothe-
sis, they mean (or must be understood to mean) that this hypothesis is the
case or true.
At this point, Simplicius’ report begins to show its curious history; and we
have the first of two dislocations marking ellipses that may be the result of
26 See 42n15, 43n22 above. The possibility of competing multiple explanations all of
equal cognitive worth was a philosophical construct, acceptable in qualified form to the
Epicureans [see Asmis 1984, 321–330], but rejected here and easily exploited by a Sceptic
[see 46n29]. But see G.E.R. Lloyd 1991, 267 in which it is claimed that, for Geminus, ‘it is
his (scil. the astronomer’s) business to say in how many ways it is possible to save the
phenomena’ [cf. Mueller 2004b, 74–75]. In Simplicius’ report [cf. Bowen and Todd 2004,
197n8], however, that astronomers produce a number of hypotheses would seem to be an
inevitable consequence of the fact that each astronomer tries to save the phenomena but
lacks the means to demonstrate that his hypothesis is true rather than just consistent with
the relevant phenomena.
46 chapter two
the way in which texts have been excerpted, summarized, expounded, and
quoted. The reader, though initially promised an example of the preceding
account of astronomical procedure, is suddenly confronted with a question
that appears to have very serious consequences.
For example: ‘Why do the Sun, the Moon, and the planets appear to move
[F18.35] unsmoothly?’ Because whether we hypothesize27 that their circuits are eccen-
tric, or that the celestial bodies go round along epicycles, their apparent
unsmoothness [in motion] will be saved.28 And [we] will have to go through
all the modes according to which these phenomena can be caused, so that
our systematic treatment29 of the wandering stars will look like a causal the-
ory [set out] according to each possible mode [of causation].30
27 F18.33–34 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.16 ὅτι εἰ ὑποθώµεθα: the ὅτι-clause indicates why the
question is being asked. The first-person plural subject of this verb is maintained in the rest
of this paragraph [as also by Heath 1913, 276]. For the argument that the ‘we’ involved here are
Stoics, or Posidonius/Geminus and an audience of fellow Stoics, see Todd and Bowen 2009,
175–180. Kidd [1988–1999, 3.80], however, writes ‘their’ before «πραγµατεία», and sees this as
a description of astronomical practice and not as one of the consequences of its malpractice,
as argued at Bowen and Todd 2004, 195–198.
28 F18.33–35 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.16–18: the eccentric and epicyclic hypotheses are
treated here as independent rather than equivalent. No extant Greek or Latin writer of the
first centuries bc and ad mentions this equivalence; those that do consider the planetary
motions choose one hypothesis or the other, not both. On saving the phenomena before
Ptolemy, see Comment 12.09, 251–259.
Theon of Smyrna reports that Adrastus of Aphrodisias (late first or early second century
ad) [T.H. Martin 1849, 74–75] was the first to show that the eccentric hypothesis follows
incidentally (κατὰ συµβεβηκός) from the epicyclic hypothesis, but then claims for himself
the proof that the epicyclic hypothesis follows from the eccentric hypothesis [Hiller 1878,
166.10–13]. On the value of such reports when they cannot be confirmed, see Bowen 2002.
Ptolemy suggests the possible equivalence of the two hypotheses at Alm. 3.3 [cf. Toomer
1984, 144 n32] but does not discuss it until Alm. 12.1. On the strength of the latter text, some
modern scholars [see, e.g., Neugebauer 1955, 1959] suppose that the proof of this equivalence
goes back to Apollonius of Perga (third century bc). But see Comment 12.07, pp. 244–247.
Alexander Jones has kindly pointed out to me that papyrus PSI inv. 515 (= PSI XV 1490)
(very early second century ad, perhaps part of a larger treatise [see Jones 2004]) mentions an
eccentric and an epicyclic model for solar motion and uses the same maximum equation for
both [cf. Jones 2000, 83–86].
29 F18.36 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.18. «τρόπους» (‘modes’) is used here for multiple expla-
nations. This term is used by the Sceptic Aenesidemus (first century bc) to describe causal
explanations. See the second of his arguments against ‘dogmatic causal explanation’ [Sextus
Empiricus, Pyrr. hyp. 1.181], namely, that such explanations should not be offered ‘according to
a single mode’ («καθ’ ἕνα µόνον τρόπον») when ‘explanation in multiple modes’ («πολυτρόπως
αἰτιολογῆσαι») is possible. Exactly the same consequence is being targeted in the present
argument.
F18.39 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.20 πραγµατεία: the term does not mean ‘theory’ [Heath 1913,
276], or ‘study’ [Kidd 1988–1999, 2.133; 3.80] but either an actual treatise or the kind of system-
atic exercise that would be embodied in one: cf., e.g., Alexander’s usage [Bruns 1887, 30.24].
30 Kidd 1988–1999, F18.32–39.
F18.37–38 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.19–20 τῇ κατὰ τὸν ἐνδεχόµενον τρόπον αἰτιολογίᾳ.

This question about why the planets appear to move as they do was
important in the first century bc, a time when the effort to develop or
adapt different hypotheses in order to account for planetary stations and ret-
rogradations began in earnest. Geminus, for instance, prefers an eccentric
hypothesis for the Sun [Intro. ast. 1.31–41] and a hypothesis for the Moon that
is based on a Babylonian zigzag scheme,31 while Vitruvius [De arch. 9.1.5–
14] adopts an epicyclic model for the inner planets and an eccentric model
(supplemented with a causal component involving the power of the Sun)
for the outer planets.32 But, as Robert Todd and I have argued elsewhere,33
this question is not posed to astronomers: it is asked, instead, of the reader
who is plainly one of ‘us’ and so, presumably, a Stoic philosopher with a keen
interest in physical theory, assuming that these lines ultimately come either
from Posidonius or from Geminus in his summary and exposition of what
Posidonius wrote.34 In short, the question is asked of someone who is aware
of various ways in which astronomers account for the planetary motions,
and its aim is to make him determine for himself why the planets move as
they are observed to.35
That this question is addressed to philosophers or physical theorists is not
surprising, given, as we have noted, that the astronomers’ assertion that the
various hypotheses in use save the phenomena of planetary motion entails
31 See Bowen and Goldstein 1996.

32 See Bowen 2001, 826–829.
33 See Bowen and Todd 2004, 193–199.
34 It is important to remember that such Stoics would belong to the later, Posidonian
branch of Stoicism, a branch which is evident in Cleomedes’ Caelestia. Not all Stoics were
sympathetic to this kind of inquiry: see Strabo, Geog. 2.3.8. (On Strabo’s Stoicism, see Mueller
2004b, 75.) Seneca [Ep. 88.21–28] ignores it in making the same general point about the rela-
tion between physical theory and astronomy, and indicates why in 88.29–46. On Geminus’
philosophical concerns, see Bowen 2012e.
35 See Mueller 2004b, 69–70. Evans and Berggren [2006, 254] misrepresent Kidd 1989–
1999, F18.31–35 ~Diels 1882, 292.14–18. Further, their supplement in ‘[The astronomer would
answer] that if we assume that their circles are eccentric …,’ is a gross intrusion that goes
back at least to Paul Tannery [Heiberg and Zeuthen 1929, 256] and was rejected by Germaine
Aujac [1975, 112]. At the same time, it makes the implausibility of their view that the ‘we’
are astronomers obvious. (For his part, Tannery obscures the problematic ‘we’ by writing
‘L’astronome dira qu’ en supposant leurs cercles excentriques ….’) For, if the subject is «ὁ
ἀστρολόγος», would one not expect ‘he’ instead of ‘we’? And why would the author reported
by Simplicius confuse his readers by abandoning his account of ὁ ἀστρολόγος and introducing
the plural «οἱ ἀστρολόγοι», and then having these astronomers speak in the first person
rather than in the third? It is perhaps not coincidental that Evans and Berggren [2006,
53–58] conflate Posidonius and Geminus, and treat the latter solely or primarily as an
astronomer. The case of Cleomedes, however, is ample proof of the untenability of this
assumption.
48 chapter two
divergent claims about the underlying realia. But what exactly is the prob-
lem for physical theorists with listing all the possible modes of explanation,
that is, with listing every non-causal account of the phenomena covered by
each applicable hypothesis?
Recall that a hypothesis can save phenomena only if it is the case or true.
But knowing that a hypothesis (which concerns some extrinsic feature of an
object) is indeed the case requires knowing the underlying realia; and this
in turn presupposes having a proper causal account of the phenomena. In
Aristotelian terms, the problem here is that one usually cannot know that a
particular hypothesis is true without knowing why it is true [cf. 44n25]. Thus,
any physical theorist lacking a proper causal account of why the planets
move as they do will be much embarrassed when confronted by the various
hypotheses put forth by astronomers, since he will not be able to determine
which, if any, is in accord with reality. Consequently, when this theorist is
asked to account for such phenomena, he will do no better than list all the
astronomical hypotheses (and their modes) available to him on the ground
that, so far as he knows, each is true or saves the phenomena. And, so, to the
extent that these hypotheses are divergent, he will endorse contradictions
in physical theory—clearly an undesirable outcome.
This first dislocated paragraph thus turns on its head Aenesidemus’ crit-
icism of dogmatism (scil. Stoicism, for instance) that it sometimes holds to
a single account of phenomena when many are possible [cf. Sextus Empiri-
cus, Pyrr. hyp. 1.180–182]. For such sceptics, the existence of many accounts
undermined the search for a single causal explanation; but for the Stoic, a
multiplicity of accounts demanded it.36
Simplicius continues with yet more text that is dislocated. Though his
report initially promises a conclusion based on the preceding lines (note
36 See Bowen and Todd 2004, 197. The point of this paragraph in Simplicius’ report is not
that the astronomer’s hypotheses are false, as Mueller [2004b, 70–71] maintains, but that none
is known to be true.
Epicurus advances a view that falls between the Stoic and Sceptic positions. For Epicurus,
it is possible to get knowledge of matters in the heavens and thus to secure tranquility and
happiness. Such knowledge lies primarily in grasping that they are but the outcome of the
original inclusion of aggregates of atoms in the birth of our world. It does not come from
the study of risings and settings, solstices, eclipses, and so forth, because such study is not
predicated on knowledge of what the heavenly bodies are or of what the most important
causes are, and because we have different explanations of the same phenomena (since they
are at a distance from us). Indeed, so far as such study goes, Epicurus holds that we will
preserve our tranquility and happiness if we are aware of the various ways in which celestial
phenomena may be explained. Cf. Epicurus, Ep. ad Herod. [Diogenes Laertius, Vitae 10.77–80]
and Ep. ad Pyth. [Vitae 10.90–98: cf. 10.113–114] using the text of von der Muehll 1922.
«διό»), rather than following up on the problem posed by diverse hypotheses

for given (planetary) phenomena, it now introduces someone who proposes
a single hypothesis about an unspecified motion of the Earth and a station-
ary Sun.
This is why a certain Heraclides of Pontus37 even came forward to say that [F18.40]
[on the hypothesis that] the Earth somehow38 actually moves, and the Sun
somehow remains stationary, the apparent unsmoothness [in motion] of the
Sun can be saved.39
37 F18.39 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.21 τις (a certain): on such usage with a proper name in a
derogatory sense, see Liddell, Scott, and Jones 1968, τις II.6 which cites Sophocles, Philoctetes
442.
38 18.40 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.21: the Aldine text of Simplicius supplied «ἔλεγεν» after
«Ποντικός», which would require punctuation that would yield the meaning ‘someone com-
ing along, says (φησίν) Heraclides of Pontus, said that …’. This would, as some have wished,
disassociate Heraclides from the hypothesis reported here. But «ἔλεγεν» was probably orig-
inally a gloss on «φησίν» by someone who was pedantically uneasy at having a ὅτι-clause
depend on «φησίν» (though this was less of a solecism in later Greek); and it was then later
inserted into a text into which it could by sheer accident serve in a syntactically acceptable
way. Also, in the older literature it was thought that «παρελθών» indicated a character enter-
ing the scene in one of Heraclides’ dialogues. On these and other such exegetical issues and
their sponsors, see Heath 1913, 277–282.
κινουµένης πως τῆς γῆς: the genitive absolute describing the Earth and the Sun is obviously
the protasis of a conditional sentence; and in the present context that protasis is a hypothesis,
as defined just above.
πως (somehow): this adverb is surely indefinite and should not be taken in the sense of
‘in a certain way’ (as by Eastwood [1992, 238] and Evans and Berggren [2006, 254]), so as to
suggest an implicit theory with some specificity. What is striking about this indefinite adverb
is that, as far as the Earth is concerned, the doxographical report in Diels 1879, 378.3–19,
seemingly followed by Ptolemy [Heiberg 1898–1903, 1.24.8–10], describes the Earth’s rotation
on its axis from west to east. Perhaps Posidonius/Geminus were aware of this and so the
expression ‘somehow’ is a gesture of dismissive indefiniteness rather than a sign of ignorance.
39 Kidd 1988–1999, F18.39–42 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.20–23.
The problem raised here is why the Sun’s apparent motion is singled out, whereas other
reports of Heraclides’ view concern mainly the Earth’s diurnal rotation, which bears on the
apparent motion of the fixed stars. But might Posidonius/Geminus have had access to a
source not reflected in the doxography [see Diels 1879, 373.3–18] that actually attributed
to Heraclides an argument specifically focusing on the Sun, and thus requiring a form of
locomotion for the Earth that was incompatible with the theory of its rotation in a single
place reported elsewhere? Or, given the derogatory manner in which Posidonius/Geminus
refers to Heraclides [see previous note] and the vague way in which the relative states of the
Earth and the Sun are characterized, could Posidonius/Geminus just be plucking the Sun
out from the list of planets in the previous paragraph and attributing this example without
much concern for theoretical precision to Heraclides himself? It is impossible to say with
certainty, but the compositional structure (the close similarity between the clauses ‘their
apparent unsmoothness (ἀνωµαλία) [in motion]’ in line 35 [292.16–17] and ‘the apparent
unsmoothness [in motion] of the Sun can be saved’ in lines 41–42 [292.22–23]) inclines to
the second alternative.
50 chapter two
This remark about Heraclides is challenging to interpret precisely be-

cause its place in the context of what has come before is obscure. But since
it does not really bear on the question at hand, it need not detain us now.40
Simplicius’ report finally draws to a close with a general claim effectively
characterizing astronomy first as it is currently practiced and then as it
should be practiced.
For, in general, it is not for astronomers to know what is by nature at rest
and what sort of things are moved. Instead, by introducing hypotheses of
[F18.45] some things being stationary, others in motion, they investigate from which
hypotheses the phenomena in the heavens will follow.41 But astronomers
should take as first principles42 from physical theorists that the motions of
the heavenly bodies are simple, smooth and orderly, and through these [prin-
ciples] they will demonstrate that the choral dance of all [those bodies] is
circular, with some revolving in parallel circles, others in oblique circles.43
[F18.50] That, then, is how Geminus (or rather Posidonius [cited] in Geminus) trans-
mits the distinction between physical theory44 and astronomy, and he takes
his starting points from Aristotle.
[Kidd 1988–1999, F18.42–52 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.23–31]
Simplicius and the Path Not Taken
Simplicius’ lengthy quotation of Posidonius/Geminus comes without

demurral and, in fact, it amplifies what he writes in commenting on the De
caelo without introducing any inconsistency. So, as we now see even more
Still, there is Eastwood’s well-reasoned proposal [1992, 237–238] that the ‘unsmooth
motion’ of the Sun here is the motion represented by one of the three Eudoxan spheres,
and that this transference of a solar motion to the Earth is unsystematically related to the
Heraclidean transference of the diurnal motion usually assigned to the fixed stars to the
Earth. All one can say is that Simplicius’ report is in a sufficiently polemical form as to weaken
such speculation at the very least.
Tannery [1899, 307–308] followed by Heath [1913, 282] deleted Heraclides’ name from this
passage in order to remove what they saw as an inconsistency between this report and other
reports of Heraclides’ views on the Earth’s rotation, with Heath [1913, 282] identifying the
«τις» of this passage with Aristarchus, as subsequently have Aujac [1975, 162n7] and Evans
and Berggren [2006, 254n18 with 274nc]. But Heraclides’ name is in all the manuscripts and
treating it as an interpolation on such doctrinal grounds may miss the point.
40 For discussion of these lines about Heraclides and other passages relevant to them, see
Todd and Bowen 2009.

41 Cf. De caelo 289b1–4 with Simplicius comment [444.18–445.7].
42 F18.46 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.26 ἀρχάς: note that these starting points are now first
principles, not hypotheses.

43 Cf. 488.10–14 [p. 135].
44 F18.51 ~Diels 1882–1895, 292.30 τῆς τε φυσιολογίας.
fully, for Simplicius, astronomical hypotheses are geometric assumptions

about the planetary motions that serve to account for planetary positions.
These hypotheses take for granted incidental, quantitative features of these
motions. Moreover, though the hypotheses and the accounts derived from
them are offered with the presumption that these features are rooted in the
realia, they come with no demonstrable connection to these realia. Conse-
quently, their proliferation is an acute embarrassment: in the absence of a
proper physical theory of how the planets really move and why, not only it
is impossible to adjudicate the astronomers’ competing presumptions that
their hypotheses and accounts are true, the only way to ‘explain’ the phe-
nomena would be to list all their accounts and, thereby, to embrace the
contradictions entailed for physical theory.
The solution, for Simplicius, is to abandon the misguided search for
hypotheses to save the phenomena—a search that began because people
had trouble grasping the idea that the observed planetary motions were
not the ones actually made [488.14–18]. In its stead, he imagines a physical
theory that provides the astronomers with starting points that are unhy-
pothetical, that is, with assertions rooted by causal demonstration in the
nature of the celestial realia themselves.
Yet, Simplicius does not provide this theory. As in his commentary on
the De caelo, so his comment on Phys. 193b22–35 clarifies the problem; yet
he goes no farther but closes the current lemma by raising a lexical matter
[Diels 1882–1895, 292.32–293.15] and then, in the next lemma, moves on to
how the mathematical scientist determines his subject matter. Granted, this
may be excusable in his commentary on the Physica. After all, the question
of truth and astronomical hypothesis is but incidental to the discussion of
the distinction(s) made in Phys. 2.2. Moreover, though the commentary on
the Physica was written after that on the De caelo, it is apparently to be read
before the latter [see p. 5]. But this only makes more acute the question, ‘Why
in his In de caelo does Simplicius omit presenting the physical theory which
Aristotle promised and which would obviate any recourse to hypotheses?’
The Need for Observation

There are several considerations at work in Simplicius’ preference for post-
Aristotelian planetary hypotheses and his silence in the face of his con-
tention that no such hypotheses are demonstrably the case. The first is that
the relevant phenomena are underdetermined.
One of the key steps in chapters 2.10–12 of the De caelo is taken when
Aristotle predicates his study of planetary motion on what astronomers say
52 chapter two
[cf. 291a29–32]. The fundamental point is that physical theory must not
only draw on empirical or observational data, it must also be in accord
with them [cf. 291b17–23, 292a3–9]. Such data are sometimes sufficient for
a particular inquiry about the heavens that is taken up by the physical
theorist [cf. 291a32]. For many such inquiries, however, the data are too
sparse, primarily because the celestial objects in question are so remote
[cf. 291b24–28, 292a14–18]. Yet, as 2.12 makes clear, even then, though the
empirical information is insufficient, it may nevertheless be possible for the
physical theorist to give reasonable answers to certain questions by making
up for this deficiency with philosophical or dialectical considerations [see
97n5]. Thus, in 2.12, the problem of proportionality in the planetary motions
is addressed by supposing that the planets are living, rational creatures
[292a18–22].
In the case of the competing planetary hypotheses, there is, for Simpli-
cius, sufficient empirical data to rule out the Eudoxan homocentric hypoth-
esis and its embellishments by Aristotle and Callippus. For, according to
Simplicius, there is its failure to account for a key observational datum,
namely, the putative variation in the size/brightness of certain planetary
bodies during their sidereal periods. As for the eccentric and epicyclic plan-
etary hypotheses such as one finds in Ptolemy’s works, Simplicius neither
mentions any competitors to them nor any phenomenon or phenomena
which would rule them out. But such a ‘nihil obstat’ hardly settles the matter.
The Empirical Limitations of Astronomy

Simplicius can, of course, provide a philosophical consideration—the thesis
that the circular motion of aether or celestial matter need not be about
the center of the cosmos—which permits adopting eccentric and epicyclic
hypotheses. But this particular thesis threatens to undo the chief argument
of De caelo 1–2 which insists that all the circular motions in and of the
heavens be about a specific center, the Earth, because it is the very nature
of the celestial matter to move in this way. But even then, all one has are
hypotheses which can do no more than claim to be the case.
In truth, however, for Simplicius, the phenomena are not only underde-
termined, there is a systematic difficulty in how they are determined in the
first place. As he indicates, the problem concerns the empirical data that
astronomers report and it removes them even farther from making a posi-
tive contribution to physical theory:
One might reasonably wonder why we see the stars themselves with our
[organs] of sight but do not hear their sound with our ears. In fact, one should
say45 that we do not even see the stars themselves, not their sizes, their shapes
or their surpassing beauty, not even at least the motion on account of which
there is [this] sound. Instead, we see of them a kind of brightness, as it were,
that is in fact of the same sort as the light of the Sun around the Earth:
the Sun itself is not seen. It should perhaps not be a source of wonder that
the sense of sight is deemed worthy of the radiance and brightness of the
heavenly [bodies] because it is less material and more for activity than for
being affected and because it exceeds the other [senses] by far; and that the
other senses are not adapted to these. [469.21–30]
Simplicius’ point is not that our observations of celestial bodies are some-
how false but that they are largely matters of inference. That is, as he would
have it, while we can see that the accidents and properties of some terres-
trial object do indeed belong to that object, this is not possible in the case
of celestial objects (except perhaps in the case of the Moon, which Sim-
plicius does not consider). To the contrary, our observations of Saturn, say,
entail, for Simplicius, the inference that a given blob of light seen in the night
sky at one place is the same blob seen many days later at a different place;
and they rest, moreover, on the sometimes plausible but always unverifiable
inference that this blob of light which we see belongs to one and the same
body.
This is a rather negative assessment of our awareness of the heavenly
bodies, especially when coupled with the claim that we do not actually see
their motion. The inference to be made is that Simplicius regards all plane-
tary hypotheses in astronomy either as demonstrably false or as provisional.
Here, ‘provisional’ plainly does not entail any expectation that they will in
fact be proven true, though, to be sure, that possibility is not excluded in
principle; rather, given that astronomy is incapable of proving its hypothe-
ses to be the case, it means that such hypotheses have yet to be falsified and
are the best available until the true, unhypothetical account is established
in the light of physical theory.
But if this scepticism is in part what underwrites Simplicius’ silence and
his apparent tolerance for eccentric and epicyclic hypotheses, then, we can
get to a final consideration by asking why he undertakes a commentary
on the De caelo in the first place. More precisely, the question becomes,
‘What is there in the rationale for writing a commentary on the De caelo
45 469.23 καὶ ῥητέον: several Greek manuscripts add «ἴσως» (‘perhaps’), followed by
Mueller [Mueller 2005, 126 and n538]. Heiberg’s text is, however, supported by Moerbeke’s
‘Et dicendum quod neque’ … [1563, 165.col. A].
54 chapter two
that excuses Simplicius from providing the sort of physical theory which
Aristotle apparently fails to provide and still makes writing the commentary
a sensible thing to do?’
A Question of Priority
To understand Simplicius’ undertaking a commentary on the De caelo given
these circumstances, we must first recall that this scholarly exercise con-
stitutes the practice of philosophy for Simplicius, and that the aim of the
practice was assimilation to God [483.19]. As he writes in commenting on
Phys. 1.9,
since one should call the first separated form divine, good, and an object of
desire (that is, the [form] which he calls Intellect and the First Cause), in
reality, all things constituted according to nature desire this in that, by the
very nature of the divine (that is, by the very being of their cause), they are
so constructed that each thing, in accordance with the power which it has,
desires assimilation to it. Assimilation is for them their proper perfection;
and perfection for composites is rest in respect of form; and for matter,
participation in the form to which it is inclined (that is, to which it is adapted).
[Diels 1882–1895, 250.13–17]
This divinity, to whom one prays,46 is that from whom the cosmos proceeds
and gets its eternal being in an atemporal act of creation.47 This Creator God
or Craftsman,48 as he is also known following Plato,49 bears in himself the
Ideas which are the paradigms of all that we behold in the sensible world.50
For Simplicius, the relation of likeness to paradigm, that is, the relation of the
sensible world of becoming to the purely intelligible world of paradigms, a
relation otherwise characterized as participation (µέθεξις), entails that the
sensible world is inferior or at a lower degree of reality:
As was stated earlier, however, Plato showed in another way that what comes
to be comes from some substrate. For, inasmuch as what comes to be is a like-
ness of being and every likeness assimilates itself to its paradigm, what assim-
ilates itself assimilates itself to [the paradigm] by participation in a process
of becoming similar [that arises] from the paradigm. But what participates
is one thing and what is participated [in], another; and participation is [the
46 731.25–29.
47 107.12–13, 137.17–28, 138.15–22. See also Diels 1882–1895, 622.26–28, 1141.16–19 and 22–30,
1142.21–25, 1143.26–29, 1145.7–1147.9, 1158.4–5.
48 154.12–16, 360.20–29, 372.15, 489.16–17, 491.6.
49 See 304.1, 311.32. See also Diels 1882–1895, 1337.20–33.
50 See 87.1–8. See also Hadot 1996, 38.368–390.
process] by which a likeness assimilates itself. Therefore, this thing that par-
ticipates is that in which and from which the likeness comes to be—the very
thing which what comes to be is. (Plato, at any rate, says in the Timaeus,
At present, then, three kinds [of thing] should be kept in mind—what
comes to be, that in which it comes to be, and that from which what comes
to be becomes assimilated.)
And since what I said earlier is true, this is the turning aside from being, that is,
the going beyond and descent into non-being,51 by taking which participation
in being takes place as it can and makes a likeness of what really is in the
place of what really is not, the very thing which it would have if it descended
into what is not completely without producing [a likeness of] what really
is.52
Given that the cosmos is a hypostasis of the Craftsman God and the out-
come of procession (otherwise characterized as participation in the Ideas
within him), the cosmos is an inferior and dependent being, a likeness of a
superior reality [138.15–22]. There is, it would seem, a further refinement: the
immediate hypostasis of the Craftsman is the celestial sphere or sphere of
the fixed stars, whereas the planetary spheres are hypostases of the celestial
sphere.53
51 Diels 1882–1895, 255.13–14 ἡ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄντος ἐκτροπὴ καὶ παράλλαξις καὶ εἰς τὸ µὴ ὂν
ὑποφορά.
52 Diels 1882–1895, 255.3–16.
As Simplicius makes clear in commenting on Epictetus’ Enchiridion, a text to be studied

before the commentaries on Aristotle’s works, these paradigms in the Creator God are not
ultimate:
On account of this, opposites cannot in fact be first principles, I mean, because their
common genus must exist before they do; and, further, because the one must also exist
before the many since each one of the many must exist by sharing in the first One or
there must actually be nothing. Furthermore, if before every characteristic there must
exist a primal unit from which the characteristic divided among the many exists—for
all beautiful things proceed from the divine and primary Beauty and every truth from
the first, divine Truth—the many first principles must also reach back to a single first
principle, not to one that is some particular first principle (just as each of the others),
but to a first principle which rises above and transcends all other first principles, and
which takes to itself all [first principles] and in the same way as nature offers from itself
to all its primary quality along with the diminishment of character befitting each. So,
then, saying that the first principles are two [in number] or, in short, more than one is
absurd. [Hadot 1996, 35.16–30]
See Baltzly 2009, for argument that, for Proclus, truth is a property not just of the representa-
tions of things (thoughts, statements) but also of the things themselves, an argument which
suggests that degrees of reality may also be degrees of truth.
53 487.20–488.2. See also Comment 10.12, pp. 210–211.
56 chapter two
From this much we may draw a two-fold conclusion. First, to understand

the planetary motions one must ultimately understand the paradigms in
the Craftsman. Thus, while it would seem that for Simplicius the sparseness
of observational data and its compromised nature are reasons to question
the value of developing a physical theory that accounts for them directly
as one would for terrestrial objects, he is committed to the view that the
understanding desired actually comes with the philosophical discipline that
effects assimilation to the Craftsman God, the Creator of the heavens. Such
assimilation will, to be sure, bring a different kind of understanding than
that of the typical astronomer, to say nothing of the physical theorist who
is obliged to rely on astronomy. Nevertheless, for Simplicius at least, it is
an understanding that is vastly preferable. Indeed, it also necessary: for,
without such understanding, it will be impossible to discern those starting
points which the astronomer must have (and wants) if his theorizing is
to be unhypothetical and true. So, in sum, the answer to the question left
hanging at the end of In de caelo 2.12 really just is to continue with Aristotle’s
chapters.
Accordingly, Aristotle’s De caelo remains a necessary step in the long
progression constituting this philosophical discipline since it acquaints the
reader with the simple bodies that make up the cosmos, starting with that
eternal and unchanging simple body which constitutes the heavens and on
which the interactions of the other four simple bodies depend [4.25–5.34].
As for the motions of the first simple body or aether, one may infer that
any concern about Aristotle’s planetary hypotheses is actually minor. It is
far better to follow the lead of De caelo 1–2 and to concentrate primarily
on the nature of aether and its ‘paradigmatic’ occurrence in the celestial
sphere.
As for Simplicius’ own commentary on this treatise, its rationale is obvi-
ous. This commentary stands as a necessary bulwark and defense against
the blasphemous attack mounted by John Philoponus on the conviction
that the cosmos created in an act before time by God is both eternal and
ungenerated54 since this impious attack threatens the very discipline that
can demonstrate its emptiness and so turn it aside.
54 See pp. 10–15.

Conclusion
The conflict between Simplicius and Philoponus exposes, on Simplicius’

side at least, a critical tension between Simplicius’ desire for salvation in
or from a world that afflicts him and the very human desire born of both
fear and wonder to understand that world. Granted, this tension is, for Sim-
plicius, to be resolved by further reading, reading which presupposes and
confirms that there are degrees of reality and, hence, of truth. And so, Sim-
plicius’ response to a scientific problem, the plethora of conflicting astro-
nomical hypotheses each held to represent the realia, is not to enjoin more
astronomy or even the development of a new physical theory that draws
on astronomy, but to continue that process of philosophical education by
which men assimilate themselves to the Craftsman God, that God whose
thoughts are paradigms and causes of the cosmos and all that is in it. For it
is then, when they are assimilated, that men will truly understand how and
why the heavens move as they do.
Chapter 1 set out the challenge facing Simplicius in abandoning homocen-

tric planetary hypotheses in favor of the eccentric and epicyclic hypothe-
ses developed after Aristotle. In this chapter, we have focused on his con-
tention that no astronomical hypothesis is demonstrably true, though each
is offered in the presumption that it is the case in so far as it saves or accounts
for the phenomena. But we have still not exposed the full nature of Simpli-
cius apologia in the face of Philoponus’ criticism. So far, I have suggested
how the contention about astronomical hypothesis in general need not
impugn Aristotle or the inclusion of the De caelo in the late Platonic pro-
gram of philosophical education. Still, one may well wonder about the point
of declaring a preference for post-Aristotelian hypotheses. To clarify this
and to understand more fully the nature of Simplicius’ apparent agreement
with Philoponus in the matter of celestial motion, we should next inquire
whether Simplicius thinks that by following such astronomers as Ptolemy
he is redressing mistakes made by Aristotle. But this is in turn a question
about how Simplicius understands Aristotle’s commitment to homocentric
theory. In other words, it is question of how Simplicius maintains Aristotle’s
authority and standing as the acolyte of Plato. And so we come to the subject
of the next chapter, Simplicius, the apologist.
chapter three
SIMPLICIUS, THE APOLOGIST
Let us recapitulate. When Philoponus attacked Aristotle for holding that cir-
cular motion is by definition motion about the center of the Earth [32.1–11],
his aim was to overthrow Aristotle’s argument that there was a fifth simple
body that moved by nature in a circle and, with it, the argument that since
this simple body does not suffer any form of change other than a change in
position that has no opposite, the heavens and, ultimately, the universe are
capable of neither generation nor corruption but must be eternal. To Sim-
plicius, then, this attack was especially serious. For present purposes, it is
important to note that in rejecting the notion that circular motion is by def-
inition about the center of a geocentric universe, Philoponus also rejected
any homocentric theory of planetary motion such as one finds in Meta. Λ.8.
But here, and most surely to Simplicius’ great dismay, was a point on which
he actually agreed with Philoponus. And so Simplicius was forced to mount
a complex defense that aimed to save Aristotle as an authority, the De caelo
as a valuable text in the late Platonic program of education, and the late Pla-
tonists themselves. This complex response or apologia comes as the great
digression [492.28–510.35] in the commentary on 2.12, though elements of it
do appear earlier at strategic points.
Philoponus’ polemic certainly puts Aristotle, the De caelo, and the late
Platonists in an awkward position. But Simplicius yields nothing. His de-
fense of Aristotle against Philoponus admits the basic facts but then rein-
terprets them completely. Indeed, in dealing with the question about the
heavenly motions, Simplicius makes explicit that the homocentric hypothe-
ses described in Meta. Λ.8 are flawed [504.16–505.19], and that along with
his fellow Platonists he prefers the hypotheses developed after Aristotle
[506.9–16] and perfected in the treatises by Claudius Ptolemy.1 Yet, so far
as Philoponus is concerned, this defense is oblique and curiously muted: by
the time one gets to the digression/apologia, not only is Philoponus pushed
into oblivion, the apologia itself would seem to stand on its own as a sim-
ple lesson to bring the faithful up to date in matters of technical astronomy,
1 On Ptolemy as an authority, see pp. 84–86.

60 chapter three
were it not for a few veiled remarks indicating what has actually provoked it.
This is understandable. There would, after all, be little gained by giving any
credibility to the idea that Philoponus had found a good reason to reject
Aristotle or by drawing attention to a point in which Philoponus and the
late Platonists coincided.2 In any case, in opposing the heretic Philoponus
on an inescapable point about which they agree, Simplicius instead speaks
directly and only to the faithful by veiling the fact that what he has to say is
an apologia, thereby concentrating quite sensibly on the proper interpreta-
tion of this point and not on its misinterpretation.
Saving Aristotle
First in order of duty is that we should be clear about the Aristotle who is to
be saved.
The Harmonized Aristotle

For Simplicius, Aristotle is an acolyte: his works are propaedeutic to the
reading of Plato. How exactly this works Simplicius makes clear when he
writes in the course of delimiting the authority to be granted to an earlier
commentator on Aristotle:
Alexander of Aphrodisias in other instances appears to follow Aristotle’s argu-
ments well, I think, and even better than the other Peripatetics; but in what
is argued by Aristotle against Plato, he no longer seems to me to observe
the focus of Aristotle’s opposing argument, [a focus] aimed at the apparent
[meaning] of Plato’s arguments. Rather, [Alexander] objects to [Plato] in a
somewhat mischievous manner and, in consideration of simple-minded folk,
tries to refute not only his apparent meaning (just as Aristotle did in fact)3 but
also attacks the concepts of the divine Plato and undertakes to draw conclu-
sions from the arguments which often do not follow the apparent meaning.
Well, inasmuch as this is the case, here too, in putting forth Alexander’s [views
of] what Plato thought about the motion of the soul and setting them against
the truth that is dear to God and to Aristotle, I will try to examine them closely
on account of those who read4 [Alexander’s] arguments rather superficially
and who risk being filled with misgivings about Plato’s doctrines and saying
the same thing [as Alexander] both about Aristotle’s [views] and about the
divine truth. [377.20–34]
2 See Comment 12.27, pp. 284–288.

3 See, e.g., Diels 1882–1895, 295.12–18.
4 377.32 ἐντυγχάνοντας: see Todd 2008, 219.
simplicius, the apologist 61
This assessment of Alexander and the assertion of the essential unanim-

ity of Plato and Aristotle are found elsewhere and often in the In de caelo.5
Such differences or disagreements as there may appear between Plato and
Aristotle are, for Simplicius, purely lexical and derive in large part from
Plato’s preference for elevated language and Aristotle’s for common speech.6
Thus, as Simplicius states in his commentary on Aristotle’s Categoriae,
[a good interpreter] should, I think, even when [Aristotle] speaks against
Plato, not look to the [written] text alone and condemn the discord of the
philosophers but look to the sense and track down their concord in the
greatest matters. [Kalbfleisch 1907, 7.29–32]
This idea that Plato and Aristotle are in essential agreement is a fundamen-
tal principle that governs or structures the reading and interpretation of
Aristotle.
In sum, the Aristotle to be saved is not the one known to scholarship today
nor to Philoponus and later Christian writers. Such Christian writers, gifted
with the promise of salvation made in texts concerning the life of Jesus, were
freed of the late Platonic need to read Aristotle as an acolyte of the divine
Plato, prophet of the Craftsman God.7 Still, it remains true that they, like the
late Platonists, refracted Aristotle through a program of reading which both
expresses and constitutes a religious life. But, be that as it may, the Aristotle
that Simplicius sets out to save is in large measure the creature of a program
of reading now defunct. It would be obtuse to judge his success in the light
of present-day expectations.
Aristotle, the Physical Theorist

One key step in Simplicius’ apologia is the distinction drawn in the first cen-
tury bc and well entrenched in the commentary tradition between the phys-
ical theorist and the astronomer.8 This distinction serves him in numerous
5 See, e.g., 143.9–22, 287.2–12, 297.1–298.26, 353.3–10, 360.20–29, 587.26–588.3. For a list of
occurrences of «συµφωνία» as this term bears on agreement among philosophers in Simpli-

cius’ commentaries, see Baltussen 2008, 218–220. On the broader question of harmonization
as a tenet of late Platonist reading, there is a sizable literature: see, e.g., Gerson 2005, Kara-
manolis 2006.
6 See 69.11–15, 647.27–28, 679.27–31. On how Simplicius grounds this putative preference
in a difference in the evidence that Aristotle and Plato consider and in how each supposedly
accesses this evidence, see Hoffmann 1987, 78–79. For Simplicius, Plato argues from νοῦς and
νοητά and Aristotle, from αἴσθησις and αἰσθητά—a claim presumably made with the Divided
Line of Resp. 6 in mind.
7 See Wildberg 1999, 118–120.
8 See Chapter 2, pp. 37–57.
62 chapter three
ways. But, in defending Aristotle for his propounding a failed astronomical

theory, it mitigates Philoponus’ criticism in two respects. First, it inciden-
tally lessens the significance of Aristotle’s error by pointing out that all such
hypotheses, not just the ones that Aristotle discusses, lack necessity and that
none is known to be true. Second, and more important, it allows Simpli-
cius to segregate Aristotle, the physical theorist, from all astronomers, that
is, from all who devise hypotheses and confound the fact that they save the
phenomena with the claim that they are indeed the case. But, if Aristotle
is not an astronomer, is he nevertheless a philosopher qua physical theorist
committed on other grounds to the view that the homocentric hypotheses
are true?
The defense of Aristotle is declared without elaboration early in the com-
mentary, when Simplicius first introduces Philoponus and his criticism of
Aristotle’s thesis that circular motion is by definition motion about the cen-
ter of the cosmos.9 There, Simplicius asserts, Aristotle actually held that
circular motion was motion about a center; moreover, his arguing on the
assumption that this center has to be the center of the Earth is a conse-
quence of his using the astronomical hypotheses then available to him,
hypotheses put forth by the Eudoxans/Callippans. The fact that there is
now disagreement about the hypotheses is hardly surprising and not a
reproach, Simplicius adds, since all the hypotheses in play have been devised
in response to the question, ‘By hypothesizing what can the phenomena be
saved?’, a question that Simplicius regards as resting on a fundamental mis-
conception [cf. 488.14–18]. But, since Simplicius and Philoponus agree in
rejecting Aristotle’s homocentric hypotheses of planetary motion, Simpli-
cius declines to develop his defense at this delicate moment in his com-
mentary and deflects Philoponus with a contemptuous polemic in which
he speculates about how Philoponus might ever have come to think that
the heavenly bodies rotate about their own axes [32.34–33.16]. Underlying
this, I suspect, is the realization that he can use the very structure of the
De caelo—Aristotle takes up the question of planetary motion much later,
in 2.10–1210—to distance himself from Philoponus’ introduction of ‘modern’
planetary hypotheses to criticize Aristotle.
So, it is not until commenting on 2.10 that Simplicius begins laying the
groundwork for his fuller defense. Thus, In de caelo 2.10 draws attention to
the fact that in discussing the planetary motions from here on, Aristotle’s
9 32.1–33.16. See Comment 12.27, pp. 284–288.

10 See pp. 8–10.
theorizing will be on the basis of works in astronomy [470.29–471.2]. This

remark effectively distinguishes Aristotle’s concern with the heavens and
that found in the astronomical works themselves. Just what these works
might have included Simplicius indicates (on the authority of Eudemus)
by mentioning earlier work bearing on the proportionality of the planetary
sidereal periods by Anaximander and the Pythagoreans, adding significantly
that such work was greatly improved by Ptolemy, who is very plainly cast as
an astronomer.11
Here then, in a matter of limited scope—it does not open into the debate
about the eternity of the heavens—Aristotle, the philosopher, is shown
addressing a question in physical theory on the basis of astronomical learn-
ing which was known later to be inferior, if not just wrong. It is apposite that
Ptolemy is mentioned last in a list of those who have perfected the astro-
nomical theory of the sizes and distances of the planets.
Next, in commenting on De caelo 2.11, Simplicius details how Aristotle’s
turn to observation and astronomical theory works in support of argument
in physical theory. The immediate subject is the conclusion established in
chapter 2.8 that the heavenly bodies are spherical. The only hiccup, as it
were, is a defense of Aristotle the philosopher qua physical theorist from
a charge of circular argumentation.12
In de caelo 2.12 begins by elaborating the two problems of 2.12 and then
teases out from Aristotle’s text his solution to the first [480.26–487.20]. At
this point [487.20–488.9], without any mention of Philoponus, Simplicius
reprises the defense of Aristotle first indicated in his comment on De caelo
1.2.13 He now draws attention to a key assumption underlying this first prob-
lem: that the planets make many motions of different kinds, a claim which
he takes to mean that, for Aristotle, the planets make direct motions, sta-
tions, and retrogradations.14 After remarking that this assumption is also
made by those who posit any one of the astronomical hypotheses currently
known, he implies that none of these astronomical theories is demonstra-
bly the true account because none derives from a proper physical theory
[488.9–14]. In fact, he says, this failure to develop a physical theory with
a proper distinction of the real and the apparent is what underlies the
devising of astronomical hypotheses that can at best be consistent with the
11 471.4–11. See also p. 81.

12 477.24–478.14. On Alexander’s proposed defense, see p. 77.
13 See Comment 12.27, pp. 284–288.
14 See Comment 12.07, pp. 230–248.
64 chapter three
phenomena by saving them [488.14–18]. In support, Simplicius cites Eude-

mus and Sosigenes to say that this ‘second-best’ project originated with Plato
and was first advanced by Eudoxus.15
Thus far, Simplicius has discredited all astronomical hypotheses in favor
of a proper physical account, and he has put Eudoxus with the astronomers
in distinction to physical theorists like Aristotle. Next, after some remarks on
the first problem itself,16 Simplicius supports his insistence on the value of
a proper physical theory by mentioning Plato’s view that the planets have
in reality (or by nature) diverse unsmooth motions that are nevertheless
ordered [489.5–11]. The force of this remark, I surmise, is that Plato’s chal-
lenge to develop hypotheses to save the phenomena was, in Simplicius’ view,
actually meant as an invitation to analyze the ordered unsmoothness of the
planetary motions and to gain an understanding thereby of their nature.
Thus, Simplicius’ remark about Plato at this juncture suggests that, in his
view, Eudoxus and the others misconstrued Plato by taking him to enjoin the
development of mathematized astronomical theories that did not address
any questions of nature.
After dispatching Alexander’s criticism of the thesis that the planets
are ensouled and act,17 Simplicius turns to the second problem and its
solution [489.33–492.24]. Once more he notes that this problem assumes a
homocentric theory of planetary motion which, like any rival astronomical
theory, lacks necessity, as he has stated earlier [492.24–28]; and with that he
begins the great digression [492.28–510.35].
The digression is the apologia in full. It begins by restating for a third time
the story of the great challenge in planetary theory, but on this occasion with
even more ‘historical’ detail and no attribution [492.31–493.11]. Plato is now
said to have held unequivocally that the heavenly motions were smooth,
circular, and ordered. (There is no mention of his idea that they might also
be diverse and unsmooth by nature.) Moreover, rather than write vaguely of
Eudoxans/Callippans [see 32.16], Simplicius once again names Eudoxus [see
488.18–24] as the first Greek to take up Plato’s challenge and then supplies
new details about Callippus, Aristotle, and their collaboration.
The crux of Simplicius’ defense of Aristotle thus becomes the nature
of this collaboration. Simplicius has already established that Eudoxus’ re-
sponse to Plato’s challenge was (contrary to its intention?) astronomical
in that it involved positing hypotheses purporting to save the phenom-
15 488.18–24. See pp. 81–83.

16 488.25–489.4. On this passage, see pp. 69–71.
17 489.12–30. See p. 78.
ena.18 Moreover, he has suggested even earlier that the Eudoxans/Callippans

(and thus perhaps Callippus himself) responded as astronomers too.19 But,
though he has hinted that Aristotle’s commitment to the hypotheses was of
a different sort, Simplicius now brings front and center the question of how
Aristotle, the physical theorist, understood the homocentric hypotheses for
planetary motion. In short, the question is, ‘What was the nature of Aristo-
tle’s interest in this collaboration?’
At this stage, Simplicius allows only that with Callippus Aristotle cor-
rected and supplemented Eudoxus’ hypotheses and that, given his convic-
tion that all the heavenly bodies move by nature about the center of the
universe, he was pleased with the homocentric hypotheses [493.9–11]. Yet,
in connecting Aristotle’s delight in homocentric hypotheses and his view
that all heavenly bodies move about the center of the universe, Simplicius
raises the question of how Aristotle’s work with Callippus compares with
his consulting the written works of Anaximander and the Pythagoreans on
the proportionality of their sidereal periods. In particular, he broaches the
questions:
– ‘Did Aristotle undertake this collaboration in the same spirit with
which he enjoins consulting written works in astronomy?’
– ‘Were the hypotheses that Callippus and Aristotle worked on like the
substantive claims of Anaximander and the Pythagoreans in being
inadequate or wrong and subject to subsequent improvement?’
All one can say at this juncture is that, as Simplicius would have it [32.12–
29], the homocentric hypotheses were the only ones on offer in Aristotle’s
time.
The digression continues by reconstructing the planetary theory of Meta.
Λ.8. In 493.11–497.5, Simplicius sets out the Eudoxan theory; and in 497.6–24,
the Callippan corrections (which incidentally show Callippus to be theoriz-
ing as an astronomer). In 497.24–498.1, Simplicius supplies the rationale for
the addition of unwinding spheres, a rationale elaborated on the authority of
Sosigenes20 and then followed by a reckoning of the total number of spheres
required by this homocentric theory [503.27–504.3] and a concluding lexical
note.21
18 See pp. 81–83.

19 See Comment 12.27, pp. 284–288.
20 498.1–503.27. See pp. 283–284 (Comment 12.26), 86–87.
21 504.4–15. At this point, it would appear that Simplicius’ story of collaboration between
Callippus and Aristotle may amount to no more than an inference from Meta. Λ.8 itself.
66 chapter three
Next and at some length comes a fundamental criticism of the homocen-

tric hypotheses: they do not allow for the (putatively) observable variation
in the size (brightness) of the planets at apogee and perigee.22 This criti-
cism shows that the fourth-century homocentric hypotheses were, like the
views cited earlier of Anaximander and the Pythagoreans, inadequate and
flawed. Indeed, in these passages, Simplicius bring to light a basic predica-
ment faced whenever a physical theorist consults astronomers and their
work: the very best he can do is to adopt hypotheses that have yet to be
falsified. Thus, not only does the physical theorist risk taking on hypothe-
ses that are false or inadequate, there may be occasions in which such
inferior accounts are the only ones available. Indeed, as Simplicius would
have it, the only planetary hypotheses known to Aristotle were unsuccess-
ful attempts to address (one interpretation of) Plato’s challenge in that they
could save only some of the relevant phenomena [504.16–25: cf. 505.17–
19].
The question, therefore, is whether Aristotle was aware of this. As Sim-
plicius subsequently makes very clear [505.19–506.8], he was. In truth, it is
essential to Simplicius’ defense of Aristotle and his authority that Aristotle
knew of the variation in planetary size (brightness):23
And even Aristotle in his Problemata physica clearly sets forth further prob-
lems for the astronomers’ hypotheses based on the fact that the sizes of the
planets do not appear to be the same. Thus, he was not completely satisfied
with his turning [spheres], even if [the thesis] that they are homocentric with
the universe and move about its center won him over. And, further, from what
he says in Metaphysics Λ, he is evidently not one who thinks that the [fea-
tures] of the motions of the wandering [stars] have been stated adequately
by the astronomers up to and during his time. [505.23–30]
Here ‘won him over’ (ἐπηγάγετο αὐτόν) does register commitment of some
sort. Simplicius has already suggested that Aristotle liked the homocentric
hypotheses because he thought that all the heavenly bodies move about the
center of the universe [493.9–11]. The implication is that Aristotle’s real com-
mitment was to his arguments establishing aether. For Simplicius, so far as
the homocentric planetary hypotheses went, Aristotle’s was the qualified,
tentative commitment of a physical theorist who knows that these hypothe-
ses are inadequate but is obliged nevertheless to adopt them because they
are the only ones in hand, and because without them he could not elaborate
22 504.16–505.19. See Comments 12.28–12.30, 12.32–12.33 on pp. 288–291, 291–293.

23 See Comment 12.34, pp. 293–294.
his position, that is, an answer to the question of the number of unmoved
movers that opens Meta. Λ.8. Such commitment is plainly heuristic and very
provisional. It is obviously to be distinguished from the astronomer’s blind,
unquestioning presumption that these hypotheses simply are the case when
they enable explanation of the phenomena. This, then, is the context for
interpreting Simplicius’ earlier contention to Philoponus that
in these [lines] Aristotle is only saying this much, that motion in a circle
is [motion] about a center, since this befits every circular motion. But if he
says elsewhere that bodies moving in a circle move about the center of the
universe, one should understand that he is making his case in accordance
with the hypotheses of earlier astronomers. [32.12–16]
Simplicius’ defense of Aristotle concludes with yet another exculpatory

remark, namely, that Aristotle’s adoption of homocentric planetary hypoth-
eses came at a time before the influx into Greece of Babylonian observations
of yet even more phenomena that astronomers should take into account in
devising their hypotheses [506.8–16].
So far as the putative collaboration of Aristotle and Callippus is con-
cerned, the upshot is that, for Simplicius, this was a coincidence of two very
different projects and replete with reservations on Aristotle’s side. For his
part, Callippus, though concerned to represent more phenomena than the
ones originally covered by Eudoxus, was nevertheless, it would seem, com-
mitted to homocentrism.
Conclusion
To account for Aristotle’s talk of homocentric planetary hypotheses, Sim-
plicius draws attention to the fact that Aristotle, very reasonably it must
be admitted, turns to astronomers and their writings in order to address
questions in physical theory about the planets and their motions. But this is
a strategy with risks. As Simplicius points out, the homocentric hypothe-
ses in Aristotle’s time stood alone: there were no rivals. Moreover, it was
known to Aristotle and to others that these hypotheses were inadequate:
they accounted for only some of the relevant phenomena. Indeed, as Sim-
plicius also indicates, there were efforts to improve upon them (Callippus)
and even to devise new ones that were more capable (Autolycus) [504.20–
25]. The upshot, in Simplicius’ view, is that Aristotle, the physical theorist,
was fully cognizant of this and that his talk of the homocentric hypotheses
did not entail real commitment to them. Rather, it was wittingly provisional
in the sense that what he says is constrained by what his predecessors and
contemporaries understood about the planetary motions. If one wants the
68 chapter three
truth, Simplicius implies, one has to look elsewhere in his writings, bearing
in mind, of course, the fundamental harmony of his views and those of the
divine Plato.
In this way, Simplicius saves Aristotle. As he sees it, Aristotle retains his
standing as an authority in the school of late Platonism and it is Philoponus
who has fallen into blasphemy by misinterpreting the fact that Aristotle
adopts homocentric planetary hypotheses. But what of the De caelo itself?
Should one still bother to read it? Plainly, though it helps, saving Aristotle
does not by itself secure the place of this text in the late Platonic program of
education.
Saving the De caelo
There are several ways in which Simplicius maintains the value of the De
caelo as a text to be read in the long process of assimilating to the Craftsman
God. The first comes in the opening discussion of the De caelo’s σκοπός or
focus.24 This discussion, though perhaps a commonplace in late Platonic
commentary, has an especially salutary purpose in the In de caelo. After
surveying various earlier accounts of the focus of this treatise, Simplicius
concludes:
Thus, I think that in these [books] Aristotle is clearly making his account
about the heavens and the four elements below the Moon. But, in order that
their focus not be drawn out but shown as looking to one thing, one should say
that after the account of the physical principles, that is, whatever principles
there are of natural bodies, he speaks of the simple bodies, the ones which are
constituted from the natural principles and are parts of the whole.25
This conclusion effectively maintains the value of De caelo apart from any
concessions that Aristotle might make in it to homocentric planetary theory.
Another line of defense consists in showing that in 2.12, a chapter under-
stood to allow that the planets make stations and retrogradations, the two
leading problems may also be addressed if one assumes eccentric or epi-
cyclic hypotheses. So far as the first problem is concerned, Simplicius does
not do this explicitly. All he states is the argument that, if the planets are
ensouled and active, a premiss essential to the solution of the first problem,
it would be better to hold that every body moving in a circle moves about
24 1.1–6.27. On the translation of this term, see Hankinson 2002, 19 and n2.
25 4.25–31. This is elaborated in 4.31–5.37.
its own center and not necessarily the center of the Earth. The implication,
I take it, is that if one adopts eccentric or epicyclic hypotheses, it is still
possible to make sense of the first problem of 2.12 and to give an answer
along the lines indicated in the commentary on it.
So far as the second problem goes, however, for Simplicius, its value
becomes murky if one adopts non-homocentric planetary hypotheses
[509.21–22]. As he explains, from the standpoint of such hypotheses, the
talk of equalization at De caelo 292b30–293a4 [cf. 490.19–491.11] makes little
sense [509.22–26]. Nevertheless, he says, this problem still has partial force
if one adopts a system of nested spherical shells, as he in fact does.26
In this way, the De caelo and especially 2.12, though limited by its reliance
on astronomers and their writings, is shown to have value that is indepen-
dent of any of the particular astronomical hypotheses known to the late
Platonists. What is more, as I have suggested, this limitation may be of little
real consequence if the De caelo is understood as a stage in a course of read-
ing and study which will ultimately bring that unhypothetical understand-
ing of the planets and their motions which is lacking in physical theory of
the time. In other words, any concern with such limitations dissipates once
De caelo is construed as a text necessary to the education of that philoso-
pher who will enunciate the physical theory needed to supply those starting
points (ἀρχαί) in terms from which astronomers can derive a proper (un-
hypothetical) quantitative/predictive account of the heavens and how they
move.
Saving the Late Platonists
The bulk of the work in Simplicius’ redeeming himself and the late Platonist
preference for more recent astronomical hypotheses comes in demonstrat-
ing that Aristotle was not really in error in adopting homocentric hypoth-
eses—or, at least, that his error in this was hardly as grievous or even the
same as that of the astronomers who actually proposed and maintained
them. (One must, surely, distinguish between being forced for the sake of
argument to adopt hypotheses suspected to be flawed or false and thinking
them to be true because they save the phenomena.) Redemption also comes
with making clear that the De caelo retains its value as a text in the late Pla-
tonist program of education.
26 510.8–23. On «µήποτε» in 510.19, see 102n32.

70 chapter three
But what remains is to show that the late Platonists, in preferring epicyclic
and eccentric astronomical hypotheses as expressed authoritatively in Ptol-
emy’s Hypoth. plan., say, are nevertheless not really committed to them.
This last exculpation is an obvious consequence of Simplicius’ contention
that no astronomical hypotheses are demonstrably the case, that the true
account of the heavens and their motions proceeds instead by deduction
from premisses in physical theory, specifically, from the premiss that the
real motions are circular, smooth, and ordered. It is further reinforced by
Simplicius’ insistence that the epicyclic and eccentric hypotheses, not just
the homocentric hypotheses, are flawed [504.16–507.8, 510.24–26].
But why choose among hypotheses if none is demonstrably true and all
are inadequate? Surely, it would make more sense to abstain. The answer
lies in remembering that, for Simplicius and the late Platonists, speculation
in physical theory is a necessary stage in the educational progress from
Aristotle to Plato and, ultimately, to assimilation to the Craftsman God, and
that such speculation has to be in accord with observation and scientific
theory. So, granted that the astronomical hypotheses devised more recently
are superior empirically to those available to Aristotle, in choosing the
former, Simplicius and the late Platonists prove to be following Aristotle
both in his practice and in their sense of his teaching. But Simplicius also
wants to convey a further sense in which they are like him: for, as he makes
clear, just as Aristotle [505.27–506.8], so he and his school are aware of
the inadequacies of the theories that they choose [510.24–31]. The main
difference between Aristotle and the late Platonists turns out to be that they
are in a better position to see the shortcomings of speculation based on
homocentric hypotheses.
Simplicius makes this sufficiently plain in 509.16–26 when he mentions
the limitations to answers based on non-homocentric hypotheses to the
two central problems of De caelo 2.12. As for answers assuming homocentric
hypotheses at 488.25–489.4, he shows that these too have their limitations.
He wonders, for instance, about the need for raising the first problem if all
hypotheses are not proven true. To be sure, this is a valid question27 but one
that is easily answered. After all, as Simplicius himself implies, Aristotle had
to raise the first problem as he did because he was writing on the basis of
contemporary astronomical works with and for people who recognized var-
ious planetary motions and were trying to devise homocentric hypotheses
27 488.25–30. I take this to be a real question arising for Simplicius from his view of all
astronomical hypotheses in general: it is certainly formulated in a way that makes sense only
with the development of astronomical hypotheses after Aristotle.
to account for them. But, for Simplicius and his colleagues, there is no such
need since they are working at a time when better hypotheses are available.
Indeed, as Simplicius goes on to say,
But, since we are obliged to hazard making these sorts of comparisons in
general,28 perhaps it is not necessary for us to define the merits [of the planets]
in regard to the distinction between their places; but [it is necessary for us] to
say that each has been posted in the place where it benefits the universe.
[488.29–489.1]
This remark then opens into a teleological account of where the planets are
(and, presumably, of how they move) befitting a lesson in the late Platonic
school itself.
Thus, since bodies beneath the Moon do not have their own light but are
illuminated from without, ‘the two lights of the cosmos’ have rightly, one
might say, been stationed proximately above them, perhaps because [these
lights] have the simplicity of their motions for what is better than what is
composite. [489.1–4]
It would be wrong, of course, to see this as a repudiation of Aristotle’s first
problem or even of the solution given in the De caelo: coming when it does,
this remark registers instead the fact that the first problem assumes only that
the planets make diverse motions and suggests that this diversity can also
be explained teleologically without presupposing any specific astronomical
hypotheses.
Conclusion
With the completion of his apologia—his great defense of Aristotle’s author-

ity, the value of the De caelo, and the late Platonist preference for non-
homocentric planetary hypotheses—the burden of Philoponus’ criticism of
Aristotelian aether is lifted and Simplicius moves onwards to a less fraught
commentary on the remainder of the De caelo. He has shown that such
agreement as there is with Philoponus about the inadequacy of the homo-
centric hypotheses is merely superficial. Where Philoponus takes this inad-
equacy as evidence of an error that ultimately vitiates Aristotle’s argument
for the eternity of the cosmos, Simplicius construes it as but an instance
of the inescapable fact that any physical theory of the heavens and their
motions must be in accord with observation and the (empirical) science of
28 488.31: this obligation arises from the central questions raised in De caelo 2.10 and 12.
72 chapter three
the day, and that this science can at best provide hypotheses that are consis-
tent with all the relevant phenomena known at the time. Moreover, unlike
Philoponus, I suspect, Simplicius does not hold that the non-homocentric
hypotheses devised after Aristotle are much better: at least, while they may
account for more of the putative phenomena, in his view, they still promise
only consistency with the realia, not truth, and are, accordingly, likewise
flawed. For Simplicius, then, the path to salvation through Aristotle to Plato
and the Craftsman God remains open and is indeed the only course.
For us, there is still one task left: to review how Simplicius deploys his
sources to construct his history of astronomy and the early Peripatos.
chapter four
SIMPLICIUS, THE HISTORIAN
Simplicius’ commentary on De caelo 2.10–12 plainly has aims alien to Aristo-

tle’s text. As we have seen, one of its goals is to expound what Aristotle means
in a way that excuses Aristotle for proposing astronomical hypotheses that
are inadequate, while at the same time preserving the value of the De caelo
as a ‘sacred’ text and exculpating those late Platonists who prefer hypotheses
of the sort put forward by Claudius Ptolemy. Such a complex goal, however,
demands a careful ‘reading’ of Aristotle and the history of astronomy in his
time and afterwards. In this Chapter then, I will focus on this ‘reading’, that
is, on how Simplicius uses previous literature in constructing his apologia.
I will start with Simplicius’ citations of earlier writers in order to indicate
the variety of ways in which they serve him. But let me be clear. I will not say
much about the accuracy or fidelity of these citations. Were I to undertake
this, the immediate problem would be that in his commentary on 2.10–12
Simplicius cites texts that are no longer extant: Alexander’s commentary
on the De caelo, Eudemus’ Astronomical History, and an unnamed work
by Sosigenes. Speculation about the accuracy of these citations, given in
addition the uncertainty about whether they are quotations, paraphrases,
or reports, would, therefore, be tenuous if not simply nugatory. Granted, it is
feasible to assess the substance of some of Simplicius’ citations of Alexander
by considering works by Alexander that have survived. But no such remedy
is available for the citations of Eudemus and Sosigenes. Fortunately, such
speculation is not directly pertinent to understanding what Simplicius is
attempting and why he marshals his sources as he does in explicating De
caelo 2.10–12. For that, it will suffice to pay close attention to what he actually
writes.
Simplicius and His Sources
The question of sources is further complicated by the fact that Simplicius’ is

the only commentary on Aristotle’s De caelo that has survived in Greek from
Antiquity. There is a paraphrase of the De caelo by Themistius that is extant
in a Hebrew version which was translated into Latin. The few parallels
74 chapter four
between the Latin version of Themistius’ text and Simplicius’ commentary

on 2.10–12 are general and support at most the conclusion that late Pla-
tonic reflection on the De caelo was to some degree structured by the idea
that certain topics had to be addressed in considering given passages, an
idea that may ultimately point to the centrality of Alexander’s lost com-
mentary.1 In any case, though he does refer to him several times earlier,
Simplicius does not mention Themistius when he comes to comment on
2.10–12.
In the main, however, we are at a loss for means of determining whether
Simplicius uses sources tacitly either within or without the commentary
tradition in his In de caelo 2.10–12. Accordingly, then, this is yet another
line of inquiry that I will not pursue. My focus instead will be limited to
discovering what we may learn from his explicit citations of other writers.
This has admittedly the consequence that the analysis given in this Chapter
will be liable to correction in the light of future discoveries and research.
But, as the reader may well expect by now, it is, in my view, far better to be
demonstrably wrong in this way than to hold forth in the interminable limbo
of the possibly right.
Alexander of Aphrodisias
Alexander2 is an important source in Simplicius’ commentary on the De
caelo and Simplicius’ citations of him serve purposes that vary with the con-
text. Generally speaking, the citations in In de caelo 2.10–12 are roundly criti-
cal. No opinion attributed to Alexander save the one at 472.8–15 is accepted:
in the main, the citations of Alexander and their criticism give the impres-
sion that Alexander is an exegete of modest philosophical and technical
acumen. Indeed, even the exception occurs not because Alexander solves
the problem at hand but because his remark facilitates Simplicius’ presen-
tation of Aristotle’s ‘true’ meaning. To see this, let us review these citations
in turn.
On Teleology
After laying out Aristotle’s explanation in 2.10 of why the planetary motions
do not exhibit the expected proportionality, Simplicius wonders whether
it actually helps to suppose that the sphere of the fixed stars dominates
1 See, e.g., 112n12, 113n13.

2 See 101n22.
simplicius, the historian 75
the planetary motions beneath it in inverse proportion to their distance.

The problem is that this idea entails that the planet’s motions are both
forced and contrary to nature [472.4–7]. To address this, Simplicius cites
Alexander [472.8–15] for his remark that the diurnal motion of the sphere
of the fixed stars is responsible for the inversely proportional decrease in
eastward motion of the planets below, and that this is something which the
planets desire out of recognition that it makes for the best arrangement of
the cosmos. In this way, for example, Saturn’s eastward motion is construed
to be the coincidence of necessity and final causation.3
Curiously, Alexander’s remark is not deemed to be apt, even when sup-
plemented with Simplicius’ reminder that circular motions do not have
opposites and, thus, that the motion imposed on the planets by the sphere
of the fixed stars cannot be contrary to their nature [472.15–20]. For, as
Simplicius goes on to explain [472.21–473.7], the crucial issue is that each
planet in so far as it is ensouled and capable of action must have a proper
motion, that is, a motion which springs unimpeded from its nature and
which advances according to that nature without resistance or diminution.
Saying that the planetary motions are forced but still voluntary hardly helps.
What Simplicius wants instead is a statement of what the proper motions
of the planets are and how the proportionality of their periods is rooted in
this.
Yet, the citation of Alexander is useful in that the mention of teleolog-
ical considerations brings to the fore the nature of what is in motion and
opens up the prospect of an explanation of the proportionality on the basis
of what this nature is. More specifically, Alexander opens the way to a
causal account of the celestial motions of the sort that Simplicius wants,
that is, an explanation of how the heavenly bodies move that presents
these motions as consequences of what they actually are. For Simplicius,
though Alexander addresses the question at hand ‘quite well’, he does not
go far enough: the answer, and thus Aristotle’s meaning, lies for him not
in the mere fact that the planets are rational agents but in the blending
of the motions constituting the natures of these rational agents [473.7–
474.6].
3 As noted previously, Alexander’s In de caelo is not extant today. Still, one may consider
this report in the light of his Quaestiones 1.1 and 1.25 [Bruns 1887, 2.20–4.26 and 39.9–41.19
(translated in Sharples 1992, 16–19, 82–86)] and the Mabādi" , an Arabic translation of his
otherwise unknown Περὶ ἀρχῶν τοῦ κόσµου [Genequand 2001].
76 chapter four
On the Isodromic Planets

The next citation [474.7–13] reports Alexander’s conviction that the planets
thought to share the same period are proof that larger spheres move faster by
nature and that the sphere of the fixed stars retards the planetary motions
eastwards in inverse proportion to their distance from it.4 But rather than
explicating now what Alexander meant in saying that larger spheres are
faster by nature, Simplicius concentrates on his assertion that the isodromic
planets are Mars, Mercury, and Venus, with Mercury situated above Venus
[474.14–28]. As he sees it, there is either a scribal error in his text of Alexan-
der or Alexander is following an antiquated account of the order of planets;
and so he dismisses the argument.
This citation allows Simplicius to broach a real problem for any attempt
to discern proportionality in the planetary motions or periods. Moreover,
beyond raising the problem of planetary isodromy, this citation of Alexan-
der is noteworthy because in arguing that it does not itself merit serious
consideration, Simplicius draws on Ptolemy to correct Plato.5
On the Motion by Nature of Larger Spheres

After discussing the flaws in Alexander’s argument from planetary isodromy,
Simplicius turns to another of Alexander’s claims, namely, that planets near
the sphere of the fixed stars return more slowly because their spheres are
larger [474.30–32]. This claim, as Simplicius realizes, seemingly amounts
to another explanation of the proportionality of the planetary motions,
one that proceeds without mentioning the sphere of the fixed stars and its
dominance.
Alexander’s thesis is about the planetary sidereal periods, that is, about
the fact that these periods increase with distance from the center of the
Earth. Now, a key consequence of this proportionality of these periods to the
planetary distances from Earth is that their linear speeds or, equivalently,
the distances that each travels along its circular path in a given time inter-
val, are the same.6
For his part, Simplicius is no kinder to this argument than he was to the
one from isodromy. And rightly so. As Simplicius notes, Alexander’s solution
fails because it takes as a premiss what is unknown, the relative sizes of the
planetary spheres [474.32–475.8].
4 Cf. 495.23–29 with Comment 12.18, pp. 268–269.

5 On Simplicius’ reliance on Ptolemy, see also pp. 84–86.
6 Cf. Comment 10.14, pp. 213–214.
On a Circular Argument
Alexander is cited but once in Simplicius’ commentary on 2.11. The issue
is whether there is a circularity vitiating Aristotle’s argument in De caelo
291b11–17 that the heavenly bodies are spherical because they do not move
of their own accord and his argument in 2.8 that these bodies do not move of
their own accord because they are spherical [477.24–27.] Simplicius reports
that, for Alexander, there is no circularity because the conclusions in both
arguments are demonstrated by means of other considerations too [477.27–
478.3]. Simplicius then demolishes this peculiar contention: as he observes,
the claim that the demonstrations of these two propositions are circular is
independent of the existence of other proofs for each.
This time, however, the citation of Alexander, though unavailing in its
own right, frames Simplicius’ own suggestion that, for Aristotle, the two
propositions—that the heavenly bodies do not move of their own accord
and that these bodies are spherical—are convertible. In this way, Simplicius
defangs the charge of circularity [478.8–14], saves Aristotle, and incidentally
impugns Alexander once more as an interpreter.
On an Ellipsis
The first citation of Alexander in In de caelo 2.12 [481.22–24] is a clear in-
stance in which Simplicius goes out of his way to abuse him. Alexander’s
contention seems to have been that Aristotle’s encouragement at De caelo
292a14–17 that it is good to pursue answers to the two leading problems of
chapter 2.12 is expressed elliptically because the basis on which such inquiry
is reasonable is not given until 292a18–22 and elaborated subsequently to
that.7 So far as the substance of the claim goes, Simplicius would seem to
be in agreement [481.26–30]. What he objects to is the charge that Aristotle
writes elliptically rather than concisely [481.25–26]. But this is in truth a silly
quibble: ellipsis is a pervasive feature of Aristotle’s prose.
On the First Problem of 2.12

The next citation [485.5–10] is more positive: Simplicius reports, and appar-
ently accepts, Alexander’s outline of Aristotle’s response to the first prob-
lem in 2.12. Still, he does suggest that there may be a further distinction in
play [485.10–12].8 Simplicius then sets this further distinction out in detail
7 See Comment 12.04, pp. 226–227.

8 See Comment 12.06, pp. 229–230.
78 chapter four
[485.12–29] using late Platonic concepts which are presumed relevant be-
cause of a passage purportedly in Aristotle’s On Prayer.9
On the Four Elements

In drawing his discussion of the first problem to a close, Simplicius takes up
Alexander’s claim that the four sublunary elements are without soul and do
not act [489.12–13]. This claim is not strictly relevant to the first problem,
regardless of whether the aetherial element of which the heavenly bodies
are composed is the unique fifth element proposed in the De caelo or a
blend of pure forms of the four sublunary elements in which fire (qua light)
predominates. But, to Simplicius who regards aether as such a blend, this
argument may still have posed a threat. After all, is it really reasonable to
suppose that this purified, supralunary blend has soul when the sublunary
simple bodies of the same kind do not? In any event, the claim merited
refutation at this juncture. What is noteworthy, however, is that, though
Simplicius supplies one at some length, it is more rhetorical and demeaning
than demonstrative [489.13–21]. Indeed, much of refutation amounts to
little more than the question, ‘How ever could one think something so
preposterous, given that …?’.
In refuting Alexander, Simplicius points to the fact that the total amount
of each element in the universe is eternal, and casts Alexander’s claim as the
outcome of the theses that what is simple cannot have soul, and that what
is always in motion in the same way does not act. After disposing of these
two theses, Simplicius imagines that Alexander would accept an obvious
consequence of his position, namely, that the Earth lacks soul because it
does not move, a consequence which Simplicius then disparages [489.22–
30]. Thus, in setting himself against something that Alexander reportedly
held as well as something that he might have been led to think given his
reported views, Simplicius effectively maintains that it is reasonable to
suppose with Aristotle that the heavenly bodies are alive and act. Whether
the further claim that the sublunary simple bodies and, especially, Earth, are
ensouled and rational is an entailment of this or something more Simplicius
does not clarify. At the same time, in adopting polemic rather than offering
reasoned argument, he does not accord Alexander much respect.
9 See 130n82.
On a Lexical Matter
There was, it seems, a debate among commentators about the logical rela-
tion of De caelo 292b15–30 and 292b30–293a4. Alexander is cited as one
who thought that the passages present independent arguments, putatively
because he thought that the demonstrative «ἥδε» (‘this’: 292b30) has «θέσις»
(‘position’), «τάξις» (‘order’) or «ἀνισότης δοκοῦσα» (‘apparent inequality’) as
its referent [491.1–2]. Simplicius, who for his part (correctly) thinks that the
passages constitute a single argument because «ἥδε» picks up «ὑπεροχήν»
(‘superiority’: see 292b29), notes that if Alexander is right, there is a large
lacuna in the received text. But either way, Simplicius is clear that there is
no real problem for Aristotle’s exposition [491.3–11].
Alexander and Porphyry

Simplicius’ final citation of Alexander in commenting on 2.12 reports that
both Alexander and Porphyry expressed dismay in their lectures on Meta.
Λ that there was no good account of how Aristotle gets a total of 47 spheres
in all [503.32–34]. This reference to leading thinkers inside and outside the
school of late Platonic thought respectively, emphasizes the difficulty that
scholars have had in making sense of Meta. 1074a12–14. This apparently
serves in part to justify in turn Simplicius’ decision to limit himself to a
review of the status quaestionis [503.10–32, 503.35–504.3] instead of devel-
oping his own interpretation.10 Granted, he may already have inclined to
limiting his comments in this way: after all, the thesis that no astronomical
hypothesis as such is demonstrably true would presumably chill his enthu-
siasm to address this vexed question in the first place. In any case, I surmise,
for Simplicius the philosopher, no vindication of Aristotle is required when
the details of his argument are so dependent on astronomical theory.
Conclusion
In his commentary on 2.10–12, Simplicius’ citations of Alexander at 472.8–
15 (teleology), 477.27–478.3 (circular argument), and 485.5–10 (first prob-
lem) serve to frame Simplicius’ own interpretations. The first is especially
important because the interpretation framed [473.7–474.6] is essential to
Simplicius’ response to Philoponus. The first two citations, however, come
at some expense to Alexander’s reputation as an interpreter, given that in
the former what is reported is not in itself relevant and that in the latter it
is fallacious. In the third citation (four elements) and with the same result
10 See Comment 12.23, pp. 273–277.

80 chapter four
so far as Alexander’s standing is concerned, Simplicius uses him [489.12–13]

as a foil to save Aristotle by defending the reasonableness of supposing that
the heavenly bodies are ensouled and rational [489.13–30].
In contrast, the citation of Alexander and Porphyry at 502.32–34 high-
lights the difficult of interpreting Aristotle’s text, and tends to excuse Sim-
plicius from any duty to develop a satisfactory account of his own.
The citation at 474.7–13 (isodromy) does present the one instance in the
commentary on these chapters in which Simplicius turns to Ptolemy in
preference to an antiquated Plato. The citation at 474.30–32 (larger spheres)
appears to have a wholly negative function: it shows little more than that
Alexander is not sharp when it comes to technical or mathematical matters.
Likewise, the citation at 491.1–2 (lexical matter) does not reflect all that well
on Alexander’s skill in reading Aristotle’s Greek.
The citation at 481.22–24 (ellipsis) is just dyspeptic. Indeed, as the ex-
treme in a noticeable trend in Simplicius’ citations of Alexander in In de
caelo 2.10–12, I do wonder if this unflattering treatment of Alexander is not
in fact payback for mischief.11 After all, for Simplicius, Alexander ‘misread’
Aristotle by insisting that the natural motion of aether was about the center
of the cosmos rather than about a center, and so supplied Philoponus with
the fuel to attack Aristotle by arguing that this entails a view of the planets
and how they move which is inconsistent with observational evidence and
current astronomical theory.12 At least, it makes sense if one allows that the
real burden of the commentary on 2.10–12 is the apologia at the end of In de
caelo 2.12 itself.
Eudemus of Rhodes
Eudemus,13 though cited often in Simplicius’ commentary on Aristotle’s
Physica,14 appears only four times in the In de caelo. In general, these cita-
tions allow Simplicius to elaborate a theme that is fundamental to his inter-
pretation of the De caelo and to distinguish Aristotle from other leading
figures in the early history of Greek thought.
11 Cf. 377.24–25 κακοσχόλως πως.

12 32.1–11, 32.12–16. See Comment 12.27, pp. 284–288.
13 See 98n10.
14 Eudemus is for Simplicius a reliable ‘co-worker’: see Falcon 2012, 167. For discussion of
Simplicius’ citations in his In phys. of Eudemus, see Baltussen 2008, 99–104.

On Anaximander
In the first instance [471.4–6], Eudemus is cited for the claim in some
unnamed text that, while Anaximander was the first to come up with an
account of the planetary sizes and distances, the Pythagoreans were in fact
the first to establish the order of these planets. This citation validates Aris-
totle’s turn in 2.10 to a new source of information, texts in astronomy, when
theorizing about the heavens, since, as Simplicius remarks, the order of
the planets (scil. their sizes and distances) has been demonstrated in these
works [471.1–4]. The point, in other words, is not that Anaximander and the
Pythagoreans offer the best account of the planetary sizes and distances—
Simplicius is aware of Ptolemy and his Hypotheses planetarum and even
mentions that Ptolemy perfected what Anaximander and the Pythagoreans
first proposed [471.6–11]—but that this was the sort of thing that Aristotle
had in mind. This citation, incidentally, suggests that, in pondering the pro-
portionality of the planetary sidereal periods, Aristotle was obliged to rely
on work in astronomy that was subsequently rendered obsolete.15
Eudemus with Sosigenes

The second citation [488.18–24] is complicated by a citation of Sosigenes,16
so I will treat them together. In this passage, Simplicius indicates that he
is drawing on a work by Eudemus of at least two books that was entitled
Astronomical History [488.19–20]. Whether he had this text in hand rather
than some digest or selection of its contents is undeterminable. Further, it
is conceivable that his access to Eudemus was actually through Sosigenes.
The substantive claim attributed to Eudemus is that Eudoxus was the first
of the Greeks to develop astronomical hypotheses by which the phenomena
of the planetary motions could be saved. Sosigenes, Simplicius tells us,
apparently followed Eudemus in this and added the claim that it was Plato
who first issued the challenge to save the phenomena by way of hypotheses
in which the motions of the heavenly bodies are assumed to be smooth,
circular, and ordered.
The question of the historicity of these two claims is much discussed
and still controversial. For my part, I do not find the claim about Eudoxus
as understood by Simplicius particularly cogent because there are other
equally credible reconstructions of what might underlie Meta. Λ.8. And so
15 The emphasis on ‘firsts’ is, I expect, Eudemian since it is irrelevant to Simplicius’
purposes.
16 See 136n118.
82 chapter four
far as the assertion about Plato goes, I regard this formulation of the Platonic
challenge as an anachronism.17 Indeed, I would urge that the assertion about
Plato is better seen as an expression of the effort by later Greek intellectuals
to characterize the massive impact that Plato had on subsequent thought,
perhaps on the basis of isolated passages in his dialogues.18
Such historical issues aside, however, it is very important to understand
the thrust of Simplicius’ citation. At its narrowest, it serves to buttress his
contention that the development of astronomical hypotheses to account for
the planetary motions is the consequence of a common failure to identify
their real motions by connecting these motions to their substantial nature,
and thus to distinguish properly what is real and what is apparent in the
observations of the planets [488.7–18]. As Simplicius would have it, this kind
of astronomical theorizing, although profoundly misguided, had a noble
lineage, its first practitioner being Eudoxus. Moreover, as a form of inquiry,
it was thought to go back to Plato who first formulated a challenge which,
as Simplicius intimates, set the course for subsequent theorizing about the
heavens.
Of course, it does not follow for Simplicius that Plato set such theorizing
in motion for the same reasons that others pursued it. Indeed, as I have
indicated in Chapter 3, Simplicius himself appears to have thought that
Plato’s challenge was actually misunderstood by those who attempted to
meet it by devising planetary hypotheses.
But, in any event, the most that Simplicius has to allow on this score
is that Plato gave voice to a program of research suited to, and welcomed
by, those like Eudoxus who were incapable of addressing the question of
the planetary motions within a proper physical theory. Here, then, we find
implicit a critical evaluation of Eudoxus’ contribution and in fact of any
account of the planetary motions by astronomers.
Moreover, according to Simplicius, such theorizing was the context in
which Aristotle solves the first of the two problems in 2.12, since, as he says,
Aristotle took for granted the plurality of motions which were to be saved or
accounted for by using hypotheses [488.3–9]. But this does not mean that
Simplicius regards Aristotle as one of those who cannot distinguish the real
and the apparent in the motions of the heavenly bodies and so are unable
17 See Comments 12.07 and 12.09, pp. 230–248 and 251–259.

18 See, e.g., Zhmud 1998. The idea that Plato was the director or even architect of subse-
quent thought, particularly in the sciences, has been the subject of study and debate since
the 19th century, most of it highly speculative.
to grapple with how the observed motions are explained by real motions
deriving from the nature of the heavenly bodies—which is all to the good,
given the De caelo itself.
So viewed, then, this citation of Eudemus and Sosigenes initiates Simpli-
cius’ disengagement of Aristotle from a reading of the De caelo that a polemi-
cist like Philoponus might urge, a disengagement completed in the great
digression at the end of In de caelo 2.12. Given this much, however, we can dis-
cern the outlines of a critical thread in the apologia. If Simplicius sees Aris-
totle as a proponent of the sort of physical theory needed for understanding
the planetary motions, and if he thinks that Aristotle still took for granted
the planetary stations and retrogradations and even adopted homocentric
planetary hypotheses, it would seem to follow that, for Simplicius, chap-
ter 2.12 is a provisional exercise made in an effort to advance physical theory.
Indeed, he would surely be right in this. After all, the two problems
of 2.12 are matters that anyone who has followed the demolition of the
Pythagorean thesis of cosmic ἁρµονία might still raise and as such these
problems should be answered on commonly held terms. In the present
instance, this would entail supposing (but not necessarily accepting) that
the planets do indeed make all the observed motions as well as introducing
as heuristic premisses claims (such as that the celestial bodies are ensouled
and act) which are in fact presented elsewhere as doctrine.19
On Callippus
The third and fourth citations of Eudemus are like the citation of Anaximan-
der in that they each lack mention of a text and concern technical points in
astronomy proper.20 In the third, Simplicius cites Eudemus to clarify why
Callippus added two carrying spheres to the hypotheses for the Sun and the
Moon [497.17–22]. The fourth [497.22–24] concerns Callippus’ addition of
one carrying sphere to the hypotheses for Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Here
Simplicius cites Eudemus either to say that there was a reason which is left
unstated (or missing) or to report that Eudemus did not in fact indicate Cal-
lippus’ reasoning.21
19 See 97n5 and Comment 12.05, pp. 227–229.

20 These three citations may well be taken from a book, perhaps the Astronomical History
mentioned at 488.19–20 or the work by Sosigenes that Simplicius is drawing on, to mention
but two possibilities.
21 See 154n213. Both citations are qualified in an interesting way. As Simplicius says,
the third is stated concisely (συντόµως); and the fourth, concisely and clearly (συντόµως
καὶ σαφῶς). Though Baltussen [2008, 101] interprets these adverbs in Simplicius’ citations
84 chapter four
The lack of technical detail in these citations is a sign, I take it, that Sim-
plicius is writing with an eye on the divide between Aristotle and those who
cannot distinguish appearance and reality in the motions of the heavenly
bodies and who are thus unable to account for what one observes by way
of motions that are not only smooth, circular, and ordered, but also derive
from the substance of the bodies themselves. What is important here, appar-
ently, is that Callippus and Eudoxus are seen to belong in the latter group:
the details are not required.
Conclusion
Eudemus, though cited but a few times, is still an important player in Sim-
plicius’ roster of sources for his commentary on the De caelo. Simplicius uses
him as an authority in driving a wedge between the homocentric hypothe-
ses of Eudoxus/Callippus and Aristotle’s talk of the planetary motions in De
caelo 2.12 and Meta. Λ.8. As Simplicius has already indicated [see 32.12–29],
Aristotle’s elaboration of these hypotheses is provisional or heuristic and
need entail no commitment.22 The citations from Eudemus contribute to
this segregation of Aristotle.
Claudius Ptolemy
The three citations of Ptolemy in In de caelo 2.12 confirm what is manifest
earlier in the commentary, that Ptolemy is Simplicius’ leading authority in
matters of mathematics and technical astronomy.23 In 471.9–11,
the sizes and distances of these [planets] have been made more precise by
those who come after Aristotle and quite perfectly so by those associated with
Hipparchus, Aristarchus, and Ptolemy
of Eudemus in the In phys. as bearing on Eudemus’ attempts to clarify Aristotle’s Phys. by

recasting it, this does not seem to be the case here. After all, as Simplicius says in prefacing
the third citation, there is no surviving treatise by Callippus and Aristotle does not address
the point at issue. Here, then, it would seem, ‘concisely’ amounts to ‘without detail’ and lacks
any presumption of summarizing or recasting a written text. Indeed, given «ἱστόρησε» and
«λέγειν γὰρ αὐτόν φησιν» at 497.17–18, it would seem possible that Eudemus is reporting a
remark by Callippus that he has heard either directly or indirectly. The same, I think, is true
of both adverbs in the fourth citation: regardless of whether the reason was given by Eudemus
but left unstated by Simplicius, or stated by Simplicius and missing in a lacuna, or not given
by Eudemus in the first place, the citation does not require that Eudemus had a written text
before him.
22 See Comment 12.27, pp. 284–288.
23 See Comment 12.37, p. 296.
Ptolemy stands as the last of those living after Aristotle who have imp-
roved on the values for the sizes and distances of the Moon, Sun, Mercury,
and Venus. In fact, Ptolemy (along with the Hipparchans24 and Aristarchus)
is said to have made them perfectly precise. The same general point is made
when Simplicius cites Ptolemy again at 474.26–28. Here Ptolemy’s nesting
hypothesis for the planetary spheres of the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the
Moon is adduced in the criticism of Alexander on isodromy.25 At 510.19–23,
by the way, this nesting hypothesis is explicitly embraced.
With Simplicius’ comment at 471.9–11, one should recall his earlier re-
mark that Ptolemy disregarded earlier (homocentric) accounts of how the
heavens move and proposed to save the phenomena by positing a system
of homocentric spheres in which eccentric and epicyclic hypotheses are
embedded, a system of planetary hypotheses that plainly ignored any strict
requirement that the heavenly bodies have circular motions centered on
the Earth.26 In this way, Ptolemy is emphatically placed at a stage in the
development of astronomy which is far beyond what the science was in
Aristotle’s time. This is further reinforced in the third citation [506.16–22]
when Ptolemy attacks the very idea of using unwinding spheres,27 and adds
weight to Simplicius’ own criticism of the homocentric hypotheses.
One should recall as well that Simplicius has already acknowledged in
another context that there has been progress in astronomy since the time of
Aristotle, progress which he rightly connects to Ptolemy:
But inasmuch as Ammonius, our Head,28 observed Arcturus in my presence
in Alexandria through a solid astrolabe29 and found that it had changed in
respect of its position as given by Ptolemy by the amount which was required
in that it moved [in the direction opposite to the daily rotation] one degree
in 100 years,30 it would perhaps be truer to say that the starless sphere, which
contains all [spheres] and of which there was not yet knowledge, so it seems,
in Aristotle’s time, by performing this single, simple motion from the east
brings the other [spheres] round [with it];31 that the [sphere] which is called
24 See Comment 10.07, pp. 206–207.

25 See Comment 10.13, pp. 211–213.
26 32.23–28. See Comment 12.27, pp. 284–288.
27 On this attack and its complexities, see Comment 12.25, pp. 278–283.
28 462.20 καθηγεµών: scil. the Head of our school. See 3n2.
29 462.21 τοῦ στερεοῦ ἀστρολάβου: scil. an armillary sphere.
30 462.23 ἀντικινούµενον: Simplicius would appear to be following Ptolemy in presenting
this observation as one of stellar precession. Otto Neugebauer [1975, 1037] notes that Ammo-
nius’ observation purportedly confirming Ptolemy’s value for precession was in fact in error
by an observable 2;50°.
31 462.24–26: the starless sphere is responsible for the daily rotation; the sphere of the
fixed stars makes a full rotation in the opposite direction in 36,000 years.
86 chapter four
fixed by us performs two motions, one which is of the whole from the east
and its proper motion from the west; that the heavenly bodies in [the fixed
sphere perform] these two [motions] as well as their proper rotation; and that
the successive spheres and the [planetary] bodies in them likewise [perform
respectively] the same two and the same three motions. [462.20–31]
Ptolemy, who is presented as the pinnacle in a technical science that had
progressed on several fronts since the time of Aristotle, thus serves as the
leading authority in a discipline ancillary to physical theory. The very fact
that he has authority, that his views are to be noted and embraced, is, how-
ever, tempered by the realization that his expertise will likely be superseded
and, at any rate, does not include giving the true account of the planetary
motions. Thus, at the close of his apologia, when he rescues the second prob-
lem of 2.12 and accepts the planetary nesting hypothesis earlier ascribed to
Ptolemy, Simplicius shows himself to be in the same position as Aristotle: as
he must turn to Ptolemy, so Aristotle turned to Callippus.
Sosigenes
In addition to the citation of Sosigenes in 488.18–24,32 there are 10 other
occasions in which Simplicius explicitly names Sosigenes. The question
of how much to include in these citations is controversial and I will add
nothing here beyond what is proposed in the notes to my translation—in
short, a conservative determination of what one absolutely must ascribe to
Sosigenes, given the Greek itself.
Nevertheless, it will, I presume, be agreed on all sides that these citations
are taken from a single, unnamed work.33 Equally clear is that this work
included explication and criticism of the homocentric hypotheses laid out
in Aristotle’s Meta. Λ.8 as well as criticism of astronomical hypotheses rival
to them [see 509.26–28, 510.24–26].
Now, Sosigenes, though a Peripatetic philosopher and the teacher of
Alexander, was writing at a time when the epithet ‘Peripatetic’ meant only
that one read and respond to Aristotle and not, as Alexander would later
insist, that one accept and defend Aristotle’s views. The aim of the work that
Simplicius draws on was, apparently, to clarify the ancient and more recent
planetary hypotheses by examining critically the claim that they do in fact
save the phenomena [510.26–31].
32 See pp. 81–83.

33 On the claim that Proclus gives the title, see Comment 12.08, pp. 248–251.
This book proved of substantial value to Simplicius, especially because it

included:
– an explication of the theory presupposed by Aristotle’s unwinding
spheres,34
– a discussion of the very puzzling assertion at Meta. 1074a12–14 that if
one does not add the spheres for the Sun and the Moon, there will be
47 spheres in all,35
– a lexical remark [504.4–9] that makes sense of the terminology used
by Aristotle and Theophrastus,36
– criticism of the homocentric hypotheses [504.17–20] which Simplicius
elaborates,37 as well as
– criticism of the eccentric and epicyclic hypotheses38 that suits Simpli-
cius’ view that none of the hypotheses offered to date may actually be
the case.
In other words, the citations of Sosigenes serve Simplicius’ need to rational-
ize why he and other late Platonists prefer hypotheses of the sort found in
Ptolemy’s works to the homocentric hypotheses of Aristotle. Moreover, the
fact that Simplicius uses this work suggests that Sosigenes managed all this
without drawing any broader conclusions about how the inadequacy of the
homocentric hypotheses bears on the central themes and argument of the
De caelo. At least, there is no sign that Sosigenes’ criticism was perceived by
Simplicius to undermine late Platonism.
Coda
In the preceding chapters, I have endeavored to show that one of the guiding
aims in In de caelo 2.10–12 is to vindicate the late Platonists and their faith
in the ultimate value of reading Aristotle. In this Chapter, I have indicated
numerous ways in which Simplicius marshals diverse literary sources to
facilitate this fundamental aim. Moreover, I have in various Comments
indicated that Simplicius’ history of astronomy from the time of Aristotle
to his day (or better, to the time of Ptolemy, when for Simplicius it seems
34 See 498.1–10, 498.10–499.1, 499.16–501.11, 501.12–21, 501.22–26, 501.26–502.19, 502.19–27.

35 See 503.29–32, 503.35–504.3.
36 On Simplicius’ reliance in his In phys. on Theophrastus, see Baltussen 2008, 91–99.
37 See 504.20–505.19. I will return to this in the Coda to this Chapter.
38 See 509.26–28, 510.24–26.
88 chapter four
to end) is not possible on empirical grounds. I have also attacked here and
elsewhere that historiography which presumes to correct Simplicius in the
hope of getting to the historical truth: in my view, what this historiography
offers instead with its judgments of what seems likely and so forth is nothing
more than the unseemly comfort of reading oneself into the past. Further, if
we reflect on how Simplicius actually reads the past, using him to recon-
struct the history of astronomy will seem no less foolish than relying on
him to interpret Aristotle. In short, I do not agree that in their analyses of
Simplicius’ commentary on De caelo 2.12 Schiaparelli and his more recent
intellectual epigony reach any valid insight into the history of astronomy in
the fourth and third centuries bc.
As I see it, the question is not, ‘What does Simplicius tell us of the history
of earlier astronomy per se?’ Rather, the question should be, ‘How does
his narrative stand in relation to contemporary and earlier accounts of the
history of astronomy?’ The challenge is to understand each account on its
own terms and to determine its interactions with the others, if there are any.
Now, that there were rivals to Simplicius’ narrative is apparent when Sim-
plicius reports that Nicomachus and Iamblichus attribute the first eccentric
planetary hypotheses to the Pythagoreans [507.12–14].39 Moreover, even a
brief survey of Pliny’s Nat. hist., Theon’s De util. math., and Proclus’ works, for
example, reveals divergent accounts of who did what and why in astronomy.
In addition, it is also evident that elements of Simplicius’ account were
already in place. Thus, for instance, though the elaboration in 504.20–505.19
of the claim that all the heavenly bodies vary in their apparent size (bright-
ness) may well be due to Simplicius, the claim itself underlies Philoponus’
polemic in 32.9–11. Further, the more limited (and yet still false) thesis that
the Sun is visibly larger at perigee is attested in earlier Platonizing litera-
ture.40 Likewise, the values for the synodic and sidereal periods that Sim-
plicius records are taken from some source, not Ptolemy however, perhaps
with an eye to Plato’s Timaeus.
My aim in raising this question of narratives is not, of course, to reinstate
the usual Quellenforschung. In the first place, any talk of rival narratives and
borrowed elements should be limited to texts in hand. Only in this way may
39 See Comment 12.39, pp. 297–298.

40 See, e.g., Theon, De util. math. 3.26, 3.30 [Hiller 1878, 156.20–157.12, 164.14–17, 173.5–
9]; Proclus, Hyp. ast. 7.13–15. It would certainly be worthwhile to track this claim, so far
as one can, to its origins and then to consider the vastly more interesting question of its
persistence—much as one should with the equally absurd story of Pythagoras’ discovery of
the ratios of the musical concords.
we avoid overlooking the fact that the construction of Simplicius’ apologia

was not a simple matter of compiling such elements but a creative act
requiring deliberation and designed to address an unprecedented challenge.
Thus, the more conservative view urged here of the extent of Simplicius’
explicit citations coheres with reinstating Simplicius as an apologist and
historian, and with the requirement that claims about his debts be made in
the light of positive evidence, not the fuzzy expectation that he was drawing
surreptitiously on some source. The measure of true scholarship, after all,
should be what it can demonstrate, not what it can believe. Consequently,
while the idea that the homocentric account in Meta. Λ.8 is intended to
account for planetary stations and retrogradations appears to have been
held by Sosigenes [504.16–20], any ascription to Sosigenes of the details of
this theory [493.11–497.24] and of its criticism [504.20–505.19] is, as I see it,
unwarranted at this time. Indeed, one should remember that astronomy was
a subject of considerable interest to the late Platonists and that it is hardly
outlandish to suppose that Simplicius is himself responsible for much of the
technical content of his apologia, mistakes and all.41
To be sure, there is more to be said about Simplicius and the history of
astronomy. But that belongs to another project. The challenge in pursu-
ing it will be to get past the kind of historiography exemplified in modern
accounts of homocentric planetary theory. What is needed is historiogra-
phy which does not suppose that the history of astronomy is but a record of
observations, parameters, and mathematical techniques, and which stead-
fastly declines to supplement such a record with an antiquated Quellen-
forschung fallaciously enhanced by mathematical inference.
41 See, e.g., 462.20–31 [pp. 85–86]. On the late Platonist engagement with the Almagest,
see Pingree 1994.

chapter five
CONCLUSION
It was a time of Christian intolerance and persecution when Simplicius

wrote his commentaries. Even the relief afforded him by fleeing beyond
the reach of the Christian Empire was made bitter by the need to meet
the attack on his Platonism mounted by his apostate colleague and now
Christian philosopher, John Philoponus. The cause of dispute was Aristotle’s
argument that the cosmos is neither created nor perishable but eternal. At
issue, in particular, were the arguments in De caelo 1.1–4 that the heavens are
constituted of a fifth simple body, aether, which is itself imperishable in that
its only form of natural change is locomotion in a circle about the center of
the universe.
In Philoponus’ attack, questions about the existence and nature of this
fifth simple body were coupled with the remark that aether so construed
can only warrant accounts of the planetary motions that are inconsistent
with current astronomical theorizing. And so, to defend his faith that the
cosmos is not created in time but eternal, Simplicius was obliged to defend
his reading of Aristotle, a reading which both justifies and is justified by
this faith. But his defense involved more than merely detailing Philoponus’
failure to grasp Aristotle’s meaning; it also entailed Simplicius’ addressing
the unpalatable—that, while he endorsed the Aristotelian argument that
the motions of the heavens are by nature smooth, circular, and ordered, he
agreed with Philoponus in rejecting the homocentric-geocentric account of
planetary motion found in Plato’s Timaeus and developed by Aristotle in
Meta. Λ.8, and in preferring an alternative account of the sort found in the
works of Claudius Ptolemy.
The problem for Simplicius was complex and its solution is plainly crafted
with an eye to its impact on his readers, his fellow Platonists. Philoponus’
assault on the idea of aether is dispatched early in the commentary on
book 1. The question of planetary motion, however, is postponed to the
commentary on 2.10–12, a part of the In de caelo in which Philoponus is not
mentioned at all. So far as this motion is concerned, the core of Simplicius’
defense comes in a concluding digression that exculpates the late Platonists
from the charge of heresy to which they might seem liable by agreeing with
Philoponus in following a more recent account of the planetary motions.
92 chapter five
In this digression, Simplicius argues that the homocentric hypotheses

expounded by Aristotle in Meta. Λ.8 are inadequate to the phenomena and
that Aristotle was aware of this. Furthermore, he adds in historicizing the
problem, there was at the time an effort to improve on them, albeit one
that proved unsuccessful. But, as Simplicius also makes clear, though there
may be numerous hypotheses purporting to save the phenomena, none is
demonstrably the case. And, as he sees it, Aristotle was unique in his time
for recognizing that the proper account of the planetary motions would
have to come from physical theory and not astronomy. Nevertheless, so
Simplicius notes, Aristotle does assume that the planets make more than
two motions in 2.12. To explain this and the account of planetary motion in
Meta. Λ.8, Simplicius follows Aristotle’s turn in 2.10 to astronomical writings
in answering philosophical questions about the planets and their motions,
and casts Aristotle’s treatment of planetary motion as provisional. That is,
for Simplicius, Aristotle’s acceptance of the explananda and the explanantia
of homocentric theory was only apparent and not real because he was
writing as a philosopher qua physical theorist addressing questions about
the heavens by drawing on what was known or thought to be known of the
heavens at the time.
By this reading of Aristotle, Simplicius averts Philoponus’ polemic, res-
cues Aristotle’s authority in the school of late Platonism, and upholds the
value of the De caelo in its program of education. At the same time, Sim-
plicius indicates that the late Platonists have no real commitment to the
‘modern’ planetary hypotheses, though following them is plainly the respon-
sible course. Indeed, their situation proves to be the same as Aristotle’s: since
philosophical discussion of the heavens is to be constrained by astronomi-
cal observation and theorizing, then until astronomy is grounded in a proper
physical theory of the planetary motions, reflections on the heavens in phys-
ical theory will be provisional or heuristic and not wholly demonstrative of
unshakable truth. In this way, Simplicius also clears the path from Aristotle
to Plato and, ultimately, to a divine understanding of both how and why the
heavenly bodies move as they do which is unshakably true.
Simplicius’ digression on astronomical hypotheses is not, I insist, a rub-
bish heap to be scavenged in the hope of discovering how Eudoxus and oth-
ers must have conceived the planetary motions. Such a modern reading of
Simplicius can only be described as a studied way of not reading, of failing to
comprehend the text before one’s eyes. Indeed, the great lesson of In de caelo
2.10–12 is its devising a historical framework and view of Aristotle to negoti-
ate the tension between those values that give life its meaning with the hope
of salvation and those that promote understanding of the world in which
conclusion 93
life takes place. For Simplicius and Philoponus, there was no rift between
these sets of values, no conflict of religion and science. For late Platonist and
Christian alike, all these values were fundamentally religious, since they ulti-
mately concerned God and entailed appropriate conduct over the course of
a lifetime. From this perspective, Simplicius’ Platonism is admirable and his
commentary on De caelo 2.10–12 will reward study by any and all who can
put aside the expectation that Simplicius conveys ancient astronomical the-
ory whether wittingly or witlessly.
TRANSLATION
Legere enim et non intellegere

neglegere est
(Disticha Catonis)
IN ARISTOTELIS DE CAELO 2.10
291a29–b101
hLet us theorize on the basis of [works] on astronomyi about the ordering

of the [heavenly bodies]2 h—the way in which each moves3 in that some
are prior and others posterior—and how they are related to one another
in their distances, since it is discussed [in these works] sufficiently. It turns
out that the motions of each are in proportion to their distances4 in that
some [motions] are faster and some slower. That is to say, since it is sup-
posed that the outermost revolution of the heavens is simple and fastest,
and that the [motions] of the others are slower and more numerous—for
each moves in a direction opposite to the heavens along its own circle—it
is actually reasonable5 that the [body] nearest the simple and primary rev-
olution goes through its own circle in the longest time, that the one that is
farthest away in the least time, and that of the others the nearer always
[goes through its own circle] in more time and the farther in less time.
The reason is that the one nearest [the outermost revolution] is dominated
[by it] most of all, whereas the one farthest [is dominated] least of all on
account of its distance, and the intermediate [bodies are] actually [domi-
nated] in the ratio of their distance,6i just as the mathematical scientists7
in fact prove.
Anyone making statements about the heavenly [bodies] also used to have [470.29]
to make statements about the ordering of the spheres and [planetary] stars
in respect of their position; [specifically, he used to have to say] which ones [470.30]
1 See Comment 10.01, p. 201.

2 De caelo 291a29 αὐτῶν: the antecedent is «τὰ ἄστρα» at 291a27. See Comment 10.02, pp.
201–202.
3 De caelo 291a30 κινεῖται: on the alternative reading «κεῖται» (‘is placed’), see Comment
10.03, p. 203.
4 De caelo 291a31–32 κατὰ λόγον τοῖς ἀποστήµασι: «κατὰ λόγον» is qualified by a dative of
respect. For both Aristotle and Simplicius, two magnitudes can be in a ratio only if they are
of the same kind: cf. Euclid, Elem. 5 defs 4 and 5.
5 De caelo 291b3 εὔλογον (reasonable): for divergent interpretations of the significance of
this term, see Bolton 2009, Matthen 2009, Leunissen 2009, and Pellegrin 2009. The question is
whether such terms always introduce purely dialectical, a priori arguments or whether they
sometimes indicate teleological arguments that are derived from what is observed perhaps
in another domain.
6 De caelo 291b8–9 κατὰ λόγον τῆς ἀποστάσεως.
7 De caelo 291b9–10 οἱ µαθηµατικοί: on this translation, see Comment 10.04, pp. 203–204.
98 in aristotelis de caelo 2.10
are prior (that is, nearer the fixed [sphere]) and which ones are posterior
(that is, nearer the Earth), and moreover, of course, how they are related
[471.1] to one another in respect of their distances (which are compared in refer-
ence to the Earth) on the basis of which the ratios of their sizes are in fact
known.8 Thus, he says, regarding these matters ‘let us theorize on the basis of
[works] on astronomy’,9 since proof has in fact been given there of the order-
ing of the wandering [stars], that is, [proof] of their sizes and distances—
[5] Anaximander being the first to come up with an account of their sizes and
distances, as Eudemus reports in attributing the ordering of their position
to the Pythagoreans first.10 The sizes and distances of the Sun and Moon
have been known until now by taking the means of their determination
from eclipses11—and it was reasonable12 that Anaximander discovered these
8 471.1 οἱ τῶν µεγέθων λόγοι: Simplicius contextualizes 2.10 by referring to an ancient
concern about the sizes and distance of the spheres (or circles) on which the fixed stars and
the planets move. Though he does write of the sizes of the Sun and Moon at 471.6, the issue
for him is not what we call the magnitude or apparent size of a given fixed star or planet.
471.1 καταλαµβάνονται: see Comment 10.05, pp. 204–205.
9 471.2: see De caelo 291a31–32. The text set in italics is a quotation of these lines from the
De caelo. I will use this convention whenever Simplicius actually quotes the text of Aristotle.
10 471.4: Anaximander of Miletus (sixth century bc, died after –546).
471.4–5: Hall [1971] suggests that, so far as Anaximander is concerned, the sizes and
distances in question are those of the Sun and Moon only. But this is difficult, even if one
assumes the same for the Pythagoreans, given that, both in what precedes and what follows,
Simplicius is concerned with all seven planetary bodies. For what little they are worth, the
ancient reports about Anaximander’s account suggest that he was thinking of the diameter
of the rotating planetary rings of fire as well as of the diameter of the opening in these rings
through which the fire is visible, Earth’s diameter being the unit of measure: see Kirk, Raven,
and Schofield 1983, 135–136.
471.5: Eudemus of Rhodes (late fourth century bc), a younger contemporary of Aristotle,
who may have been a candidate to succeed Aristotle as head of the Lyceum. On Eudemus’
writings on Aristotle’s Physica and Simplicius’ use of them, see Falcon 2012, 167; Baltussen
2008, 99–104. For discussion of Eudemus’ book on earlier Greek astronomy, see Bowen 2003a,
315–318.
471.5–6: the Greek would seem to mean that, in Simplicius’ view, Eudemus held that,
while Anaximander was the first to raise and address the question of the planetary sizes and
distances, the Pythagoreans were the first to give a correct account of their sequence [cf.
Wehrli 1969, 121 ad fr. 146]. Timpanaro Cardini [1958–1964, 3.202–203], however, maintains
that only the claim about the Pythagoreans comes from Eudemus.
11 471.6–8: as they are determined, for instance, in the third-century treatise De magnitu-
dinibus by Aristarchus. This is not how Ptolemy computes the sizes and distances of the Sun
and Moon in Alm. 5.13–16.
471.7 τὴν ἀφορµὴν τῆς καταλήψεως λαβόντα: «λαβόντα» (‘taking’) seems odd. Note Gros-
seteste’s ‘occasionem assumptionis accipientes’ [Bossier n.d.a, 141.1, reading ‘assumptionis’
for ‘sumptiones’] and Moerbeke’s more literal ‘occasionem comprehensionis sumentes’
[Bossier n.d.b, 448.9].
12 471.8 εἶκος ἦν (it was reasonable): probably not to be read as ‘it is likely’ [so Mueller
in aristotelis de caelo 2.10 99
[sizes and distances] too—and [the sizes and distances] of Mercury and
Venus from their coincidence13 with [the Sun and Moon]. The sizes and dis- [10]
tances of these [planets] have been made more precise by those who come
after Aristotle and quite perfectly so by those associated with Hipparchus,
Aristarchus, and Ptolemy.14
It turns out, he says, that the motions are in proportion to their distances
because [planets] that are nearer the Earth, like the Moon, move faster,
whereas those that are farther move more slowly in the proportion of their
distances.15
Now then, this [claim], which was appropriately introduced in his ac- [15]
count of the ordering, that is, of the distances, justifiably raised a problem:
why the [planets] circling near the Earth move faster and the [ones] that are
higher and come closer to the fixed [sphere] move more slowly, just as the
[star] of Saturn which returns in position after 30 years [moves more slowly]
than the Moon which makes a revolution in a month. In fact, the problem
could be motivated from two [considerations.
First,] from size, since the larger body performs its proper motion faster, [20]
as Aristotle himself said,16 and since the containing body is always larger
2005, 11]. Cf. Grosseteste’s ‘conveniens erat’ [Bossier n.d.a, 141.1] and Moerbeke’s ‘verisimile
erat’ [Bossier n.d.b, 448.9–10].
13 471.9: reading «παραβολῆς» rather than Heiberg’s «µεταπαραβολῆς». See Comment
10.06, pp. 205–206.

14 471.11: see 98n11.
471.11 τῶν περὶ ῞Ιππαρχον καὶ ᾽Αρίσταρχον καὶ Πτολεµαῖον: on the translation, see Comment
10.07, pp. 206–207.
15 471.12–14: Simplicius confuses Aristotle’s position. For Aristotle, the motions and dis-
tances of the planets are proportional when the distances are taken from the sphere of
the fixed stars. But Simplicius, perhaps out of his desire to speak of planetary distances
and sizes as well, mistakenly assumes that the proportionality which Aristotle mentions
holds when the distances are taken from (the center of) the Earth: see Comment 10.01,
p. 201. Granted, there may be such a proportionality and the three worthies named in
471.11 certainly do construe planetary distances in reference to the Earth; but that is not
what Aristotle meant. Nor does establishing one reckoning of this proportionality entail
the other. Note that Themistius [In de caelo B 10] makes this confusion explicit by suppos-
ing that the proportionality holds with the distance from (the center of) the Earth [Lan-
dauer 1902, 118.8–12] and with the distance from the celestial sphere [Landauer 1902, 118.12–
24].
16 471.20: the claim that the larger body performs its proper motion faster is repeated in
various forms at 474.7–8 (larger spheres are faster by nature), 474.30–32 (the upper spheres
are larger and, therefore, have longer periods), 475.29–30 (the larger sphere is in fact faster),
and 476.5–6 (larger bodies perform their natural motion faster). See Comment 10.08, pp. 207–
208.
than the body contained. How, then, are the outer [motions] not performed
faster in the ratio of their size or distance, but to the contrary are performed
more slowly?
Yet [second], the problem must also be raised from proximity or distance
[25] to the fixed [sphere]. For, if the fixed [sphere] performs the fastest motion of
all the spheres, it is a consequence that the [bodies] nearer to it move faster
than those that are farther in the ratio of their distance, I mean, that if the
Earth is immovable by nature, the [planets] that come closer to the Earth
would have to be slower than those at a greater distance and this again in
the ratio of their distance.
Now, in solving these problems handily, he says that, since the fixed
[30] [sphere] performs a single motion that is fastest ( I mean, the motion from
the east), whereas the wandering [stars perform] this motion as well as the
one in the opposite direction, it would be reasonable that the [wandering
star] nearest the fastest revolution17 goes through its revolution opposite
to [the fastest revolution] in the most time because [this wandering star’s
[472.1] revolution] is dominated and resisted by it,18 whereas the [wandering star]
that is farthest19 moves faster than the others because it is dominated least
of all on account of its distance, and that ‘the intermediate [bodies] actually
[move] in the ratio of their distance, just as the mathematical scientists in fact
prove’.20
What then? Do the [spheres] that come closer to the fixed [sphere] move
[5] more slowly because they are overcome by it? And yet, if [they move] by
force, [they do] in fact [move] utterly contrary to [their] nature. Conse-
quently, [the spheres] will perform both their motions, that is, the one
from the east which they perform with the fixed [sphere] and the one
from the west (that is, their proper motion) by force and contrary to [their]
nature.21
17 471.31–32: scil. Saturn.

18 472.1 καὶ ἀντικοπτόµενον (and resisted): Simplicius goes beyond Aristotle here and
suggests an interaction between the sphere of the fixed stars and the planetary spheres.
19 472.1: scil. the Moon.
20 472.2–4: the elliptical nature of Greek here allows Simplicius to preserve Aristotle’s
words while still adapting them to a slightly different thought.

21 472.5–7: here as elsewhere in his commentary on De caelo 2.10–11, Simplicius follows
Aristotle in supposing that each planet has but one sphere. See Comment 10.09, pp. 208–
209.
Alexander22 confronts this problem quite well23 when he says that the very
fast motion of the fixed [sphere] is the cause of the slower return in position [10]
for the sphere of Saturn, yet [that sphere] is by no means itself unwilling.24
Indeed, it should choose and want this, since nothing would be better for
[the spheres] or more worthy of choice than this sort of cosmic arrange-
ment. Thus, both necessary causation and final causation coincide25—since
not only what is by force is necessary26—that is, because it is best that it
be so [the sphere of Saturn moves] willingly; but because [it] is close to the
[sphere] that goes round in the opposite direction,27 [it moves] out of neces- [15]
sity.
Of course, their motions due to their influence on one another28 are not
for the [planetary spheres] contrary to nature, given that, because there is
not an opposite, they do not have any motion that is contrary to nature.29
Since all the motions which [the spheres] perform are according to nature
22 472.8: Alexander of Aphrodisias, an Aristotelian commentator, became a public teacher
of Aristotle’s philosophy perhaps in Athens sometime during the period between ad 198
and 209. His commentary on Aristotle’s De caelo has not survived. He was a student of
Sosigenes (second century ad), a Peripatetic philosopher: cf. Hayduck 1899, 143.12–14; Bowen
2008c.
Simplicius is clear that Alexander’s interpretations of Aristotle’s arguments are good and
even better than those of the other Peripatetics; but when it comes to arguments in which
Aristotle criticizes Plato, he regards Alexander’s accounts as dangerously wrong [see 377.20–
34 and translation, p. 60]. Still, typically, Simplicius cites Alexander as a guide in clarifying the
meaning of a passage as well as in rejecting other interpretations. It is worth noting, however,
that in commenting on De caelo 2.10–12, though he cites Alexander often, Simplicius does
this either to reject or to qualify what he takes to be Alexander’s meaning. At no point does
he simply accept what Alexander says [see pp. 74–80]. On Alexander’s role in Simplicius’
commentaries more generally, see Baltussen 2008, 107–134. On Alexander, see also Baltussen
2007, 271–273; Tuominen 2009, 21–24.
472.8–20: see fr. 155a in Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.277–284.
23 472.8 καλῶς δὴ: perhaps ‘in an entirely correct way’.
24 472.10 οὐκ ἀκούσῃ µέντοι οὐδὲ αὐτῇ: cf. Denniston 1966, 196–197.
25 472.12–13: literally, ‘the cause in accordance with what is necessary and the cause in
accordance with what is best coincide’.

26 472.13 τὸ βίαιον (what is by force), not ‘force’ as Mueller [2005, 13] has it. Cf. Grosseteste’s
‘necessarium enim non violentum solum’ [Bossier n.d.a, 142.17], where ‘violentum’ means
‘an act of violence’ and lacks the passive nuance that the Greek has in this instance, and
Moerbeke’s better ‘necessarium enim non quod violentum solum’ [Bossier n.d.b, 453.10–
454.1]. See Comment 10.10, p. 209.
27 472.15 τῆς ἀντιστρεφοµένης: scil. the fixed sphere.
28 472.15–16 αἱ ὑπ’ ἀλλήλων κινήσεις: cf. 100n18. There is no indication in Aristotle’s text thus
far that the lower planetary spheres act on the celestial sphere or, for that matter, that there
might be spheres other than the celestial sphere which act on lower planetary spheres.
29 472.16: this is argued in De caelo 1.4.
for them, it must be that some motions arise from [the spheres]30 and others
arise due to [the spheres’] influence on one another. Consequently, even in
the case of the motion which [the planetary spheres] perform because they
are moved with the fixed sphere, one should say the same thing, namely,
[20] that not even this is contrary to nature for them.31
But perhaps the problem still remains.32 For let it be the case that their
motions due to influence on one another are performed neither by force
nor contrary to nature but willingly. Would it not be absolutely necessary33
as well that the spheres have proper motions34 according to nature, since
they are ensouled and share in activity, as he himself will say?35 But, if the
[25] motions which they perform are two in number, the one from the east
and the one from the west, inasmuch as [the planetary spheres] perform
the motion from the east which belongs to the fixed [sphere] (given that
they are carried round in this motion with it) and inasmuch as they also
have the motion from the west which is itself dominated and resisted by
the fixed [sphere], what proper motion can they have according to nature?
Consequently, Aristotle’s account has not solved the problems of how it is
[30] still true that the larger body performs its proper motion faster; and of how
what is close to the fixed [sphere] (which has the fastest motion) and is
plainly more akin to it (since nearness in place has been assigned according
[473.1] to kinship in substance) has a slower motion, whereas what is next to the
immovable Earth has a faster one.
So, [Alexander]36 has not, I think, solved these [problems]; rather, he has
conceived another cause that does not finally get away from what is by force.
That is to say, even if [the planetary spheres] have this derivative motion
30 472.18 ἐξ αὐτῶν: from the spheres, not from the motions as Mueller [2005, 13] would have
it.
31 472.18–20: by arguing that all the planetary motions are natural because there is no
motion contrary to circular motion, Simplicius effectively argues that no planetary motion
is forced, since all forced motion is contrary to nature.
32 472.21 µήποτε (perhaps). As Baltussen remarks [2008, 127, 129], this adverb is typically
a marker for Simplicius’ own views and does not express real doubt: cf. 478.8, 481.24, 485.11,
88.30, 490.30, 510.19. At 480.19 and 491.10, «µήποτε» is better taken to mean ‘never’ or ‘on no
account’.
33 472.22–23: not ‘Would it still really be necessary …’ [see Mueller 2005, 13].
34 472.23 οἰκείας κινήσεις: motions that are inherent or proprietary and, as Simplicius will
make clear at 473.4–6, unimpeded.

35 472.23–24: see De caelo 292a20–21 (‘we must suppose that they share in activity and
life’).
36 Cf. Bossier [n.d.a, 143.15–16] prints the parenthetical remark ‘Alexander videlicet sua
superiori solutione solvit’ in his edition of Grosseteste’s translation, but reports in his appa-
ratus that the phrase is not found in the codices.
from the east because they are moved with the fixed [sphere], nothing
prevents them from performing this motion willingly because they also have
their proper motion, that is, their motion according to a proper impulse [5]
which is unimpeded37 and proceeds according to nature, as if they were not
even carried round with the fixed [sphere]. But if their proper [motion] (that
is, [their motion] according to nature) is dominated as it is resisted, how will
it be unforced?
[Forced it will be] unless someone should say that, in so far as they are
akin to it, the [planetary spheres] which are near to the fixed [sphere] do
themselves have as proper the motion from the east,38 and that the larger
[sphere] always moves faster in that its magnitude and speed of motion [10]
are in the same ratio because there is a single union of all the spheres in
a single heavenly body.39 However, in so far as [these spheres] possess a
nature that moves in the opposite direction, the ones that come under a
little way to [the fixed sphere] perform the motion akin to [the motion of the
fixed sphere] faster because they remain more in the peculiar character of
the fixed sphere; whereas [they perform] the [motion] of the nature which [15]
goes in the opposite direction more slowly40 because they are not somehow
constituted purely according to that [eastward moving nature]—just as the
sphere of the Moon, which is farther from the fixed sphere not only in place
but also in substance and nearer the process of becoming, performs the
motion of the fixed [sphere] more slowly (inasmuch as the [Moon’s] sphere
is smaller)41 and the contrary revolution faster.
37 473.4–6 τὴν οἰκεῖαν κίνησιν τὴν κατ’ οἰκεῖαν ὁρµὴν γινοµένην ἀνεµπόδιστον ἔχουσι καὶ κατὰ
φύσιν προϊοῦσαν: or perhaps ‘have unimpeded their proper motion, that is, their motion
which is according to their proper impulse and which proceeds according to nature’: cf.
Moerbeke’s ‘et proprium motum qui secundum proprium impetum fit, non impeditum
habent et secundum naturam procedentem’ [Bossier n.d.b, 457.3–5].
38 473.9 οἰκείαν ἔχειν καὶ αὐτὰς τὴν ἀπ’ ἀνατολῆς κινήσιν: «οἰκείαν» is predicative. It is clear
in what follows that the motion to the east is also a proper motion, that is, a motion that
belongs to each sphere because of its nature [but see Mueller 2005, 13].
39 473.9–12: Simplicius is focusing on the planetary spheres and their diurnal rotation [cf.
Comment 10.09, pp. 208–209].

40 473.15. On the text, see Comment 10.11, pp. 209–210.
41 473.18 ὡς βραχυτέρα: this parenthetical remark is inept. Granted, from the fact that the
Moon is farthest from the fixed stars, it does follow that its sphere will be smaller and, thus,
that its diurnal motion (linear speed) is least. Yet, at issue here is the fact that this westward
motion must be natural to the Moon and not forced. In context, then, this remark subverts
the effort to locate the Moon’s two motions in its very substance; and so it would seem to be
a marginal gloss that has crept into the text at an early stage. See Comment 10.11, pp. 209–
210.
[20] It is as if you should conceive in the sublunary [region] some structure

of a substance changing from air to water. Certainly, in this structure the
substance that has come out a little way from the air has the motion akin
to the air (I mean, motion upwards) faster than substances that have come
out more [from the air]; whereas it has the motion downwards42 slower.
And in succession [the substances that come out from the air] have their
speed and slowness in proportion to their kinship with the air, with force
[25] being nowhere evident but their very nature having each. But, while this
sort of substantial mixture exists here [in the sublunary region] in fact by
change (that is, by opposition), it exists there [in the superlunary region]
by procession and subordination, (that is, by alteration of form without
opposition).43 Indeed, it has been proven that the [motion] from the east
and the [motion] from the west are not opposite motions,44 which is in fact
why the same [planet] can perform both these motions at the same time
[474.1] equally according to some single nature that exists by procession (if in fact
this argument states any truth in [these] most difficult [matters]). Certainly,
in this way the proportion of size in relation to speed45 from the upper
[spheres] to the lower [spheres] will be preserved as in a single whole, and
[5] in turn the motion of the wandering [stars] qua wandering (which is itself
in fact a proper [motion])46 will no longer have the proportion of its speed
in accordance with the size [of the planetary spheres] but in accordance
with its making evident more or less the peculiar character of the wandering
[star].47
42 473.22–23: the motion characteristic of water.

43 473.25–28: the hypothesis is here formulated in terms used by the later Platonists. As for
the Stoics, Cleomedes [Cael. 1.1.115–119 with Bowen and Todd 2004, ad 2.3.81–91] holds that the
four elements are arranged broadly in layers of decreasing density as one moves upward [see
Todd 2001]; and he locates the Moon at the conjunction of aether (construed as a form of fire)
and air, noting that its body is made of both. He does not, however, spell out what this might
mean for the behavior of the planets—for example, whether the gradation of the density of
the aether bears on their sidereal periods. The only consequence which he mentions is that
the Moon appears rather murky.
473.26–27 κατὰ πρόοδον καὶ ὕφεσιν καὶ εἴδους ἐξαλλαγὴν χωρὶς ἐναντιώσεως: cf. Grosseteste’s
‘secundum processum et remissionem’ [Bossier n.d.a, 144.18] and Moerbeke’s ‘secundum
previetatem et subsequentiam’ [Bossier n.d.b, 460.4]. See Comment 10.12, pp. 210–211.
44 473.27–28: cf. De caelo 1.4 for Aristotle’s argument that no circular motion has an
opposite.
45 474.2–3 ἥ τε τοῦ µεγέθους πρὸς τὸ τάχος ἀναλογία. This is not the happiest of formulations:
see 97n4.
46 474.4 ὡς πλανωµένων: scil. their simple sidereal (or longitudinal) motion eastward; there
is no regard here for the planetary stations and retrogradations.

47 474.6 τοῦ πλανωµένου τὴν ἰδιότητα: each planet has its own peculiar character.
Alexander48 is in fact convinced that, while larger spheres are faster in

accordance with their nature, the upper [spheres] move more slowly be-
cause they are hindered by the fixed [sphere], on the basis of the fact that,
as he says, the spheres of Mars49 and Mercury which are higher (so he claims) [10]
and, for this reason, larger too than the sphere of Venus,50 return in position
at the same speed as one another and as the sphere of Venus. For, since
the smaller [spheres] are no longer hindered to the same degree by the
outermost revolution because of their distance, they move at the same speed
as [spheres] larger than they are.
But the claim that the sphere of Mercury is above the [sphere] of Venus
is either a scribal error which has Mercury instead of the Sun or it is stated [15]
according to the opinion of the ancients, an opinion according to which in
fact Plato constructs the [celestial] spheres in his Republic51 when he says
that sixth from above is the [whorl] of Venus52 which is second in white-
ness after Jupiter53 and seventh is the Sun and eighth, the Moon—so that
Mercury is placed above Venus. But observations in which the star of Mer-
cury is reported running beneath the [star] of Venus make clear in fact [20]
that Mercury is found below Venus. This fact is proven as well from the
account of the distance of their apogees and perigees, since the greatest
distance of Venus is proven somehow to be the same as the distance of
the Sun54 (so that Venus is close to the Sun), and the greatest [distance] of
Mercury is [proven] somehow [to be] near the least [distance] of Venus,
and the greatest [distance] of the Moon [to be] near the least [distance] [25]
of Mercury. Certainly, these facts are proven in Ptolemy’s Syntaxis, if
the account of the eccentricity of the planets is transformed into an ac-
count of their [eccentricity] from the center of the Earth.55 But, as has been
48 474.7–32: see fr. 155b in Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.277–284.

49 474.9 τοῦ ῎Αρεος. There is an error here: the sidereal period of Mars is not the same as
that of Venus and Mercury, as Simplicius well knows [cf. 495.23–29]. Perhaps, we should read
‘of the Sun’ («τοῦ ῾Ηλίου») rather than ‘of Mars’.
50 474.10 τῆς ᾽Αφροδισιακῆς.
51 474.16: cf. Resp. 616e8–617a4.
52 474.17 τὸν τῆς ᾽Αφροδίτης scil. σφόνδυλον.
53 474.17: Venus is also the second brightest object in the night sky, the first being the
Moon.
54 474.23: note that, whereas Ptolemy assigns greatest and least distances to the Sun in his
Hypoth. plan. [cf. Goldstein 1967, 7 col. 1; Morelon 1993, 64–66], at Alm. 5.15 he indicates only
that it has one distance, 1210 Earth radii. That is, he does not assert that this distance of 1210
Earth radii is a mean distance. So it would seem that Simplicius is indeed drawing on the
Almagest here, as he says. But see Comment 10.13, pp. 211–213.
55 474.26–28: see Comment 10.13, pp. 211–213.
474.28: scil. ἐκκεντρότητος. Mueller [2005, 15 and n16] suggests ‘distance’ (presumably
said,56 since this is either a scribal error or a claim made according to a

[30] more ancient construction of the [celestial] spheres, it does not need much
argument.
Alexander also states another cause of the fact that the [planets] closer
to the fixed [sphere] return in position more slowly, namely, that the upper
spheres are larger.57 Indeed, it is clear that containing [spheres] are larger
[475.1] than contained [spheres]. But, unless the ratios of the distance [from the
Earth] to there, that is, [unless the ratios] of the sizes [of the spheres] are
known, it is not possible to say that their speeds are proportional to their
sizes. For, inasmuch as the sphere of Saturn returns in position in 30 years,
that is, in 360 months, let us suppose rather roughly that the Moon [returns
in position] in one month:58 if in fact the size of the Saturnian sphere were
greater than 360 times the [size] of the lunar sphere, it would be possible to
[5] declare that the sphere of Saturn moves faster than the lunar [sphere], since
what moves a greater distance in an equal time must move faster, especially
in case of [bodies] that move smoothly.59
Not only Aristotle but also Plato thinks that what moves on smaller circles
[10] moves faster than what moves on larger circles.60 At any rate, he says in his
Timaeus:61
understanding «ἀποστάσεως») [cf. Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.281–282]. Simplicius here calls the
distance of the center of each planet’s circle from the center of the Earth an eccentricity, and
so indicates an alternative usage: see Figure 10.01, p. 181. For the eccentricity of two circles
as the distance between their centers, see, e.g., Geminus, Intro. ast. 1.31–41; Cleomedes, Cael.
1.4.49–71, 2.5.139–141; Theon, De util. math. 3.49 [Hiller 1878, 201.7–13]. For the meaning of
‘eccentricity’ in the Almagest, see Comment 10.13, pp. 211–213.
56 474.29–30: cf. 474.14–16.
57 474.30–32. Given this and what follows, Alexander’s point is that the linear speeds, i.e.,
the linear measures of the arc which each planet travels in a given time, are the same. For,
since Π = 2π/ω (where Π is the planet’s period and ω is its angular speed) and ω = θ/t (where
θ is the angular distance traveled in time t), then Π 1:Π 2 :: ω2:ω1. So, if Π 1:Π 2 :: r1:r2, then r1ω1 =
r2ω2 and r1θ1 = r2θ2, which means that the arcs traveled in time t and, hence, the linear speeds
are the same.
58 475.2–4: the mean sidereal period of the Moon is 27.321661 days. See Comment 10.14, pp.
213–214.
59 475.4–8. By hypothesis, the ratio of the periods (Π) of Saturn (S) and the Moon (M) is
360:1 and so rS:rM :: 360:1, where r is the radius of a planetary sphere. On this assumption, the
arc that Saturn describes in one month is 1/360 of its total path. Moreover, this arc must be the
same length as that arc which the Moon travels in the same month since both planets move
at the same (linear) speed. If, however, ΠS:ΠM :: 360:1 while rS:rM > 360:1, though the angular
distance θS that Saturn travels in a month remains the same, the linear distance traveled (rSθ)
will increase and so become greater than the arc traveled by the Moon. Thus, Saturn will move
faster or have a greater (linear) speed than the Moon, though their periods remain the same.
60 475.9–10: this is not a general thesis about circular motion but a claim about planetary
periods.
61 475.11: cf. Tim. 38e6–39a3.
[The beings needed to produce time together] are sent around along the
oblique motion of the Different, which goes round through the motion of the
Same and is dominated [by it]62—one group of them moving on a greater
[circle], the other on a smaller [circle]; those on a smaller [circle] faster, those
on a larger [circle] more slowly.63
And in the Republic,64 when he speaks of the ordering of the [planets] and [15]
puts the fixed [sphere] first, the Moon eighth and the others in between, he
adds:
the eighth [goes] the fastest of these; the seventh, sixth, and fifth are together
with one another, second;65 the fourth goes third in motion;66 while the third
is fourth and the second, fifth.
But Plato could be saying that the lower [planets] move faster while focusing
on the time interval of their return in position alone—because they do [20]
return in position in a shorter [time interval]—but not in fact on the ratio
of their size. For, if, as has been said,67 the ratio of their size exceeds the ratio
of their time interval of motion, it is possible for what returns in position in
a shorter time interval to be slower.68
Yet Aristotle seems to find the solution of the problem on the assumption [25]
that the motion itself of what is nearer the Earth is faster.69 The reason is that,
if being dominated and resisted by the fixed [sphere] hinders motion itself
and makes it slower, it is clear that the motion of [a planet] nearer the Earth
is faster intrinsically and not because of its [faster] return in position. [That
62 475.11–12: διὰ τῆς τοῦ αὐτοῦ φορᾶς ἰόντα τε καὶ κρατουµένην. On the text, see Comment
10.15, pp. 214–215.

63 475.12 [Tim. 39a2] τὸ µὲν … τὸ δὲ: the definite articles are generic, which facilitates the
transition to the plurals in 475.13, «θᾶττον µὲν τὰ … τὰ δὲ», [Tim. 39a2–3]. As Taylor [1928,
203–204 ad Tim. 39a2] observes, the construction here is complicated and artificial.
475.14 περιίεται: note that the received text has «περιῄειν» (‘they kept revolving’) [cf.
Burnet 1900–1905, vol. 4 ad Tim. 39a2].
64 475.14: cf. Resp. 617a7–b3.
65 475.16 δεύτερον: Karsten’s edition (Heiberg’s c) has «δευτέρους» as is found in the Pla-
tonic mss.
66 475.17–18: Plato, Resp. 617b1–2 has «τρίτον δὲ φορᾷ ἰέναι, ὡς σφίσι φαίνεσθαι, ἐπανακυκλού-
µενον τὸν τέταρτον» (‘Third in motion, as it appears to them, goes the fourth in circling round
back [to itself]’). Cf. Bowen 2001, 814–816.
67 475.21: cf. 475.2–8.
68 475.22 δύνατον (omitted in Mueller 2005, 16): the ratio of the radii of two spheres is the
same as the ratio of their circumferences; and, if this ratio is greater than the ratio of the
period of the greater sphere to that of the smaller sphere, then it follows that the linear speed
of the greater sphere is greater than that of the smaller sphere [see 106n59].
69 Cf. 471.14–28.
is, it is clear] unless one should really say that the predominance of the fixed
[sphere] does not make the larger revolution (which is, as a matter of fact,
faster and can, in so far as it is within its power, return in position together
[30] with the smaller [revolution]) appear that much faster [than the smaller
[476.1] revolution], and that Aristotle would be the one who gives the explanation
for this—not of the fact that the [spheres] close to the fixed [sphere] are
slower without qualification but of the fact that they appear slower than
they are [by nature]. For, though the [larger spheres] are going, so far as
it is within their power, to return together with the smaller spheres—if it
should happen—[these larger spheres] fall short by the amount [that they
do] of returning in position together [with the smaller ones] because of the
[5] predominance of the fixed [sphere].70 Certainly, in this way too the argument
that larger [bodies] perform their natural motion faster and by the amount
that they are larger remains unshaken. In fact, it is not at all illogical that a
particular form have a capacity71 such that, while it is a specific thing because
of itself, it becomes such and such because of the predominance of what is
[10] stronger, just as it has limited capacity because of itself but exists and moves
without limit because of the unmoved cause.
Those who say by way of assumption that all the spheres perform the
same motion from the east so that day by day the Saturnian sphere returns
within a short distance of its position with the fixed [sphere], and the
[sphere] of Jupiter within a greater distance and so forth in this way,72
escape many other problems, since the motion will in fact have the speeds
[15] proportional to the sizes and since things made of the same substance
will make the same motion. But this sort of hypothesis has been proven
70 475.28–476.3 Simplicius suggests that each planet has an intrinsic motion to the east,
that the larger planetary spheres have by nature a greater linear speed than the smaller
ones and almost (note «ὅσον ἐφ’ ἑαυτῇ») the same angular speed, and that these larger
spheres appear slower in their eastward motion than they really are because each night the
planets nearer the fixed stars fall short of the fixed stars by less than do the planets farther
away.
476.1–3: see Euclid, Opt. dem. 54 for argument that, of bodies moving at the same linear
speed, the one farther from the observer will appear to move more slowly [cf. Heiberg 1895,
240.14–22].
71 476.7 ἐπιτηδειότητος (capacity): for discussion of this non-Aristotelian piece of jargon
as it used by commentators such as Alexander and Simplicius, see Todd 1972.

72 476.11–14: Simplicius’ ruminations in 475.28–476.10 have brought him to consider those
theorists in antiquity who might seem to solve the problem that he has been discussing by
supposing that the planets actually have only one real motion, the one from east to west. For
it follows from this that the planetary motion eastward is an apparent motion, not a real or
independent motion. Cf. Theon, De util. math. 3.18 [Hiller 1878, 147.14–19].
impossible.73 The reason is that the revolution of any wandering [star]74 must
be along a circle and this [circle] must always be the same if its motion
has been ordained so that it is in fact knowable.75 So, will they state that
this circle on which they say that each of the wandering [stars] makes its [20]
motion from east to west is one of the parallel [circles] or a [circle] oblique
to them?76 Certainly, if it were [one] of the parallel [circles], [the planetary
circles] would not have to come farther south or farther north, nor would
they have to rise and set at different positions on the horizon.77 But if [they
say] an oblique [circle], each of the wandering [stars] would have to appear
during each day farther south or farther north because they all go round [25]
the oblique circle, as they say, in accordance with each revolution of the
universe except for the degrees which they appear leaving behind.78 Both
these [alternatives] are contrary to the clear [facts].
It is worth knowing that on every hypothesis the problem raised about
[planetary] stars that keep pace [with one another]79—how the containing
73 476.16–17: cf., e.g., Geminus, Intro. ast. 12.14–27 which discusses this account of planetary
motion and dismisses it.

It is not clear just who these thinkers were, though speculation both ancient and modern
is plentiful [see Aujac 1975, 146] and largely worthless. The most one should say is that this is
a possibility entertained by Epicurus (–340 to –269) [see Comment 12.07, pp. 241–244]. But,
as for who actually held this account of planetary motion, if it ever was more than a view
put forward by Epicurus as merely one among a number of possibilities and kept alive in the
philosophical schools, it is most likely that it belongs to the period before the first century
bc: for Geminus, this account was a relic from a time when the motions of the planets were
not observed carefully against the background of the fixed stars, that is, when there was no
awareness of the planetary stations and retrogradations.
74 476.17 τοῦ πλανωµένου: the article is generic, as «αὐτῶν» at 476.18 shows.
75 476.18 εἴπερ τεταγµένη ἔσται αὐτῶν ἡ κίνησις: «εἴπερ» often indicates a condition that the
speaker views as in agreement with the facts and so may here be rendered by ‘since’ as well
[see Smyth 1971, § 2246].
76 476.20–21: the question is whether each planet makes its westward motion on a circle
that is parallel to a great circle on the celestial sphere or on a great circle that is oblique
to these parallel circles. The alternatives are not as clear as one should like; but given the
criticism that follows, it would seem that Simplicius is asking whether the planets move
westward along circles parallel to the celestial equator or whether they move westward along
the zodiacal circle.
77 476.21–23: thus, the planets would behave like fixed stars in that they would be unchang-
ing in their relation to the celestial pole and would rise and set at the same point on the
horizon. Cf. Geminus, Intro. ast. 12.19–21.
78 476.23–27: in effect, the planets would all be like the Sun (though perhaps on different
circles), that is, there would be no planetary stations and retrogradations. Cf. Geminus, Intro.
ast. 12.22–24.
79 476.28 περὶ τῶν ἰσοδρόµων ἀστέρων. Mercury, Venus, and the Sun are said to keep pace
with one another because they were held to have the same sidereal period: cf. 474.9–12 with
Comment 12.18, pp. 268–269. Plato [Tim. 38d2–4] describes the circuits of Mercury and Venus
[30] and the contained spheres (or to say the same thing, how the larger and
smaller [spheres]) return in position in an equal time interval—still remains
a problem. For, whether one says by way of assumption that both the fixed
[sphere] and the wandering [spheres] move in the same direction80 or that
the spheres which come close to the fixed [sphere] move more slowly
because they are dominated by it, in neither way is the proportion of the
[477.1] sizes to the speeds preserved in the case of the [spheres] that keep pace
[with one another], either when [the spheres] closer to the fixed [sphere]
move faster in themselves or when the smaller [spheres] move faster.
as keeping pace with the Sun in speed (τάχει); and he plainly means only that they have the
same period as the Sun, since he adds [Tim. 38d4–6] that Mercury and Venus overtake and
are overtaken by the Sun [see Bowen 2001, 815–816].
80 476.31 ἀπὸ τῶν ἀυτῶν: literally, ‘from the same [parts]’.
291b11–17
hOne may suppose with especially good reason thati the shape of each of
the heavenly bodies his spherical. For, since it has been proven that they do
not by nature move of their own accord,1 and since nature does nothing
without reason or in vain, it is clear that [nature] has in fact given to these
objects incapable of motion a shape of the sort that is least capable of
motion. But the sphere is least capable of motion because it has no organ
for motion. Consequently,i it is clear that [the heavenly bodies] must be
spherical in bulk.
He has in fact already said that the [fixed and wandering] stars are spher- [477.5]
ical because they are made of the same substance as the heavenly body,2
and he has proven through their being spherical that they are least capa-
ble of performing locomotion.3 But he was taking their being spherical
more as a hypothesis, which is why he has also said the following: ‘Fur-
ther, since4 the heavenly bodies are spherical, just as the others say and it is
agreed by us’.5 And using the connective particle ‘since’ and not simply a
hypothetical,6 he reasonably introduced the rather obvious justification [for [10]
this] through the phrase, ‘since7 for our part we generate [them] from that
1 291b13 (δι’ αὑτῶν): see De caelo 2.8 for Aristotle’s argument that no star (fixed or wan-
dering) moves itself, rather, that each is moved by the heavens as a whole or, more exactly,
by a circle (scil. sphere) which carries it around. Granted, the argument is ostensibly made
in reference to the daily rotation westward of the heavens alone; but it is easily extended to
account for planetary motion eastwards and was so understood. At no point, however, does
Aristotle explicitly reconcile the claims that such aetherial bodies move by nature in a circle
about the center of the cosmos with the claim that this motion is not of their own accord (δι’
αὑτῶν) or intrinsic (καθ’ αὑτό) [cf. 290a9–11].
2 477.6 τῷ οὐρανίῳ σώµατι: scil. aether, which is shown to be spherical in De caelo 2.4.
3 477.6–7 ἀκίνητα … τὴν µεταβατικὴν κίνησιν.
4 477.8 ἐπεὶ: Allan [1955] prints «ἐπειδή» at De caelo 290a7 but the better reading is «ἐπεί»
[see Moraux 1965, 74].

5 477.8–9: see De caelo 290a7–9.
6 477.9 ὑποθετικῷ ἁπλῶς: scil. «εἰ» (‘if’). Mueller [2005, 17] misses Simplicius’ lexical point.
7 477.11 εἴπερ: cf. 109n75. The received text at 290a7–9 is
καθάπερ οἵ τ’ ἄλλοι φασὶ καὶ ἡµῖν ὁµολογούµενον εἰπεῖν, ἐξ ἐκείνου γε τοῦ σώµατος γεννῶσιν
…. [Moraux 1965, 74]
In breaking this text up, Simplicius omits «εἰπεῖν» but still, I presume, takes «γεννῶσιν» as a
dative plural participle in agreement with «ἡµῖν». Mueller [2005, 17: cf. 2004a, 109 and n438]
body’.8 Thus, while there he mentions that the heavenly bodies are spherical
on account of their motion, now he proves [this claim] directly by using two
arguments of which the second is double.
[15] First is the [argument] from their not performing motion on their own
accord. (By [motion] on their own accord, he means a locomotion from
place to place: walking is of this sort.) Now, taking once more as an axiom
that nature does nothing without reason, and holding as proved in advance
that the heavenly bodies are immovable with regard to locomotion on their
own accord, he reasons in effect as follows:
The heavenly bodies are incapable of locomotion on their own accord. Bodies
[20] of this sort have no organ for this sort of motion because nature does nothing
without reason. But bodies that have no organ for [loco]motion are spherical
because they have no protuberance. ‘Consequently, it is clear that’ the heavenly
bodies ‘must be spherical in bulk’, that is, in body.9
But, if he proved earlier that [heavenly bodies] do not move by changing
[25] place because they are spherical (by considering the motion that is proper
to spherical [bodies] on the basis of a division),10 and if he now proves that
they are spherical from their not moving [from place to place], how is the
proof not circular?11
Now, they say12 in reply that he neither proved their not moving [by
[478.1] changing place] through their spherical [shape] alone nor their spherical
[shape] through their not moving [from place to place] alone, but that both
the former [conclusion] and the latter are proven through many arguments.
And for this reason, says Alexander, the proof is not circular.
takes it as a finite verb (third person plural present indicative active): note Grosseteste’s
‘siquidem ex illo corpore genus communicant’ [Bossier n.d.a, 149.17–18] and Moerbeke’s ‘si
vere ex illo corpore generant’ [Bossier n.d.b, 472.2–3]. But «ἐξ ἐκείνου γε τοῦ σώµατος» is a
reference to the οὐράνιον σῶµα [477.6], where this σῶµα is aether [cf., e.g., De caelo 289a13–19];
and, though Simplicius may presume to read the doctrine of aether back into Plato’s writings,
we at least should be very clear that it is Aristotle who is the originator of the thesis that the
heavenly bodies are made of aether.
8 477.11–12: see De caelo 290a8–9.
9 477.22–23: cf. De caelo 291b16–17.
477.24–478.8 = fr. 156a in Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.284–285.

10 477.25 ἐκ διαιρέσεως (on the basis of a division). At De caelo 290a7–12, Aristotle proposes
that a spherical body can move on its own accord in only two ways—by rolling (κύλισις) or
by rotating (δίνησις).
11 477.26 διάλληλος: a technical term. The concern, according to Themistius [Landauer
1902, 118.32–37], is whether the argument is a demonstration ignoti per ignotum, that is, a
type of demonstratio circularis.
12 477.27 λέγουσιν: it is unclear who ‘they’ are, though they obviously include Alexander
and Themistius [see Landauer 1902, 118.37–119.2 = fr. 156b in Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.285–286].
But how does the fact that the same conclusion is drawn from other argu- [5]
ments as well make this demonstration not circular? Certainly, while the
fact that [this conclusion] is demonstrated not only through these circular
[arguments] but also through other [arguments] may be a sign that, and a
reason why, [the conclusion] is not overturned, how can this be a sign that,
or reason why, these proofs are not circular?
Perhaps, then, Aristotle took spherical [shape] and not having an organ
for locomotion (which necessarily implies not moving by changing place) [10]
as convertible and reasonably demonstrated the one from the other, just as
someone might infer having milk from having given birth and having given
birth from having milk or that it is man from being a mortal rational animal
and the definition from man.13 For proofs that are circular in this way are not
to be cast aside.
One should understand from these [remarks] as well what kind of motion [15]
Aristotle denies the heavenly bodies, namely, the motion not proper to
spherical shapes, that is, locomotion by means of organs. For, with regard
to this sort of motion, he says that the spherical shape is least capable
of motion and adds the reason—‘because [it] has no organ for motion’14—
inasmuch as he said that motion within itself 15 is most proper to spherical [20]
[bodies], not only to the heavens but also to the heavenly bodies, when he
wrote the following:
This is in fact why the heavens as a whole and each of the heavenly bodies seem
with good reason to be spherical. For the sphere is the most useful of shapes for
motion within itself,16 since it can move very fast in this way and above all occupy
the same place. But it is least useful for motion forwards, since it is least like [25]
[bodies] that move17 of their own accord because it has nothing hanging loose
or projecting as a rectilinear [shape does].18
In fact, what is said here19 also agrees with these words in that Aristotle
says that the heavenly bodies make this apparent change in position not
13 478.13 ὁρισµόν: man is defined as a mortal rational animal. This definition, which does
not actually appear in Aristotle’s writings, is a stock example in the works of Alexander of
Aphrodisias for instance. Cf. Todd 1976; Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.286.
14 478.18–19: see De caelo 291b16.
15 478.19 τὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ κίνησιν: scil. rotation.
16 478.22 ἐν ἑαυτῷ. Moraux [1965, 76] prints «ἐν ἑαυτῷ» at De caelo 290b2: cf. Moerbeke’s
‘in se ipso’ [Bossier n.d.b, 476.6]. Others [cf. Allan 1955, ad loc.] have «ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ» (‘in the
same [place]’).
17 478.25 κινουµένοις. Moraux [1965, 76] prints «κινητικοῖς» (‘capable of motion’) at De caelo
290b5–6.
18 478.21–26: see De caelo 290a35–b7.
19 478.27: scil. in De caelo 2.11.
on their own accord, and clearly presents their [motion] within themselves
[30] as a proper [motion] of spherical shape. This is why he also says both things
about spherical shape, namely, both that it is least capable of performing
locomotion on its own accord and that the sphere is the most useful of
shapes for motion within itself.
291b17–23
Further, one and all [the heavenly bodies] are alike,20 hand the Moon shows
through visual [evidence] that it is spherical: certainly, [if the Moon were
not spherical,] it would not as it waxes and wanes become for the most
part crescent-shaped or gibbous21 and halved22 only once. And, again, [it is
shown] through astronomical [considerations] that the eclipses of the Sun
would not be crescent-shaped. Consequently, since one [heavenly body] is
like this, it is cleari that the others too must be spherical.
[479.3] As for the second argument, this one is probative of the spherical [shape]
of the heavenly bodies in that it applies the axiom which says that any
[5] one of the heavenly bodies and all are alike in shape since they are all in
fact [made] of the same substance which is simple.23 So, if the Moon is
proven spherical from its observed illuminations, it is clear ‘that the others
too must be spherical’.24 Certainly, if [the Moon] were not spherical but,
perchance, drum-shaped or lentil-shaped,25 its illuminations would not, he
[10] says, become such that as it waxes and wanes it appears ‘for the most part
crescent-shaped or gibbous and dichotomos26 only once’.27
20 479.1: Simplicius’ lemma opens with «῎Ετι δέ, εἰ ὁµοίως µὲν ἅπαντα καὶ ἕν», which entails
a slightly different sense:

Further, [the Earth is spherical] if one and all are like, h and the Moon shows through
visual [evidence] that it is spherical. Certainly, [if the Moon were not spherical] ….
21 De caelo 291b20 ἀµφίκυρτος (gibbous): literally, ‘bulging or curved outwards on both
sides’.
22 De caelo 291b21 διχότοµος.
23 479.6: scil. aether. Cf. De caelo 1.2 where it is argued that the heavenly bodies are made
of aether.
24 479.7: see De caelo 291b23.
25 479.8 φακοειδής: the lentil resembles a circular lens with two convex sides.
26 479.11 διχότοµον. Usually, this means ‘halved’, as I have already rendered it above. But,
since it is difficult to capture in English the linguistic point Simplicius is making here, I will
simply transliterate the Greek in the next few lines and use footnotes to clarify what is at issue.
Grosseteste’s solution to the problem of conveying Simplicius’ point to readers unfamiliar
with the Greek names of the lunar phases was to interject a brief note explaining the meaning
of the key terms: cf. Bossier n.d.a, 153.25–154.29.
27 479.10: see De caelo 291b20–21.
However, if he were calling the Full Moon dichotomos, as Aratus called it

dichomēnos28 because of its dividing the month into two,29 the rest [of what
he says]30 would be in accord with the fact that [the Moon] often appears
crescent-shaped,31 since [the Moon is crescent-shaped] both when it waxes
and when it wanes (and likewise gibbous). But, inasmuch as a little later he
applies the term dichotomos as we in fact ordinarily mean it when he says, [15]
That is to say, we have seen the Moon when it was dichotomos as it came under
the star of Mars (which was in fact hidden32 at [the Moon’s] dark side and came
out at the bright,33 radiant side).34
[these lines]35 set forth the meaning of ‘dichotomos only once’36 nicely. For
[the Moon] both as it waxes and as it wanes becomes both crescent-shaped
and gibbous for a rather extended interval of time, since the more and the [20]
less are in these shapes.37 [The Moon] will also38 become dichotomos both as
it waxes and as it wanes, but not for a specific time interval—the more and
the less are not in this shape.39 Instead, the time interval for [its shape when
halved] is momentary, the very thing which ‘only once’ makes clear.40
28 479.11 διχόµηµον (bisecting the month). Cf. Aratus, Phaen. 78, 737. Kidd [1997, 427–428]
remarks that Aratus’ «διχόµηνα δὲ παντὶ προσώπῳ» at Phaen. 737 involves a slightly confusing
word-play between the half-moon, which is the first-quarter, and the half-month, which is
the full-moon. Simplicius detects the same ambiguity in Aristotle’s «διχότοµος».
29 479.11 the Full Moon is called διχότοµος because it divides the month into two halves.
Thus, «διχότοµος» is given an active sense and ‘only once’ is taken to mean ‘only once during
the month’.
30 479.12: viz. concerning its being gibbous and διχότοµος.
31 479.12: see Comment 11.01, pp. 217–218.
32 479.16 ἀποκρυβέντα: Moraux [1965, 81] prints «ἀποκρυφθέντα» at De caelo 292a5.
33 479.17 φανερόν: Moraux [1965, 81] prints «φανόν» at De caelo 292a6.
34 479.15–17: see De caelo 292a3–6. On Aristotle’s report of this occultation, see 481.8–15
and Comment 12.02, pp. 224–225.

35 479.18 ἐξηγοῦνται: the subject is unspecified. Mueller [2005, 19 and n47] takes it to be
a contextually undefined ‘they’ which he improbably understands to mean Alexander: see

112n12.
36 479.18 ἅπαξ διχότοµον: see De caelo 291b20–21 for «ἅπαξ διχότοµος».
37 479.22: that is, being crescent-shaped or gibbous admits of variations in quantity.
38 479.20 κἂν γίνηται (= καὶ ἂν γίνηται): the subjunctive is anticipatory. Mueller [2005, 19]
misconstrues the syntax by understanding «καὶ εἰ ἂν γίνηται» (‘even if it is also’) and has
Simplicius ‘entertaining’ the possibility of dichotomy rather than observing that the waxing
and waning of the Moon will produce dichotomy.
39 479.21–22: thus, being halved does not admit of variations in quantity.
40 479.23: the Moon is here called διχότοµος when it is divided into halves, that is, when it
is at the quarter (either the first or the third). Thus, «διχότοµος» is given its more usual passive
sense of ‘halved’ or ‘bisected’ and ‘only once’ is construed as ‘only for a moment’. It is perhaps
misleading to say, as Leo Elders does [1966, 230], that the Moon is διχότοµος in this sense for
a ‘short while’: Simplicius is skirting the claim that the Moon is halved for an instant.
These shapes of the [lunar] illuminations are features characteristic of a

spherical [body] because, given that a hemisphere [of the Moon] is always
[25] illuminated,41 when the Moon comes beneath the Sun and is at the same
degree [of longitude], the part [of the Moon] toward the Sun is illuminated
[480.1] and the part toward us is dark. But, when [the Moon] stands apart from
the Sun, the hemisphere that is always illuminated42 leaves behind the same
amount of the other part43 as it receives from the [hemisphere] toward us.44
That is why [the Moon] appears crescent-shaped until the half; and, when
half of the upper [hemisphere] and half of the [hemisphere] facing us are
[5] illuminated, that is, when [the Moon] stands apart from the Sun at a quartile
distance, it is seen as halved.45 From there until diametrical opposition,46
[the Moon] appears gibbous; but, when it is diametrically opposed [to the
Sun], the entire hemisphere facing us is illuminated and the [hemisphere]
looking upward is not. And again, as the [Moon] approaches the Sun, it
maintains for us a gibbous, a halved, and a crescent-like [shape], and in
conjunction a dark [shape].47 The reason is—what I said [above]—the fact
[10] that, since the Moon is spherical, a hemisphere of it is always illuminated.
Consequently, if [the Moon] were in truth drum-shaped or lentil-shaped,
it would be the same as it currently is in its conjunctions and Full Moons.
But, when it stood apart from the Sun at any distance whatsoever in either
direction, [the Moon] would no longer be crescent-shaped or halved or
gibbous. Rather, the [part] facing us would be illuminated entirely because
there is no obstacle to the [Sun’s] rays in the case of a drum-shaped [Moon];
41 479.24 ἡµισφαιρίου ἀεὶ φωτιζοµένου: that one hemisphere is always illuminated is a
condition of there being lunar phases, not a cause [but see Mueller 2005, 19].
42 480.1 τὸ φωτιζόµεν ἀεὶ ἡµισφαίριον: not ‘what is illuminated is always a hemisphere’, as
Mueller [2005, 19] has it.

43 480.1–2: that is, the part that was turned to the Sun and illuminated during conjunction.
44 480.2: in other words, the intersection of the hemisphere that is always illuminated and
the hemisphere that is facing us is equal to the complement of these same two hemispheres.
See Figure 11.01, p. 182.
45 480.3: the direction from the Earth along a radius of the celestial sphere to the fixed
stars is up. Thus, the upper hemisphere is the complement of the hemisphere that is toward
us.
480.4 τετραγωνικὴν διάστασιν. The notion of a quartile distance apparently derives from
astrology and originally pertains to zodiacal signs that are separated by three zodiacal signs
or 90°: cf. Geminus, Intro. ast. 2.16–26; Ptolemy, Tetrabib. 1.13.
480.4 διχότοµος ὁρᾶται (it is seen as halved): that is, as bisected or at the (first) quarter.
46 480.5 µέχρι τῆς διαµέτρου. This term may have an astrological nuance as well: cf. Gemi-
nus, Intro. ast. 2.2–6; Ptolemy, Tetrabib. 1.13.

47 480.8: see Figure 11.01, p. 182. For an even fuller account of the lunar phases along the
same lines, see Cleomedes, Cael. 2.5 [Bowen and Todd 2004, 145–149].
whereas, in the case of a lentil-shaped [Moon], the shape of the illumination

would turn out to be different since there is a little bulge in the middle.48 [15]
Next, he introduces another proof also from astronomy, namely, ‘that the
eclipses of the Sun would not be crescent-shaped’49 as they are now seen [to
be], unless the Moon which comes beneath it were spherical. Certainly, it
has been proven that, when a sphere is obscured by a sphere, the sections
[of the sphere obscured] are of this sort.50 But never in fact do other rounded [20]
[objects], such as drum-shaped and lentil-shaped [bodies], produce sec-
tions that are crescent-shaped when they cover [a sphere].51 Indeed, if it
is posited that they move about their own centers, drum-shaped or lentil-
shaped [bodies] will no longer produce sections at every position.52
48 480.10–15: see Figures 11.02 and 11.03, pp. 184, 185 with Comment 11.02, pp.218–219.
49 480.16–17: see De caelo 291b21–22.
50 480.17–19: see Comment 11.03, pp. 219–220.
51 480.19–21: see Comment 11.04, pp. 220–221.
52 480.21 εἰ: Simplicius maintains that heavenly bodies rotate [see Comment 11.05 p. 221].
480.23–24 τὰς ἀποτοµάς. Heiberg, followed by Mueller [2005, 20 and n52], suggests «τοιαύ-
τας τὰς ἀποτοµὰς» (‘sections of this kind’). As Figures 11.02 [p. 184], and 11.03 [p. 185] show, both
the drum-shaped and lentil-shaped Moons have full phases, but only the lentil-shaped Moon
has any sections at all (dichotomy and a brief gibbous phase). In either case, if we suppose
Simplicius to understand that the Moon completes one rotation about its axis in the time of
one revolution about the Earth (so that one always sees the ‘Man in the Moon’ [see Comment
11.05, p. 221]), it is plainly true that the Moon would not have sections at every position. So
the text needs no emendation.
291b24–292a18
Since there are two problems1 habout which anyone might reasonably be
at a loss, we should try to state the apparent [solution], bearing in mind
that eagerness amounts more to respect than to rashness2 if someone
on account of his thirst for philosophy welcomes even small advances in
matters about which we have the greatest problems.
Of such [problems] (which are numerous) not least astounding is why3
the [bodies] which are more distant from the first motion do not always
perform more motions, but why the ones in between [perform] the most
motions. Certainly, it would seem reasonable4 that, since the first body
performs one motion, the body nearest it perform the least number of
motions, for example, two, and the next [body] three, or some other such
ordering [of motions]. But, as it is, the opposite is the case, since the Sun
and Moon perform fewer motions than some of the wandering stars; and
yet [these wandering stars] are farther from the center [of the cosmos]
and nearer the first body than they. (This has become clear in some cases
even to sight.5 That is to say, we have seen the Moon when it was halved6 as
it came under the star of Mars (which was in fact hidden at [the Moon’s]
dark side and came out on the bright, radiant side).7 And the Egyptians
and Babylonians, who have long made observations over a very great
number of years and from whom we have many reports about each of the
heavenly bodies, say similar things about the other [wandering] stars.)8
1 480.24: De caelo 291b24 ∆υοῖν δ’ ἀποριαῖν οὐσαῖν [Moraux 1965, 80]. This is the reading of
the lemma found in one family of mss of Simplicius’ commentary that Heiberg regards highly.
Still, he prefers the «∆υοῖν δ’ ἀποριῶν οὐσῶν» found in A, the primary ms. [1894, v].
2 De caelo 291b25: «ἀξίαν» with genitive (lit. ‘worth as much as’, ‘equal in worth to’).
Cf. Grosseteste’s ‘verecundia dignum esse existimantes desiderium magis quam audacia’
[Bossier n.d.a, 156.3–4].
3 De caelo 291b29 [cf. 292a10–11] διὰ τίνα ποτ’ αἰτίαν: lit. ‘for whatever reason’.
4 De caelo 291b31: see 97n5.
5 De caelo 292a3: scil. that the Sun and Moon are nearest the center of the cosmos, the
Earth.
6 De caelo 292a4 διχότοµον: see 479.10–23.
7 De caelo 292a5, 6: «κατὰ» with accusative (on/at something): cf. 481.11. Mueller [2005,
20–21] has ‘by’ and ‘from’. The Moon is halved at what we call the First and Second Quarters;
it has come ‘beneath’ Mars when it is between Mars and the observer.
8 De caelo 292a7–9 ἀστέρας … ἄστρων: on the translation of these terms, see Comment
10.02, pp. 201–202.

One might quite rightly raise this as a problem, as well as [the problem]
why there is so great a multitude of heavenly bodies in the first motion that
their entire ordering seems to be uncountable, whereas each of the other
[heavenly bodies] is one by itself and there are not observed two or more
fixed in the same motion.
About these [matters], then, it is good to seek even greater understanding,
although we have little to start with and are at such a great distance from
what takes place concerning them. Nevertheless,i the problem now raised
should not seem [to us] anything unreasonable9 hif we make our study
from the following sorts of [starting points].i
[480.26] He proposes two remaining problems about the heavenly bodies which
are really quite intractable.10 The first of them is like this: ‘Given that the
fixed [sphere] performs one motion, why does what is closest to it, namely,
the sphere of Saturn, not perform the least number of motions, say, two,
and the one after that three [motions] or [motions determined] according
[30] to some other proportional ordering of numbers, so that the [wandering
stars] which are farther [from the sphere of the fixed stars] always per-
[481.1] form more motions?’ Instead, the opposite occurs. For the Sun and Moon,
which are lower than the others—he too in fact hypothesizes that the Sun
is proximately above the Moon, just as Plato did as well—‘perform fewer
motions than some of the wandering stars’.11 (Actually, among the wander-
[5] ing [stars], the motion of the Sun is the simplest and that of the Moon is
simpler than the rest.)12 And yet the higher [wandering stars], which are
farther from the center and nearer the fixed [sphere]—which he calls first
9 480.24 ἂν ἄλογον εἶναι δόξειε: the better mss of De caelo have «ἄλογον ἂν δόξειεν εἶναι» [cf.
Moraux 1965, 81].

10 480.26 ἀπορωτάτας (most intractable): lit. ‘most problematic’ [cf. 482.5]. Yet Aristotle
is moved to raise them because they follow readily from what precedes. After all, De caelo
2.9, with its critical discussion of the Pythagorean notion of cosmic ἁρµονία, broaches the
more general question of the existence of proportionality in the distances and motions of
the planetary bodies; and 2.10 addresses this more general question in earnest. The novelty
in 2.12 is the allowance that each planet has more than two motions.
11 481.3: cf. Plato, Resp. 616e8–617a1; Tim. 38c7–d2.
481.3–4: cf. De caelo 291b35–292a1. See Comment 12.01, pp. 223–224.

12 481.4–5: if the simplicity in question here concerns varieties of characteristic motion,
Simplicius may simply be supposing that the Sun has a simple direct motion in longitude,
that the Moon has a simple direct motion in longitude, a motion in latitude, as well as a
nodal motion [495.10–13: see Comment 12.16, pp. 265–266], and that the five planets have
in addition to a motion in latitude a more complex motion in longitude that is punctuated
by stations and retrogradations. Alternatively, he may be indicating the sort of modified
Eudoxan homocentric theory that Easterling [1961] describes: see Comment 12.01, pp. 223–
224.
body13—should have motions that are simpler than [those] of the Sun and
the Moon. (He also proves that the Moon is lower than the rest from its
reported occultings,14 of which he says that he personally has seen one,
the occulting of Mars: for he states that, when [the Moon] was halved, it [10]
came under the [star] of Mars and that [Mars] was hidden at [the Moon’s]
dark side and came out at its bright side15—so that [the Moon] was halved
as it waxed.16 But, whereas he personally watched this, the Egyptians and
Babylonians have observed the same thing occurring with the other [wan-
dering] stars as well (that is, with those that are higher), so that many [15]
of their observations of each of the [wandering] stars have been handed
down.17)
Next, he also introduces the second problem18—‘why there is so great
a multitude of stars in the fixed [sphere] that it seems to be uncountable,
whereas in each of the spheres beneath it there is not observed more than one
star present’. And, then, looking to the danger of his inquiry and reckoning [20]
that it is formidable because of the magnitude of the problems, he offers
encouragement by saying,19 ‘It is good, then, to inquire about these matters
and20 to receive or, rather, to seek after, even greater understanding’.21
13 481.6–7: cf. De caelo 292a2.

14 481.9 ἐκ τῶν … αὐτῆς ὑποδροµῶν: lit. ‘from its passages under’ [cf. Mueller 2005, 21], but
this is unnecessarily ambiguous. Simplicius is thinking of the phenomenon of occultation
and not just the coincidence of the Moon and some other planet in longitude. See Comment
10.06, pp. 205–206.
15 481.10–12: cf. De caelo 292a3–6. See also Aristotle, Meteor. 343b30–32 (Aristotle reports
Jupiter’s occultation of a star in the constellation Gemini). See Comment 12.02, pp. 224–225.
16 481.11: that is, the Moon was at First Quarter.
17 481.14–15 ὡς … παραδεδόσθαι. Simplicius rightly presents the Babylonian observations
as an institutional program, one that was in fact remarkably long-lived. The existence of such
a program of Egyptian observation is substantially less clear, and so one must wonder what
exactly Simplicius has in mind (if anything more than just what Aristotle writes). Mueller
[2005, 21] has ‘as has been conveyed by many of their observations concerning each star’, but
this strains the syntax.
Cf. Aristotle, De caelo 292a7–9 and Meteor. 343b28–30 with [Plato], Epin. 987a1–6. See
Comment 12.03, pp. 225–226.
18 481.16: cf. De caelo 292a10–14.
481.16–24: see fr. 157b in Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.287–290.

19 481.20–21: παραµυθεῖται: this might also mean ‘offers reassurance (or even consolation)’.
Cf. Grosseteste’s ‘mitigat’ [Bossier n.d.a, 157.3] and Moerbeke’s ‘consolatur’ [Bossier n.d.b,
487.4].
20 481.21 Heiberg has «περὶ µὲν δὴ …», but notes that «µέν» is omitted in Karsten’s edition:
Moraux 1965, 81 ad 292a14 reports that «µέν» is found in some mss of the De caelo.
21 481.21–22: cf. De caelo 292a14–15. This is a paraphrase, not a proper quotation.
In fact, Alexander thinks that the thought is rather elliptical at this [point]
because what is added to it [in what follows] seems to be more fitting.22 But
[25] perhaps the thought has not been stated elliptically, since Aristotle was not
used to expressing his meaning in an elliptical fashion, even if he was given
to abbreviated discourse. Rather, he means that those who are especially
intelligent, not just anybody, should investigate matters of this sort and not
shrink back, ‘even if they have little to start with concerning them and stand
apart from what happens concerning them in more than spatial distance’,
as he said elsewhere.23 Nevertheless, even if this is the case, on the basis
[30] of the arguments to be stated, the problem raised now should not seem
unreasonable.
292a18–b10
But we hconceivei [of the heavenly bodies] as [we do] of mere bodies only,24
hthat is, as [we do] of units which have order but are utterly without soul;
whereas we should form our understanding on the assumption that they
share in action and life, since in this way what follows will not seem at all
unreasonable.25
For the good seems to belong without action to what is in the best state;
to what is nearest [this], through a single, slight action; and to things
farther [ from this], through many actions. Likewise, in the case of the
body, one [body] is well, though it does not exercise; another [is well] by
walking short distances; but for another there is in fact a need of running,
wrestling, and exercise in the arena;26 and again for another, however
many things it works at, this good will still not belong to it, but something
else.27 For succeeding either at many things or often is difficult, just as it
is impossible to throw 10,000 ‘Chian’ knucklebones but easier [to throw]
22 481.22–24: Moerbeke has ‘in hoc enim sermonem magis deficere putat Alexander quia
quod superfertur huic magis correspondens esse videtur’ [Bossier n.d.b, 487.7–9]. See Com-
ment 12.04, pp. 226–227.
23 481.28: cf. De caelo 292a15–17. See, e.g., De part. an. 644b22–645a5, where Aristotle
emphasizes our difference in nature from the celestial bodies, and De caelo 286a3–7. Cf.
Falcon 2008, 85–112.
24 482.1 µόνον αὐτῶν: Moraux [1965, 81] prints «αὐτῶν µόνον». These readings as well as
«µόνων αὐτῶν» and «αὐτῶν µόνων» are found in the mss of both Simplicius’ text and the De
caelo.
25 De caelo 292a14–18: this passage has occasioned controversy. See, e.g., Elders 1966, 234–
235; Leggatt 1995, 248–249; and Comment 12.05, pp. 227–229.

26 De caelo 292a26 κονίσεως: lit. ‘a workout in the dust’. Cf. 482.30–483.2.
27 Cf. De caelo 292a15–17.
one or two.28 And again, when one must do [A] for the sake of [B] and
[B] for the sake of [C] and [C] for the sake of [D], it is easy to succeed in
one or two [steps] but more difficult to the degree that it is through more
[steps].
This is why we must hold that the action of the heavenly bodies is in fact
of the same sort as the [action] of animals and plants. Indeed, down here,
the actions of man are greatest in number, since [man] can attain many
goods, so that he does many things ( for the sake of other things too). (What
is as good as possible has no need at all of action, since it is itself its goal;
whereas action always depends on two [ factors] since there is both that
for the sake of which [there is action] and what is for the sake of this.29 )
But, [the actions] of the other animals are fewer in number; whereas there
is perhaps some slight and single [action] of plants, since there is either
some one [good] which they can attain just as man also doesi or there are
in fact many [goods] all conducive to the best.30
His remarks up to now have concerned the two problems. From this point, [482.3]
he sets out for the solution of the former and states first the reason why [5]
the argument seems quite intractable, namely, that [this is] not due to the
object of inquiry but to those making the inquiry. That is to say, we consider
the problem unsolvable because we conceive of the heavenly [bodies] as
[we conceive] ‘of mere bodies’ without souls, that is, as it were, as [we do]
of numerical ‘units’ which have only position in relation to one another
28 De caelo 292a29 ἀστραγάλους. In a note prefacing his translation of this lemma, Gros-
seteste draws on the Suda and writes:

I have found it written as follows in an authentic presentation of parts of Greek which
are in rare use:
According to customary speech, an astragalos is both the vertebra of the neck and a
[small stone] for gambling, but a plant [scil. milk vetch] is also called thus. Further,
what Balthasar, the son of Nabugodonosor [scil. Nabuchodonosor], saw on a facing
wall while reclining during a dinner as the finger-joint [probably not ‘wrist’] of a
human hand writing in Hebrew things which no one could understand is called an
astragalos. But when he summoned Daniel and asked that this be interpreted for
him, Daniel said to him, ‘The finger-joint that you saw belongs to the hand of the
living God and it has written that [‘quoniam’ for «ὅτι» (‘that’)]. He has measured
and brought your rule to its completion.’ On hearing this, therefore, Balthasar was
distressed; and after a short while he was killed by Darius the Mede. [Bossier n.d.a,
157.16–28: cf. Adler 1928–1938, 1.392]
See 126n46.
29 De caelo 292b6–7: viz., a goal and a means to this goal [cf. Moraux 1965, 82]. Mueller
[2005, 22] mistakenly takes «ἐν δυσίν» to mean ‘of two kinds’ rather signifying dependency
on two items, and misconstrues what follows.
30 See De gen. an. 731a24–26, where Aristotle maintains that the only function and action
of plants is to produce seed.

and are ‘utterly without soul’.31 And, certainly, it would be unsolvable if they
[10] were so, given that from [such bodies] no starting point for a solution is
found. But we must think of [the heavenly bodies] as though living things
possessing a rational soul so that they share in both action and an active
life, since we apply ‘doing’ both in the case of irrational souls and in the
case of bodies without souls but predicate ‘acting’ characteristically32 in
the case of rational souls. Thus, if we think of them as being so, what
[15] follows for the motions of the heavenly [bodies] should not seem contrary
to reason.
Certainly, inasmuch as these [bodies] are active and every action comes
to be through motion for the sake of the good, it is clear that, in the case
of what is in the best state,33 namely, what is either good itself or united
essentially to the good itself like the Prime Mover—the highly esteemed
[20] Intellect34 is of this sort—these things35 are and have the good apart from
action and motion.36 Or, as he himself says, in one [sense, what is in the
best state] has [the good] and, in another, it shares in [the good] proxi-
mately.37
[It is also clear] that the good belongs to what is nearest [what is in
the best state] through a slight, single motion, just as it does to the fixed
[sphere]; and that [the good belongs] to those that are farther away through
a greater number [of motions], as it does to the planets. And [it is clear
too] that some [heavenly bodies] cannot even attain that [good] immedi-
ately but are content to approach those that do attain [the good], just as the
31 482.6–8: an instructive paraphrase of De caelo 292a18–20. Note that Aristotle’s «τάξις»
(‘order’) is rendered by ‘position (τάξις) in relation to one another’. Mueller takes the conjunc-
tion «ὡς» to mean ‘as if’: but note Simplicius’ «ὡς γὰρ περὶ σωµάτων … οὕτω περὶ τῶν οὐρανίων
διανοούµενοι» and see Comment 12.05, pp. 227–229.
482.8: «τὸ πάµπαν», instead of just «πάµπαν» at De caelo 292a20 [see Moraux 1965, 81].
32 482.13 ἰδίως: scil. ‘exclusively’.
33 482.17 τῷ ἄριστα ἔχοντι (what is in the best state, what is best): not ‘things which possess
the best’ [Mueller 2005, 23, 24, and n78]: cf. Smyth 1971, §1438.
34 482.19 πολυτίµητος: an epithet used in addressing divinities. Simplicius identifies what
is in the best state (292a22, 292b5–7) with the Intellect which is treated as a divinity or god:
cf. Easterling 1961, 150–152; Leggatt 1995, 250.
35 482.19 «ταῦτα» (not «τοῦτο») produces a mild asyndeton. Grosseteste [Bossier n.d.a,
159.22] and Moerbeke [Bossier n.d.b, 491.2] have ‘haec’.

36 482.20: the point is not that these things are without action and possess the good [so
Mueller 2005, 23], but that they both are the good and possess the good without action or
motion.
37 482.20–21: cf. De caelo 292b10 (‘Thus, the one has and shares in the best …’). Simplicius
attempts to read Aristotle in support of the point just made about what is in the best state:
note «ἤ, ὡς αὐτός φησι». Mueller [2005, 23 ‘Or, as he says, one thing has it and another shares
in it directly’] overlooks the connection.
Earth does and is for this reason immobile, or [just as]38 the whole [region] [25]
beneath the Moon too, given that [motion] in a straight line is in fact char-
acteristic of imperfect beings, whereas fire and the upper air have circular
motion in common with the heavens.39
Next, he says, using the body and its health as an example, one body
(which is analogous to what is immobile)40 is well even apart from its having
exercised because of its being structured in the best way. ‘Another’ [body]
(which he compared to the fixed [sphere]) [is well] ‘by walking short dis-
tances’.41 And for another [body], there is need of a greater number of exer- [30]
cises for being healthy, say, running and wrestling, that is, athletic training
in wrestling (‘a workout in the dust’ is like this because wrestling moves are [483.1]
practised in the dust).42 This one is taken as analogous to a wandering [star].
But, to [a body] disposed in an extreme state ([a body] which he has likened
to [the region] beneath the Moon), the unmixed benefit of health does not
belong however many things it works at, since it cannot share in the divine [5]
Goodness immediately and because of this does not move by itself.43
But, perceiving that the argument is still inadequate—in other words,
that he has not stated the reason for the distinction in what wanders,
namely, why the Sun and the Moon perform fewer motions while the upper
wandering [stars perform] more44—he fills in what is missing by saying that [10]
objects more worthy of honor do more things because of their being ‘able to
attain many good things’,45 and that it is more fitting for them to succeed at
38 482.24 ἢ: Heiberg prints «ᾗ». But Moerbeke has ‘aut’ [Bossier n.d.a, 491.9] and Gros-
seteste has ‘vel’ [Bossier n.d.ba, 159.28].

39 482.24–26: Mueller [2005, 23] overlooks the use of «εἰµί» with the genitive to indicate
the nature or the characteristics of the substantive in the genitive case [see Smyth 1971,
§1304].
Simplicius is addressing Aristotle’s assertion at De caelo 292b19–20 that the Earth (ὅλως)
does not move. Cf. De caelo 277b12–24 and 4.4. The assertion [Meteor. 344a8–13] that fire and
the upper air move in a circle in common with the heavens has proven troublesome given
the De caelo’s contention that aether is the only simple body that moves in a circle when it is
in its natural place. [cf. Hoffman 1987, 76–83].
40 482.28 τῷ ἀκινήτῳ: scil. the Prime Mover.
41 482.29–30: cf. De caelo 292a25–26.
42 483.1 κόνισις: cf. De caelo 292a26.
43 483.4–6: in point of fact, Aristotle likens such a body to the Earth [cf. De caelo 292b15–
20].
44 483.8–9: the Latin version of Themistius’ paraphrase [Landauer 1902, 120.8–16: cf.
119.38–120.4] asserts that the planets have their number of motions in proportion to their
distance from the fixed sphere, which is hardly consistent with the terms of the first ἀπορία
[but see 119.12–15].
45 483.10 (De caelo 292b3–4). Note «δύνασθαι» in an articular infinitive construction
instead of «δύναται». Aristotle does not actually say this, but it is a credible inference from
what he does say.
many things or many times, which is in fact very difficult. (Not only is it hard,
say, for a knucklebone player ‘to throw 10,000 Chian or Coan knucklebones’—
[15] it is written thus, as if knucklebones are large in both islands—it is in fact
impossible; but ‘one or two is rather easy’.)46 But this is in fact fitting for
those who are stronger, I mean, attaining the most complete good through a
greater number [of actions]—for instance, if it were necessary to do [A] for
the sake of [B] and [B] for the sake of [C] and [C] for the sake of [D], as [it
is] necessary to learn one’s letters with a view to being able to engage in the
sciences and [to do] this with a view to practicing philosophy and [to do]
this with a view to assimilating to the divine.47 Certainly, ‘it is easy’ also for
[20] the weaker ‘to succeed in one or two [steps] but more difficult to the degree that
it is through more [steps]’.48 Thus, among living things that are generated,49
as the actions of man are greatest in number because man can attain many
goods (given that, for his part, he does many things, both managing them for
the sake of other things and referring their benefit to himself),50 so one must
46 483.13 (De caelo 292a29) ἢ Κῴους. The better mss for the De caelo have «Χίους» [cf.
Moraux 1965, 82], but «Κῴους» as well as «Χίους ἢ Κῴους» are attested. For an account of
these various readings and Simplicius’ text, see Moraux 1954, 158–159. Grossteste [Bossier
n.d.a, 160.20–21] has ‘Kios … vel Choos’; Moerbeke [Bossier n.d.b, 494.3], ‘Chios … vel Koos’.
483.13 γράφεται … οὕτως: Simplicius signals a textual remark [cf. Rescigno 2004–2008,
1.677].
483.13 (De caelo 292a30). The knucklebones (ἀστράγαλοι) were four in number, each
marked on four of its six surfaces—two opposed surfaces had no value presumably because
neither could support the knucklebone. The flat surface (τὸ χῖον) had the value 1; the concave
surface, 3; the convex surface, 4; and the irregular surface (τὸ κῷον), 6 [cf. Longo 1962, 329–
330; Moraux 1965, 161; Leggatt 1995, 249]. The shape of the knucklebones was such that it was
easier to roll four 1s than four 6s [cf. Elders 1966, 236]—hence, presumably, the difference
in value. Simplicius’ remark about the size of the knucklebones from Chios and Cos is
misleading: Aristotle is surely thinking of the difficulty of attaining a particular outcome a
very great number of times in succession.
47 483.17–19: Simplicius is here describing the program of learning and study in the late
Athenian and Alexandrian Academies, the goal of which was salvation by assimilation to the
divine (ὁµοιώσις πρὸς τὸ θεῖον) [cf. Wildberg 1999, 117].
48 483.20–21: cf. De caelo 292a32–b1.
49 483.21 ἐν τοῖς γενητοῖς ζῴοις. Scil. living beings unlike the heavenly bodies which are
eternal and not generated (in time).

50 483.23–24: there seems to be a tension in Aristotle’s analysis between a thing’s having a
great number of possible ends and a thing’s having complex ends, that is, ends that are to be
reached by a series of subsumed ends each of which conduces to the ultimate end. Though
the two need not be the same [cf. Sharples 1976], Simplicius seems to reduce the thesis about
the greater number of actions and goods available to man (and hence, man’s superiority to
the other animals) to a claim about the greater complexity of human action. Whether this
is right depends in part on how one interprets De caelo 292b2–4. Certainly, what is relevant
to Aristotle’s argument in 2.12 is the issue of the complexity of motion [cf. Landauer 1902,
120.16–38].
hold as well that the action of the [wandering] stars (that is, their motion) is [25]
many times more various than the [motion of the] others51 in comparison,
because of their being able to attain a greater number of goods. And man
too is more worthy of honor than other living things by virtue of his doing a
greater number of things.
The argument in its entirety would be as follows: if [bodies] performing a
greater number of motions are worthier of honor, they perform a greater
number of motions because of their succeeding at a greater number of
things; but if [they are] inferior, [they perform a greater number of motions]
because of their being unable to attain the best through a simple motion.52 [30]
Consequently, even if opposites should belong to the same things and the
same things to opposites, we will not be at a loss for a solution but will
assign the reasons fittingly to the things [in question].53 Thus, Aristotle says
these things without reconciling them to the dignity of the gods.54 Certainly,
the argument is insecure; but it is one that provides the starting points of a [484.1]
solution, according to which we shall not be amazed both if what is more
worthy of honor should be less active and if what is inferior should be less
active.55
After saying of man that he does many things, that is, so [very] many
things as he acts for the sake of other things as well,56 lest anyone suppose
that this is the best [Aristotle] supplied ‘what is perhaps in the best state has [5]
no need at all of action’57 and added the reason, rather the entire proof in
fact, when he said that what is in the best state is that for which being this
thing is being that for the sake of which [it is].58 Certainly, the best is the
goal of all things, that is, that for the sake of which all things are; and what
acts is something else besides that for the sake of which [it acts]. In fact, [10]
he supplied the explanation of this premise again when he said, ‘for action
51 483.25 ἄλλων παρ’ ἄλλα (scil. the fixed stars).

52 483.28–30: on the form of the condition, see Smyth 1971, §2359.
53 483.30–32: all the planets are inferior to the fixed stars in that they require more motions
to attain the good.

54 483.32–484.1: that is, without saying which wandering stars are inferior or superior to
one another in the current sense of these terms. Mueller [2005, 24] takes «διαιτῶν τῇ ἀξίᾳ τῶν
θεῶν» to mean ‘judging the worth of the gods’, thus misconstruing the function of the dative.
Cf. Moerbeke’s ‘non irreverens dignitati deorum’ [Bossier n.d.b, 496.9].
55 484.1–2: e.g., the celestial sphere and the Sun (or Moon), respectively.
56 484.4: see De caelo 292b2–4.
57 484.5 (De caelo 292b4–5): note ἴσως—note Moerbeke’s ‘forte autem optime habenti
nihil opus est …’ [Bossier n.d.b, 497.5]—rather than «ὡς» [see Moraux 1965, 82].
58 484.6–7 (De caelo 292b5–6): Mueller [2005, 24] construes «τὸ εἶναι» as ‘the essence’,
but in both occurrences it is simply a verbal noun meaning ‘being’, which is qualified by a
predicate.
depends on two [ factors] since there is both that for the sake of which [there is
action] and what is for the sake of this’.59 For, if everything that acts does what
it does on account of a desire of the good, the good would be one thing and
what acts another. Thus, he infers in the second figure60 that what is in the
best state has no need of action, since what is in the best state is that for the
sake of which [there is action] and what acts is not that for the sake of which
[it acts].
[15] And, after stating the [qualities] of the best by way of a middle [term],
he attaches to what has been said before of man ‘and, what is more, [the
actions] of the other animals are fewer in number’61 and what comes next [in
the text].
He calls the action of plants, that is, the action concerning nutriment,
‘slight’ and ‘single, perhaps’62 on the ground that they are not able to succeed
[20] in many [things]. (He has called the activity of the plant an ‘action’ in its
more common sense, since in the strict sense at least action is activity
according to reason.)63 But what comes next, ‘since there is either some one
[good] which they can attain’,64 he would surely say not of plants65 but of
agents in general, because either there is one particular thing set forth for
the agent which it can attain (just as man in fact [can attain] one of the
rather great number of things set forth for him), or, if there is actually not
[25] one thing but [if] the things set forth are greater in number (as in fact they
are for man), then ‘these many things are conducive to the best’66 by virtue of
the fact that all the other things incline to that [best thing] and are chosen
because of it. But ‘there is either some one [good]’ can also be applied in the
case of plants when it is explicated in relation to ‘there is perhaps some slight
and single [action]’67 and means that either a plant does indeed have one
59 484.10–11 (De caelo 292b6–7) ἡ γὰρ πρᾶξις ἐν δυσίν: note Moerbeke’s ‘actio enim in
duobus’ [Bossier n.d.b, 498.1]. Moraux [1965, 82] prints «ἡ δὲ πρᾶξις ἀεί ἐστιν ἐν δυσίν» (‘for
action always depends on two [factors]’).
60 484.12–13: see An. pr. 1.5.
61 484.16 (De caelo 292b7) καὶ δὴ καὶ τῶν: the mss of the De caelo have only «τῶν δ᾽» [see
Moraux 1965, 82].

62 484.19–20: see De caelo 292b8.
63 484.20–21: cf. 482.12–14.
64 484.21: see De caelo 292b8–9.
65 484.22–485.2: as Elders [1966, 238] points out, there is reason to doubt that De caelo
292b8–10 actually concern plants. Elders proposes that Aristotle is thinking of the heavenly
bodies again [cf. 292b1].
66 484.26–27 τὰ πολλὰ ταῦτα πρὸ ὁδοῦ ἐστι πρὸς τὸ ἄριστον: cf. De caelo 292b9–10. Moraux
[1965, 83] has «τὰ πολλὰ πάντα πρὸ ὁδοῦ ἐστι πρὸς τὸ ἄριστον».
67 484.27–28: see De caelo 292b8.
particular good which it can attain (just as man also [attains] each of the [30]
many goods that are his own), or, if a plant’s goods seem to be many as
well—say, feeding, growing in size, begetting [new plants]—all these are [485.1]
conducive to its single, most complete good, [a good] which is restricted in
relation to the human [good].
292b10–25
Thus, one [body] has or shares in the best,68 hwhereas another arrives at
it69 through a few [actions] and another through more [actions]; another,
however, does not even try but is competent70 to arrive at what is near
the ultimate [good]. For example, if health is the goal, then one [body]
is always healthy; another [is healthy] after it has lost weight;71 another,
after it has run and lost weight; and another after it has done something
else in fact for the sake of running so that its motions are more numerous;
whereas another is unable to arrive at being healthy but only at running
or losing weight and one or other of these is the goal for [these bodies]. Of
course, it is best by far for all things to attain the former goal;72 otherwise, it
is always better [ for them] to the degree that they are nearer what is best.
In fact, for this reason, the Earth does not move at all and the [bod-
ies] nearby73 perform a few motions, since they do not arrive at the ulti-
mate [good] but up to the [degree] which they can attain the most divine
principle. The first heaven attains [this principle] directly through a sin-
gle motion. And the [bodies] between the first [heaven] and the [bodies]
farthest [ from it]i arrive hat [this principle], but do [so]i through more
motions.74
68 De caelo 292b10: the Latin version of Themistius’ paraphrase makes very clear that,
for Aristotle, this best is not absolute but is defined in relation to intentions and aims [cf.
Landauer 1902, 121.6 and 8–9].
69 De caelo 292b11 ἀφικνεῖται: the mss have «ἀφικνεῖται ἐγγύς» (‘arrive near’) [cf. Gros-
seteste’s ‘attingit propinque’ [Bossier n.d.a, 162.27]], but Moraux [1965, 83] deletes «ἐγγύς»,
which attenuates the point and does not appear subsequently in Aristotle’s discussion, and
notes that Simplicius [485.22] has only «ἀφικνεῖται» [cf. Moerbeke’s ‘hoc autem per paucos
motus pertingit ad sui ipsius finem’ [Bossier n.d.b, 503.7–8]]. Stocks has conjectured «ἀφικνεῖ-
ται εὐθύς» (‘arrives directly’), perhaps because of its occurrence at 292b23 and in Simplicius’
commentary [487.4]. Cf., e.g., Allan 1955, ad 292b11.
70 De caelo 292b12 ἱκανόν.
71 De caelo 292b14 ἰσχνανθέν: lit. ‘after it has been reduced’. Cf. Grosseteste’s ‘attenuatum’
(‘made thin or slender’) [Bossier n.d.a, 163.1].

72 De caelo 292b18: scil. what is best.
73 De caelo 292b20: scil. the Sun and Moon.
74 De caelo 292b24: scil. the Sun and Moon [cf. 291b29–292a3].
De caelo 292b25 κινήσεων [Moraux 1965, 83]. Heiberg [485.4] follows A and prints «τῶν
κινήσεων»; other mss omit «τῶν».
[485.5] After stating that we should think of the heavenly bodies as [we do] of
living and active [things] rather than as [we do] of things without soul,75
and after supplying the distinctions between agents,76 [Aristotle] reaches
[the goal] set forth by explicating the solution of the problem that has
been raised—as Alexander says, by using what was mentioned first for
explicating the reason [why the planetary motions are distributed as they
are], namely, the fact that, whereas for those things which are best there
[10] is no need of action, for some things [there is need] of a slight [action] in
order to attain the best, and for others [there is need] of a greater [action].
Perhaps [Aristotle] also links up the second distinction, the one bringing
to light [the fact] that a slight motion is not always better but is in fact
sometimes worse than a greater [motion].77 Thus, he says that neither the
first nor the last of the things that are has need of action—the last, because
[15] it does not reach its goal proximately and the first, because it is not distinct
from the good but has [the good] in accordance with its own being, that
is, shares in it.78 (In fact, he could be applying ‘having’79 to the Goodness
that is beyond Being, that is, to the One, and ‘sharing’80 to the Intellect that
is unified proximately with the Good or has a share in it. For a thing that
presents [an attribute] in accordance with its own being is said to have
[that attribute], whereas a thing that takes [the attribute] from another is
[20] said to share [the attribute].81 Certainly, that Aristotle actually has in mind
something beyond Intellect and Being is clear when he says plainly in the
closing parts of his book, On Prayer, that God is either Intellect or in fact
something beyond Intellect.82)
75 485.5–6: scil. ὡς διανοούµεθα περὶ …. Cf. De caelo 292a18–22 and Comment 12.05, pp. 227–
229.
485.5–10: see fr. 158a (Alexander) in Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.290.
76 485.6–7: cf. De caelo 292a22–b10.
77 485.10–12: see Comment 12.06, pp. 229–230.
78 485.12–16: cf. De caelo 292b10–13.
79 485.16: cf. De caelo 292b10.
485.16–22: Simplicius is here interpreting Aristotle through the lens of later Platonic
thought.
80 485.17: cf. De caelo 292b10.
81 485.18–19: the subjects of the two limbs of this sentence are «τὸ … προβεβληµένον» and
«τὸ … λαµβάνον», and not «τὸ ἕν» and «ὁ νοῦς» as Mueller [2005, 26] would have it. Simplicius
is making a lexical point.
82 485.21 τοῦ Περὶ εὐχῆς βιβλίου. There is doubt that there ever was such a work by Aristotle:
see Rist 1985 for a reconstruction of the history of this ‘text’. For a discussion of passages in
which Aristotle mentions prayer (εὐχή), see Mayhew 2007.
485.21–22: see Ross 1955, 57.
One thing arrives through a slight number of motions at its own goal. But
the goal is twofold: in one sense, it is what is the best of all things and the
most complete; in the other, it is more particular.83 Slight motion is also
twofold: in one sense, it is as [a motion] that comprehends the multitude of [25]
motions even in itself and, because of this, attains the goal that is common
and total; in the other, it is [a motion] that is part of the many and, because
of this, is aimed at a particular [good]. It is also clear that the former [kind of
slight motion] is better than many motions, while the latter [kind of slight
motion] is inferior. Consequently, what attains its goal through a greater
number of actions (that is, activities) would be a mean for what [attains its
goal] through a few actions.
And, because of this, the problem is solved, [I mean the problem,] ‘Why, [30]
given that the fixed [sphere] performs a single motion, do the [heavenly
bodies] that are farther from it (the Sun and the Moon) perform fewer
motions than the [bodies] that are higher and nearer the fixed sphere, [486.1]
whereas these [intermediate bodies] perform a greater number [of mo-
tions]?’ [The answer,] he says, [is] that, some of the [heavenly bodies]
which perform a few motions are better than those which perform a greater
number [of motions] and some are inferior. And which [of the two], and in
which way, has been stated. But the last [body]84 does not even try to attain
its goal immediately. This is why it does not even move, but it is enough for [5]
it to come to what is near its goal.85
Next, after clarifying what has been said through the example of health
in which he presents ‘losing weight’ as becoming trim,86 and after saying that
attaining the most complete goal is best, otherwise, [it is attaining] what is
as near as possible to that [goal],87 he finally adapts what has been set out to
what has been said by passing from the last to the first and then including [10]
those in between.88
83 485.24 µερικώτερον: Grosseteste [Bossier n.d.a, 164.8] has ‘particularius’, but Moerbeke
[Bossier n.d.b, 503.10] has the superlative ‘partialissimus’ (‘most particular’).

84 486.3–4: scil. the Earth.
85 486.5 εἰς τὸ ἐγγὺς τοῦ τέλους: scil. some lesser good. Cf. 486.19–487.3.
86 486.7 τὸ ἰσχνανθῆναι: see De caelo 292b14.
486.7 (De caelo 292b13–17): ἀπέριττον: lit. ‘without excess parts’.

87 486.7–9: see De caelo 292b17–19.
88 486.9–10: cf. Landauer 1902, 121.24–27
et quemadmodum in his, ita etiam in caelestibus corporibus haec conspiciuntur, atque

eo magis, quo primo principio propriora extiterint. in hoc autem Aristoteles eo usque
sermonem protelavit, quo usque ad speculationem terrae pervenerit.
In other words, he says, ‘for this reason the Earth does not move at all’89—
not because it has its immobility for the same reason that the good (that
is, its goal) [has immobility]. For, while [the good] was that for the sake of
which moving objects move and had no need to move to itself,90 the Earth
(being farthest [from the fixed sphere]) does not by nature share in [the
[15] good] immediately; instead, by coming close (as it can) to those which do
share in [the good] proximately, it also shares in [the good].
The [heavenly bodies] near the Earth perform a slight number of motions
because they do not arrive at the ultimate goal (that is, the first and utterly
complete Good) because they are partitioned from it. Rather, they move up
to the point where they can share in the most divine principle. And they can
[do this] partially.
[20] Even if by ‘Earth’91 he means Earth in the strict sense, by ‘ “near”92 it’ he
would mean the sublunary elements above the Earth; whereas, if by ‘Earth’
he means everything beneath the Moon, by ‘near’ he would mean the Moon
and Sun in that they perform few motions. The latter [reading] is in fact
more appropriate to what has been said, since it is about these [bodies]
that the problem has in fact been raised, namely, why, given that the fixed
[sphere] performs a single motion, the [wandering stars] that are farther
[25] from it (the Sun and the Moon) do not always perform more motions,
whereas these perform a slight number of motions and the intermediate
ones more.
Now, if ‘a slight number of motions’93 did not refer to the Sun and Moon,
what is most important for the solution of the problem would be missing.
But if it does refer to the Sun and Moon, ‘they do not arrive at the ultimate
[487.1] [good]’94 seems hard [to interpret], unless then it means that, given that they
come to be as rather particular beings,95 they are not comparable to the utter
perfection of [the ultimate Good], since he has said plainly that they share
89 486.11: see De caelo 292b20.

90 486.13 ἐπ’ αὐτό. Though one editor omits «ἐπ᾽» [cf. Mueller 2005, 27 and n88], this is the
better reading because it actually makes the point [cf. 482.16–21, 484.6–14: see Moerbeke’s
‘non oportebat ad ipsum moveri’ [Bossier n.d.b, 506.6]]. See Landauer 1902, 121.28–31, where
Themistius distinguishes what is best because it has its end in itself and a ‘lesser’ object which
does not and so must act.
91 486.19: see De caelo 292b20.
486.19–487.1: see fr. 158c in Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.292.

92 486.20: see De caelo 292b20.
93 486.26: see De caelo 292b20–21.
94 486.28: see De caelo 292b21.
95 486.29–487.1 µερικώτερα γινόµενα: Simplicius indicates his own view that the heavens
are in some sense generated. Cf. 487.6–10.

in the first principle according to their own due measures.96 In other words,
he says, they share in the most divine principle up to the degree which they
can.97
The first heaven, he says, attains the first principle ‘directly’98 (that is, [5]
immediately) through a motion that is single in kind, because this single
[motion] is inclusive, productive,99 and comprehensive of all motions. That
is to say, after it was first set in motion, the first heaven imitated the com-
pleteness of what is immobile through its complete motion; and it becomes
just what that is through everlasting eternity, Plato would say, with [the
motions] beneath it dividing the sameness of [the immobile] through all [10]
time.100
And if it also pleases anyone to fall back on stories of the gods, let him
bear in mind that in these [stories] too the [wandering star] after the first
heaven, most powerful Saturn, is the beginning of separation and division.101
But these [matters are for discussion] elsewhere.
He mentions, ‘The [bodies] in between the first [heaven] and the last [bod-
ies]’,102 calling the fixed heaven103 ‘first’ and the Sun and Moon ‘last’, since [15]
these are the extremities of the divine body. Thus, he says, the ones in the
middle of these, since they are more encompassing,104 approach the com-
pleteness of the first principle closer than the last, but they approach [it]
96 486.30–487.2: cf. Elders 1965, 239–240.

97 487.2: the mss have «οὗ» instead of «ὅτου» [cf. Moraux 1965, 83]. This is a paraphrase of
De caelo 292b21–22.
98 487.4: see De caelo 292b23.
99 487.6 ἀπογεννητική. The claim that the motion of the celestial sphere produces or gen-
erates the planetary motions might seem to work against the view that the planets’ longi-
tudinal motion eastwards is an independent motion, that is, a motion in accordance with
an unimpeded natural impulse [cf. 473.1–6]. But perhaps, for Simplicius, the celestial sphere
‘produces’ the planets in the sense that they derive from it by procession and subordination
that peculiar balance of tendencies to move eastwards and westwards which constitutes the
being of each and accounts for its characteristic motion eastward [473.7–474.6].
100 487.6–10. See Plato, Tim. 36b6–d6, 37c6–d7. Simplicius is here interpreting Plato’s
comparison of the sphere of the fixed stars to a moving image of eternity. He also would
seem to depart from Aristotle in treating the celestial sphere as something that was once set
in motion and not as something always in motion.
487.7 τὸ παντελὲς τοῦ ἀκινήτου: scil. the Craftsman God (∆ηµιουργός).
101 487.10–12: see Mueller 2005, 104n91. The language may also reflect Simplicius’ view of
the genesis of the heavens: see 133n99.

102 487.13–14: «ἐν µέσῳ» instead of «ἐν τῷ µέσῳ» [cf. Moraux 1965, 83]. Simplicius seems to
find in De caelo 292b23–24 an opposition between first and last where I suspect that Aristotle
is only opposing first and farthest.
103 487.14 τὸν ἀπλανῆ οὐρανόν: scil. the sphere of the fixed stars.
104 487.16 ὁλικώτερα (lit. ‘more universal’): scil. ‘encompassing more motions’.
through the division of motions105 and not through a single motion as the
first heaven [does]. Thus, [they approach it] through a greater number of
motions which divide the single motion [of the first heaven] completely.106
[20] This is why they are also said to approach where the single motion also leads
them back.
It seems even to me107 that, after he investigated all the heavenly motions,
I mean, those extending the all-ness of immobile Unity, Aristotle discov-
ered that the fixed [sphere] in performing its single motion is inclusive of
all [motions], whereas all [the spheres] after it [perform] all [motions] in a
divided sense, and that the Sun and Moon do not [perform] all [motions],
[25] since they are not observed making stations or retrogradations or different
phases, or advances and followings108—this is why astronomers have in fact
been satisfied with simpler hypotheses in explicating the causes of their
phenomena. Thus, after hypothesizing that the motions represent actions109
105 487.17–19 διὰ µερισµοῦ … τελείως: for Simplicius, the motion of the sphere of the fixed
stars is single in the sense that it encompasses all the other celestial motions, even that
motion which it does not itself present to observation, the motion from west to east [see
133n99].
106 487.18–19: for Simplicius, the motion of the celestial sphere is not just communicated
to the lower spheres, it is distributed or divided [cf. 473.7–474.6, 133n99]. In the Timaeus,
however, the motion of the Same, which is the motion of the celestial sphere, is neither
distributed nor divided: only the motion of the Different suffers this.
107 487.20–488.2: Simplicius here reconstructs how Aristotle came to formulate and solve
the first ἀπορία. On his assumption that Aristotle was aware of the planetary stations and
retrogradations, see Comment 12.07, pp. 230–248.
108 487.24 ὑποποδισµούς: in an astronomical context, this term signifies a retrograde motion
(that is, a synodic, as opposed to a daily, motion from east to west) and is not found used
in this way before Proclus [cf., e.g., Hyp. ast. 7.4]. Geminus, Intro. ast. 12.30 seems to be the
earliest extant text to affirm that the Sun and Moon do not undergo retrograde motion.
Moerbeke [Bossier n.d.b, 511.6] has ‘retrogradationes’.
487.24 διαφόρους φάσεις: a phase is a significant configuration of the planet with respect
to the Sun. Thus, the different planetary phases presumably include as well such synodic
phenomena as first and last visibilities in the morning or evening. They would also include
the phenomena which we call phases of the Moon [cf. 547.13], though Simplicius typically
designates these as φωτισµοί (illuminations).
487.25 ἀκολουθήσεις [cf. 488.7]. I have not found any earlier use of this term in connection
with the planets. One possibility is that «καί» in «προηγήσεις καὶ ἀκολουθήσεις» is explanatory
and, thus, that the phrase should be rendered ‘advances (that is, followings)’, where ‘follow-
ings’ are motions that follow the leading signs. But, though this would work well for 487.23–25
(and would entail that the προηγήσεις are retrograde motions), it would strain the syntax at
488.5–7 where «καί» serves mainly to connect elements in a list. In any case, whatever the
ἀκολουθήσεις are, as Simplicius makes clear, they are characteristic only of the five planets and
not of the Sun and Moon. Note that Moerbeke has ‘assequentias’ here and ‘consequentias’ a
few lines later [Bossier n.d.b, 511.7 and 512.10].
109 487.27 πρακτικὰς … τὰς κινήσεις.
and occur because of an assimilation to the Good, he says that the first
heaven attains complete assimilation proximately to the immobile through
one complete motion, whereas the spheres after it arrive at complete assim- [30]
ilation through all the divided motions, and that the Sun and Moon share in
it to the extent that they can, since they do not perform all the [planetary] [488.1]
motions.110
In this way, then, Aristotle has explicated his solution of the problem,
after laying it out and granting that the planets perform motions that are
many in kind not only because of their apparent direct motions,111 but also [5]
[because of] their [apparent] retrogradations, stations, [their] different
phases, advances, followings, and [their] various kinds of unsmoothness.112
In fact, those who hypothesize eccentric and epicyclic [motions] as well
as those who hypothesize homocentric [motions] (the ones called turning
[motions]) admit a greater number of motions [than one] for each [planet]
in order that these [apparent motions] be saved.113 The true account, of [10]
course, which accepts neither the stations [of the planets] or their retrogra-
dations nor the additions or subtractions of the numbers in their motions
(even if they evidently move in this way),114 does not admit hypotheses as
110 487.27–488.2: again, Simplicius offers a late Platonic reading of Aristotle’s argument.
111 488.5 προποδισµούς: this term is common in astronomical contexts from the first cen-
tury ad onwards. It is also found in Proclus [cf., e.g., Hyp. ast. 7.4]. Direct motions are non-
synodic motions from west to east, that is, in the direction opposite to the daily rotation of
the celestial sphere. Moerbeke [Bossier n.d.b, 512.9] has ‘directiones’.
112 488.7 ἀνωµαλίας: on the idea of ‘smooth’ motion, see Bowen 1999, 293–295.
113 488.7 διὰ … τὸ ταύτας σώζεσθαι: lit. ‘for the sake of these [apparent motions’] being saved’.
488.8 πλείονας (a greater number … [than one]): alt., ‘a rather great number’.
488.9: Simplicius uses «ἀνελίττουσαι», Aristotle’s term for the unwinding spheres in Meta.
Λ.8, more generally of homocentric spheres whether winding or unwinding. Henry Mendell
[2000, 91–93] supposes that all of Aristotle’s nested rotating homocentric spheres came to be
called ἀνελίττουσαι by synecdoche. If this is correct, then, in this context, all occurrences of
«ἀνελίττουσαι» should be translated translated by ‘unwinding’. But perhaps instead readers
of Λ.8 were aware of an ambiguity in the verb «ἀνελίττω» itself when applied to rotational
motion, much as there was an ambiguity in their usage of the verb «ἀναστρέφω», for example,
and thus understood that «ἀνελίττουσαι» could mean either ‘wind back or return to the
original position’ (where no direction of rotation is implied) or ‘wind backwards’. In any
case, to avoid confusion, I have, when it is appropriate, translated «ἀνελίττουσαι» and its
variants by ‘turning’ rather than by ‘unwinding’: cf. Aujac et al. 1979, 138n1. Grosseteste
[Bossier n.d.a, 167.9] translates «ἀνελίττουσαι» by ‘regirativos’; elsewhere he uses ‘regirantes’
[Bossier n.d.a, 171.3 et passim]. Moerbeke [Bossier n.d.b, 513.3–4 et passim] translates it by
‘revolventes’.
114 488.11 τῶν ἐν ταῖς κινήσεσιν ἀριθµῶν: the allusion is to tabular numerical data recording
the positions of the planets and the times when they occupy those positions, and, in partic-
ular, to the corrections to the mean values for their daily progress.
being the case.115 Rather, by drawing inferences from the substance [of the
planets] it demonstrates that the heavenly motions are simple, circular,
smooth, and orderly.116
[15] But, since [people] were not able to grasp precisely how what happens
is an appearance of their conditions only and not reality, they desired to
discover on what hypotheses it would be possible to save the phenomena
of the motions of the [stars] that are said to wander, by means of smooth,
orderly, circular motions.117 Indeed, as Eudemus recorded in the second book
[20] of his Astronomical History and as Sosigenes (who took it from Eudemus)
[also recorded], Eudoxus of Cnidus118 was the first of the Greeks said to lay
hold of hypotheses of this kind, after Plato, as Sosigenes states, proposed
for those who are serious about these matters the following question: ‘By
hypothesizing which smooth and orderly motions will the phenomena of
the motions of the wandering [stars] be saved?’119
[25] Thus, if the motions (which are greater in number in each case than the
rather numerous wandering bodies)120 are hypotheses, and if they are not
proven to be so in truth—as the fact that different [people] hypothesize
them in different ways makes clear—what need is there to seek in this way
[30] the reason why the planets proximate to the fixed [sphere] perform more
115 488.12–13 οὐδὲ τὰς ὑποθέσεις ὡς οὕτως ἐχούσας προσίεται: Mueller’s ‘nor does it admit
hypotheses of this kind’ [2005, 28] mistranslates the Greek and wrongly suggests that there
might be a hypothesis that is accepted in the true account. For Simplicius, what is at issue
here is the very notion of astronomical hypothesis itself. See 136n116.
116 488.12–14: this is a line of argument found in earlier Stoic writers such as Posidonius
and Cleomedes [cf. Bowen and Todd 2004, 193–204; Bowen 2007].
117 488.14–18: note that, as Simplicius sees it, this question is wrong-headed. What is
needed is not an account that saves the phenomena but one that explains them.
488.15–16 πῶς αὐτῶν διακειµένων … τὰ συµβαίνοντα (how what happens … not reality):
Moerbeke [Bossier n.d.b, 514.1–2] has ‘qualiter ipsis dispositis … accidentia’ (‘regarding their
conditions themselves, what happens …’). Grosseteste’s version is similar [cf. Bossier n.d.a,
167.17–18].
118 488.19: on Eudemus of Rhodes, see 98n10.
488.19: Eudoxus (–389 to –336) [cf. De Santillana 1940]. See also Bowen 2012b.
488.19–24 [cf. 422.14–24, 492.31–493.11]: for an analysis of this complicated report, see
Knorr 1990, 319–320. It is worth recalling Simplicius’ point [488.10–18: cf. 492.25–28, 510.2–
3] that this whole line of investigation is misguided. The complexity of this sentence may be
Simplicius’ way of distancing himself from Sosigenes’ report that Plato initiated it. Simplicius
certainly does not buttress Sosigenes’ report by citing any Platonic text. See pp. 61–67, 81–83.
488.20: Sosigenes (second century ad) was a Peripatetic philosopher and teacher of
Alexander of Aphrodisias [cf. Hayduck 1899, 143.12–14, Bowen 2008c]. See Comments 12.08
and 12.25, pp. 248–251 and 278–283.
119 488.21–24: see Comment 12.09, pp. 251–259.
120 488.25–26 τῶν πλανωµένων … σωµάτων (the wandering bodies): scil. the planets them-
selves.
motions than the ones that are last, as though for each of the wandering
stars there are in truth a greater number of bodies [than one] and because
of this a greater number of motions?121
But, since we are obliged to hazard making these sorts of comparisons in
general, perhaps122 it is not necessary for us to define the merits [of the plan-
ets] in regard to the distinction between their places but to say that each [489.1]
has been posted in the place where it benefits the universe. Thus, since bod-
ies beneath the Moon do not have their own light but are illuminated from
without, ‘the two lights of the cosmos’123 have rightly, one might say, been
stationed proximately above them, perhaps because [these lights] have the
simplicity of their motions for what is better than what is composite.
For his part, Plato seems to say in his Laws that, whereas the planets [5]
evidently move thus in a variety of ways, they surely do not move in this
way in truth.124 But, in his Timaeus,125 he concedes that their motion is more
varied on the ground that they are in between things that are ordered
in every respect and things that are disordered in every respect, and that
because of this they have an ordered unsmoothness.126 This is why in his
Laws he also inveighs against those who predicate only wandering of them [10]
and who do not think that this [wandering] both shares in order and is theirs
by nature.127
Inasmuch as Alexander says flatly128 in regard to these [arguments] that
the four elements (that is, the sublunary ones) are without soul and lack
121 488.27–30: on the text, see Comment 12.10, pp. 260–261.

122 488.30 µήποτε: see 102n32.
488.31 εἰ (since). The obligation arises from the thematic questions of De caelo 2.10 and
2.12.
488.32 ἀξίας (merits): the solution to the first problem assigns merit on two divergent
grounds: position (or proximity to the best) and activity [cf. esp. 482.16–26, 483.28–484.2,
485.30–486.19]. Cf. Meta. 1073b1–3.
123 489.2–3 οἱ δύο τοῦ κόσµου φωστῆρες: cf. 461.28–32. Proclus [Hyp. ast. 4.72: see also Kroll
1899–1901, 2.43.25 and 2.300.23] also calls the Sun and the Moon φωστῆρες. Such usage
appears to goes back at least to the first century bc, since it is attested in the Septuagint (3rd
c. bc to early Christian era). It is not found in Plato and Aristotle.
124 489.5–7: see Plato, Leg. 821b3–822d1.
125 489.7–9: see Plato, Tim. 35a1–40d5.
126 Cf. Proclus, In Tim. ad 39d–e [Diehl 1903–1906, 3.95.34–96.32].
127 489.9–11: see Plato, Leg. 822a4–8.
128 489.12 ἀνέδην: lit. ‘without restraint’ or ‘without ado’. Moerbeke [Bossier n.d.b, 517.9]
has ‘inverecunde’ (‘impudently’), perhaps because Simplicius seems to take Alexander to be

denying his interpretation of Aristotle’s notion of aether and the statement that the heavenly
bodies should be viewed as possessed of soul and sharing in action [cf. 482.10–14]. See p. 78.
489.12–30: see fr. 158e in Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.293–294.
any share in action,129 who would not be amazed if things composed of a

[15] tiny portion of [these elements] are living things with souls, though they
possess a being that is ephemeral (that is, altogether contracted into a brief
[time]),130 whereas such great portions of the universe, which are eternal
in their entireties131 had not been judged worthy of soul by the Demiurge?
For, even if [the four elements] are simple,132 there would be no need for
them to be without soul, since, for their part, the heavens (which are also
simple) have been given soul—even when each of [these four elements] as
composed from the four [opposites] is what it is said to be by virtue of the
predominance of one [opposite].133
[20] But, if [the four elements] do not share in action because different ones
do not act at different times (just as particular living things do), the heavens
too always have the same pattern of activities.134
And if [Alexander] thinks that the Earth is without life and soul because
it does not move locally, first, we should be ashamed, if we say that plants
made alive by the Earth live and are ensouled but that the Earth itself is
[25] without life and soul.
Next, when Aristotle says that both Intellect and Soul are alive, he does
not necessitate that they move locally. Even if the Earth, which is the ‘Hearth
of the universe’,135 is at rest, it has this action and activity. For, just as moving
as an animal,136 so too standing at rest as an animal is an action and an
129 489.12–13: for Alexander, nothing lacking a nutritive faculty can have a soul [Bruns 1887,
29.1–4]; thus, for him, none of the elements has a soul.

130 489.13–15: Simplicius seems to be thinking of insects such as the May fly.
131 489.15–16: scil. the net amount of each element in the cosmos.
132 489.17 ἁπλᾶ (simple): cf. 16.30–34.
133 489.19–20: thus, an element is fire, say, because of the predominance in it of the
hot. What Simplicius calls elements here, Aristotle calls simple bodies (ἁπλᾶ σώµατα): for
him, the opposites are elements [cf. De gen. et corr. 331a20–b4]. For Simplicius, simple
bodies are natural bodies that have a (single) source of natural motion in them—they are
not simple simpliciter—and elements are the ultimate components of other bodies, which
means that aether is not an element strictly speaking [cf. 4.34–5.4, 16.16–26, 17.20–32, 24.17–
20].
134 489.21: for Simplicius, each part of the heavens acts in ways that constitute a regular,
eternally recurrent pattern; and, like the elements, each is by nature never at rest or not
acting.
135 489.26: «ἑστία τοῦ παντός» is found only in reports about those who thought that at the
center of the universe, its hearth, was a fire: cf. [Plutarch], Plac. philos. 895e6–7; Stobaeus,
Anthol. [Wachsmuth and Hense 1884, 1.22 § 1d.2–4]. Simplicius adopts the phrase but follows
Plato [Leg. 955e6–7] in identifying the Earth as the hearth: cf. Galenus Gram., Alleg. in Hesiod.
theog. [Flach 1876, 331.7–9].
136 489.27 ζωτικῶς: lit. ‘in a manner characteristic of life or of what is alive’. Moerbeke
[Bossier n.d.b, 520a.1] has ‘vitaliter’.

animate activity. That is why the heavenly bodies move, whereas the Earth
stands at rest and particular animals both move and stand at rest. [30]
292b25–30
Concerning the problem hthat there is a great multitude of heavenly bod-

ies in the first motion, which is single, whereas each of the other [heavenly
bodies] gets its own motions separately, one would reasonably think that
this obtains primarily because of one thing. For one should understand
that, regarding the living source of each [motion],i there is a great superi-
ority of the first in relation to the rest,137
After he has set forth the two problems and solved the first, he goes after [489.33]
the second one which asks why the fixed sphere, though it is single and [490.1]
performs a single motion, has so great a multitude of heavenly bodies that
it seems uncountable, with all performing one motion, namely, that of the
fixed sphere; whereas each of the [heavenly bodies] that are said to wander
gets its own motion in accordance with the sphere on which it is alone
by itself. Then, in solving this problem in three or two arguments, he has [5]
stated the first from the superiority which the fixed [sphere] has to the other
spheres.138
Certainly, even if all [the spheres] have both life and status as a source
[of motion],139 one should bear in mind that there is in fact belonging to
the first [sphere] a superiority of both life and origination [of motion].140 The
137 De caelo 292b29–30: see Comment 12.11, pp. 261–262.

138 490.5 ἐπιχειρήµασι: an ἐπιχείρηµα is often for Aristotle a dialectical argument [see Bolton
2009]. Themistius distinguishes two arguments [Landauer 1902,]: De caelo 292b25–30 and
292b30–293a11 [Landauer 1902, 122.25–123.9, 123.9–30].
490.5 εἴρηκεν. Cf. Moerbeke’s ‘primum dictum’ [Bossier n.d.b, 520b.1]: several mss have
have «εἴληπται» (‘has taken’) or «εἴληφεν» (‘took’) instead. Grosseteste has ‘primum assump-
sit’ [Bossier n.d.a, 170.1].
490.5–6: for Themistius [Landauer 1902, 122.25–28], this superiority is assigned to the
sphere’s principle of life, that is, its soul. In the first instance, however, Aristotle attributes
superiority to the motion of the first (or fixed) sphere. But this is a minor point, since the
claim about the superiority of the first sphere follows readily [cf. Landauer 1902, 122.34–35,
123.3–4]. More important is that in moving to the second problem Simplicius tacitly switches
from talk of the planets and fixed stars as though they were alive to the claim that the spheres
carrying these heavenly bodies are alive. This reflects the same switch in 292b28–293a2 [cf.
Leggatt 1995, 250].
139 490.7 καὶ ζωὴν καὶ ἀρχικὸν ἀξίωµα.
140 490.7–8 ἐννοῆσαι χρὴ … καὶ ζωῆς καὶ ἀρχῆς: a paraphrase of 292b28–30. Simplicius’ text,
apparently, does not preserve the hendiadys [see Comment 12.11, pp. 261–262] and lacks the
troublesome «ἑκάστης».
[10] immediate kinship [of the fixed sphere] to the primary acting and moving
cause141 makes clear the superiority of its power, as do its being inclusive
of all the other [spheres], its carrying round the other [spheres] by itself,
and, still further, its attaining the most complete good entirely through one
simple motion and in almost no time (if one bears in mind its magnitude).
Consequently, perhaps one would wonder more rightly at the opposite,
namely, if [this sphere] which is superior by so much, nevertheless has some
[15] whole-number ratio of power to the other [spheres], [I mean, some ratio]
which the multitude of [heavenly bodies] moved by it [has] to each one of
the [heavenly bodies] fixed in the other [spheres].
292b30–293a4
and this [superiority] would turn out to be reasonable.142 hFor the first
[motion], which is single, causes many of the divine bodies to move; where-
as the [motions of the individual planets], which are many in number, each
[cause] only one body [to move], since any one of the wandering [stars]
performs a greater number of motions [than the fixed stars]. In this way,
then, nature both makes things equal and produces a certain order, that
is, by giving many bodies to one motioni and many motions to one body.
[490.19] There is no need, they say, for us to run his statements together by conjoin-
[20] ing this [argument]143 to the [statements] above, but we should accept it as
a second argument. Certainly, [Aristotle] does say that ‘the first’144 motion
(the motion of the fixed [stars]), though it is one in number, causes many
141 490.9–10 τὸ πρῶτον ποιοῦν τε καὶ κινοῦν αἴτιον: scil. the Prime Mover, to be identified with
the Craftsman God (∆ηµιουργός) [cf. 487.6–10, 489.12–17], given that the celestial sphere is its
hypostasis [see pp. 54–56].
142 De caelo 292b31 κατὰ λόγον (reasonable) [cf. 97n5]: alternatively, ‘in accordance with
our argument’. See Pellegrin 2004, 261 (‘une supériorité proportionelle’) with 439n13.
143 490.19 τοῦτο: scil. ἐπιχείρηµα. In his division of the text into lemmata, Simplicius would
seem to treat De caelo 292b30–293a4 as offering a separate argument. But note his reserva-
tions at 490.5 (‘in solving this problem in three or two arguments’) and 490.29–491.11. In truth,
these lines in the De caelo simply explicate how the superiority of the first motion to all the
others is reasonable or contributes to the first solution of the problem at hand, depending
on how one reads κατὰ λόγον [cf. 140n142]. In either case, they do not constitute a separate
argument but are part of the first. Cf. Landauer 1902, 123.5–9 quod autem rationi consonum
sit, ut ita res se habeat, hinc profecto ostenditur … (‘But because it is consistent with reason
that the matter [scil. the superiority of the fixed sphere] is so, from this it is in fact pointed
out …’) to present 292b30–293a4; and 123.9–10 et praeterea (‘And furthermore’) to introduce
293a4–11.
490.19–491.3: see fr. 159a in Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.296–301.
144 490.20: cf. De caelo 292b31.
‘of the divine bodies’145 to move in accordance with its own single motion;
whereas the motions of the wandering [stars], since they are many in num-
ber for each star, cause one body belonging to many spheres to perform
many motions. That is to say, each of the wandering stars performs a greater
number of motions [than the fixed sphere] in that it is carried by a greater
number [of spheres] (which are called turning [spheres]). ‘In this way, then’, [25]
he says, ‘nature equalizes’ even this great a superiority ‘and produces a cer-
tain order by giving [the] many bodies’146 of the fixed stars ‘to the one motion’
of the fixed [sphere] ‘and [the] many motions’ of the wandering star ‘to one
body’.147
Indeed, interpreters who put this argument down as distinct on its face
urge not conjoining it to the previous one. But, perhaps, if it is not conjoined [30]
with that one, [his assertion,] ‘and this would turn out to be reasonable’[,]148
is unintelligible. For what is ‘this’, if he did not use [it] with reference to [491.1]
superiority?149 Certainly, saying ‘this’ is the position, order, and apparent
inequality [of the first sphere in relation to the others], as Alexander states,
treats the missing [part] of the explanation as extensive.150
Now, perhaps, in saying that the superiority of the fixed [sphere] is great
in relation to the wandering [stars] and through this solving the problem, [5]
[Aristotle] is thereupon pointing out that this superiority is in fact equal-
ized somehow by divine craftsmanship through proportionality. For as the
145 490.21: cf. De caelo 292b32.

146 490.25–26: cf. De caelo 293a2. The mss for Simplicius have «ταύτῃ οὖν» where those for
the De caelo have «ταύτῃ τε οὖν».
147 490.26–28: cf. De caelo 293a3–4.
148 490.31: cf. De caelo 292b30–31. Moerbeke has ‘significans’ for «συµβαίνουσα» [Bossier
n.d.b, 522.3]. The reading in the lemma is unclear: Bossier [n.d.b, 520c] has ‘accidens’ but
notes that both ‘accidens’ and ‘significans’ are attested in the mss.
149 491.1: in De caelo 292b29–30, the antecedent of ‘this’ («ἥδε») has to be «ὑπεροχήν».
150 491.1–3: the Latin version of Themistius’ paraphrase has
hic est litterae intellectus, in hoc autem non videtur Alexander recte sensuisse, siquidem
ficta quaedam, aliunde adsumpta, suae explicationi adiecit.
This is the meaning of the text. But Alexander does not seem to have perceived
[the matter] rightly in this, since he adds certain false(?) [propositions] taken from
elsewhere to his explanation. [Landauer 1902, 123.21–23]
Note, however, that Rescigno’s fr. 159c replaces the last clause with
… siquidem in suae explicationis margine colligit id secundum imaginationem dictum
esse.
… since in the margin of his own explanation he has deduced that this has been stated
in accordance with imagination. [Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.298]
single motion of the fixed [sphere] stands to the many stars moved by it, so
the single wandering star stands to the many motions that it performs.
Of course, if one does not accept in this way what is said but as a distinct
[10] argument completely on its own, it is in fact on no account capable of over-
turning [the argument] stated before it, since that one alleges superiority as
a cause, whereas this one alleges equalization.151
293a4–11
And further, the other motions have a single body [to move]152 because
hthe motions before the last [motion] (that is, the [motion] which has
the [wandering] star [to move]) cause many bodies to move, given that
the last sphere moves by virtue of being fixed in many spheres and each
sphere is a kind of body.153 Thus, the work of that [last sphere] must be
shared in common: for, whereas each sphere itself has by nature its own
characteristic motion, this [motion] is, as it were, added andi the power of
every limited body is in relation to a limited [body].154
[491.15] This is another argument (either the second or third), which supplies on the
basis of the spheres called turning [spheres], the explanation of the fact that
151 491.10 µήποτε (never, on no account). Mueller [2005, 31] takes «µήποτε» as ‘perhaps’
[cf. Moerbeke’s ‘forte’ [Bossier n.d.b, 523.5] and Grosseteste’s ‘forsitan’ [Bossier n.d.a, 171.22]].
But just how could the argument from superiority ‘refute’ the argument from equaliza-
tion?
152 491.12 καὶ ἔτι διὰ τόδε … φόραι [Moraux 1965, 84]: some mss of In de caelo do have «φοραί»
in the lemma but the better ones read «καὶ ἔτι διὰ τοῦτο … σφαῖραι» (‘And further, the other
spheres have a single body’). Grosseteste [Bossier n.d.a, 171.25] and Moerbeke [Bossier 1975,
ad loc.] have ‘aliae spherae’.
153 De caelo 293a4–8: Aristotle’s point is that each planetary motion qua proper is the
motion of but one body; yet this proper motion may still set other bodies in motion inci-
dentally, that is, by virtue of the nesting of homocentric spheres.
De caelo 293a8 σῶµά τι: on the qualification, see Comment 10.02, pp. 201–202.
De caelo 293a8 τυγχάνει ὄν = ἐστί (is), as often in Aristotle [cf. Liddell, Scott, and Jones 1968,
s.v. τυγχάνω II].
154 De caelo 293a10 πρόσκειται: scil. added to the motions below it. Thus, all the superior
spheres contribute to the motion of the last sphere and the motion that each contributes is,
therefore, shared in common by all lower spheres.
De caelo 293a10–11: cf. 274b33–275b4. There is no mention in Simplicius’ commentary (or
in Moerbeke’s translation) of the last four lines of 2.12:
Concerning the heavenly bodies that perform circular motion, we have stated what sorts
of things they are both with regard to their substance and their shape, and we have spoken
about their motion and order. [De caelo 293a11–14]
Grosseteste [Bossier n.d.a, 172.4–6] supplies them.
the wandering [spheres] each have a single star, whereas the fixed [sphere
has] such a great number [of stars].
Thus, he says that the sphere possessing the single star said to wander
‘moves by virtue of being fixed’155 in many spheres (called turning [spheres]
or, as Theophrastus calls them, starless [spheres]),156 given that it is the last [20]
[sphere] of the entire system157 of spheres—for example, of the [spheres]
which cause Saturn or Jupiter or one of the other [planets] to move.
Of course, simple motion is by nature characteristic to each of these
spheres (the [sphere] possessing the [wandering] star and the ones con-
taining this [sphere]); and the variety (that is, unsmoothness) of the [wan-
dering] star as it seems to move directly and to go retrograde, to add and [25]
subtract in its numbers, and to stand still is added from outside. In fact, [this
variety] is brought about by the turning [spheres] because each of them
moves, as was said, according to its own characteristic motion and because
each one in accordance with its own proper motion causes the [sphere] pos-
sessing the [wandering] star to move differently.
Thus, since each sphere is a body,158 and since in each system [of planetary
spheres] to the outermost (which moves with the fixed [sphere]) is assigned
in addition to its characteristic motion [the further task of] causing all the [30]
other spheres contained by it to perform in common the same motion that [492.1]
it performs, it would be difficult159 for [this outermost sphere] to cause both
so many bodily spheres and the sphere possessing the single star to move, if
[that sphere] no longer possessed one but many [stars], as the fixed [sphere]
indeed does. Aristotle indicated the difficulty through the statement, ‘The
power of every limited body is in relation to a limited [body].’160 To explain— [5]
if what causes motion had unlimited power, it would be no trouble to put
155 491.20: cf. De caelo 293a7.

156 491.17–18 = Theophrastus, fr. 165B in Fortenbaugh et al. 1992. Cf. [Alexander], In meta.
1073b18–19 [Hayduck 1891, 703.10–24]. The author of this commentary is usually taken to be
Michael of Ephesus [see Praechter 1906; Hadot 1987c; Luna 2001, 59–65, 197–212] but note the
dissent in Tarán 1987, which argues that the author antedates Syrianus.
491.19: Theophrastus of Eresus (Lesbos) (–371 to –287), associate of Aristotle. He became
head of the Lyceum when Aristotle withdrew from Athens in –322 on the death of Alexander
the Great. For discussion of Theophrastus and his place in late Platonism, see Baltussen 2008,
93–99.
157 491.20 τῆς ὅλης τάξεως.
158 491.28–29: Simplicius omits Aristotle’s qualification at 293a8, which is not that surpris-
ing since, for him, all heavenly bodies, visible and invisible, rotate: see Comment 10.02, pp.
201–202.
159 492.1 ἐργῶδες (difficult): alternatively, ‘laborious’.
160 492.4–5: cf. De caelo 293a10–11.
any number of objects beneath it to move.161 But, since a body which is

limited has limited power, this power must be relative to what is limited and
commensurate with it, and not relative to a [body] of just any sort. Thus, if
[10] it goes beyond the kinetic power of one sphere to move so many bodies162 by
itself, [and] if the sphere possessing the single [star] possessed many stars
too, the task would be truly difficult.
It seems to me that this argument advances as though in dependence on
the [preceding one]163 which states that there is a great superiority of the
fixed [sphere] in relation to the wandering [spheres], since what is there
to prevent [the following]—that just as the fixed [sphere] causes both all
[15] the stars on it and all the spheres contained by it to move together with
itself, so too the outermost of the turning [spheres] causes both the turning
[spheres] beneath it and the sphere which no longer possesses the single
star but many to move? [Nothing,] unless, therefore, it makes a difference
that the fixed [sphere] (which subsists with the fixed stars and performs
its own motion) thus carries round together the [spheres] contained by it,
[20] and that the [sphere] possessing the wandering star would make its motion
due to another more difficult for the mover if it possessed a multitude of
stars.164
What is difficult [in this] is not that those bodies have weight—Aristotle,
after all, has denied this in a demonstration165—but that there must in
every way even among these objects be a commensurability of the mover to
what is moved. For this reason, Aristotle has made his demonstration from
[commensurability].
[25] One should understand that this argument too advances as though
in dependence on astronomical hypotheses bearing on turning [spheres]
that are truly the case, although [these hypotheses] have no necessity, as I
161 492.5–6 οὐδὲν ἂν ἦν πρᾶγµα ὁσαοῦν ὑποβάλλεν αὐτῳ πρὸς τὸ κινεῖσθαι: cf. Aujac et al.
1979, 159 ‘point ne serait besoin de rien placer au-dessous pour transmettre le mouvement’;
Mueller 2005, 32 ‘nothing could overcome it with respect to being moved’.
162 492.10 scil. the spheres beneath the outermost sphere in each planetary system [cf.
Aujac et al. 1979, 159n1].

163 492.12 ὡς ἐπ’ ἐκείνῳ προϊέναι: cf. Aujac et al. 1979, 159. Mueller [2005, 32] misreads this
as ‘goes forward honlyi against’—‘against’ would require «ἐπί» with accusative—and goes
astray in rendering 492.12–20. Cf. 492.25–26.
164 492.12–21: thus, Simplicius implies, if increasing the number of bodies on the innermost
sphere would make the task of all the planetary or turning spheres more difficult, it follows
that the fixed sphere, which moves an almost countless number of stars [cf. 481.16–18] as
well as all the spheres beneath it, must surely be superior in power, even in relation to the
outermost sphere of each planetary system.
165 492.22: cf. De caelo 269b18–270a12.
have also said earlier,166 since different [people] in fact save the phenomena
through different hypotheses. It would be appropriate for our accounts of
the heavens and the heavenly motions to speak briefly about these hypothe- [30]
ses too, given that when they are hypothesized each [of their proponents]
maintains that he saves the phenomena.
It was in fact stated earlier167 also that Plato (who unequivocally assigned
the circular, the smooth, and the ordered to the heavenly motions) put [493.1]
forward a question for mathematical scientists168—Given what hypothe-
ses will it be possible that the phenomena of the wandering [stars] be
saved by means of smooth, circular, and ordered motions?169—and that
Eudoxus of Cnidus was the first to focus on hypotheses by means of spheres [5]
(called turning [spheres]). Callippus of Cyzicus (who was a schoolmate
of Polemarchus, a pupil of Eudoxus) came to Athens after [Eudoxus] and
lived with Aristotle,170 correcting with Aristotle Eudoxus’ discoveries and
166 492.27: see 488.3–14, 25–30. Cf. 510.2–3.

167 492.31: see 488.14–24 and 422.14–24.
492.31–497.5 = Eudoxus F124 in Lasserre 1966.
168 493.2 τοῖς µαθηµατικοῖς: see Comment 10.04, pp. 203–204.
169 493.2 τίνων ὑποτεθέντων, δι’ ὁµαλῶν … κινήσεων: lit. ‘what things having been hypothe-
sized, […] through smooth … motions’. Mueller’s ‘by making what hypotheses about uniform
… motions’ [2005, 33] gets the question wrong.
170 493.5–8: this passage is the only surviving source from antiquity of biographical infor-
mation about Callippus. See Bowen 2012a.

493.6 Πολεµάρχῳ συσχολάσας: Mueller’s ‘who studied with Polemarchus’ [2005, 33 and
n119] is ambiguous: the prefix «συν» entails that «συσχολάσας» take the dative of accompa-
niment [cf. Smyth 1971, § 1545] and so may indicate here a relation of fellow students rather
than one of pupil and teacher. This certainly is the usage of the verb that one finds in Strabo,
Plutarch, Diogenes Laertius, and Athenaeus, for instance.
Note also «συσχολάσας τοῖς ὑπὸ Εὐκλείδου µαθηταῖς» (‘et Euclidis discipulorum consuetu-
dine … uteretur’) at Pappus, Coll. 7.35 [Hultsch 1877, 678.38 with 679]: cf. Ver Eecke 1982, 507
‘il avait … consacré ses loisirs aux disciples d’ Euclide’. The text, however, should actually read
«σχολάσας τοῖς hὑπὸi Εὐκλείδου µαθηταῖς» [Jones 1986, 121]. Jones’ ‘had studied … under the
people who had been taught by Euclid’ [1986, 120] is unduly interpretative: the literal sense
is ‘who devoted his time (or himself) to the students of Euclid’.
493.6 γνωρίµῳ (pupil: cf. Diels 1882–1895, 99.13–15): Simplicius may actually mean that
Polemarchus was a member of Eudoxus’ inner circle of students, that is, those advanced
students who were instructed by the master himself and who bore some of the responsibility
for teaching others (the ἀκροαταί) [cf. Watts 2006, 29–32, 52, 156–157, 160–161]. Moerbeke has
‘Eudoxi noto’ (‘who was known to Eudoxus’) [Bossier 1975, 3.1.17].
Polemarchus is otherwise unknown except for the additional citation at 505.21 [see
Comment 12.34, pp. 293–294]. There is no support for Neugebauer’s inference [1975, 668]
that Polemarchus observed an annular eclipse.
493.6 µετ’ ἐκεῖνον. Presumably, then, some time after Eudoxus’ death in –336 and, hence,
after –334, when Aristotle returned to Athens from Macedonia. Heath [1913, 212] takes the
antecedent of «ἐκεῖνον» to be Polemarchus.
supplementing [them], since the hypothesis of turning [spheres] (which

hypothesizes the turning [spheres] as homocentric with the whole [uni-
verse] and not eccentric as later [thinkers suppose]),171 was pleasing to Aris-
[10] totle, who thought that all heavenly [bodies] must move about the center of
the universe.
Now, Eudoxus and his predecessors thought that the Sun performs three
motions, since it is brought round from east to west with the sphere of the
fixed [stars], since it performs by itself the opposite [motion] through the
12 zodiacal [constellations], and, third, since it is displaced obliquely at the
[15] [circle] through the middle of the zodiacal [constellations].172 (This [third
motion] was in fact ascertained from [the Sun’s] not always rising at the
same place in the summer and winter solstices.)173 Thus, because of this, they
said174 that [the Sun] moves in three spheres (which Theophrastus called
[20] starless (on the ground that they possess no star) as well as compensating in
relation to the [spheres] lower down, and turning in relation to the [spheres]
higher up).175
Certainly, since there were three motions for [the Sun], it was impossible
that the motions in opposite directions be caused by the same thing, given
171 493.11: Simplicius appears to be thinking of accounts of the planetary theory in Aristotle,
Meta. Λ.8 that rely on eccentric spheres. See Theon, De util. math. 3.31–32: cf. 3.34 [Hiller
1878, 178.3–184.23: cf. 189.7–18] which includes an account in which the planet is fixed on an
‘epicyclic’ sphere.
172 493.14–15 ἐπὶ τοῦ διὰ µέσων τῶν ζῳδίων (at the [circle] through the middle of the zodiacal
[constellations]). For the distinction of zodiacal signs (which are divisions of the zodiacal
circle and thus have length but not breadth) and zodiacal constellations, see Geminus, Intro.
ast. 1.1–3. There is no reference to the zodiac here. Mueller sometimes misreads «ὁ διὰ µέσων
τῶν ζῳδίων scil. κύκλος» as ‘the middle of the signs of the zodiac’ [2005, 33, 34, et passim].
173 493.15–17: the summer and winter solstices are here the days of the year in which the
daytime is longest and shortest respectively, rather than the points on the eastern horizon at
which the Sun rises on these days. Cf. [Alexander], In meta. 1073b20–21 [Hayduck 1891, 703.23–
28]. Later writers quantify the obliquity of this third sphere [see Heath 1913, 199–200]. See
Comment 12.12, pp. 262–264.
174 493.18 ἔλεγον (they said): not «ἔλεγεν» (‘he said’) as Mueller [2005, 33] has it.
175 493.17–20 = Theophrastus, fr. 165C in Fortenbaugh et al. 1992. My ‘compensating’ is
intended to capture «ἀνταναφερούσας» (lit. ‘bringing back(wards) in (re)turn’). Grossetete

[Bossier n.d.a, 174.24–25] has ‘contraferentes’ and Moerbeke [Bossier 1975, 3.2.10], ‘contra-
referentes’.
This citation of Theophrastus is inept and should probably be deleted as a not too clever
marginal gloss that has crept into the text at an early stage. In the first place, only the first
two of the Sun’s spheres are actually starless: the third carries the Sun. Next, when the term
‘compensating’ is explained at 504.4–15, it is clear that it designates unwinding spheres, not
turning spheres. Moreover, turning spheres are superior spheres (such as the first two of the
Sun) which impose their motion on the planet.
that for their part neither the Sun nor the Moon nor any of the stars moves by
itself, but all move by virtue of being fixed on a rotating body.176 If, then, [the
Sun] made its revolution in longitude177 and its displacement in latitude178
in one and the same time interval, two spheres would be sufficient—one [25]
[would be] the [sphere] of the fixed [stars] which rotates to the west and
the other, [the sphere] which winds to the east about an axis which is fixed
in the former [sphere] and at right angles to an oblique circle along which
the Sun would be held to make its progress.179 But, since [this] is not the case,
instead, since [the Sun] goes round the [zodiacal] circle in one time interval
and makes its displacement in latitude in some other, it is necessary in fact [30]
to take in addition a third sphere, so that each motion supplies one of the
[Sun’s] apparent [motions].
Thus, given that the spheres were, therefore, three [in number] and all [494.1]
homocentric with one another and the universe, [Eudoxus] hypothesized180
that the one containing the [other] two rotates around the poles of the
cosmos in the same direction as the [sphere] of the fixed [stars], making
its return [to the same position] in the same time interval as this [sphere];
that the one which is smaller than this [outer sphere], but larger than the
one remaining, rotates from west to east about an axis (as has been said)181
which is at right angles to the plane of the [circle] through the middle [5]
of the zodiacal [constellations]; whereas the smallest sphere also rotates
in the same direction as the second, though about a different axis which
should be understood to be at right angles to the plane of some oblique
great circle which the Sun is held to describe with its own center as it is
moved by the smallest sphere on which it is in fact fixed. Then, he posits that
176 493.22–23 ἐνδεδηµένα τῷ κυκλικῷ σώµατι: lit. ‘fixed on a body that moves in a circle’.
177 493.23 κατὰ µῆκος (in longitude): scil. its annual motion eastward along the zodiacal
circle or ecliptic. This technical usage was well established by Simplicius’ time.
178 493.24 εἰς πλάτος (in latitude). Since well before Simplicius, «πλάτος» designated verti-
cal displacement above or below a given reference circle. Moreover, when the reference circle
is the zodiacal circle [cf. Toomer 1984, 21] as it is here, this term is best translated by ‘latitude’.
This certainly suits Simplicius’ usage here and at 495.5 [but see Mueller 2005, 33]. See 148n183
on 495.5–8.
179 493.27–28 λοξῷ … ἥλιος: scil. the zodiacal circle. The author of the commentary on
Aristotle, Meta. E–N notes that Eudoxus designated as fixed the first sphere of each planetary
system as well the celestial sphere [Hayduck 1891, v, 703.12–23 = F123 in Lasserre 1966]. See also
268n129.
180 494.2 ὑπέθετο (he hypothesized): the subject is plainly Eudoxus [cf. Aujac et al. 1979,
162]. Mueller [2005, 34] errs in taking the verb as a passive form: cf. 494.9–12 … τίθεται … ἐκ
τοῦ Περὶ ταχῶν αὐτῷ γεγραµµένου συγγράµµατος.
181 494.4: cf. 493.26–28.
[10] the direct motion182 of this [third] sphere is slower by far than the [direct
motion] of the [sphere] containing it ([a sphere] which is intermediate
in size and position), as is clear from the treatise On Speeds written by
him.183
Thus, the greatest of the spheres causes both the remaining [spheres] to
rotate in the same direction as the fixed [stars] because it carries in itself the
poles which belong to the [second] and because [the second sphere carries]
[15] the [poles] of the third [sphere] (which carries the Sun); that is, because
[the second sphere], in that it contains the poles (of the third sphere) in
itself, likewise causes both [the third sphere] and together with it the Sun
to rotate (with itself) in the direction that it is made to go around. And,
thus, it results that [the Sun] appears moving from east to west. And if the
two spheres (the intermediate and the smallest) were by themselves in fact
[20] immobile, the revolution of the Sun would occur in the same time interval
as the rotation of the cosmos. But as it is, since these [spheres] rotate in the
opposite direction, the Sun’s return from one rising to the next comes later
than the time interval [just] mentioned.184
These [remarks] apply to the Sun. But, in the case of the Moon, he
arranged some things in the same way and other things differently. That is
[25] to say, [Eudoxus arranged] that the spheres which carry [the Moon] also be
three [in number] because it appeared to have in fact three motions. And
of these [spheres, he arranged] that one be [the] sphere which moves in
the same way as the [sphere] of the fixed [stars]; and that a second be [the
sphere which moves] in a direction opposite to this as it rotates about an axis
at right angles to the plane of the [circle] through the middle of the zodiacal
[constellations]185 (just as in the case of the Sun too). [He also arranged] that
the third be [a sphere which] no longer [moves] just as in the case of the Sun
[495.1] because, though it is alike in position, it is actually not alike in motion, since
it moves instead in a direction opposite to the second [sphere] and in the
same direction as the first while performing a slow motion, as it rotates, in
182 494.10 ὑπόληψιν (direct motion): lit. ‘falling behind’ [cf. 495.10]. The term indicates that
direct motion is here being viewed as a gradual falling behind the fixed stars in their daily
motion westward. On supposing that this falling behind is just apparent, see 476.10–27 [pp.
108–109].
183 494.9–12: see Figure 12.03, p. 188 and Comment 12.13, p. 264.
184 494.20–22 [cf. 501.17–21]: in other words, if the Sun and a fixed star rise together on one
day, the Sun will rise later than the star on the next day: see Figure 12.04, p. 188. See also
Comment 12.14, pp. 264–265.
185 494.28: reading «διὰ µέσου τῶν ζῳδίων» with A and Moerbeke [Bossier 1975, 3.4.14 per
medium animalium] rather than «διὰ µέσων τῶν ζῳδίων» with DEFc [cf. Aujac et al. 1979, 163].
fact, about an axis which is at right angles to the plane of the circle which is
understood to be described by the center of the Moon at an inclination to the
[circle] through the middle of the zodiacal [constellations] by an amount [5]
equal to the greatest displacement in latitude for the Moon. It is evident
that the poles of the third sphere should be separated from the [poles] of the
second by an arc on the great circle understood to be through both [poles],
[where this arc] is as long as half of the breadth [of latitude]186 that the Moon
travels.
Thus, he hypothesized the first sphere because of [the Moon’s] circuit
from east to west; the second because of its apparent direct motion beneath [10]
the zodiacal [constellations]; and the third because it evidently does not
take its place in the same points of the zodiacal [circle]187 when it is farthest
north and farthest south [of this circle], but because these sorts of points
always change position in the direction of the leading zodiacal [signs].188
That is why, then, he also [hypothesized] that this sphere also moves in the
same direction as the [sphere] of the fixed [stars], and that its motion to the
west189 was slow by virtue of the fact that the change in position of the points
[just] mentioned during each month is very small indeed.190 [15]
This, then, is the extent [of the discussion] of the Moon too. But, regarding
the five planets, Aristotle, who sets out [Eudoxus’] view, says that these move
by means of four spheres, of which the first and second are the same in that
they have in fact the same position as the first two spheres for the Sun and [20]
for the Moon. That is to say, the one is a sphere containing all the [spheres]
for each of the [planets] which rotates about the axis of the cosmos from
east to west in the same time interval as the [sphere] of the fixed [stars]; and
the second, which has its poles in the first, makes its rotation contrariwise
from west to east about the axis (or poles) of the [circle] through the [25]
middle of the zodiacal [constellations] in the time interval in which each
of the [planets] is held to traverse the zodiacal circle.191 Accordingly, in the
186 495.8 τοῦ πλάτου (breadth of latitude): cf. 147n178. See also Comment 12.15, p. 265.
187 495.11 ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς τοῦ ζῳδιακοῦ σηµείοις (in the same points of the zodiacal [circle]):
scil. at the same longitude.
188 495.13 ἐπὶ τὰ προηγούµενα (in the direction of the leading zodiacal [signs]): scil. in the
direction of the daily rotation, that is, westwards. See Comment 12.16, pp. 265–266.
189 495.15: reading «ἐπὶ δυσµάς» with DEFc and Moerbeke [Bossier 1975, 3.5.13 ‘occidentem’]
rather than A’s «ἐπὶ δυσµῶν».

190 495.13–16: see Figure 12.05, p. 189 and Comment 12.17, pp. 266–268.
191 495.25 τὸν ζῳδιακὸν κύκλον (the zodiacal circle): scil. the circle though the middle of the
zodiacal constellations, not ‘the zodiac’ [Mueller 2005, 35].

495.25–26 ἐν ᾧ χρόνῳ: scil. the zodiacal or sidereal period.
case of the star of Mercury and of the [star] of Venus, he says192 that the
[rotation] of the second sphere is completed in a year; that in the case
of Mars, in two years; that in the case of Jupiter, in 12 years; and that in
the case of Saturn, which the ancients used to call the star of Helios, 30
years.193
[30] The two remaining spheres are presumably disposed as follows.194 The
third sphere for each [planet] has its poles on the [circle] through the middle
[496.1] of the zodiacal [constellations]—the one understood to be on the second
sphere for each [planet]—and rotates to south from north and from south to
north195 in the time interval in which each [planet] comes from [one] phase
to the next phase [of the same type] as it passes through all configurations
in relation to the Sun. (Scientists, in fact, call this time interval a synodic
[5] period.)196 This [period] is different for each [planet], which is why the
192 495.27 φησι (he says): strictly speaking, the speaker reported should be Aristotle; but
no such remark by Aristotle actually survives. So perhaps Simplicius now means Eudoxus:
cf. 496.6. Note, however, that, while Grosseteste has ‘ait’ [Bossier n.d.a, 177.21], Moerbeke has
‘aiunt’ (‘they say’) [Bossier 1975, 3.6.3].
193 495.25–29: see Comment 12.18, pp. 268–269.
495.28–29: cf. Geminus, Intro. ast. 1.23–30; Cleomedes, Cael. 1.2.20–43 (with Bowen and
Todd 2004, 39n9). As Bouché-Leclercq [1899, 66–70] suspected, such usage goes back to the
Babylonians: on Saturn as the Star of Helios (Helios = the Sun), see MUL.APIN 2.1.39 and 64
with Hunger and Pingree 1989, 147 and the references in Tarán 1975, 89n409.
According to Leonardo Tarán [1975, 308–309], though there are ms. readings which entail
a reference to the star of Helios at [Plato] Epin. 987c4–5, it is more likely that the author wrote
‘star of Saturn’. Thus, the earliest text extant in Greek to mention the star of Helios would be
P. Par. gr. 1. [col. 5 (first half of second century bc: Bowen 2008b). See Tarán 1975, 89 and n410
for further references.
194 495.29 ὧδέ πως ἔχουσιν (are presumably disposed as follows): cf. Mueller’s ‘are arranged
more or less in the following way’ [2005, 35]. See Comment 12.19, pp. 269–271. For the
configuration, see Figure 12.06(a), p. 190.
195 496.1–2 ἀπὸ µεσηµβρίας ἐπὶ τὰς ἄρκτους ἐπιστρέφεται: cf. Moerbeke’s ‘meridie ad ursas
volvitur’ [Bossier 1975, 3.6.8–9]. But Grosseteste’s translation supports the view that the text
should be «hἐπὶ µεσηµβρίαν ἀπὸ τῶν ἄρκτων καὶi ἀπὸ µεσηµβρίας ἐπὶ τὰς ἄρκτους στρέφεται»
[Bossier 1987, 297]. Cf. 496.24–25.
196 496.4 οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν µαθηµάτων (lit. ‘those from the sciences’): these are presumably the
µαθηµατικοί (mathematical scientists) at 493.2, for instance. See Comment 10.04, pp. 203–
204.
496.4 διεξόδου χρόνον: lit. ‘time interval of passage or traversal’. I have not found any
instances of the usage that Simplicius reports here. Moerbeke’s text, ‘quod diexiodi, quasi
pertransitionis, tempus mathematici vocant’ [Bossier 1975, 3.6.11] glosses ‘diexiodi’.
Whereas the sidereal period of a planet is the time that it takes to return in longitude to
a fixed star, its synodic period is the time that the planet takes to return to the same synodic
phase, where this phase is defined by the planet’s position in relation to the Sun. Thus, the
synodic period is, for example, the interval between a planet’s successive oppositions or
successive first visibilities in the morning.
rotation of the third sphere is also not in the same time interval for all. But,
just as Eudoxus thought, for the star of Venus [this rotation occurs] in 19
months;197 for the star of Mercury, in 110 days; for the star of Mars, in eight
months and 20 days; and for the star of Jupiter and of Saturn, in very nearly
13 months for each.198
Thus, the third sphere moves in this way and in this great a time interval.199 [10]
The fourth sphere, however, which in fact carries the [wandering] star,
rotates about [the] poles of an oblique circle, poles characteristic to each
[planet]. However, it makes its rotation in the same time interval as the
third [sphere], as it moves from east to west in the direction opposite
to the [motion of the third].200 This oblique circle is said by [Eudoxus]
to be inclined to the greatest of the parallel circles in the third sphere
by an amount that is not equal and not [in] the same [direction] in all [15]
[cases].201
Thus, it is evident that the [first sphere], which rotates in the same way202
as the [sphere] of the fixed [stars], causes all the remaining spheres to
rotate in the same direction because they have their poles in one another,
so that [it causes] both the sphere carrying the [wandering] star and the
[wandering] star itself [to go round in the same way as the sphere of the
fixed stars]. And for this reason then, each of the [planets] will have ris-
ings and settings. The second sphere will afford [the planet]203 its progress [20]
beneath the 12 zodiacal [constellations], since it rotates about the poles of
197 496.6–7: according to Heath [1913, 210–211], assigning a synodic period to Venus that is
more than 1.5 times its zodiacal period makes it impossible to account for the fact that Venus
has retrograde motion.
198 496.7–8: the synodic period assigned to Mars—260 days, assuming 30-day months—
is about one third of what it should be. As Heath [1913, 208–210: cf. Neugebauer 1975, 681]
explains, there is no way to obtain a satisfactory account of Mars’ retrogradations using the
value that Simplicius gives for Mars’ synodic period.
199 496.6–9: see Comment 12.20, pp. 271–272.
200 496.10–12: cf. 496.29–497.2. On the claims that the third and fourth spheres move in
opposite directions and have the same period, see Yavetz 1998, 231–233.
201 496.14 πρὸς τὸν µέγιστον τῶν … παραλλήλων: scil. to the equator of the third sphere. The
parallel circles are defined by the sphere’s rotation.

496.15 οὐκ ἴσον οὐδὲ ταὐτὸν ἐφ’ ἁπάντων. It is not clear what Simplicius means by «ταὐτόν»
here, since it does not seem in apposition to «ἴσον». I have construed it to mean ‘in the
same direction’, the idea being that Simplicius may be thinking that the intersection of the
equatorial circles of the third and fourth spheres will define a diameter, and that the direction
of this diameter in the plane of the equatorial circle of the third sphere will depend on the
orientation of the arc defined by the poles of the third and fourth spheres.
202 496.15 ὁµοίως: scil. in direction and speed.
203 496.20 αὐτῷ παρέξεται: Mueller’s ‘the second sphere will make its passage’ [2005, 36]
overlooks «αὐτῷ» and misreads «παρέξεται».

the [circle] through the middle of the zodiacal [constellations] and causes
the two remaining spheres and the [wandering] star to rotate with it in
the direction of the following zodiacal [signs],204 in the time interval in
which each is held to complete the zodiacal circle. The third sphere, which
has its poles on the [circle] through the middle of the zodiacal [constella-
[25] tions] in the second [sphere], as it rotates from south to north and from
north to south, will cause the fourth [sphere] (which also bears the [wan-
dering] star on itself) to rotate with it and will, further, be the cause of
[the planet’s] motion in latitude. However, not by itself alone. The reason
is that, [if the third sphere were the sole cause of the planet’s motion in
latitude,] in so far as the [wandering] star is subject to this sphere and
reaches the poles of the [circle] through the middle of the zodiacal [con-
stellations] it would also come to be near the poles of the cosmos.205 But, as
[30] matters stand, the fourth sphere, by rotating about the poles of the oblique
[circle] belonging to a [wandering] star206 in a direction opposite to the
[motion of the] third [sphere] from east to west, and by making their cir-
[497.1] cuit207 in the same time interval [as the third sphere], will deny [the star’s]
passing farther beyond the [circle] through the middle of the zodiacal [con-
stellations];208 and it will allow the [wandering] star to describe about this
same circle [the curve] called a hippopede by Eudoxus.209 Consequently, the
[5] [wandering] star will also seem to be displaced in latitude by an amount
equal to the width of this curve—the very [point] on which they criticize
Eudoxus.210
204 496.19–20 ἐπὶ τὰ ἑπόµενα τῶν ζῳδίων: scil. in the direction opposite to that of the daily
rotation, that is, eastwards.

205 496.27 ἐπὶ ταύτῃ: see Smyth 1971, § 1689.2c.
496.27–28: given two spheres, if the inner has its poles in the equator of the outer, then the
poles of the outer sphere are in the plane of the equator of the inner. Simplicius thus makes
explicit that the planet is on the equator of its carrying sphere. See Comment 12.21, p. 272.
496.28–29: this does not happen—of the seven ancient planets, Mercury travels farthest
from the zodiacal circle, its greatest latitude being 7°. Cf. 501.30–502.2.
206 496.29–30: τοὺς τοῦ hτοῦi ἁστέρος λοξοῦ κύκλου … πόλους: scil. the poles of the circle
described on the fourth sphere by the planet as this sphere rotates.

207 497.1 τὴν στροφὴν αὐτῶν (their circuit): scil. its own rotation and the revolution of the
planet fixed on it.

208 497.1 ἐπὶ πλέον (farther): that is, farther than it goes in fact.
209 497.3 ἱπποπέδην. Note that in affirming that the hippopede is defined about the zodiacal
circle, Simplicius again makes clear what is never stated explicitly, namely, that he takes the
planet to be situated on the equator of the fourth sphere. Cf. 496.27–29. See Comment 12.22,
pp. 272–273.
210 497.4–5: Heath [1913, 202] demonstrates that the width of one loop of the hippopede
This is the construction of spheres according to Eudoxus which takes 26

spheres in all for the seven [planets], six for the Sun and Moon, and 20 for
the five [planets].
Concerning Callippus, Aristotle has written the following in [book] Λ of
his Metaphysics:
Callippus posited the same arrangement of spheres as Eudoxus, that is, the same [10]
order of distances; and he assigned the same number [of spheres] to the star of
Jupiter and the star of Saturn each. But he thought that two spheres should be
added for the Sun and for the Moon, if one is going to account for the phenomena,
and one for each of the remaining planets.211
Thus, according to Callippus, there are in all five times five and two times
four [spheres], that is, 33 spheres. There has neither survived a treatise of [15]
Callippus stating the explanation of these spheres that should be added nor
has Aristotle added it. But Eudemus has recorded concisely the phenom-
ena for the sake of which [Callippus] thought that these spheres should
be added: for he states that [Callippus] says that, if in fact the time inter-
vals between the solstices and equinoxes differ by as much as Euctemon [20]
and Meton thought, the three spheres are not sufficient for either one to
save the phenomena because of the unsmoothness clearly evident in their
motions.212 And Eudemus has related concisely and clearly for what purpose
(its length being extended along the zodiacal circle) is the maximum latitude (πλάτος) that
the planet attains. See also Neugebauer 1953, 229.
497.5: it is not clear who ‘they’ are; but their point appears to be that, when the planet
does in fact seem to describe loops in the heavens, the width of these loops does not define
the planet’s maximum latitude: see Figure 6, p. 25. But if this is right, one wonders how they
learned it.
211 497.9–13: Meta. 1073b32–38.
497.10: τουτέστι … τάξιν: this phrase, which appears in [Alexander] In meta. 1073b32–33
[Hayduck 1891, 704.9–10], is usually athetized by modern editors of Aristotle’s treatise. It
seems to be a gloss that assumes a computation of the sort found in Ptolemy’s Hypoth. plan.
All Aristotle does is to posit an ordering of the spheres: in fact, given his project, there was
no reason to cast this as an ordering of the planetary distances from the Earth. Indeed, given
the complexity of his arrangement, this would not have been a trivial project.
497.13: Heiberg has «µέλλοι», and «ἀνὰ µίαν»: the better mss of Aristotle’s Meta. have
«µέλλει» and just «µίαν», respectively [cf., e.g., Ross 1953, ad loc.].
212 497.20: Euctemon and Meton were apparently contemporaries engaged somehow in
astronomical studies in Athens of the fifth century bc. They are not clearly distinguished in
the ancient sources [cf. Rehm 1949, col. 1340; Neugebauer 1975, 623 and n12; Bowen 2012c]. In
P. Par. gr. 1 col. 23, it is reported that Euctemon posited astronomical season lengths of [93],
90, 90, and 92 days starting with the vernal equinox in a year of presumably 365 days. For a
detailed study of the testimony concerning their work, see Bowen and Goldstein 1988.
497.20–21 οὐχ ἱκανὰς … ἑκατέρῳ (not sufficient for either one): scil. for the Sun and the
Moon.
497.21–22: the solstices and equinoxes mark out the astronomical seasons and are defined
[Callippus] added the one sphere which he added in [the case of] each of
the three planets: Mars, Venus, and Mercury.213
[25] After reporting Callippus’ view about the turning spheres, Aristotle in-
ferred [that]
is necessary, if all [the spheres] when put together are going to account for the
phenomena, that for each of the wandering [stars] there be other spheres fewer
in number by one, the unwinding spheres, that is, [the spheres] which always
restore in position to the same point the first sphere of the [wandering] star
[498.1] stationed below, since only in this way is it possible that every] motion of the
planets be produced.214
Now, since Aristotle had stated these matters concisely in so clear a man-
ner,215 Sosigenes praised his keenness of mind and tried to discover the need
for the spheres added by him. And [Sosigenes] states that [Aristotle] says
[5] that these [spheres], which [Aristotle] calls unwinding [spheres], must be
added to his hypotheses for two reasons:216 in order that the fixed [sphere]
for each [planet] and the [spheres] beneath it have their proper position,
and so that there be the proper speed in all [spheres]. In other words, it was
necessary that, for its part, the [sphere] similar to the [sphere] of the fixed
[stars] hhor to any other sphereii move round the same axis as that [sphere]
by the Sun’s motion alone. So this explanation is at best partial, given that the Moon’s motion
is independent of the Sun’s.
213 497.22–24: Schiaparelli holds that this explanation has dropped out of the received text
and that one should thus show a lacuna after this sentence. Another possibility, however,
is that, though Simplicius is using a source that did report Eudemus’ account of Callippus’
addition of the extra planetary sphere for each of Mars, Venus, and Mercury, he declined to
give it; or that his source reported only the existence of a clear explanation. In any case, if
the text has been disturbed here—note also «συντόµως» at 497.17, «συντόµως καὶ σαφῶς» at
497.24, and «συντόµως οὕτως σαφῶς» at 498.2—yet another possibility, I suppose, is that a
negative particle «οὐ» has been omitted in this last sentence due to some copyist’s error and
that it should be negated. That is, Simplicius’ original point may have been that Eudemus did
not explain why Callippus added the extra spheres for Mars, Venus, and Mercury, at least in
a way that he, Simplicius, could understand. Consistent with this is the hesitation registered
at 504.20–22 in supposing that Callippus saved the phenomena by adding the spheres which
he is said to have added: cf. 165n268.
214 497.26–498.1: Meta. 1073b38–1074a5. Heiberg has «εἰς ταὐτὸν ἀποκαθιστώσας» [497.28],
where the better mss of Aristotle’s treatise read «εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ ἀποκαθιστάσας» [cf. Ross 1953,
ad loc.] Moerbeke [Bossier 1975, 3.9.7] has ‘ad idem’. On the following discussion of the
unwinding spheres [497.24–504.3], see Comment 12.23, pp. 273–277.
215 498.2 συντόµως οὕτως σαφῶς: Heiberg follows A which omits «καὶ», though DEF have it.
Moerbeke [Bossier 1975, 3.9.9] has ‘breviter ita plane’.

216 498.5 ταῖς ὑποθέσεσιν: the systems of spheres for each planet attributed to Eudoxus and
Callippus are astronomical hypotheses [see Chapter 2].

and complete its rotation in the same time interval, none of which can occur
without the addition of the spheres mentioned by Aristotle.217 [10]
For clarity’s sake, [Sosigenes] says, let us make the argument in the case of the
spheres carrying the [star] of Jupiter. Now, if we should fit the poles of the first
of Jupiter’s [spheres] in the last of the four [spheres] of Saturn ([the sphere] in
which [Saturn] is also fixed), in what way could these [poles] remain on the
axis of the sphere of the fixed [stars] when, for its part, the [sphere] carrying [15]
them rotates around another axis that is oblique? But surely they must at least
remain on the axis [first] mentioned218 in the case of the outermost motion, if
the sphere rotating about them really is going to receive the disposition of the
sphere of the fixed [stars]. Now, moreover, since three of the spheres carrying
the [star] of Saturn are made to rotate together by one another and the first
[sphere]—[these spheres] also possessing, of course, their own particular [20]
proper speed—the motion of the fourth would not be some simple motion
but one sharing in all the [motions] above [it]. Indeed, it will be demonstrated
that, when [spheres] move in the opposite direction, something is subtracted
from the speed belonging to them219 because of the [sphere] which turns
[them] at the same time; and that, when [spheres] rotate together, something
is added by the motion which goes through to them from the sphere above,
because of their characteristic motion.220 Consequently, if the first of the [25]
[spheres] of Jupiter really should be fixed in the sphere carrying the [star]
of Saturn and have its own proper speed for going back to the same position
again in a rotation of the cosmos, the motions of the spheres above [it] will
not permit it to have this speed but there will be some addition, since these
[spheres] in fact move westwards while that one moves by itself in the same [499.1]
direction as well.
The same argument [holds] in the case of the next [spheres of Jupiter] as
well, since their motion will be compounded more and more and their poles
will go beyond their proper position. But, just as we said, neither of these
results should occur.221
217498.5–10: on the text, see Comment 12.24, pp. 277–278.

498.10–499.1: what follows now is at the least a paraphrase of a passage from some work
by Sosigenes. Mueller [2005, 37–38] supposes that Simplicius’ citation extends to 499.15. But
499.3–4
δεῖ δέ, καθάπερ ἔφαµεν, οὐδέτερον τούτων συµβαίνειν.
But just as we said, neither of these results should occur.
refers back to 498.1–10 in which Simplicius is still speaking in his own voice. The use of
«ἔφαµεν» (‘we said’) tends to support this conclusion: when Simplicius wishes to signal that
‘we say’ comes from Sosigenes, he adds «φησίν» [see 501.1].
218 498.16 ἐπὶ τοῦ εἰρηµένου ἀξίονος: scil. the axis of the sphere of the fixed stars [498.14].
219 498.22–23 αὐταῖς τάχους ὑπάρχοντος: scil. their characteristic or proper speed.
220 498.24: cf. 500.22–501.11.
221 499.3–4: cf. 498.1–10.
Thus, [Aristotle] conceived of ‘the unwinding [spheres], that is, [the

spheres] which always restore in position to the same point the first sphere of
the [wandering] star stationed below’,222 so that this would not occur and so
[5] that he would not encounter anything erroneous in consequence of this at
least. For, certainly, he also spoke precisely223 in revealing both of the rea-
sons why he introduced them, namely, through his saying ‘which unwind’
in respect to the restoration of motion224 to its proper speed, and through
[10] his having stated ‘which always restore in position to the same point the first
sphere of the [wandering] star stationed below’ in respect to the permanence
of the poles in their proper [place]. (The position of the carrying spheres
is understood in accordance with these [poles], since they alone remain in
place.)225 But he said that the first sphere of the [wandering] star stationed
below is restored by the [unwinding spheres of the wandering star above],
since all the [features] of the next spheres are saved when this [first sphere]
[15] takes its proper position and its proper speed because of the unwinding.
Sosigenes demonstrated that these [results] follow, after he set out some
[propositions] useful for the argument. The following is a brief exposition
of these [propositions].226
If there are two homocentric spheres, for instance, DE and ZH,227 and if they
are contained from outside by another [AB] which is either at rest or wraps
[20] them round,228 and if [the spheres DE and ZH] move in directions opposite
to one another and through equal time intervals (that is, at the same speed),
222 499.5–7: Meta. 1074a2–4.

223 499.7 κατὰ λέξιν εἴπων: lit. ‘spoke literally’.
224 499.8–9 τὴν τῆς κινήσεως ἀποκατάστασιν: ‘le mouvement de rotation’ [Aujac et al. 1979,
170].
225 499.11–12 κατὰ τούτους … µένουσι: cf. Moerbeke’s ‘mansionem polorum in oportuno;
secundum hos enim motarum sperarum positio intelligitur’ [Bossier 1975, 3.11.11–12]. How-
ever, Aujac et al. [1979, 170n1] propose bracketing this, claiming that it is an inappropriate
gloss inserted into the text. But perhaps they do not see that the poles in question (κατὰ
τούτους) are those of the fixed (or first carrying) sphere: they have ‘c’est en effet par rapport
aux pôles que l’on définit la position des sphères tournantes puisque ce sont les seuls points
immobiles’, which is true but beside the point. Mueller [2005, 38 and n156] likewise overlooks
«κατὰ τούτους».
226 499.17–500.14: cf. [Alexander] In meta. 1074a3–4 [Hayduck 1891, 704.23–705.6] for an
anonymous version of these theorems.

227 See Figure 12.07, p. 191.
228 499.19: reading «περιειλούσης ἐκείνας» (‘wraps them round’) with Heiberg. Both Moer-
beke [Bossier 1975, 3.11.15] and Grosseteste [Bossier n.d.a, 181.27–28] have ‘ab alia sive manente
sive circumducente illas’. Aujac et al. [1979, 171.10] read «περιαγοµένης» with DE. F has «εἴτε
κινουµένης εἴτε µενούσης τῆς περιεχούσης» (‘by another containing sphere that is either in
motion or at rest’) [cf. Mueller 2005, 39 and n159].
[then] all the points in the contained [sphere, ZH] will always be at the same
position in relation to the containing [sphere, AB], as if it were in fact at rest.
For, when the [sphere] DE moves as though from A229 to B, if the smaller sphere
ZH only rotated with it230 and did not move in the opposite direction, it would
be seen that, as D is at some time beneath B, so too is Z which moves with [25]
D (that is, in the same time interval). But, since the [spheres] in fact move
together and the [sphere] ZH moves in the opposite direction to the [sphere]
DE, [the sphere ZH] undoes as much when it moves in an opposite direction
as it adds when it moves in the same direction [as DE]. And it results that,
when D is beneath B, Z is beneath A, just as it appeared from the beginning. [500.1]
Consequently, what has been proposed is true.
Thus, if the [sphere] AB is at rest, what has been proven is clear; namely,
that, given the manner in which both [spheres] are laid down,231 the inner
[sphere], which goes round with the outer [(scil. middle) sphere] and moves
in the opposite direction, always has the same position in respect of the same
points,232 and that it does not [have the same relative position] either when
it only goes round with [the middle sphere] or when it only moves in the
opposite direction.233
But then, if the [sphere] AB were also moving either in the opposite direction [5]
or in the same direction as the second sphere DE, the results will be the same
regarding the points of the third [sphere] ZH (which moves with the [sphere]
DE and moves in the opposite direction likewise [as before]).234
229 499.22 ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ A: lit. ‘seemingly in the direction from A’. Cf., e.g., Moerbeke’s ‘ut ab A
in B’ and ‘ab A velut ad B’ [Bossier 1975, 3.11.18 and 3.12.11–12].

230 499.23 συνεπεστρέφετο (rotated with it). There are several senses in which one sphere
(A) may be said to rotate (or move round with) another (B):
– A and B rotate at the same time;
– A and B rotate at the same time and in the same time (i.e., they have the same period);
– A and B rotate at the same time and in the same direction;
– A and B rotate at the same time, in the same time, and in the same direction.
Simplicius’ usage of such συν-compounds tends to the second and fourth meanings [see, e.g.,
499.23 συνεπεστρέφετο, 499.24 συµφερόµενον, 499.25 συµφέρονται, 500.2–3 συµπεριφεροµένην,
500.7 συµφεροµένης, 500.8 συνεπισπώσης, 500.11 συνεπιστρέφειν, 500.19 συµπεριαγωγήν], and
relies on context to convey the precise meaning.
231 500.2 καὶ ὅπως ἀµφοτέρων ὑπαχόντων scil. σφαιρῶν: a reference to the configuration of
spheres under discussion. For «ὑπάρχω» as equivalent to «ὑπόκειµαι», see Liddell, Scott, and
Jones 1968, s.v. ὑπάρχω B.II. Heiberg marks «καὶ ὅπως» as corrupt. Aujac et al. [1979, 172]
replace it with «σφαιρῶν». Mueller [2005, 39 and n161] proposes ‘and it is clear that if both
things hold and the inner sphere …’, thus making one wonder what the two things are.
232 500.3 τοῖς αὐτοῖς … σηµείοις: scil. points on the third and outermost sphere.
233 500.4 µόνον συµφεροµένην … µόνον ἀντιφεροµέµην: «µόνον» signals instances when the
motion of the innermost sphere is not performed in the same time interval as that of the
middle sphere.
234 See Figure 12.08, p. 192.
For, when the sphere AB has been turned from A as though to B and draws
with it the [sphere] DE so that D comes to E, if the middle sphere DE moves
[10] by itself either in the opposite direction to the [sphere] AB or in the same
direction at any speed whatsoever in regard to the [sphere] AB but in the same
time interval as the [sphere] ZH, it will make point Z go to one or the other
side of A on account of 235 its causing the third [sphere] to rotate with it. But
the third sphere, since it moves in the opposite direction, will again make Z
beneath A. And since this always happens, all the points on the sphere ZH will
be beneath the same points of the sphere AB.
[15] Now, then, what was proposed has been proven on the assumption that the
[three] spheres move about the same axis. But the same argument [applies]
even if they do not move about the same axis.236 The reason is that the
placement of points beneath the same points does not result because of
motion over the same parallel [circles], but because of the co-rotation of the
contained [(scil. innermost) sphere] in regard to the containing [(scil. middle)
sphere] and its counter-rotation, since [this counter-rotation] removes as
[20] much as [the other] adds whether the rotation and counter-rotation are on an
oblique circle or on a [circle] vertical [to the axis of the outermost sphere].237
Again, given two homocentric spheres moving in the same direction, each one
at a particular speed, and given that the smaller [sphere] not only moves with
the greater but also performs its characteristic motion in the same direction,
[25] if the speeds are equal, the compounded motion will show238 a speed that is
double; and if the speed of the second is double, the [speed] of the [motion]
compounded will be triple; and likewise thereafter.
For, if the larger [sphere] causes the smaller to move through a quadrant, and
this [smaller one] being equally swift moves through a quadrant, it will have
[501.1] moved through twice a quadrant. Consequently, the [motion] arising from
both [motions will be] double the second motion.239
We state these [conclusions about the compounding of two motions], [Sosi-
genes] says, if the motions should be about the same poles. But, if [they
235 500.11 «διὰ» with accusative (‘on account of’): see Moerbeke’s ‘propterea quod simul
volvit tertiam’ [Bossier 1975, 3.12.15–16]; and Grosseteste’s ‘et per simul vertere tertiam’ [Bos-
sier n.d.a, 182.20]. If «διά» is deleted [cf. Aujac et al. 1979, 172.12], the meaning is unchanged.
500.12 παραλλάττειν τὸ A (go to one or the other side of A).
236 500.16–17: Simplicius now reports the case in which the outermost sphere has an axis
of rotation that is different than the one shared by the inner two spheres.
237 500.20 ἐπὶ ὀρθοῦ: circles are here defined in relation to their poles and axes; so a vertical
circle, that is, any circle vertical to the axis of the sphere, is in other words a parallel circle. (It
is called a parallel circle because the planes defined by such circles are parallel.) The circles
in question here are presumably equatorial circles [cf. 152n209].
238 500.25 δείξει: Mueller [2005, 40] mistakenly supposes that the subject of this verb is
‘Sosigenes’.
239 501.1 τῆς ἑτέρας κινήσεως (the second motion): scil. the motion proper to the second
sphere.
should] not [be] about the same poles, something else will result because of
the obliquity of the second sphere. The reason is that the speeds will not be
compounded in [the way just described], but as they have customarily been
shown on a parallelogram when the motion on the diagonal is produced from [5]
two motions, one being [the motion] of some point as it moves on the length
of the parallelogram and the other being [the motion] of this very length as it
is drawn down through the width of the parallelogram in the same time inter-
val.240 Certainly, the point and the side of the length241 that is drawn down will
be coincident at the other end of the diagonal; and the diagonal is not equal to
[the sum of] both the [sides] deflected around it but smaller.242 Consequently, [10]
the speed too is smaller than the speed arising from both together, though it
is nevertheless compounded from both.
Now, that [result] too is stated alongside the following.
Given two spheres which are homocentric either around the same poles or
around different [ones] but rotate in a direction opposite to one another,
where the smaller [sphere] moves in the opposite direction at a lesser [speed]
but is carried round at the same time by the larger [sphere], the points on the [15]
smaller [sphere] will arrive at the same point in a greater time interval than
if the smaller sphere happened only to be fixed in the greater [sphere].243
Indeed, it is for this reason that the return from rising to rising of the Sun
itself is slower than the rotation of the cosmos, that is, because it moves in
the opposite direction to the universe [and] more slowly—since, if [the Sun]
did indeed move at the same speed as the fixed sphere while rotating in the [20]
opposite direction, given that [the Sun] always made its return in the same
time interval, it would be bound to rise always at the same point.244
240 501.4–8: see Figure 12.09, p. 192. The underlying idea may be that the compounded
motion of a body subject to motions imposed by two oblique rotating homocentric spheres
may be projected onto the plane and treated as a compounded motion along the diagonal of
a parallelogram.
241 501.9 ἡ τοῦ µήκους πλευρά: scil. the long side of the parallelogram.
242 See Euclid, Elem. 1 dem. 20. See also [Aristotle] Mech. prob. 1 and Heron, Mech. 1.8 [Nix
and Schmidt 1900, 18.28–22.3].

243 501.12–17. This is true only if the two homocentric spheres share the same axis. If they do
not, a point on the equator of the inner (slower) sphere will not in one revolution of the outer
sphere return to the same point (on a suitable reference circle), though it will take longer to
reach this circle.
244 501.17–81: it is here imagined that there are but two homocentric spheres for the Sun
[cf. 494.20–22 and Comment 12.14, pp. 264–265], presumably rotating in opposite directions
about different axes, the outer sphere having the shorter period of rotation.
501.18–21: it is now overlooked that, if the spheres had the same period, the Sun would
neither rise nor set but remain in one place.
501.21 τῷ αὐτῷ σηµείῳ (at the same point): scil. on the horizon, a reference circle: cf. Aujac
et al. 1979, 174. Note Mueller’s ‘with the same point’ [2005, 40], presumably understanding ‘on
the celestial sphere’, is possible, though the preceding sentence tends to favor the translation
given above. In either case, the διότι-clause misfires.
Thus, with these things ascertained as presuppositions, Sosigenes, on

coming to Aristotle’s remarks about the need that, for each of the wandering
[stars], there be other (unwinding) spheres fewer in number by one if
[25] the phenomena are going to be accounted for, sets out the theory of the
construction of spheres according to Aristotle when he says:
Now, the first of the spheres carrying Saturn was one that moves in accordance
with the [sphere] of fixed [stars]; and the second was one that moves directly
along the [circle] through the middle of the zodiacal [constellations].245 Third
was the [sphere which moves] along the [circle] at right angles to the circle
through the middle of the zodiacal [constellations], namely, the circle that
[30] carried [Saturn] beyond [the zodiacal circle] in latitude from south to north.
(This circle was at right angles to the [circle] through the middle [of the
zodiacal constellations] because it had its poles on it—[circles] that intersect
through the poles also intersect at right angles.)246 The fourth sphere (the one
[502.1] containing the [wandering] star) caused it to move over some oblique circle
that delimits the latitude of its digression to the north so that it does not come
to be near the poles of the cosmos.247
Accordingly, one must conceive of a different sphere, a fifth, before the four
carrying Jupiter,248 which moves about the same poles as the fourth [of the
[5] spheres carrying Saturn] as it rotates in the opposite direction to it and in
the same time interval. (The reason for this is that this [sphere] will subtract
the motion of the fourth [sphere] because it moves about the same poles as
it, yet in the opposite direction and at the same speed—this, after all, has
been proven249—and it will decrease the speed [of Jupiter] in accordance with
what is observed.)250
245 A sphere may be said to move along or over a circle if the sphere rotates about poles
that are perpendicular to this circle.

246 501.30–32: cf. Theodosius, Sphaer. dem. 11–15.
247 501.32–502.2: cf. 496.23–497.2.
248 502.2–3 δεῖ τοίνυν νοῆσαι πέµπτην σφαῖραν ἄλλην πρὸ τῶν φερουσῶν τὸν ∆ιὰ τεττάρων: this
reading, which has «τὸν ∆ιά» instead of Heiberg’s «τὴν διά», is evident in Grosseteste’s ‘oportet
igitur intelligere quintam speram aliam ante ferentes Iovem quattuor’ [see Bossier 1987, 296].
Mueller [2005, 109n165] emends Heiberg’s «δεῖ τοίνυν νοῆσαι πέµπτην σφαῖραν ἄλλην πρὸ τῶν
φερουσῶν τὴν διὰ τεττάρων» to «δεῖ τοίνυν νοῆσαι πέµπτην σφαῖραν ἄλλην πρὸ τῶν φερουσῶν τὸν
∆ιά». But «τεττάρων» is well attested and appropriate.
502.3 πρὸ τῶν φερουσῶν: ‘before’ in the sense of ‘between the fourth sphere (or Jupiter
itself) and the observer on Earth’.
249 502.5–6: cf. 499.17–500.21 along with Comment 12.25, pp. 278–283.
250 502.7 κατὰ τὸ φαινόµενον: given the syntax, the point is that it will reduce Jupiter’s speed
so that it has the speed that it actually appears to have. Thus, both Grosseteste and Moerbeke
have ‘secundum apparentem velocitatem’ [Bossier n.d.a, 184.24–25; Moerbeke [Bossier 1975,
3.15.12]: cf. Aujac et al. 1979, 175]. The claim is not that it reduces Jupiter’s apparent speed, as
Mueller has it [2005, 41 and n166].
After the fifth [sphere], one should conceive of another, a sixth, which has
the same poles as the third but unwinds it by moving both in the same time
interval and in the opposite direction so that the phenomena are saved, that is, [10]
so that points on the third [sphere] always appear at the same perpendicular
on the fifth.251
After this [sphere], one should add a seventh, the one that unwinds the
second [sphere] in that it is fitted about the poles of the [circle] through
the middle [of the zodiacal constellations] (poles about which this [second
sphere] also rotates) yet rotates in the opposite direction and in the same
time interval as the second [sphere]. That is, [the seventh sphere unwinds
the second] in that it takes away from the motion and the speed that goes [15]
from it through to the spheres beneath it.252 (For, in fact, the second [sphere],
by moving with the fixed [sphere], contributed253 to the speed from east to
west of the [spheres] beneath it.) Therefore, [the seventh sphere] will rotate
by moving thus in the same way as the fixed [sphere]; yet it will not have the
disposition of the fixed [sphere] in fact, since it rotates about different poles
and not the [poles] of the fixed [sphere] but nevertheless from east to west.254
Finally, after this [seventh sphere], then, one should conceive of the first [20]
[sphere] of Jupiter as an eighth [sphere of Saturn], since Sosigenes has
correctly established that the last of the three unwinding [spheres] is not
the first of the [carrying spheres] of Jupiter. Some have thought this in fact,
namely, that the last of the [spheres] unwinding the upper motions will be
the first of the [spheres] carrying the [wandering] star below,255 so that the
same sphere is seventh and the one that we say is eighth (which is the first of
251 502.10–11 κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τῆς πέµπτης κάθετον. This claim is problematic to say the
least: see Comment 12.25, pp. 278–283. Nevertheless, so far as the perpendicular is concerned,
it is to be dropped from a point on the carrying sphere in question to the plane of its equatorial
circle and the thesis is that all points on the unwinding sphere in question will be fixed on
on these perpendiculars.
252 502.14–15 ἀφαιροῦσαν τὴν κίνησιν καὶ τὸ τάχος τὸ ἀπ’ αὐτῆς διικνούµενον εἰς τὰς ὑπ’ αὐτὴν
σφαίρας: the subject of the participle must be the seventh sphere and the referent in «ἀπ’
αὐτῆς» and «ὑπ’ αὐτήν». See Comment 12.25, pp. 278–283.
253 502.16 προσετίθει: ‘contributed’ rather than ‘added’ because, by moving from west to
east, the second sphere actually diminishes the motion transmitted downwards by the first
sphere. If a positive addition is meant, then Sosigenes/Simplicius [see 278n163] is assuming
hypotheses at odds with Meta. 1073b24–27 [495.17–29]: cf. Aujac et al. 1979, 176n1. Mueller’s
proposed revision of the text [cf. 2005, 41] misses the mark: it [2005, 109n167] neglects the fact
that, because the second sphere is carried round by the fixed sphere, it does indeed contribute
to the east-west motion of the sphere below [cf. 494.20–22, 501.17–21].
254 502.17–19: that is, in unwinding the second sphere, points on the seventh will be fixed
in relation to the first sphere of the planetary system of spheres, and thus move from east
to west as does the sphere of the fixed stars [see Comment 12.25, pp. 278–283]. But this is
possible only because the seventh sphere itself rotates from east to west about the poles of
the zodiacal circle in the same time interval as the second sphere.
255 502.22–23. Points on the seventh sphere are fixed in relation to the first sphere of Saturn
[25] the [carrying spheres] of Jupiter).256 Certainly, this follows for them because
they are trying to count the same [sphere] twice in order to save the number
of turning [spheres] mentioned by Aristotle.257
Of course, it is necessary that the unwinding [spheres] for each star
be fewer by one than the carrying [spheres]. Consequently, in the cases
of Saturn and of Jupiter, since there are four carrying spheres for either,
[30] the unwinding spheres are three in number, whereas in the cases of the
[503.1] remaining four—Mars, Venus, Mercury, [and the] Sun—since there are five
carrying [spheres] for each, [the unwinding spheres] are four in number
[for each]. Thus, in all, the unwinding [spheres] of Saturn and Jupiter are
twice three, and the unwinding [spheres] of Mars, Venus, Mercury, [and the]
Sun are [altogether] four times four; so there are 22 in all. But the carrying
spheres of Saturn and Jupiter were eight in number and 25 in number for
[5] the remaining five [planets]. Thus, when these 33 [carrying spheres] have
been added to the 22 unwinding [spheres], there are in all 55. (Of course, for
the [spheres] carrying the Moon there is no need of unwinding [spheres]
since it is last, given that Aristotle said also that ‘only [the spheres] in which
the [wandering] star stationed below moves need not be unwound.’)258
and thus, since it therefore has the motion of the sphere of the fixed stars (albeit as a resultant
motion), it will impose this motion on that sphere of Jupiter which has its poles fixed in it.
Accordingly, this seventh sphere of Saturn could double as the first of the carrying spheres
of Jupiter. Simplicius does not report Sosigenes’ argument that the first carrying sphere of
Jupiter must be different from this seventh sphere (the third and innermost unwinding
sphere) of Saturn. Cf. Comment 12.23, pp. 273–277.
256 502.20–25: as Jonathan Beere [2003, 8] rightly notes, Simplicius thinks that this is wrong.
Yet, rather than explaining why, Simplicius cites Sosigenes’ view [503.35–504.1] that it is better
to hold that there has been a scribal error in the statement that there might be 47 spheres in
toto than to try get this number by identifying the last unwinding sphere of the planet above
with the first carrying sphere of the planet below. See 162n257.
257 502.25–27: Aristotle [Meta. 1074a6–14] asserts that there are 55 spheres in all but also
considers the possibility that there are only 47 spheres. This latter number caused commen-
tators no end of trouble, as Simplicius makes clear. Note: if a sphere is counted twice, that is,
if it is counted as a carrying sphere and as an unwinding sphere, the total number of spheres
required is reduced. Thus, if one identifies the first carrying sphere of each planetary system
with the unwinding sphere immediately above it, there will be 55 – 6 = 49 spheres in all.
258 503.8–9 µόνας οὐ δεῖ ἀνελιχθῆναι ἐν αἷς φέρεται τὸ κάτω τεταγµένον ἄστρον. Simplicius’
quotation of Meta. 1074a8 makes poor sense. In point of fact, the Aristotelian mss have
«µόνας οὐ δεῖ ἀνελιχθῆναι ἐν αἷς τὸ κατωτάτω τεταγµένον φέρεται» (‘only [the spheres] in which
the [wandering star] stationed farthest below moves need not be unwound’) [cf., e.g., Ross
1953, ad loc.]. Mueller [2005, 43] tacitly assumes «κατατάτω» in Simplicius’ text. Grosseteste
[Bossier n.d.a, 186.1] and Moerbeke [Bossier 1975, 3.17.2] have the comparatives ‘inferius’ and
‘subtus’, respectively.
503.9: on Simplicius’ reckoning of the 55 spheres, see [Alexander] In meta. 1074a8–9
[Hayduck 1891, 705.25–39].
Now, it is clear that this is the total number of all [the spheres]. But, when [10]
Aristotle inferred that ‘if one does not add the motions which we mentioned
to the Sun and the Moon, there will be 47 [spheres] in all’,259 this caused
confusion. To explain: if we subtract the two [spheres] of the Sun and the
two [spheres] of the Moon which Callippus added and, clearly, two other
[spheres] from the Sun as well —the ones that unwind these [two carrying [15]
spheres for the Sun], given that, when those [carrying spheres] have been
subtracted, one must also subtract with them the spheres that are going
to unwind them—there will be six [spheres] that have been subtracted,
two which carry the Sun and the two which unwind these [spheres] in
addition to the two added for the Moon by Callippus. But it does not yet
result that, when these [spheres] have been subtracted from the 55, there
are 47 [spheres] left in all; rather, there will be 49. But Aristotle says that 47 [20]
are left behind, either as though he had forgotten that he removed not four
[spheres] from the Moon but only two—unless one should say, therefore,
that he subtracted the four unwinding [spheres] from the Sun which he
himself added and from both [the Sun and Moon] the [spheres] which
Callippus [added]; and, thus, [that], since there are eight spheres that have
been subtracted from the 55, the remaining [spheres] are 47 in number. [25]
This is how the number results. Yet why there are not some [spheres] to
unwind the two spheres of the Sun (the second and the third) we cannot
say, given in fact that he says only this, that the [wandering star] lying below
is not unwound.260 And yet Sosigenes has also established correctly that one
must hypothesize the unwinding [spheres of the Sun] for the Moon, lest [30]
the speed of the upper motions when added to the spheres carrying [the
Moon] no longer make it advance to the west at the same speed as the fixed
259 503.10–26: cf. [Alexander] In meta. 1074a12–14 [Hayduck 1891, 705.39–706.13].

503.11–12 εἴ τις µὴ προσθείη τῷ ἡλίῳ καὶ τῇ σελήνῃ ἃς εἴποµεν κινήσεις, ἑπτὰ καὶ τεσσαράκοντα
ἔσονται πᾶσαι. At Meta. 1074a12–14, modern editors have «εἰ δὲ τῇ σελήνῃ καὶ τῷ ἡλίῳ µὴ
προστιθείη τις ἃς εἴποµεν κινήσεις, ἑπτά τε καὶ τεσσαράκοντα» [cf., e.g. Ross 1953, ad loc.]. See
Comment 12.23, pp. 273–277.
260 503.26–27: Moerbeke has
propter quid autem a sole duas, secundam scilicet et tertia, auferri, si non sustinent aliqui,
non habebimus dicere
But, if some do not keep [them], we will not be able to say why two [spheres], namely,
the second and the third, are taken from the Sun, [Bossier 1975, 3.17.17–19]
which is more a paraphrase than a translation [cf. Bossier n.d.a, 186.19–20].
503.26–27 διὰ τί … οὐκ ἀνελίξουσί τινες: lit. ‘why some [spheres] will not unwind the two
spheres …’.
503.27–28 ταῦτα εἰπόντος … µὴ ἀνελίττεσθαι: a paraphrase of Meta. 1074a7–8.
[sphere]. But, thus, even when it is granted that the [Moon] alone does not
have an unwinding [sphere], the number does not follow; and this disturbed
Alexander and Porphyry in their lectures on [book] Λ of the Metaphysics.261
[35] Sosigenes, who understands [the problem], says that it is better to think
[504.1] that there has been an error in the number by scribes than to make the
seventh and eighth spheres the same.262 (Not even if this were the case,
would the number be consonant with the text, given that there will still not
be 55 [spheres] in all, just as [Aristotle] himself says.)
Sosigenes also adds the following when he says that
[5] it is clear from what has been said that Aristotle calls [the spheres] unwinding
in one sense whereas Theophrastus calls them compensating in another.263
Indeed, both [designations] apply to them. That is to say, [these spheres]
unwind the upper motions and compensate264 the poles of the spheres be-
neath [the wandering stars]265 by removing the former [motions] and bring-
ing the latter to what is required.
The reason is that the motions from above should not extend to the diverse
[10] [motions] of the stars lower down and that the poles of the [spheres] below
should fall beneath the same perpendicular as the poles of similar spheres,266
so that the first spheres of the [wandering] stars stationed beneath (and,
clearly, because of them, the spheres after them as well) can be restored to
the same position, just as he says. ‘Certainly, in this way alone’, he rightly
[15] says, ‘is it possible for all [the wandering stars] to make the motion of the
fixed [stars],’ as we have already said.267
261 503.28–504.3: see fr. 160a in Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.301–312. Rescigno’s fr. 160b = [Alexan-
der] In meta. 1073b17 [Hayduck 1891, 702.38–706.15].

503.34: Porphyry (ad 234–ca 305), a student of the philosopher Plotinus (205–270), was
very productive in his own right and left his mark on later Platonism [see Smith 1996; O’Meara
1989, 25–29].
503.34 τῆς Μεταφυσικῆς: F has «Μετὰ τὰ φυσικά», the reading of A at, e.g., 422.17, 497.9, and
505.27.
262 503.35–504.1: cf. [Alexander] In meta. 1074a12–14 [Hayduck 1891, 706.13–15].
503.35–504.1: Sosigenes apparently held that the number should have been 49.
263 504.4–15 = Theophrastus fr. 165D in Fortenbaugh et al. 1992. See 493.17–20 and 146n175.
For discussion, see Bodnár 2005, 271n25 and 273.

264 504.7 ἀνταναφέρουσι (compensate): lit. ‘bring back(wards) in (re)turn’. Theophrastus’
«ἀνταναφερούσας» is the present participle of this verb: see 146n175.

265 504.8 ὑπ’ αὐτούς: scil. lit. ‘beneath them’, where ‘they’ (masc. pl.) cannot be the spheres
(fem. pl.). This reference to items syntactically outside Simplicius’ own text signals that he is
quoting Sosigenes.
266 504.10–11 ὑπὸ τὴν αὐτὴν κάθετον (beneath the same perpendicular): scil. a perpendicular
drawn from the sphere’s pole to its equatorial plane. In other words, the spheres should have
the same axis.
267 504.9–15: Mueller [2005, 43 and n177] includes these lines in the citation of Sosigenes.
The spherical construction by means of unwinding spheres is somewhat

like this. [It is a construction] which cannot save the phenomena, as Sosi-
genes also remarks critically when he says:
Nevertheless, the [spheres] of the Eudoxans do not in fact save the phenom-
ena, not as they have been ascertained later nor even as they had been recog-
nized before and accepted by those same people.268 [20]
And why should we speak about the rest [of the phenomena], some of which
even Callippus of Cyzicus tried to save when Eudoxus was not successful,
if indeed [Callippus] did save [them]? But, at least this one itself, which
is indeed manifest to the eye, none of them before Autolycus of Pitane
in fact tried to demonstrate by means of hypotheses, although not even
Autolycus himself was successful—his dispute with Aristotherus269 reveals [25]
[this]. What I mean is that the [planets] sometimes make their appearance
nearby and sometimes after they have receded from us.270
This is indeed obvious to the eye in some cases. That is, the star said to
belong to Venus and, moreover, the [star belonging to] Mars appear many
times greater at the middle of their retrogradations,271 with the result that,
on moonless nights, the [star] of Venus for its part causes shadows to fall [30]
from bodies.272
Furthermore, even in our unaided sight,273 the Moon obviously does not
always stand the same [distance] from us because it does not always appear
But, as «καθάπερ φησίν» at 504.12 indicates, in 504.9–14, Simplicius is speaking propria voce.
504.14–15 is another citation.
268 504.17–505.25: Aujac et al. [1979, 179–181] follow Heiberg in supposing that the citation
of Sosigenes extends from 504.17 to 505.27, but there is reason to doubt that this is correct. Pro-
clus, Hyp. ast. 4.98 [see p. 249, for translation] does, I admit, indicate that Sosigenes’ account
of the turning (or unwinding) spheres did include mention of solar eclipses. Moreover, 505.1–
11 is consistent with Proclus’ report. The problem is that such consistency is not a sufficient
basis for ascribing all of 504.17–505.27 to Sosigenes, especially in light of the fact that this pas-
sage introduces argument on other subjects as well, and that its syntax does not require such
an attribution. Note also that 504.20–22 seems more likely to come from Simplicius, given
497.22–24: cf. 154n213.
504.18 τῶν περὶ Εὔδοξον: on the locution, see Comment 10.07, pp. 206–207.
269 504.24–25: on Aristotherus, see Comment 12.26, pp. 283–284.
504.28: on Autolycus’ dates, see Bowen and Goldstein 1991, 246nn29–30.

270 505.25–25: Simplicius has touched on this issue earlier [32.12–33.16] in a different but
related context. See Comment 12.27, pp. 284–288.

271 504.28 προηγήσεις. See Comment 12.28, pp. 288–289.
272 504.29–30: see Comment 12.29, pp. 289–290.
273 504.30 ἐν αὐτῇ µὲν τῇ ὄψει: lit. ‘in sight (by) itself’. Simplicius is about to distinguish naked
eye observation and observation with instruments, so «αὐτῇ» is important. But see Mueller
2005, 43.
to us to have the same size, though the same conditions obtain with refer-
ence to the [medium] through which it is observed.274 Nevertheless, [should
the Moon not appear so to our unaided sight,]275 the same thing seems true
to us also if we make observations more instrumentally, because sometimes
[35] a drum of 11 digits276 and sometimes a drum of 12 digits blocks the observer’s
sight so that it does not fall upon [the Moon], though [the drum] is set at
the same distance from him.277
[505.1] In addition to these [instrumental observations], the events at total
eclipses of the Sun also testify to what has been said [about the Moon], and
are in fact proofs of its truth. That is to say, when the center of [the Sun],
the center of the Moon, and, moreover, our eye happen to be in a straight
[5] line, the results do not always appear the same. Instead, the Sun in fact is
itself sometimes completely enclosed by the cone which encloses the Moon
and has our eye as its vertex (that is, sometimes in fact [the Sun] spends
274 504.32 τῶν αὐτων περὶ τὸ δι’ οὗ θεωρεῖται καθεστώτων: lit. ‘the same things obtain con-
cerning that through which it is observed’. Cf. 505.9–11. Mueller [2005, 44] misses this clear
reference to the medium. On the general claim about the Moon, see Comment 12.30, pp. 290–
291.
275 504.33 οὐ µὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ [cf. 1.24–2.5, 431.30–32]. This collocation of particles answers to
«µέν» in 504.30 [cf. Denniston 1966, 30; Blomqvist 1969, 57–58], and announces the strongest
case for the thesis that the Moon varies in distance to the Earth. The connection with the
preceding sentence may be spelled out by ‘But, if it is not obvious to the naked eye that
the Moon varies in size and, hence, in distance, nevertheless ….’ Heath’s translation [1913,
222] does not save the contrast between naked eye and instrumental observation at issue
here, a contrast that is also indicated by the comparative adverb «ὀργανικώτερον» (‘more by
means of instruments’) in 504.33. Cf., e.g., Theon, De util. math. 3.22 [Hiller 1878, 150.7–12 and
T.H. Martin 1849, 213].
504.33: see Comment 12.31, p. 291.
276 504.33 ὀργανικώτερον. The instrument that Simplicius alludes to seems to be the Hip-
parchan dioptra first mentioned by Ptolemy in Alm. 5.14 [Heiberg 1898–1907, 1.417.1–3: cf.
Proclus, Hyp. ast. 4.71–72]. One form of this instrument was subsequently described by Pap-
pus [In Ptol. syn. ad 5.14: Rome 1931–1943, 1.90–93] and another, by Proclus [Hyp. ast. 4.87–96:
cf. 4.72]: cf. Price 1957, 591. Though Simplicius does not describe the instrument in any detail,
the fact that he says nothing of any holes in the movable drums suggests that he may have
in mind Pappus’ rather than Proclus’ version. Simplicius’ main departure from all previous
extant accounts of this device lies in his speaking of drums (τύµπανα) rather than small
prisms (πρισµάτια).
504.34 ἑνδεκαδάκτυλον. See Comment 12.32, pp. 291–292.
277 504.34–505.1: according to Levi ben Gerson [Goldstein 1985, 102 sentence [10]], the
apparent size of the Moon only varies a little between quadrature and opposition. Indeed,
Bernard Goldstein informs me that in chapter 75 (unpublished) of his Astronomy, Levi asserts
that he could detect no variation in the Moon’s apparent size between 0° and 180° of anomaly,
that is, he could find no measurable difference between the apparent sizes of the Moon no
matter what the argument of anomaly was. In modern times, the apparent size of the Moon
has been found to vary from 0;29,20° to 0;33,32° [cf. Aujac et al. 1979, 180n1].
some time interval without being visible to us); and sometimes, again, [the
configuration] is so far [removed] from this that at the mid time interval
of the eclipse, some rim of [the Sun] is in fact left shining round from
outside [the cone].278 Consequently, it must be necessary that the difference [10]
in the sizes [of total solar eclipses] be evident because of the inequality of
the [Moon’s] distances, though the atmospheric [conditions] are about the
same.279
But, in that what happens in these instances [just described] is plain in
fact to sight, it is reasonable that [the same] happens in the others as well
even if it is not manifest to sight. Indeed, not only is it reasonable, it is in
fact true, since the daily motion of the [other planets] appears unsmooth.280
But, concerning their apparent sizes, no difference is noticed because their [15]
variation in altitude and its opposite (which scientists used also to call
motion in depth) is negligible.281 Thus, they did not try at all to save this
[phenomenon] and, consequently, they did not indicate the changing daily
[motion of the planets], although [Plato’s] question requires this.
But yet, it is not admissible to say that the inequality of the distances of
each [planet] in relation to itself really escaped their notice. For, evidently, [20]
Polemarchus of Cyzicus recognizes it but dismisses it as not being percep-
tible, because he prefers more the positioning of the spheres themselves in
the universe about its very center.282
And even Aristotle in his Problemata physica clearly sets forth further
problems for the astronomers’ hypotheses, [deriving] from the fact that [25]
the sizes of the planets do not appear to be the same.283 Thus, he was not
278 505.3–9: the point of this argument is, again, that the Moon varies in distance to the
Earth [cf. 505.1–3]. There is no need to follow Schiaparelli in inferring that this argument also
entails awareness of, or supposes, a variation in the apparent diameter of the Sun: cf. Heath
1913, 223–224.
279 505.9–11: these lines concern the Moon and conclude the argument that began in
504.30; they are not a remark about the planets in general (as Mueller [2005, 44] supposes).
280 505.11–17: on this claim about the motions of planets other than the Moon, see Com-
ment 12.33, pp. 292–293.

281 505.15 οὐ προσπίπτει τις διαφορά: lit. ‘it is not the case that any difference befalls [sight]’.
505.16 κατὰ βάθος: the earliest occurrence of the usage that Simplicius alludes to seems to
be in the Keskintos Inscription (ca –100), though its significance there is admittedly not well
understood [cf. Neugebauer 1975, 698–705; Jones 2006]. Cf. Pliny, Nat. hist. 2.68; Plutarch, De
facie 937f, 939a–b.
505.17 οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν µαθηµάτων: cf. 150n196.
282 505.21–23: see Comment 12.34, pp. 293–294.
283 505.24 τοῖς Φυσικοῖς προβλήµασι. The Physica problemata (= Quaestiones physicae) that
has come down under Aristotle’s name is a compilation of texts written in the Peripatetic
school made perhaps as late as the fifth and sixth centuries ad, though there is modest reason
completely satisfied with his turning [spheres], even if [the thesis] that they
are homocentric with the universe and move about its center won him
over.284 And, further, from what he says in Metaphysics Λ, he is evidently not
[30] one who thinks that the [features] of the motions of the wandering [stars]
have been stated adequately by the astronomers up to and during his time.
At any rate, he says [this] in the following:285
Thus, to give [some] conception [of the problem], we now state what some of
the mathematical scientists286 say, that is, in order that there be some definite
[506.1] number for thought to grasp. But, as for the rest, as we investigate some things
ourselves and learn other things from those who conduct investigations, if any-
thing is revealed to [us] in engaging with these matters in conflict with what has
been stated now, we must treat both [accounts] kindly but believe the more accu-
rate.287
But, also in the same book, after he has enumerated all the motions together,
he remarks:
to think it may include sections of a book of the same name written by Aristotle himself [cf.
Louis 1991–1994, 1.xi–xxxv]. Precisely which sections these may be is a matter of scholarly
concern that lacks a credible means of resolution. In any case, I will put this issue aside for
now, since no problem in the treatise as it has come down to us raises any difficulties involved
in positing fixed planetary distances. The only one that even remotely seems to suggest the
possibility of variable planetary distance is Prob. 15.4, but it does this counterfactually. So, if
this were the text that Simplicius is alluding to, he has certainly read it against the grain in
order to support his story.
Aujac et al. [1979, 181n2] think that the passage which Simplicius has in mind was a false
report inserted into a version of the Problemata now lost and intended to excuse Aristotle
from his adherence to homocentric theory.
505.24–25 ταῖς τῶν ἀστρολόγων ὑποθέσεσιν.
284 505.26 ταῖς ἀνελιττούσαις: cf. 135n113.
505.27 ἐπηγάγετο αὐτόν: though there is a Greek ms. with «αὐτῷ», «αὐτόν» seems correct:
cf. Grosseteste’s induxit ipsum [Bossier n.d.a, 189.17] and Moerbeke’s ‘placuit sibi’ [1563,
177.col.A].
285 505.29 ἀστρολόγων.
505.30 λέγει γοῦν ὧδέ πως. There is no uncertainty here: the quotation makes Simplicius’
point. See Comment 12.19, pp. 269–271.
286 505.31 τῶν µαθηµατικῶν.
287 505.30–506.3: Meta. 1073b11–17. Simplicius omits a clause [Meta. 1073b10–11] immedi-
ately before the lines that he quotes. This is why he writes «νῦν µὲν οὖν ἡµεῖς» where the
received text has only «νῦν µὲν ἡµεῖς». Heiberg’s text also has «ὑπολαµβάνειν, τῶν ζητούντων»
and «ἐάν» instead of «ὑπολαβεῖν, παρὰ τῶν ζητούντων» and «ἄν», respectively [cf. Ross 1953,
ad loc.].
Heath [1913, 223] rightly follows Schiaparelli in rejecting Simplicius’ imputing to Aristotle
doubts about homocentric theory in this passage as an attempt to excuse later Peripatetics
from abandoning homocentric spheres in favor of epicyclic and eccentric spheres [cf. 506.8–
16]. Indeed, the uncertainty registered here is limited to the count of carrying and unwinding
spheres.
506.2 παρὰ τὰ νῦν εἰρηµένα τοῖς ταῦτα πραγµατευοµένοις. See Comment 12.35, p. 294.
Let the number of the motions be this great, so that it is reasonable to suppose [5]
that the substances, that is, the unmoved and perceptible first principles, are as
numerous. Let what is actually necessary be left for the more vigorous to say.288
His ‘let … be’, ‘reasonable’, and ‘leave for others more vigorous’,289 show his
uncertainty about them.
Thus, while we give credence to Aristotle, we must follow more those who
come later, on the grounds that they save the phenomena more [effectively] [10]
even if they do not save them completely,290 since neither did [the homocen-
trists] know so many phenomena—on account of the fact that the observa-
tions sent by Callisthenes291 from Babylon, when Aristotle required this of
him, had not yet arrived in Greece (Porphyry reports that these [observa-
tions] were preserved for 31,000 years up to the times of Alexander of Mace- [15]
don)292—nor were they able to demonstrate by means of their hypotheses
all [the phenomena] which they did know.
Ptolemy too criticizes them293 on the grounds that they introduce a great
multitude of spheres for the sake of the joint return of the seven planets in
relation to the rotation of the fixed [sphere] alone, as well as for saying that
[the spheres] contained by the containing [spheres], that is, the innermost
[spheres],294 are causes of the joint return for the [spheres] above them, [20]
although nature always makes higher things causes of motion for things that
288 506.4–7: Meta. 1074a14–17. Modern editions of Aristotle’s text have «τὸ µὲν οὖν πλῆθος»
(Simplicius omits «οὖν»); moreover, they follow [Alexander] [Hayduck 1891, 706.16–17, 23–24]
and athetize Simplicius’ «καὶ τὰς αἰσθητάς» (‘and perceptible’) [cf. Ross 1953, ad loc.], though
these words do appear in all the mss of the Meta.
289 506.7–8: Simplicius recalls text that he has just quoted [506.6–7]. Note that his «ἄλλοις
ἰσχυροτέροις» (‘for others more vigorous’) departs from the original. Grosseteste [Bossier
n.d.a, 190.1–4] has:
necessarium enim dimittatur fortioribus dicere. Et hoc igitur sit et rationabile et aliud
fortioribus relinquere, quod circa ipsa dubium ostenditur.
290 506.10 κἂν εἰ µηδὲ οὗτοι τελέως διασώζουσιν: Simplicius thus hints at some technical
criticism of the non-homocentric hypotheses.

291 506.11–12: Callisthenes was Aristotle’s nephew and a historian who traveled to Babylon
in Alexander’s entourage [see Bosworth 1966].

292 506.13–15: see Comment 12.36, p. 295.
293 506.16: see Comment 12.37, p. 296.
506.16 αὐτοῖς: scil. those who adopt homocentric hypotheses.

506.16–22: Simplicius now summarizes criticisms that Ptolemy makes in book 2 of his
Hypoth. plan., a text that survives only in Arabic [cf. Nix 1907, 118.20–31] and in a Hebrew
translation of the Arabic. See Comment 12.25, pp. 278–283.
294 506.18–19 τὰς περιεχόµενας ταῖς περιεχούσαις καὶ ἐσχατάς: Mueller [2005, 44] has ‘con-
tained and last spheres’, thus missing the instrumental dative and the epexegesis.
are lower. Certainly, even in human beings, it is from on high, that is, from
our ruling part, that the impulses for motion are distributed through the
nerves to all our organs.295
And I do not understand why they ever set the first sphere for each
[wandering] star as moving similarly and at the same speed as the fixed
[25] [sphere], and as making all the spheres after it down to the [sphere] that has
the [wandering] star return jointly with the fixed [sphere].296 To explain: if
the [sphere] above passes on to the [spheres] below the form of its proper
motion, why do we not say that the fixed [sphere], which is the most
powerful and strongest sphere of all, causes all the spheres beneath it to
return jointly to the same position by itself? Of course, it was necessary
that the [spheres] performing the motion in longitude and in latitude be
[30] different, since these were different [motions] for each [wandering] star.
[507.1] But how did the joint return with the fixed [sphere] (which is the same
for all the spheres) not be satisfied by the rotation of the fixed [sphere]?
How instead did it, according to Aristotle, need [spheres] performing this
motion for each [wandering] star as well as for spheres unwinding those
ones?297 They might perhaps say298 that, even if [the spheres] return jointly
[5] with the fixed [sphere] by performing the same motion westwards as it,
since they are instead different in size, they are also utterly different in speed
of motion.299 How, then, was it reasonable that [spheres] which are set free
(that is, not bound together) perform different motions at the agency of a
single [sphere], the fixed [sphere]?300
295 506.22 τοῦ ἡγεµονοῦντος µορίου: scil. from our controlling part or command center.
506.22 διὰ τῶν νευρῶν: see Comment 12.38, pp. 296–297.
296 506.23–25: Mueller [2005, 45] overlooks that «κινουµένην» and «συναποκαθιστῶσαν» are
participles modifying «τὴν πρώτην σφαῖραν».

297 507.2 ἠρκέσθη … ἐδεήθη: Mueller [2005, 46] incorrectly supposes that the subject of these
verbs is Aristotle.
507.3 ἐκείνας (those ones): scil. the spheres producing motion in longitude and latitude. As
Taïeb Farhat has emphasized in correcting an earlier version of my translation, these spheres
must be unwound if the diurnal motion of the planet beneath is to be preserved.
298 507.4 λέγοιεν δὲ ἂν ἴσως: the verb is plural not singular as Mueller [2005, 46] supposes.
507.4–10: this is not a particularly compelling suggestion, trading as it does on a difference

in linear speed even when angular speed is the same. Simplicius is trying to make the case
for an argument that does not really seem to convince him.
299 507.5–7. The angular speed of the spheres is the same: it is the linear speed that varies
with the radius.

300 507.7–8. If there must be a sphere for the fixed stars, how can this sphere be responsible
for such a diversity among the (linear) motions of the first carrying spheres, when these
spheres are unconnected and thus unlike homocentric circles drawn on a solid, rotating
wheel?
In giving judgment against the hypothesis of turning [spheres] especially [10]

because it does not preserve the difference in depth (that is, the anomaly)301
of the [planetary] motions, those who came later rejected the homocentric
turning [spheres] and hypothesized eccentric and epicyclic ones—unless
the hypothesis of eccentric circles was conceived by the Pythagoreans,302
as Nicomachus and some others say as well as Iamblichus (who follows
Nicomachus).303 But, in order that we get some conception of the use of these [15]
hypotheses in producing a comprehensive study of the heavens,304 let the
eccentric hypothesis be set out first in comparison with the homocentric
[hypothesis] in a diagram.
Let the circle through the middle of the zodiacal [constellations], ABCD,
be conceived of as homocentric about the center E (at which let it be sup-
posed our eye is) and the [line] AEC as a diameter.305 Then, if the [wandering] [20]
star makes smooth progress from A to B on the circle ABCD, it is evident that,
since our eye happens to be at the center E, if we conceive of the ray that falls
from [our eye] to the [wandering] star as the straight [line] AE, this [line]
too will be brought around smoothly with it. And, of course, the [wandering]
star will be plainly evident both making its progress smoothly and keeping
away from us at a distance that is always the same. [25]
But, since [the planets] are not observed in this way but as always making
their progress unsmoothly and standing apart [from us] at different dis-
tances at different times (as is clear from the difference in their sizes),306
let the circle ABCD no longer be supposed as homocentric to the zodiacal
[circle] so that, for example, the center of the zodiacal [circle] (on which
we say our eye is) no longer happens to be at E but at F.307 That is, [let it be [30]
301 507.10 τὴν ἀνωµαλίαν. This is first use of «ἀνωµαλία» in its technical sense to signify the
mean motion of a planet on its epicycle: see Evans 1998, 337 for the terminology in the case of
a simple epicyclic model [cf. Toomer 1984, 21]. (Epicyclic) anomaly, which is measured from
the apogee of the epicycle, incidentally accounts for what was known as motion ‘in depth’.
Cf. 135n112.
302 507.13 ὑπὸ τῶν Πυθαγορείων: see Comment 12.39, pp. 297–298.
303 507.13 Νικόµαχος … ᾽Ιάµβλιχος: Nicomachus of Gerasa was a Pythagorean who was
active ca 100 [cf. Tarán 1974; O’Meara 1989, 14–23]. Iamblichus of Chalcis (ca 245 to ca 325)
was a Platonist philosopher who may have studied with Porphyry [cf. O’Meara 1989, 30n1].
507.13–14 ἄλλοι τέ τινες … καὶ … καὶ. On the locution, see 244n56.
304 507.14–16: cf. 492.28–31.
507.15 τὴν πραγµατείαν (comprehensive study).

305 507.18–19: see Figures 12.10(a)–(b), p. 193.
306 507.25–27: a claim that presents as a matter of plain observation what is in truth a blend
of fact, falsehood, and inference [see 504.16–505.19].

307 507.27–29: Mueller [2005, 47 and n210] gets into difficulty because he does not see that
«τὸ τοῦ ζῳδιακοῦ κέντρον» is the subject of the subordinate clause «ἵνα … τυγχάνῃ …».
supposed] that the [circle] ABCD is no longer homocentric to the circle

through the middle of the zodiacal [constellations] but eccentric to it, and
that A is the farthest [point] of it from the Earth (this is the [point] which is
at the greatest distance from our eye at F) while C is the [point] nearest the
Earth (the [point] which is at the least distance from our eye at F).
Then, if we conceive of the [wandering] star in the same way as traveling
[35] the arc AB smoothly from apogee A to B on the eccentric circle ABCD and of
[508.1] some straight [line] from the center [E]308 as being brought around with it,
this [line] too will be brought around smoothly. Then, let it be the [line] EB.
Then, the result will be that, when the [line] FB is joined from our eye
at F to the [wandering] star, the [wandering] star has traveled the angle
AEB smoothly but that it has appeared [to travel] a smaller [angle], AFB.
To explain: since the angle at E is an exterior angle of the triangle BEF, it is
greater than the interior and opposite angle at F.309
[5] But, if [the planet] in making its progress from the perigee C travels
the arc CD smoothly (so that the straight [line] ED is also brought around
smoothly with it), and if we join in turn the straight [line] FD from our
eye at F, the smooth progress from the perigee will be contained by the
[10] angle CED and the unsmooth or apparent [progress] by the angle CFD. And
the apparent [progress] along the [arc] from the perigee C310 will clearly be
farther than the smooth [progress], because the angle at F is greater than
the [angle] at E.
That is, in the case of the [wandering] star’s position at B, angle AEB will
be smooth, while angle AFB will be apparent and angle EBF, the difference.311
[15] But, in the case of the star’s position at D, angle CED will be smooth, while
angle CFD will be apparent and angle EDF, the difference.
Now, though this [eccentric] hypothesis fits the stated goal of the math-
ematical scientist312 in respect of greater simplicity, they313 also sought out
another which could demonstrate the same things as the aforementioned
[20] [hypothesis], that is, the result that, though the [wandering] stars move
308 507.35–508.1 ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐκκέντρου: as Grosseteste’s translation indicates, the text should
read «ἀπὸ τοῦ Ε κέντρου» [cf. Bossier 1987, 297].

309 508.4–6: scil. 6 AEB > 6 EFB. Cf. Euclid, Elem. 1 dem. 16.
310 508.12: reading «Γ» rather than «Ζ»: cf. Aujac et al. 1979, 186. Mueller [2005, 47 and n213]
chooses instead to athetize «περιγείου». Grosseteste [Bossier n.d.a, 192.25] has only ‘a proximo
terrae’.
311 508.13–15: cf. Euclid, Elem. 1 dem. 32 with dem. 13.
312 508.17 τῷ εἰρηµένῳ σκοπῷ τοῦ µαθηµατικοῦ: cf. 174n319.
313 508.18 ἐξεῦρον: cf. 507.9 οἱ µεταγενέστεροι.
smoothly, they appear to traverse arcs of the circle through the middle of the
zodiacal [constellations] unsmoothly.314
That is to say, once more let the circle ABCD be conceived of as homocen-
tric with the [circle]315 through the middle [of the zodiacal constellations]
about a center E where again our eye is. And let the [wandering] star be
conceived of not as making its motion on [ABCD] but along FGHJ, a small
circle (called an epicycle) which always has its center A on the circumfer- [25]
ence of the circle ABCD, so that the star is likewise farthest from the Earth
at F and nearest at H.316
It is also clear, when the epicycle has smoothly traveled the arc AB and is
at B (the [straight line] EB being brought round with it smoothly in turn too),
when the star by making its progress from the apogee F to G has traveled the [30]
[arc] FG smoothly in turn, and when we join the straight [line] EG from our
eye at E, that the star will in turn have been brought smoothly round the [509.1]
arc AB (that is, the angle AEB) by the epicycle, that [the star] is evidently
[brought round] the [angle] AEG which is greater than the smooth [angle,
AEB], and that the angle BEG is the difference of [the angles].
But, when the [planet] makes its progress from the apogee F not to G but
to J, the angle AEB will once more belong to the smooth progress and the [5]
[angle] AEJ to the apparent [progress], which is smaller than the smooth
one, and [angle] JEB will be their difference.
Consequently, this sort of hypothesis can demonstrate the progress of
the [wandering] stars at [positions] nearer the apogee as both greater and
smaller—clearly greater when the star makes its progress from the epicycle’s [10]
apogee in the same direction as the [deferent] circle, and smaller when
[the star makes its progress] in the opposite direction.317 (The eccentric
[hypothesis] always [makes] the apparent [passage] at a point nearer the
apogee smaller than the smooth [progress], since the apparent [angle] AFB
is in fact always smaller than the smooth [angle] AEB.)318
314 508.18–21: cf. Comment 12.39, pp. 297–298. Note that at this point in this story, the
mathematical equivalence of the epicyclic and eccentric hypotheses is unknown: cf. Bowen
2007, 339n40.
315 508.22 Reading «τῷ» with F instead of «πρὸς τὸ» with A: cf. 493.10, 491.11, 507.30, 510.5;
Aujac et al. 1979, 186. Grosseteste [Bossier n.d.a, 193.7–8] has ‘concentricus ei qui …’.
316 508.22–27: see Figure 12.11, p. 194.
317 509.8–10 µείζονας µὲν δηλονότι … ἐπὶ τὰ ἐναντία: scil. when the planet has moved less
than 180° or more than 180° on its epicycle.

318 509.10–12: see Figure 12.12, p. 195. According to Simplicius [36.22–24: cf. 32.1–11], Philo-
ponus adopted the epicyclic hypothesis:

And as the [deferent] sphere of Mercury rotates, he [scil. Philoponus] says, the star, by
Either one of these hypotheses will afford the astronomer’s goal319 when
taken by itself, except that in the case of the Moon they need both [hypothe-
[15] ses] compounded. That is to say, they hypothesize that the epicycle carrying
the Moon is brought round on an eccentric circle in order that the phenom-
ena be saved by it.320
These hypotheses are in fact simpler than the earlier ones in that they do
not require fabricating so many heavenly bodies, and they save the rest of
the phenomena and especially the ones concerning depth or anomaly.
[20] But they do not maintain Aristotle’s axiom, the one that wants every body
moving in a circle to move about the center of the universe. Further, not even
the stated solution of [Aristotle’s second] problem, [a problem] because of
which all these arguments were raised, has in the end any standing.321 That
is, it is not the case that equalization still has any standing, since what was
said is no longer true, namely, that the first motion, though one in number,
causes many divine bodies to move; whereas the [motions] which are many
[25] in number each [cause] only one [body to move]. The reason is that the
[motions] before the last (that is, the one that has one star) do not move
many bodies.322
Sosigenes brought these absurdities as well against these hypotheses,
though he was not satisfied by the [hypothesis] of turning [spheres] for the
reasons stated before.
But those who think that the [wandering] stars have their characteristic
motion because they are in fact ensouled must object to the first [of Aristo-
[30] tle’s axioms]: for [the planets] are not only parts of the heavens, each is also
a whole by itself. Thus, a truer axiom would be the one stating that every
body which moves in a circle moves about its own center.323
moving on its characteristic epicycle, is sometimes nearer the Earth and sometimes
farther from it; and the same holds for the remaining wandering [stars].
[= Wildberg 1987, fr. 15: cf. fr. 7]
319 509.13 τὸν ἀστρονοµικὸν σκοπόν: cf. 172n312.
320 509.16: ὑπ’ αὐτῆς: scil. this composite hypothesis. See, e.g., Neugebauer 1975, 84–88.
321 509.21 ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ (further, not even): cf. Denniston 1966, 21–22.
509.21 ἡ τῆς ἀπορίας λύσις: cf. De caelo 292a10–14, b25–27.

509.21 χώραν: lit. ‘place or room’.
322 509.25–26: see Simplicius’ suggestion at 510.9–15. The difficulty is that each planetary
system has but one starless sphere in eccentric/epicyclic hypotheses and none in purely
eccentric hypotheses.
323 509.30–32: here and in what follows, Simplicius unpacks the Aristotelian assertion that
the characteristic or natural motion of an aetherial body is a circular motion about the center
of the universe into three claims:
This is why it is true to say that all the heavenly bodies which have the
center of the universe as a center move about the center of the universe,
whereas all [those bodies] which are outside that center (since they are [510.1]
more particular)324 move about their own center, just as the [wandering]
stars [do] as well as their epicycles and their eccentrics (if there are indeed
such bodies in the heavens).325 These [bodies] do move about the center
of the universe, even if [they are] not [performing] their characteristic
motion [about this center] but the [motion] of the sphere carrying them, [5]
[a sphere] which is homocentric with the universe. And in this way at
least, Aristotle’s principle that every body that moves in a circle moves
about the center of the universe would in fact be true, unless someone
stipulates that it move [in this way] in accordance with its characteristic
motion.326
The solution of [Aristotle’s second] problem will have standing in part
even in the case of these hypotheses, since in these instances too it is in
a sense true to say that ‘nature equalizes and produces a certain order by [10]
assigning many bodies to one motion and many motions to one body’.327 The
reason is that, even if each [body] performs its own motion as a single
[motion], all [the bodies] beneath the fixed [sphere], furthermore,328 per-
form its motion—that is, the epicycles perform this [motion] as well as the
[motion] of the homocentric or eccentric [deferent circles], and the [wan-
dering] star (which he called one body)329 [performs] the [motion] of the
– the characteristic or proper motion of an aetherial body is that motion which it

performs in so far as it is ensouled, that is, that motion which qua living aetherial
creature it performs by nature;
– such circular motion is by definition motion about the internal center by which the
circularity of the motion is defined; and
– aetherial bodies do also move in circles about the center of the universe.
324 510.1 µερικώτερα: Aujac et al. [1979, 189n1] have ‘plus “particuliers”’, and suggest that
Simplicius is borrowing the term from logic and intends a contrast with the universal. More
likely is that he is referring to the wandering stars viewed as creations of the celestial sphere
[cf. 55n52, 485.23–27, 486.29–487.2].
325 510.1–2: Simplicius accepts the thesis that the stars rotate or spin [454.23–456.27 with
Comment 11.05, p. 221]. For debate about whether motion on eccentric and epicyclic circles
is indeed circular, see Heiberg 1894, 32.1–11 with Comment 12.27, pp. 284–288.
510.2–3: recall Simplicius’ remarks at 488.10–14, 25–30; 492.25–28.
326 510.7 προσθείν: scil. ‘puts it to us’. Cf. Grosseteste’s ‘apponat’ [Bossier n.d.a, 195.7].
510.7–8: I take the stipulation to be that a body’s motion about the center of the universe
must be a proper motion and not one that is incidental or forced.
327 510.9–11: cf. De caelo 293a2–4.
328 510.12 ἀλλὰ καὶ: cf. Denniston 1966, 21.
329 510.13–14: cf. De caelo 293a3–4.
[15] epicycle and of the homocentric or eccentric [deferent circle] as well as the
[motion] of the fixed [sphere].
Still,330 the eccentric circles would not be ones moving in a circle, since
they do not move about the center but about what is outside the center:
that is, since, as [these circles] occupy and leave behind a place in rotating
[about the center of the cosmos], they necessitate that there be a void, and
since the shape of these circles331 will be strange in that what is inside always
cuts off a part of what is outside.
[20] We will perhaps escape332 all these [problems] if we fit eccentric spheres
in homocentric ones and say that the homocentric [sphere] by moving
about its own center causes the eccentric [sphere] (which itself also moves
about its own center) to go around.333 And we will call all [these pairs of]
spheres complete without fearing that in those cases ‘body goes through
body’.334
Sosigenes cleverly raises as well no small number of other astronomi-
[25] cal problems for these hypotheses too, problems which would belong to
another lecture to examine. But, as it is, he thinks335 that, by investigating the
arguments about the heavens and the heavenly motions and by confirming
the demonstrations through which [these motions] are proved to be circu-
lar and smooth, that is, ordered (since they appear unsmooth and evidently
have ascents and descents), he has provided a conception of what things
have been hypothesized by the ancient astronomers336 and those who came
[30] after [them] in order to save the phenomena by means of smooth, circular,
and ordered motions.
330 510.15–19: Simplicius now considers what happens to an eccentric circle when it is made
to go round with the daily rotation. He assumes that motion at a fixed distance about a point
is circular only if that point is the center of the universe.
331 510.18 τό τε σχῆµα αὐτῶν: scil. the shape that these eccentric circles describe as they go
around with the celestial or the homocentric sphere.

332 510.19 µήποτε … διαφευξόµεθα: Grossteste [Bossier n.d.a, 195.22] has ‘ne forte … effugia-
mus’; but this seems to me unlikely.

333 See Figures 12.13 and 12.14, pp. 196–197.
334 510.23 τὸ σῶµα διὰ σώµατος χωρεῖν. Simplicius is alluding to a well known problem in
physical theory that was first raised by the Stoic doctrine of total mixture: cf. Todd 1976, 29–
88. Here the (tangential) point seems to be that if each of a number of eccentric spheres is
enclosed in a rotating homocentric sphere or, better, a rotating homocentric spherical shell,
there is no longer any danger that they will come into contact [cf. Aujac et al. 1979, 190].
Mueller’s ‘not fearing to say that in their case a body passes through a body’ [2005, 49] misses
the point.
335 510.26 νῦν δὲ ἔδοκει: a philosophical imperfect [cf. Smyth 1971, §1903] not, as Mueller
[2005, 49] has it, the apodosis of a contrary-to-fact conditional (‘But it would seem’).
336 510.31 ἀστρονόµοι.
Now, if this is more fitting to chapters337 about the heavens than to ones
about first philosophy, none of us will criticize the rather lengthy digression
from the [present] chapter, since it has come about at the right time.338 But
we must return to what comes next in Aristotle’s chapters. [35]
337 510.31–32 τοῖς … λόγοις: scil. the sections of a treatise.

338 510.33 µηδεὶς ἡµῶν αἰτιάσεται τὴν πλείονα τοῦ λόγου παρέκβασιν. Mueller’s ‘no one will
accuse us of turning the discussion aside’ [2005, 50] misrepresents the syntax. On the philo-
sophical schools in Athens and Alexandria, see Watts 2006 and Wildberg 2006.
510.33–34 εἰ κατὰ καιρὸν εἴη: lit. ‘if it should have come about at the right time’. In context,
«εἰ» means ‘since’: cf. Smyth 1971, § 2246.
FIGURES
figures 181
Figure 10.01. The eccentricity of a planet according to Simplicius

182 figures
Figure 11.01.(a). Lunar phases: Conjunction to Full Moon

figures 183
Figure 11.01.(b). Lunar phases: Full Moon to conjunction

184 figures
Figure 11.02. The phases of a drum-shaped

Moon: Conjunction to opposition
figures 185
Figure 11.03. The phases of a lentil-shaped

Moon: Conjunction to opposition
186 figures
Figure 12.01. The occultation of Mars (–360 Mar 20)

(Courtesy of Dave Herald)
The dotted black lines indicate daytime; the thin black lines, evening
twilight; and the thick black lines, nighttime. A pair of lines of the
same sort defines the region in which the occultation was ‘visible’.
figures 187
Figure 12.02. The occultation of Mars (–356 May 4)

(Courtesy of Dave Herald)
The dotted black lines indicate daytime; the thin black lines, evening
twilight; and the thick black lines, nighttime. A pair of lines of the
same sort defines the region in which the occultation was ‘visible’.
188 figures
Figure 12.03. The hypotheses for the Sun
Figure 12.04. The length of the day

The interval from sunrise to sunrise takes longer than one full
revolution of the cosmos: S1 crosses the eastern horizon before S2.
figures 189
Figure 12.05. The motions of the Moon

190 figures
Figure 12.06.(a). Placement of the third and fourth planetary spheres
Figure 12.06.(b). Generation of the hippopede. The distances P2P and

PP1 are equal to the planet’s greatest displacement in latitude.
figures 191
Figure 12.07. Homocentric motion (1)

192 figures
Figure 12.08. Homocentric motion (2)
Figure 12.09. An analysis of compound motion

figures 193
Figure 12.10.(a). Motion on a circle homocentric to the observer
Figure 12.10.(b). Motion on a circle eccentric to the observer

194 figures
Figure 12.11. Motion on an epicycle with

deferent homocentric to the observer
figures 195
Figure 12.12. Apparent motion near apogee

on a circle eccentric to the observer
196 figures
Figure 12.13. Epicyclic planetary hypothesis in spherical shell

figures 197
Figure 12.14. Eccentric planetary hypothesis in spherical shell

COMMENTS
IN DE CAELO 2.10
Comment 10.01 De caelo 291a29–34 97n1
A Question of Proportionality
Chapter 2.10 of the De caelo opens with a question that is relevant to the two
characteristic motions known to belong to any planet in Aristotle’s time,
its diurnal motion and its motion in longitude along the zodiacal circle;
and it seems to affirm a proposition that is arguably true of both—namely,
that there is a direct proportionality between the motion of a planet and
its distance. Presumably, the diurnal motion would be viewed as a linear
speed, since the diurnal angular speeds of the planets are all the same and
since their diurnal linear speeds do indeed vary directly with the distance
of the planet in question from center of the Earth. As 291a34 ff. make clear,
however, Aristotle is really thinking of the planetary longitudinal or sidereal
motions. In this case, the motion of a planet is faster if the planet completes
its eastward circuit in longitude through the zodiacal constellations and
returns to a given fixed star in a shorter time, that is, if it has a shorter sidereal
period. Moreover, the distance to which this motion is proportional is to be
that from the celestial sphere, not from the center of the Earth.
There are two points worth noting here. First, this proportionality of the
planets’ longitudinal motions and their distances from the fixed stars is sim-
ply not the same as the proportionality of their motions and their distances
from (the center of) the Earth; that is, the existence of a proportionality
established one way does not entail the existence of the other. Second, there
is not enough information given here to decide whether Aristotle has in
mind anything as specific as linear or angular speed when he discusses the
planetary motions in longitude.
Comment 10.02 De caelo 291a29 97n2
τὸ ἄστρον / ὁ ἀστήρ
In general, Aristotle and Simplicius use «τὸ ἄστρον» and «ὁ ἀστήρ» to des-
ignate a star whether it is fixed or wandering (i.e., planetary). Usually, the
context makes clear whether they are thinking of one or the other kind of
202 comments: in de caelo 2.10
star; and when it does, I translate these terms accordingly by ‘[fixed] star’
and ‘[wandering] star’ or ‘[planetary] star’ rather than simply by ‘star’, in
the interest of clarity. There are, however, occasions when they refer to both
kinds of star at once, as Aristotle does at 291a26–28 and here. And, again,
rather than render these occurrences simply by ‘star’, I think it better to use
‘heavenly body’. After all, this is standard English usage.
Nevertheless, the translation does entail a problem. In De caelo 2.8, Aris-
totle argues that τὰ ἄστρα neither rotate on an internal axis nor roll, but are
carried round by their circles (κύκλοι), an argument meant, I think, to stand
for all the heavenly bodies, that is, for the planets as well as for the fixed
stars. But this means that these ἄστρα do not move of their own accord or by
their own nature in a circle about the center of the cosmos. And, so it would
seem, they are not made of aether, though they must be, given that this is
the only simple body available for their constitution. So how can they be
‘heavenly bodies’? They are, of course, ‘bodies’ in the sense that they are vis-
ible. Yet, they are not bodies (σώµατα) in the sense that the circles, or more
precisely, the (invisible) spheres in which they are embedded, are bodies
[cf. 293a4–8]. It is these latter bodies that rotate by nature and of their own
accord about the center of the cosmos, and so would seem to be made of
aether.
Aristotle does not address this difficulty explicitly. Still, his remark in
2.12 that we must stop thinking of the ἄστρα as mere bodies or units with
position but no soul [292a17–22] does suggest a response. After all, one
might argue, whereas the heavenly bodies are, in the first instance, living
animals constituted of aether with one or more rotating spheres as their
internal moving, functioning parts, in the second instance, they are what
we see—the fixed stars and the planets.1 These latter bodies would, then,
neither be animals themselves nor the proper parts of animals, and might
better be compared to the moles or warts on an animal’s skin. But this might
raise in turn the question of how such visible aetherial bodies come about.
The catch here is that, for Aristotle, since they are eternal, that is, without
generation or corruption, there can be no material account of the presence
of such visible aetherial bodies in the invisible aetherial bodies, only one
that is teleological.
1 When Aristotle describes each celestial sphere as σῶµά τι at 293a8, he is perhaps
conceding to the fact that the bodies with which we are familiar are perceptible.
comments: in de caelo 2.10 203
Comment 10.03 De caelo 291a30 97n3
κινεῖται
Moraux [1965, 79] prints «κινεῖται». But «κεῖται» (‘is placed’) is found in one
ms. and is supported in Moerbeke’s translation (1260) of the De caelo. Yet,
though «κεῖται» would make easier sense and is printed by Pellegrin [2004,
ad loc. with 437n1],2 «κινεῖται» is better attested. Indeed, it is supported
in Grosseteste’s translation [cf. Bossier et al. 2004, x] of De caelo 2 and of
Simplicius’ commentary thereon [see Bossier n.d.a, 140.2 moventur]. The
fact that Simplicius contextualizes 2.10 by referring to an ancient concern
with the sizes of the planetary circuits and their distances from the Earth
does not help with this textual question.
Comment 10.04 De caelo 291b9–10 97n7
οἱ µαθηµατικοί
A µάθηµα is a thing learned, a body of learning or knowledge, and, hence,

a science. The noun itself is formed from the verb «µανθάνω» (to learn,
whether by study, practice, or experience) and has the force of the neuter
perfect passive participle treated substantively. Hence, a basic sense of «οἱ
µαθηµατικοί» is ‘men of learning’, ‘men of science’, or even just ‘scientists’.
But, in Aristotle’s usage, there is a nuance: as is clear in Phys. 2.2, a key
text in the present study, the µαθηµατικοί are scientists devoted to the study
of Nature who characteristically define their subject matters by focusing
their attention on (scil. by ἀφαίρεσις of) some quantitative aspect of physical
objects and then employing arithmetic and/or geometry to make deduc-
tions about these objects. Thus, as he uses the term, it includes arithmeti-
cians, geometers, and astronomers. As a matter of policy, then, I will render
«µαθηµατικοί» by ‘mathematical scientists’ or even just by ‘scientists’ when
the use of mathematics is evident in context.
But what will not do is rendering «οἱ µαθηµατικοί» by ‘the mathemati-
cians’. First, Aristotle’s understanding of the µαθηµατικός plainly differs from
our notion of a mathematician; and so such a translation really does mis-
lead. Further, though there is evidence that «µάθηµα» was paradigmatically
2 The occurrence of «κινήσεις» in 291a34 is not relevant since the thought is different: but
see Allan 1955, ad loc.

applied in this period to any science that uses mathematics, it does not
follow by any means that such a mathematical science was to be viewed
simply as mathematics, as a branch of mathematics such as arithmetic or
geometry, or even as applied (in contradistinction to pure) mathematics. At
least, such an inference needs good argument, given that it does not capture
how the sciences were differentiated in the fourth century bc.3
As for Simplicius, his usage is in accord with Aristotle’s, especially when
he is attending closely to what Aristotle writes [cf. 454.12]. Moreover, notably
in his commentary on 2.10–12, Simplicius follows Aristotle in addressing
the same people as µαθηµατικοί and as ἀστρονόµοι or ἀστρολόγοι (the latter
terms both translated there by ‘astronomers’). Nevertheless, even in these
instances, I will preserve the verbal distinction in continuing to translate
«µαθηµατικοί» by ‘mathematical scientists’ (or ‘scientists’ when warranted),
if only to assist the reader in thinking about the meaning of «µαθηµατικοί»
and its role as a marker in the development and organization of the sciences
in antiquity.
98n8 Comment 10.05 In de caelo 471.1

«καταλαµβάνω» and Its Cognates
The verb «καταλαµβάνω» has a wide range of meanings; but in this part of
the commentary at least, it generally indicates seizing, taking, or receiving.
When the ‘taking’ is done by the mind, it signifies comprehending, detect-
ing, determining, understanding, accepting, and so forth. It is difficult to
find a single translation that works well in all occurrences of the verb and of
the related substantival and adjectival forms («κατάληψις», «καταληπτικός»,
respectively). Thus, in 471.1, the passive «καταλαµβάνονται» broadly means
‘are understood’, ‘are made known’, or even ‘are ascertained’. But given that
the objects understood are numerical ratios, English usage would naturally
incline here to ‘are known’, given that what is understood is their value. Cf.
«καταληπτή» (‘be knowable’) at 476.18. Yet, in 471.7–8, «ἀπὸ τῶν ἐκλείψεων
τὴν ἀφορµὴν τῆς καταλήψεως λαβόντα», «καταλήψις» indicates a process of
detection or determination by which quantitative values are known and the
aorist participle from «λαµβάνω», a simple taking or receiving (if aspect pre-
dominates) or a having taken or received (if tense is important). In 474.19,
3 See, e.g., Plato, Resp. 7 and Aristotle, An. post. 13.

however, «κατείληπται» signifies detection that here borders on discovery

and so is perhaps better rendered by ‘has been found’. In sum, it seems to me
prudent to render this important verb and its cognate forms as the context
requires rather than to impose a single meaning.
Comment 10.06 In de caelo 471.9 99n13
παραβολῆς
Heiberg conjectures «µεταπαραβολῆς» on the basis of A’s «µετὰ παραβο-

λῆς»—the mss DEFc have only «παραβολῆς». «παραβολή» is not a technical
term in astronomy per se, though it does appear in computations. My sus-
picion is that Simplicius uses it because it is in fact a Platonic term at Tim.
40c4 for a relation between planets.4 But what does it signify for Simplicius?
Plato’s text is no help on its own. In his commentary, Proclus suggests that
by «παραβολαί» [we should understand] the arrangement of [the planets] in
longitude when they differ in latitude or in altitude,5 I mean, their co-risings
and co-settings. [Diehl 1903–1906, 3.146.7–9]
This interpretation, which takes a planetary παραβολή to be a ‘juxtaposition
in longitude that results in a co-rising or a co-setting with another body,
provided that the latitudes are also suitable’,6 is admittedly possible; but
it is also at odds with Plotinus’ account in which the planetary παραβολαί
are different from their risings and settings [see Enn. 3.1.5.1–4]. For their
part, Liddell, Scott, and Jones [1968 s.vv. µεταπαραβολή, παραβολή] suppose
that Simplicius means ‘conjunction’. But this seems to me unlikely. After all,
well before Simplicius’ time, the established term of choice for conjunction
was «σύνοδος»,7 where two bodies are said to be in conjunction if they are
located at the same degree of longitude. Moreover, given that Simplicius
does use «σύνοδος» properly at 480.8 and 10, that he seems to have an
event analogous to a solar eclipse in mind, and that «παραβολή» has a
technical sense of ‘application’ or ‘covering’,8 I propose instead that he is
using «παραβολή» at 471.9 to signify a coincidence of two bodies in which
4 Cf. Grosseteste’s ‘ab … appositione’ [Bossier n.d.a, 141.3] and Moerbeke’s ‘a compara-
tione’ [Bossier n.d.b, 449.1].

5 κατὰ τὸ βάθος (lit. in depth): scil. in distance from the Earth.
6 Cf. Festugière 1966–1968, 4.187.
7 See, e.g., Geminus, Intro. ast. 8.1, 9.16.
8 Such usage is common in geometrical texts as early as Euclid’s Elements.
one covers the other (partially or totally). Solar eclipses are an obvious
species of such coincidences and occultations, the interposition of one
body between the observer and another body,9 are another. If Simplicius
is alluding to occultations,10 it would have been clearer and more precise
if he had followed established usage by writing «ἐπιπροσθέσεως» instead,
as Theon of Smyrna and Proclus do.11 (Note, however, that in Iamblichus’
De myst. 9.4.20–25 «παραβολή» means ‘occultation’.) As it is, Simplicius
unhelpfully includes phenomena not visible to the naked eye such as the
transits of the Sun by Mercury and Venus.

οἱ περὶ ῞Ιππαρχον
Locutions of the type, «οἱ περὶ ῞Ιππαρχον», (literally, ‘those around Hip-
parchus’) are difficult and the translation proposed here is offered with
due diffidence.12 In general, though «οἱ περὶ ῞Ιππαρχον» is often translated
by ‘the school of Hipparchus’, this may suggest too much both about the
organization of the thinkers in question and about their doctrinal coher-
ence. The alternative, ‘the followers of Hipparchus’, would be preferable,
though perhaps not as good as ‘those associated with Hipparchus’ or just ‘the
Hipparchans’. As I have pointed out elsewhere,13 one should bear in mind
that the phrase may mean only those who are perceived to share certain
assumptions or procedures with Hipparchus, whether they are contempo-
rary with him or subsequent to him. In any case, when this sort of translation
is appropriate—as it may be here—we should not take for granted that
what is attributed to the Hipparchans must also hold of Hipparchus: such
an inference should require more evidence than the mere phrase «οἱ περὶ
῞Ιππαρχον», since there are many cases in which the (perceived) followers
interpreted their leader in a way that changes or goes beyond their leader’s
9 See, e.g., Hiller 1878, 120.15–19, 122.24–123.4, 131.4–9. Geminus [Intro ast. 10.1–6] and
Theon [Hiller 1878, 194.20–195.4] treat eclipses as a species of occultation.

10 See Hiller 1878, 148.5–10, 192.2–193.11.
11 Cf. Hiller 1878, 187.5–13; Diehl 1903–1906, 3.149.13–16. Note that Proclus writes of ἐπι-
προσθήσεις. It is perhaps worth noting that the scholiast on De caelo 293a3–6 uses the term
«ἔκλειψις» in referring to the Moon’s occultation of Mars [see Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.285 (his
fr. 157a)].
12 On the obscurity of such locutions in the Almagest, see Toomer 1984, 137n19.
13 See Bowen and Goldstein 1991, 251.
original meaning. Such is the case with Plato and his late Platonist followers
(οἱ περὶ Πλάτωνα), for example.
Still, one cannot rule out the possibility that «ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ ῞Ιππαρχον
καὶ ᾽Αρίσταρχον καὶ Πτολεµαῖον» amounts to no more than ‘by Hipparchus,
Aristarchus, and Ptolemy’, since the «οἱ περὶ» + genitive locution serves on
occasion as a formulaic or urbane way of referring to a single person. And
one may well incline to this translation given the evidence of Aristarchus’ De
mag. and Ptolemy’s Alm. 5.13–16. Nevertheless, it is possible that Simplicius
is referring to specific followers. If he is, the only problematic ones are those
said to follow Aristarchus. Plutarch (ca ad 50–120) might be a candidate
given that he cites Aristarchus and his treatise at De facie 925c, and that
Simplicius names Plutarch in his commentary on the Physica14 (though not
in his commentary on the De caelo).
Larger Bodies Move Faster by Nature
To make sense of this thesis, Mueller [2005, 12] refers the reader to De caelo
289b7–290a5; but note that De caelo 2.8 concerns the planetary diurnal
motions, not their proper motions; that is, it concerns the (linear) speeds
of bodies moving in circles westwards about a point in the same period.
Consequently, it is not strictly relevant to an account of the planets’ eastward
motions in longitude. Moreover, though 2.8 does allude to a proportionality,
Therefore, since it is neither reasonable that both move nor reasonable that
either one move alone, it remains that the circles move but that the heavenly
bodies are at rest and move in that they are fixed in their circles. In fact, in this
way alone does nothing absurd follow. In other words, that the speed of the
larger circle is faster is reasonable when the circles are fixed about the same
center. For, just as in the other [simple bodies], the larger body performs its
proper motion faster, so too it is in [bodies] that move [by nature] in a circle.
Indeed, of the [arcs] cut off by [lines] from the center, the arc of the greater
circle is greater, with the reasonable result that the greater circle will rotate in
the same time interval [as the smaller circle]. [De caelo 289b30–290a5]
it is one of linear speeds and of distances that are assessed from (the center
of) the Earth and not from the sphere of the fixed stars, as 2.10 requires. Yet,
Mueller may be right: Simplicius’ question at 471.21–23 may register surprise
that what is true of their diurnal motion is not true of their sidereal motion.
14 Diels 1882–1895, 8.29.

Another possibility is that the claims about the proper motions of larger
bodies derive from a creative misreading of 2.10. This misreading (appar-
ently to be found in Alexander’s writings [474.7–8]) starts by assuming that
this passage must harmonize with Plato’s account of the division of the
world soul and the creation of the heavenly bodies [Tim. 34b10–39e2], and
so construes the distances in this proportionality from the (center of) the
Earth. Next, in the same vein, it supposes that Aristotle’s assertion of pro-
portionality in the planetary motions eastward is to be taken quantitatively,
that is, as a thesis to be expressed in numbers. It then reasons that, since
this proportionality plainly does not hold of the planet’s sidereal periods15
or, therefore, of their angular speeds, it must hold of their linear speeds.
And so, if their distances from Earth are sufficiently great, the upshot is that
larger bodies (scil. spheres) may be said to move faster by nature. In this
instance, then, Simplicius’ question registers surprise that the larger bodies
move faster but still take more time to complete one cycle.
100n21 Comment 10.09 In de caelo 472.5–7

The Two Planetary Motions Thus Far
There is no good evidence in the De caelo prior to 2.12 that Aristotle views
the planets as having more than two motions, that is, motions in addition to
their diurnal and sidereal motions. S. Leggatt proposes that De caelo 288a13–
17,
Of what has been said about the motion [of the heavens], next would be
to expound that it is smooth and not unsmooth. I mean this about the first
heaven and the first motion, since the numerous motions in the lower regions
are in fact unified.16 [Leggatt 1995, 25–26]
affords such evidence. But Leggatt mistakenly assumes that Aristotle is
referring to the compounding of several motions into a single motion in
the case of each planet. If this were correct, the remark would be quite
illogical and not an integral part of the chapter.17 The remedy lies in seeing
that the passage concerns the daily rotation of the celestial sphere, and that
the only planetary motions which can sensibly be said to come all together
into one thing are their diurnal motions—each planet has its own distinct
diurnal motion precisely because it has its own peculiar linear speed, where
15 See Comment 12.18, pp. 268–269.

16 De caelo 288a16–17 συνεληλύθησαν εἰς ἕν: literally, ‘come together into one thing’.
17 See Easterling 1961, 145–146.
these speeds are such that the planet completes one westward revolution
in the same period as the celestial sphere. Thus, Aristotle quite reasonably
declines in 2.5 to discuss the diurnal motions of the planets, since it will be
sufficient for his purposes to deal with the diurnal motion of the celestial
sphere (which causes these planetary diurnal motions).
Comment 10.10 In de caelo 472.13–14 101n26
ἀναγκαῖον … βίαιον µόνον
I originally translated «ἀναγκαῖον γὰρ οὐ τὸ βίαιον µόνον» by ‘since there must

not be only what is forced’ [Bowen 2003b, 32], a turn of phrase that Andrea
Rescigno rightly found misleading.18 His own ‘Infatti, necessario non è solo
ciò che è imposto’ is better.19
But what is the scope of Simplicius’ remark? If one construes it narrowly,
he is only emphasizing that, in Alexander’s response to the suggestion that
both the planetary motions are contrary to nature, the two causes must coin-
cide (or run together). However, if one construes it more generally as a claim
about the planetary motions apart from the immediate context, then it may
be seen as a nod to Aristotle’s argument that celestial motions are neces-
sary without qualification (ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἁπλῶς) and perhaps as well to the
view that these motions are also necessary hypothetically or conditionally
(ἐξ ὑποθέσεως) because the cosmic order could not exist without their being
as they are, that is, without the planets choosing to move as they do.20
A Lacuna?
Heiberg suspects that there may be a lacuna here and supplies in his appa-
ratus:
αἱ δὲ µᾶλλον ἐξελθοῦσαι τὴν µὲν τῆς ἀντιφεροµένης θᾶττον κινοῦνται, τὴν δὲ τῆς
ἀπλανοῦς βραδύτερον
18 Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.280–281.

19 Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.277.
20 See, e.g., Meta. ∆.5, De part. an. 639b21–640a2, De gen. et corr. 2.11.
And the ones that go out more [from the fixed sphere] perform the motion of
[the nature] which moves in the opposite direction faster, but the motion of
the fixed [sphere] more slowly.
Such disturbance in the text, however, which is signaled perhaps by the
unanswered µὲν in 473.14, must have occurred early in the text’s transmis-
sion. Grosseteste [Bossier n.d.a, 144.2–5] has only
illi quidem cognatum motum velocius moventur, eum autem qui contralatae
naturae tardius ceu neque sincere aliqualiter secundum illam stantes quemad-
modum lunae sphaera …
and Moerbeke [Bossier n.d.b, 458.6–9],
eo quidem qui illius congeneo motu citius moventur, eo autem qui contramote
nature tardius, tamquam neque sincere aliqualiter secundam illam existantes,
sicut lune spera ….
In any case, 473.7–12 explain why the planets each complete a revolution
westward in a day and affirm the proportionality sought between the sizes
of the planetary spheres and their (scil. linear) speeds. 473.12–16 focus on
the planetary revolutions eastward. These lines relate the differences in
the periods of these revolutions to differences in the blending of a planet’s
substantial nature: it is supposed that each planet’s eastward motion is the
outcome of a blending of a nature that goes eastward with a nature that
goes westward; and that this blending is in each case determined by the
planet’s proximity to the fixed sphere. What is new is that Simplicius also
characterizes this blending as the outcome of two motions, a vector sum
if you will, thus prefiguring the treatment of motion in the astronomical
digression in the commentary on De caelo 2.12.
For my part, I doubt that there is a lacuna. The mention of the sphere
of the Moon [473.16–19] is meant primarily to illustrate the explanatory
remark that the planets are not constituted only by a substantial nature to
move eastward, and there is no way to do this in a particular case without
acknowledging its separation in distance and substance from the fixed
sphere (or from Saturn).

Planetary Bodies as Hypostases
For Simplicius, while the simple bodies in the sublunary domain change
into one another by temporal processes of coming-to-be that entail the
replacement of opposites, the simple body found in the superlunary domain
exhibits variations that are the outcome of atemporal processes identical to

those by which the ineffable One produces Intellect, Soul, and eventually
the visible, material world.21
It would seem that, for Simplicius, the planetary bodies are hypostases of
the fixed sphere, a living being which incorporates without differentiation
both the nature to move eastwards and the nature to move westwards.22 That
he writes of procession and subordination (rather than reversion) serves,
perhaps, to emphasize the decline in worth of the celestial bodies as one
gets farther away from the sphere of the fixed stars.
Planetary Eccentricity
In Ptolemy’s Almagest (= Syntaxis mathematica), the ‘distances’ of the apo-

gees and perigees of the planetary bodies are given in angular measure along
the ecliptic from some reference point. Thus, for example, the Sun is said
to have its apogee at 24;30° in advance of the summer solstice in Alm. 3.4.
Moreover, each planetary eccentricity is reckoned as a ratio of the distance
between the center of the planetary eccentric circle and the center of the
zodiacal circle (where the observer is) to the radius of the eccentric circle,
where this radius is assigned a value of 60 units.23 So plainly, what Simplicius
is ascribing here to the Almagest is not found in that treatise—barring the
idea that the distance from the Earth to the Sun is constant [see 105n54].
In fact, it is in Ptolemy’s Hypotheses planetarum, specifically, book 1, that
these eccentricities are computed according to a nesting hypothesis to yield
the maximum (M) and minimum (m) distances in Earth radii of each planet
from the Earth, where (M – m)/2 is what Simplicius calls an eccentricity [see
105n55] and Figure 10.01, p. 181.
So, it is odd that Simplicius does not refer to the Hypoth. plan. here to
make his point, especially given that he does allude later to book 2 of this
treatise in his remarks on De caelo 2.12 [cf. 506.16–22]. Perhaps Simplicius
21 On the elements and sublunary change as treated in the De caelo, see Gill 2009. On
procession (πρόοδος) and reversion (ἐπιστροφή), see A.C. Lloyd 1990, 98–122; Remes 2008, 35–
75 (esp. 45–46, 51–52).
22 See 473.28–474.1 (the planets each have a nature that exists by procession), 487.4–
10 with 487.15–488.1, 490.6–16 (the fixed sphere is productive and comprehensive of all
motions).
23 Cf. Heiberg 1898–1903, 1.233.18–22.
did not have the full text of the Hypoth. plan. before him but had access only
to parts of it and some idea of its general program.
In this regard, Simplicius would be much in the same position as Proclus,
one of the pre-eminent heads of the school of late Platonism in Athens,24 the
respected teacher25 of Simplicius’ teachers [see p. 3], and an authority whom
Simplicius cites 32 times by name in his commentaries.26 Proclus asserts in
his commentary on Plato’s Timaeus that Ptolemy did not really concern him-
self with planetary distances in the Hypoth. plan.27 Still Proclus was aware of
the mathematical details of the nesting of Mercury and Venus between the
Moon and the Sun as presented in the Hypoth. plan. And, in light of what is
proven in the Almagest, he does indicate28 the sort of reasoning that might
have led Ptolemy to this nesting hypothesis. Nevertheless, in Hyp. ast. 7.19–
23, Proclus ascribes the nesting hypothesis to some unnamed astronomers
rather than to Ptolemy. It would appear, then, that Proclus too lacked a com-
plete text of the Hypoth. plan.,29 though he did apparently know that it came
in more than one book.30
So, why does Simplicius ascribe the placement of the hypotheses for
Venus and Mercury between the Sun and the Moon to Ptolemy and the
Almagest? I suggest that Simplicius was aware that
an incredible numerical accident seemed to prove that the models for Mer-
cury and Venus, as constructed in the Almagest, could be fitted into the space
between moon and sun such that the maximum geocentric distance for the
moon coincided with the minimum distance of Mercury, whose maximum
distance would determine the minimum distance of Venus, which at its max-
imum distance would reach the solar orbit. [Neugebauer 1975, 917]
and that this is what moved him to speak of Ptolemy and the Almagest in this
context. Moreover, I would suggest that, on this point at least, Proclus may
have been his source. As I have already indicated, this information is offered
by Proclus in his commentary on the Timaeus, and Proclus introduces the
extreme values of the distances of the Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Sun (that
24 640.24–27: cf. Diels 1882–1895, 601.15–16, 611.11–12, 618.27, 675.4–5.

25 For Proclus’ epithet ‘philosopher’, see 643.27, 645.15 and 648.1: see also Diels 1882–1895,
611.11–12, 643.18, 795.4–5.
26 On Simplicius’ debt to Proclus, see Diels 1882–1895, 611.11–12, 795.4–5 and 12–14.
27 Diehl 1903–1906, 3.62.22–24.
28 Diehl 1903–1906, 3.62.24–63.20.
29 Cf. Neugebauer 1975, 918–919.
30 See Kroll 1899–1901, 2.230.14–15.
are found coincidentally in the Hypoth. plan.) as results that may be derived
from what is proven in the Almagest.31
In short, Simplicius, who draws on Proclus’ In Plat. Tim. later in his own
commentary on the De caelo,32 may in this passage just be repeating Proclus’
remarks in a compressed way. This would not preclude Simplicius’ having
access to (parts of) book 2 of the Hypoth. plan. either directly or through
other sources.
On Linear and Angular Speed
Simplicius appears to take Alexander’s claim that the planets near the celes-
tial sphere move more slowly to be a consequence of the thesis that the
planetary periods are proportional to the distances of the planetary spheres
from the center of the Earth. In attacking this thesis on the ground that it
requires one to know the planetary distances from the Earth, Simplicius con-
siders the fact that Alexander is effectively supposing that all the planets
revolve with the same linear speed—that is, that they define arcs of equal
lengths in equal times— since their angular speeds are inversely propor-
tional to their distances measured from the Earth.33 For, given that 30 years is
a crude but standard value for the length of Saturn’s sidereal period34 and 30
days another common value for the length of the month, one might certainly
think that the values obtain because both bodies move at the same linear
speed or, equivalently because Saturn is 360 times as far from the Earth as
the Moon. And this certainly makes sense of Simplicius’ remark that Saturn
would move at a faster linear speed than the Moon if its geocentric distance
were more than 30 times the geocentric distance of the Moon and, thus, if
their periods were not proportional to their distances from Earth.
Kepler in his Mysterium cosmographicum35 cites De caelo 2.10 for the view
that the speeds of the planets are proportional to their distances. To explain
this he imputes to Aristotle the thesis that the movers of the planets impart
31 Diehl 1903–1906, 3.62.24–63.20.

32 Cf., e.g., 662.32–663.6, 663.27–664.4.
33 Cf. 24.21–25.21 where bodies revolving at different distances from a center but sharing
the same period (angular speed) are said to have different linear speeds. See also Vitruvius,
De arch. 9.1.14–15.
34 Cf., e.g., Geminus, Intro. ast. 1.24; Pliny, Nat. hist. 2.32; Cleomedes, Cael. 1.2.22–24.
35 See Duncan and Aiton 1981, 197.
an equal (linear) motion to each, that is, ‘each particle of Saturn is indeed as
fast-moving as the lowest sphere of the Moon’. But, if the planets share the
same linear speed, as Kepler suggests, it follows that they trace out equal
arcs in equal times and, thus, that their angular speeds vary inversely with
their distance from the Earth. The problem with this is twofold. First, if the
angular speeds of the planets vary inversely with their distance from Earth,
then these angular speeds do not vary directly with the distances of the
planets from the fixed sphere. Hence, it is no longer true that the planet’s
motion, that is, the time it takes for it to go through its circuit, is proportional
to its distance from the fixed sphere, as Aristotle plainly wishes to have it.36 It
is important to realize that in citing Aristotle’s thesis that the motions of the
planets vary as their distances, Kepler omits to define the point from which
the distances are reckoned. Second, as 291a6–10 make clear, for Aristotle, the
proportionality of the periods and distances is to be explained by reference
to the influence of the motion of the sphere of the fixed stars, and there
would thus seem to be little room for this in Kepler’s account. Indeed, Kepler
states that such influence is alien to his scheme.
In sum, we should not suppose that the planets are to have the same
linear speed in De caelo 2.10.

An Emendation
«διὰ τῆς τοῦ αὐτοῦ φορᾶς ἰούσης τε καὶ κρατουµένης» is the reading offered
by the best mss of Simplicius’ commentary and it is virtually the same as
that found in the best mss of Plato’s Timaeus. As Taylor rightly points out,37
however, it is a very problematic reading: at 36c4–d1, Timaeus asserts that
the undivided motion of the Same has been given dominance or power
(κράτος) over the motion of the Different; but now, in the very process by
which this power is exerted, the motion of the Same is putatively dominated.
On the basis of the Latin translations of this passage by Cicero and Calcidius,
Taylor suggests that the original text was probably «διὰ τῆς τοῦ αὐτοῦ φορᾶς
ἰόντα τε καὶ κρατουµένην» (scil. «φόραν» at Tim. 38e6, i.e., 475.11). The idea
is that the genitives «ἰούσης» and «κρατουµένης» have been obtained as the
result of a false assimilation of the accusatives, «ἰόντα» and «κρατουµένην»,
36 See Comment 10.01, p. 201.

37 Taylor 1928, 202–203 ad 39a1.
to the case of «φορᾶς» [Tim. 39a1, i.e., 475.12]. This is the reading found in
Karsten’s edition of Simplicius’ commentary (Heiberg’s c) and translated
here.
IN DE CAELO 2.11
An Emendation
Heiberg’s text
ὡς διχόµηνον αὐτὴν ἐκάλεσεν ῎Αρατος διὰ τὸ διχῇ τέµνειν τὸν µῆνα, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα
συνεφώνει καὶ τὸ πλεονάκις µηνοειδῆ φαίνεσθαι
as Aratus called it dichomēnos because of its dividing the month into two, and
the fact that [the Moon] often appears crescent-shaped particularly would be
in accord [479.11–13]
will not do as it stands. His conjecture, «συνεφώνει καὶ τὸ» introduces an
idiom of the form «καὶ τὰ ἄλλα … καὶ τὸ Χ» meaning in this instance that ‘X (=
the fact that [the Moon] often appears crescent-shaped) particularly’ would
be in accord.1 But this leaves open what is being accorded with and also
renders problematic the remark at 479.13–14, ‘and likewise gibbous’. After
all, if the preceding sentence is particularly about the Moon’s appearing
crescent-shaped, what is the point of alluding to the Moon’s being gibbous?
There are two possibilities. In his assessment of the relevant mss [see
1894, v], Heiberg affirms that A is primary. So, given that A reads «συνε-
φωνεῖτο», if one takes this as a starting point, the easiest emendation is
«συνεφωνεῖτο hτῷi», as proposed to me by R.B. Todd. The assumption here is
that the final syllable of «συνεφωνεῖτο» was originally iterated in the seman-
tically distinct but aurally identical form «τῷ» which was then subject to
easy omission. Still, Heiberg also states that A is primary especially when it
is supported by Moerbeke’s translation. And, on this occasion, it turns out
that Moerbeke’s ‘et alia consonant, scilicet sepe lunularem apparere’ (‘and
the rest would be in agreement, that is, the fact that the Moon often appears
crescent-shaped’) supports the «συνεφώνει τὸ» which is found in a number
of other mss, including two that Heiberg thinks very important.2 So, if one
1 On the idiom, see 244n56 below.

2 Bossier n.d.b, 479.6–7. Moerbeke seems to assume that agreement or accord is with
taking ‘dichotomos’ to designate the Full Moon. Grosseteste’s ‘et alia consonuerunt eorum
quae multotiens menoeidea apparere’ [Bossier n.d.a, 152.7] appears to aim for a similar
reading.
starts with this reading, the easy emendation is «συνεφώνει hτῷi». Either way,
then, one avoids the difficulties of Heiberg’s conjecture and the translation
is the same.3
With the text so construed, the point is that taking ‘dichotomos’ to denote
the Full Moon is consistent with Aristotle’s remark that the Moon has a
variety of waxing and waning crescents, presumably for the reason that the
continuous change in the illumination of the lunar disk from waxing to
waning crescents entails a phase of total illumination at mid-month. The
same holds for the transition from its waxing to its waning gibbous phases.

On Drum- or Lentil-Shaped Moons
Simplicius’ account of the appearances of a Moon that has the shape of

a drum or of a lentil is compressed. In the first place, it appears that the
drum-shaped and lentil-shaped Moons are to be viewed so that the surface
directly facing the observer is circular and flat in the case of the drum-
shaped Moon; whereas in the case of the lentil-shaped Moon, it is circular
with the bulge towards the observer. Obviously, it is true that neither the
drum-shaped nor the lentil-shaped Moon will be visible at the beginning of
the month. And given that the Moon rotates once in a synodic revolution,4
it will also be true that at mid-month both will have the same appearance as
the Full Moon, that is, the observer will see a circular disk. When the drum-
shaped and lentil-shaped Moons are not in syzygy, however, the circular
surfaces are illuminated obliquely so that they will either be completely
invisible [cf. 480.22–23] or visible completely in the case of the drum-shaped
Moon, or visible to an extent in the case of the lentil-shaped Moon that is
dependent on the height of its bulge. Simplicius thus makes clear that one
can explain the phases of the Moon if it is spherical in shape but not if it is
drum-shaped or lentil-shaped.
What one still needs, however, and what no one in antiquity attempts to
provide so far as I am aware, is the further argument that the lunar phases
can be explained only on the assumption of a spherical Moon. And perhaps
this is understandable, since such argument might well prove circular: after
3 For the omission of «ἄν» in the apodosis of a present contrary-to-fact condition, see
Smyth 1971, § 2358.b.

4 See Comment 11.05, p. 221.
all, consider the phases produced by a suitably spheroidal Moon. In truth,

the observed lunar phases are not by themselves sufficient to establish that
the Moon is a sphere.
Certainly, Aristotle does not attempt such an argument. Indeed, at An.
post. 78b4–11 he writes:
Again, [consider] how they prove that the Moon is spherical from its in-
creases—for if what increases in this way is spherical, and if the Moon in-
creases [in this way], it is clear that [the Moon] is spherical. Accordingly, there
is in this way a syllogism of the fact. But if the middle term is put the other
way round, [there is a syllogism] of the reason why, since [the Moon] is not
spherical because of its increases, but gets increases of this sort because of its
being spherical.
Now syllogism of the fact that the Moon is spherical will succeed if and
only if whatever shows such increases is indeed a sphere. As for syllogism
of the reason why—to adapt the formulation Aristotle uses in regard to
the planets which connects their not twinkling and their being near [An.
post. 78a31–b4]—if it is given that being a sphere belongs to the Moon
and that having such increases belongs to being a sphere, from this one
may deduce that having such increases belongs to the Moon. (In the first
syllogism, the middle term is ‘having such increases’; in the second, it is
‘being spherical’.) Clearly, syllogism of the reason why the Moon has such
increases will succeed under the same condition as syllogism of the fact that
it is spherical; that is, it will succeed if and only if a sphere produces such
increases-which is patently not the case.5
The Shape of Eclipsing Bodies
Compare De caelo 297b23–30, where the shifting boundary line of light and
dark observed on the Moon during a lunar eclipse is the evidentiary basis
for inferring the shape of the Earth:
Further, [the Earth’s shape is also known] through perceptual phenomena.
For, [if it were not spherical,] eclipses of the Moon would not have the sorts
of sections [that we see]. Certainly, as a matter of fact, [the Moon] receives all
divisions in its monthly configurations, since it becomes straight and convex
and concave. And in eclipses it always has the line delimiting [the shadow]
5 For discussion of Aristotle’s distinction here between syllogism of the fact and syllogism
of the reason why, see Barnes 1975, 148–150.

convex, so that since [the Moon] is eclipsed because of the interposition of

the Earth, the Earth’s curvature (which is spherical) must be the cause of the
[shadow’s] shape.
As Neugebauer remarks, however,
It is an often repeated statement—from Aristotle to modern textbooks—
that the sphericity of the earth is demonstrated by the fact that the earth’s
shadow on the Moon is always bounded by a convex arc. This, of course,
is mathematically inconclusive, quite aside from the fact that nobody ever
explains how to establish the accurate nature of the observed curve. But
even if we take it for granted that the shadow of one object on another
unknown surface appears as a circle one should remember that there exists
an unlimited number of shadow casting and shadow receiving bodies which
produce identical shadow limits. [Neugebauer 1975, 1093–1094]
A similar point would seem to hold for inferences about the shape of the
Moon from the convex-appearance of the boundary of obscuration during
solar eclipses. Indeed, if taken by itself, this argument from solar eclipses is
hardly compelling, as Simplicius himself has shown inadvertently in draw-
ing attention to the drum-shaped and lentil-shaped Moons, since these
Moons are indistinguishable from a spherical Moon at opposition.
But, in any event, Simplicius has misconstrued the argument for the
Moon’s sphericity from solar eclipses [477.12–15, 480.16]. It is not in fact a
new consideration but a further instance of the previous argument from
the lunar phases, as Aristotle’s Greek would suggest. And, as such, it suffers
from a failure to demonstrate that only spherical bodies can produce the
phenomena observed.

On Flat or Convex Moons at Syzygy
This is wrong. As Simplicius has already indicated [480.10–11], there is no

appreciable difference in the apparent shape of a spherical, a drum-shaped,
and a lentil-shaped Moon at conjunction and opposition [see Figures 11.02–
11.03, pp. 184–185]. So, given that
– whether it has shape of a sphere, a drum, or a lentil, the Moon will
present a circular disk to the observer during conjunction and opposi-
tion,
– solar eclipses occur when the Moon is in conjunction, and
– it is the edge of the lunar disk that defines the boundary of light and
dark (Simplicius’ ‘sections’) seen during a solar eclipse,
then it follows that all three bodies will produce boundaries that appear the
same on a given (spherical) object.
Another Mistaken Argument
Simplicius is either forgetting that eclipses occur only when the Moon is in
conjunction or opposition to the Sun, or that the drum-shaped and lentil-
shaped Moons are oriented with their circular surfaces to the observer
so that they are indistinguishable from the Full Moon when they are in
opposition. In any case, any Moon-sized object placed in conjunction to
the Sun will define an observable boundary of light and dark during a solar
eclipse.
The rotation of the Moon is established Platonic doctrine.6 Simplicius
accepts this and holds more generally that all celestial bodies rotate about
internal axes.7 Aristotle [De caelo 2.8: cf. esp. 290a7–29], however, denies that
the stars (fixed and planetary) either rotate or roll: for him, the Moon always
shows the same face to us because it is fixed to a sphere that revolves about
the Earth as its center.8
There is no precedent, so far as I know, for the hypothesis of a drum-
shaped or of a lentil-shaped Moon. But, given that the Moon appears fully
circular in opposition and that it rotates once in a synodic revolution, there
are three basic classes of figure possible in that the Moon-shapes must have
a circular surface that is either concave, flat, or convex. The drum-shaped
Moon has a flat circular surface; the lentil-shaped Moon, a surface that is
circular and mildly convex. So, if the hypotheses are Simplicius’ own, the
question is why he passes over the case of the Moon that has a concave
circular surface and merely alludes to it in 480.19–21.
6 See Plato, Tim. 40a8: cf. Cleomedes, Cael. 2.4.1–9 (which ascribes recognition of this to
Berossus).
7 See 454.23–456.27: cf. 32.13–33.16 with Comment 12.27, pp. 284–288.
8 Cf. Leggatt 1995, 240–241.
IN DE CAELO 2.12
Comment 12.01 De caelo 291b35–292a1 120n11
On ‘Fewer Motions Than Some’
Commentators have been troubled by the remark that the Sun and Moon
have fewer motions than some planets because it does not seem to be true
in the account of the homocentric spheres found in Meta. Λ.8. W.D. Ross1
follows pseudo-Alexander [see 147n179] in proposing that Aristotle returns
to Eudoxus’ theory that the Sun and the Moon each have three spheres, and
thus understands Aristotle to hold that the Sun and the Moon have fewer
motions than any of the other planets since these each have four spheres.
To explain why Aristotle says that they have fewer motions than some of
the planets, however, Ross argues that Aristotle is limiting himself to what
is strictly sufficient to state the first ἀπορία. Hence, he writes ‘some’ rather
than ‘any’.
H.J. Easterling2 counters that Aristotle really does mean that the Sun and
Moon have fewer motions than some of the planets, and proposes instead
that Aristotle is thinking of a version of the homocentric theory in which
the planetary systems in Eudoxus’ account are supplied with unwinding
spheres. On this view, the Sun and the Moon do indeed perform fewer
motions than some of the planets, since they each have fewer spheres than
Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury but not Saturn. That is, if we follow East-
erling and reckon the unwinding spheres with the planet whose motions
they influence rather than with the planet whose spheres they unwind,3 the
arrangement would be as in Table 12.01 [p. 224]. As Easterling remarks, this
proposal entails that, prior to Callippus’ revision of the Eudoxan theory, Aris-
totle had already applied his unwinding spheres to the Eudoxan planetary
systems; and, thus, that Meta. Λ.8 does not present a historical account of
the development of homocentric theory.4
1 Ross 1953, 2.394.

2 Easterling 1961, 138–141.
3 Easterling 1961, 139n1. Cf. Elders 1966, 240 on De caelo 293a5–6.
4 But see Pellegrin and Dalimier 2004, 42–44.
Table 12.01. Easterling’s Conjecture

Planet Winding Spheres Unwinding Spheres Total
Saturn 4 0 4
Jupiter 4 3 7
Mars 4 3 7
Mercury 4 3 7
Venus 4 3 7
Sun 3 3 6
Moon 3 2 5
D.R. Dicks, however, suggests that Aristotle is not thinking of homocentric

spheres so much as of observable motions.5 Thus, for Dicks, Aristotle here
recognizes that the Sun and the Moon do not exhibit retrogradation but
has not yet seen that Mars and Venus do: as Dicks notes,6 in the original
Eudoxan system, Mars and Venus do not go retrograde. The problem with
this interpretation is its assumption that Aristotle and his contemporaries
were aware of planetary stations and retrogradations.7
Still, Dicks may be pointing in the right direction. After all, it is possible
that Aristotle is thinking of the planetary theory in Plato’s Timaeus.8 In
this account, though all the planets have the motion of the Different, the
Sun is apparently assigned this motion simpliciter and the other planets
have powers that modify it. Thus, the Moon has a power that augments
the motion of the Different; whereas Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn have powers
that diminish it. Venus and Mercury, however, have powers that alternately
increase and decrease the motion of the Different. In this sense, then, one
might well say that the Sun and Moon perform fewer motions than some of
the planets.
121n15 Comment 12.02 De caelo 292a3–6

Aristotle’s Occultation of Mars
Dave Herald of the International Occultation Timing Association has very

kindly computed for me all the occultations of Mars by the Moon that were
visible in Athens (37;35°N, 23;26°E) during Aristotle’s lifetime (–383 to –321).
5 Dicks 1970, 204–205: cf. Leggatt 1995, 246.

6 Dicks 1970, 187.
7 See Bowen 2001, 2002, and Comment 12.07, pp. 230–248.
8 See Comment 12.07, pp. 232–239.
He concludes that there are but two which fit Aristotle’s report, those of
–360 Mar 20 [see Figure 12.01, p. 186] and –356 May 4 [see Figure 2.02, p.
187]. Moreover, in his view, the first of these fits the report better than the
second. According to Herald’s computations, there was an occultation on
–360 Mar 21 at 20;24 hr U(niversal) T(ime), that is, at 21;58 L(ocal) M(ean)
T(ime), when the Moon was 34% illuminated, which lasted 64 minutes;
and another, on –356 May 4 at 18;24 UT, that is, at 19;58 LMT, when the
Moon was 44% illuminated, which lasted 13 minutes. The greatest source
of uncertainty in these computations derives from the variation in the rate
of the Earth’s rotation, which at these times involves a correction of 5;08,24
hrs (with an uncertainty in the order of half an hour).
In light of these computations and of the fact that Aristotle spent much
of his adult life in Athens, and granted that he actually saw the occultation,
I would say that he may well be reporting one of these two occultations;
and that, if so, I agree with Herald that it is more likely the occultation
of –360 Mar 20 [see Figure 12.01, p. 186]. Clearly, the occultation of –356
is almost a complete miss for an observer at Athens [see Figure 12.02, p.
187]. F.R. Stephenson [2000], however, maintains that only the occultation
of –356 May 4 was visible at Athens (which he locates at 37;58°N, 23;43°E).
See Savoie 2003 for an excellent account of the difficulties in making such
computations.
Ancient Records of Occultations
According to Simplicius [117.24–27], the Egyptians kept written observations

of the stars for at least 630,000 years and the Babylonians for 1,440,000 years;
but this is sheer fantasy. As matters stand now, there does not seem to be any
record in an Egyptian language of an interest in occultations. Fortunately, as
the late Christopher Walker of the British Museum very kindly informed me,
such an interest is amply attested in Mesopotamia by a Letter and Reports
deriving from the royal archives at Nineveh that were formed during the
eighth and seventh centuries bc. This Letter9 and the Reports10 specifically
concern the Moon’s occulting a planet (Jupiter or Saturn) or some fixed
9 See No. 84 in Parpola and Reade 1993.

10 See Hunger, Reade, and Parpola 1992, Nos. 30, 100, 166, 351, 351, 399, 408, 438, 443, 455,
and 469.
star.11 There is, so far as I am aware, no observational record in which some

planet other than the Moon is said to occult another planet, though there
are Letters12 and Reports13 about planetary conjunctions.
The Diaries do not add much to this. The earliest record of an observa-
tion of an occultation in a Babylonian Diary is the entry for –277 VII 1614 and
it concerns the Moon’s occulting Jupiter. There are also Diary entries men-
tioning the conjunction of one planet with another for –567 III 1 and XII 12,
–391 VIII 10, –380 XII 11, –346 IX 20, –333 III 26, –330 VII 2, –324 I 13 and VI 21,
–322 VI 21 and XII 11, –321 I 27 [cf. II 2] and VI 23, 26.
It is interesting that Ptolemy reports several observations in Alexandria
by Timocharis during the early third century bc of the Moon’s occulting
various fixed stars.15 Ptolemy also reports observations of Mars’ and Jupiter’s
occulting different fixed stars in –271 and –240, respectively.16
One might suppose, in the light of what Aristotle and Simplicius say,
that the early Greek interest in occultations derived from a concern to
establish the order of the seven planets. But this is not necessarily what
either Aristotle or Simplicius means to suggest: the immediate context is
the claim that the Moon is the planet closest to the Earth and, like the
observation of the Moon’s occultation of Mars, the Egyptian and Babylonian
reports may have been cited to buttress this point only. This would, of course,
be consistent with the surviving Babylonian reports of occultations, which
have a very different purpose.

The Encouragement Offered
Mueller [2005, 22 and n61] assumes that Alexander and Simplicius are argu-
ing about the use of «ἀποδέχεσθαι» (‘to receive’, not ‘to attain’) and «ἀπαι-
11 Note that Reports Nos. 100 and 438 concern the occultation anticipated in Letter No. 84:
cf. Parpola 1970–1983, 2.20.

12 See Parpola and Reade 1993, Nos. 47 (with Parpola 1970–1983, 2.60–62), 63, 67 (with
Parpola 1970–1983, 2.73–74), 340 (with Parpola 1970–1983, 2.260–261).

13 See Hunger, Reade, and Parpola 1992, Nos. 44, 48, 82, 212, 214, 244, 288, 350, 491.
14 See Sachs and Hunger 1989, 1.327: A26 + C5.
15 See Goldstein and Bowen 1991, Comment 1, Nos. 12–15 with §2. Regarding Ptolemy’s
account of Timocharis’ observation of Venus and η Vir, there is doubt that this should be
read as an observation of an occultation: see Goldstein and Bowen 1991, Comment 1, No. 18
with § 3.
16 See Goldstein and Bowen 1991, Comment 1, Nos. 17 and 27.
τεῖν», but finds this hard to reconcile with Simplicius’ remark at 481.26–
30. If, however, we suppose that both Alexander and Simplicius read De
caelo 292a14–17 as offering encouragement—«παραµυθεῖσθαι» may mean ‘to
exhort’ (so Mueller), but it can also mean ‘to encourage’ or ‘to reassure’ [see
121n19]—then Alexander’s point would be, I take it, that the encouragement
(or reassurance) follows from the claim made at 292a17–18 that the problem
is not beyond reason if one proceeds on the basis of certain starting points or
arguments. In short, he would seem to think that proceeding is reasonable,
but that the encouragement is still incomplete or lacking in that these start-
ing points or arguments (which make proceeding reasonable) are not given
here but in what follows. If this is right, Simplicius’ objection is captious—he
resents the suggestion that Aristotle ever expresses himself ἐλλειπτικῶς—
and when he offers an interpretation that makes clear the flow of Aristotle’s
text, he effectively concedes Alexander’s (very minor) point. Note the Latin
version of the Hebrew translation of Themistius’ paraphrase:
if we nevertheless move in thought from these things [about which we can
get knowledge] to our inquiry by means of the following slight resources or
principles, it will be neither unreasonable nor strange too that whatever [the
facts] are, they should be found out in this way. [Landauer 1902, 119.30–33]
For another reading of these lines, see Rescigno 2004–2008, 289.
Comment 12.05 De caelo 292a18–21 122n25
The Heavenly Bodies Ensouled?
᾽Αλλ’ ἡµεῖς ὡς περὶ σωµάτων αὐτῶν µόνον, καὶ µονάδων τάξιν µὲν ἐχόντων, ἀψύχων
δὲ πάµπαν, διανοούµεθα· δεῖ δ’ ὡς µετεχόντων ὑπολαµβάνειν πράξεως καὶ ζωῆς
[292a18–21]
As Thomas Johansen [2009] has pointed out, there is ample evidence ear-
lier in the De caelo that Aristotle regards the heavenly bodies as ensouled.
Indeed, it would be difficult to explain the difference in the periods and
directions of their motions if they were not, given that their material com-
position is the same and accounts only for the bare fact that their motion is
circular by nature. Accordingly, some have set out to translate this passage in
a way that avoids any indication of doubt about this on Aristotle’s part.17 But
such translations founder on the fact that Aristotle writes «ὡς µετεχόντων …
17 See, e.g., Lennox 2009, 210.

ὑπολαµβάνειν», that in such cases «ὡς» with a participle typically indicates

the thought of the subject of the main verb or of some other prominent
subject in the sentence and not that of the speaker or writer of the sentence,18
and that «ὡς µετεχόντων» means ‘as if/though sharing’ or ‘in the belief that
they share’, and the like.
To begin, Johansen’s claim that the occurrences of «ὡς» at 292a18, 20 are
linguistically parallel is,19 I think, mistaken. At 292a18, the syntax spelled
out is «ἀλλ’ ἡµεῖς hπερὶ τούτων διανοούµεθαi ὡς περὶ σωµάτων … διανοούµεθα»,
where «ὡς» is a comparative conjunction and means ‘as’ [cf. 482.6–9]. Many
translators take this «ὡς» with «περὶ» and have ‘as if/though about’ but still
seem to understand «περὶ τούτων» alone,20 thus effectively construing «ὡς»
as a coordinating conjunction, all the while translating it as a part of the
subordinating complex «ὡς περί». Moreover, «ὑπολαµβάνειν» at 292a21 is
intransitive—which is cumbersome in English, but note Moraux’s ‘se mettre
dans l’esprit’21—and «ὡς µετεχόντων» is a genitive absolute (circumstantial)
with «ὡς» serving adverbially.
Let us grant that Aristotle holds that the heavenly bodies are ensouled
and is disinclined to treat them as mere units with position. The fact is
that in these lines Aristotle is now speaking as one of a number of people
who either do not believe the heavens are ensouled or who have for various
reasons carried on as though they are not ensouled.22 It is as a member of
this group that Aristotle voices the recommendation that they consider the
heavenly bodies as though ensouled.
Nevertheless, in formulating his recommendation, Aristotle does bring to
the fore the possibility that they are not ensouled. But does this constitute
or entail doubt on his part that the heavenly bodies are ensouled? Obviously
not, in propria persona. Even then, if it does—and I am not convinced of this,
since neither logic nor grammar requires it—such doubt is inseparable from
doubt that the ἀπορίαι can in fact be solved: as he makes clear, if we are to
18 See Smyth 1971, §§ 2086, 2996.

19 Johansen 2009, 22n22.
20 Cf., e.g., Moraux 1965, 81; Mueller 2005, 22.
21 Moraux 1965, 81.
22 Elders [1966, 234] suggests that Aristotle has in mind Eudoxus’ treatment of the planets
as purely geometrical units in Meta. Λ.8 [cf. Leggatt, 1995, 248] and thus construes the ‘we’ in
question rather narrowly. As Simplicius’ paraphrase suggests, however, Aristotle may instead
be thinking of a more general tendency to treat the heavenly bodies as though they were unit-
points in figurate number [cf., e.g., Heath 1921, 1.76–84] when talking of the constellations
formed by grouping these bodies into shapes, for example.
address the ἀπορίαι, then we should (or must) treat the heavenly bodies as
living entities.23 Accordingly, it is unnecessary to torture the Greek so that it
reads in a way that is consistent with earlier indications that the heavenly
bodies are living beings.
In sum, even when faithfully rendered, 292a18–21 does not suggest any
real doubt on Aristotle’s part that the heavenly bodies are ensouled.24 It
still remains true, of course, that Aristotle’s discussion in 2.12 is tentative or
provisional25 but the reasons for this lie elsewhere.
Fewer Motions: Better or Worse?
According to the Latin version of Themistius’ paraphrase,26 Alexander

understood there to be two conflicting principles at work in Aristotle’s argu-
ment:
– that what is nearer to the best obtains its perfection by a single action
only, whereas things that are farther away will require more motions
by as much as they are distant; and
– those things nearer the best pursue the best as an end with many
actions, in the manner of the planets.27
The Latin Themistius regards this as a misreading and proposes that there
is really no contradiction.28
Simplicius likewise cites Alexander but does not indicate any criticism on
Alexander’s part, unless «µήποτε δὲ καὶ τὸν δεύτερον µίγνυσι διορισµόν» hints
at one. In any case, Simplicius rightly distinguishes Aristotle’s argument
that the other planets are superior to the Sun and Moon in that they per-
form more motions from his argument that the Sun and Moon are inferior
because they perform fewer motions. For, while the five planets can attain
the ultimate good through many motions, the Sun and Moon cannot attain
23 For his part, Simplicius [482.9–10] affirms that there is no solution to the ἀπορίαι if we
conceive of them as soulless point-magnitudes with position only.

24 Cf. Comment 12.11, pp. 261–262.
25 Cf. Bolton 2009, 64n19.
26 Landauer 1902, 121.40–122.11 = fr. 158b in Rescigno 2004–2008, 2.290–291.
27 Landauer 1902, 122.9 plantae (plants): ‘planetae’ (‘planets’) would make better sense and
is an easy emendation.
28 Landauer 1902, 122.10–20, cf. 121.28–39.
this good in full measure but can only manage a few motions bringing them
some good that is as near the ultimate good as they can reach.29
134n107 Comment 12.07 In de caelo 487.20–488.2

Awareness of Retrogradation
Simplicius’ biographical reconstruction of the context of the first ἀπορία

takes for granted that Aristotle was indeed aware of the fact that, unlike
the Sun and Moon, the five planets make stations and retrogradations. This
assumption, however, is not warranted by any evidence that has come down
to us. Indeed, so far as one can tell given the evidence extant, it is an
artifact of his manner of reading Plato and Aristotle, and derives from his
interpretative agenda.
Still, the fundamental question is, ‘When did Greek and Latin writers first
undertake to explain the observed stations and retrogradations made by the
five planets, and what can we say about the explanatory strategies adopted
in this project during its earliest stages?’
If we are to identify the recognition of planetary retrogradation and,
hence, of stations, it will be important to distinguish sorts of awareness
of the planets. After all, it is one thing to suppose that the planets are
wandering stars, that some stars (the Sun, Moon, and the five planets) do
not maintain their position in relation to those stars which appear fixed in
position. It is another to hold that all these wandering stars are left behind
by the fixed stars and move in a direction opposite to the daily rotation of the
celestial sphere, or even that this (direct) motion (eastwards) is in each case
periodic. And it is yet another to suppose that some planets (specifically,
Mercury, Venus, and the Sun) apparently overtake, and are overtaken by
one another, or to extend this idea to Mars, Jupiter and Saturn as well. Still,
none of this amounts to realizing that the five planets make stations and
retrogradations.
Given the nature of the surviving evidence and that the present aim is
to understand Simplicius, I will take a via negativa to the question of the
awareness of the planetary station and retrogradation, and postpone study
of just when and how such knowledge appears in Greek and Latin writers to
29 Cf. 485.22–29, which contrasts the slight action of the celestial sphere and the slight
action of the Sun and Moon, and 486.16–19, 486.26–487.3, 487.31–488.2. But see Mueller 2005,
24 and 26, nn77 and 84.
another occasion.30 Accordingly, the present comment is intended to show

that there is no good reason to hold that Greek or Latin writers prior to the
late second century bc attempted to account for these planetary phases.
To substantiate this conclusion, I will focus on five passages that scholars
have taken to indicate knowledge of these planetary phenomena prior to
the second century bc. My argument will not be that one cannot read these
passages to entail such knowledge—obviously, one can—or that there are
no other passages which scholars might interpret in this way. Rather, my
burden, as I see it, is to establish a mode of argumentation by demonstrating
that there is no need rooted in the five passages themselves that demands
reading them in a way that presupposes awareness of planetary station and
retrogradation. In some cases, this will follow because there is a number
of possible readings and no sensible means of choosing between them;
whereas, in others, it will follow because there are readings better suited
to the documents in which the passage occurs. The upshot will, I trust, be
the recognition that we should refrain from ascribing knowledge of these
planetary phases until we find texts that actually require it in order to
make sense of them. Thus, my aim is to discourage the elaboration and
rationalization of ‘learned’ credulity by restoring some measure of sobriety
deriving from a determination of what can actually be known to have been
the case.
To frame this negative argument, we should bear in mind that there is
simply no Greek or Latin terminology for, or mention of, the planetary phe-
nomena of station and retrogradation until the latter parts of the first cen-
tury bc. In other words, if you inspect the entire corpus of extant Greek
and Latin documents—a task now feasible because much of this corpus
is available today in electronic databases such as the Thesaurus Linguae
Graecae—you will not find direct (datable) occurrences of words or expres-
sions for these particular phenomena until the writings of Cicero, Diodorus
Siculus, and Vitruvius.
Furthermore, two of these writers, Diodorus and Vitruvius, offer com-
pelling evidence that the context in which the ideas of these planetary
motions really became known to the Greeks and Romans was neither the
tradition of Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy or cosmology (as Simpli-
cius suggests) nor the quasi-indigenous Greek and Roman celestial science
prior to the late second century bc. Rather, it was horoscopic astrology, a
30 For some preliminary work on this, see Bowen 2012e and 2014.
discipline which is devoted to determining the fate of the native on the basis
of the positions of the seven planetary bodies, and which first appears in the
Greek and Roman worlds in Egypt in the very late second century bc, if not
more recently.31 Thus, it would seem that the Greeks and Romans did not
come to knowledge of the basic apparent motions of the planets through
a formal or informal program of observation that was either inspired by
philosophical concerns or viewed as a useful adjunct to these concerns. To
the contrary, it now appears that their knowledge of these motions came by
acquaintance at some level with the tabular literature used by astrologers to
cast horoscopes.
Granted, this only shows that prior to the late second century bc the
Greeks lacked a technical vocabulary for station and retrogradation, and
that these phenomena were quite marginal to their thinking. It does not
prove that they were utterly unaware of them, only that there is no ascer-
tainable context in which it was important to speak of them clearly.
Plato, Timaeus 40c3–d3

Simplicius’ remarks [488.18–24, 492.28–493.11] about the project of saving
the planetary phenomena or appearances seem at odds with the epistemol-
ogy and ontology found in those Platonic dialogues that do discuss astron-
omy, Resp. 6–7 and Leg. 7 in particular.
Thus, for instance, even though these dialogues do maintain distinctions
between the real and the apparent, if the renowned image of the Divided
Line in Resp. 6 means that the objects of scientific thought are the Forms
themselves construed not as objects of direct inquiry but as starting points
of demonstrations effectively interrelating these Forms, then there is no
such thing as a scientific explanation of any phenomenon as such. That is,
the planets and their motions are patently not Forms or what it is to be
something, and so there is no scientific knowledge of them and no place
for a program in astronomy to explain or even to save them, given that in
this dialogue at least astronomy is a science. Moreover, at Leg. 821b3–822d1,
the Athenian Stranger affirms against those who say that the planets never
follow the same course—and so manifest no periodicity—that in reality
the planets do not wander at all but that each moves instead constantly
31 See Bowen 2012e, 2014. The earliest extant horoscopes in Greek, Latin, and Demotic
all derive from the latter parts of the first century bc: there are no references to horoscopic
astrology in any Greco-Latin text dating from before this century.
on a single circle; and he rejects as blasphemy the practice of calling them

wandering stars. His thesis that, though the planets may appear to move
along many paths, they have only one proper motion, is directed against
those who see no order or regularity at all in the planetary motions, to say
nothing of recognizing that the planets make stations and retrogradations.
In any case, the Athenian Stranger has not even distinguished the behavior
of the Sun and Moon, which do not make stations and retrogradations, from
that of the remaining planets, all of which do.
Nevertheless, there is one primary instance put forth by scholars, both
ancient and modern, in which Plato is thought to write of the retrograda-
tions and direct motions of the planets:
But, without seeing images of these same (gods), it would be a labor in vain to
describe their dances and their coincidences (παραβολάς)32 with one another,
the circling motions of their circuits back to themselves (τὰς τῶν κύκλων πρὸς
ἑαυτοὺς ἐπανακυκλήσεις), and their advances (προχηωρήσεις), and which of the
gods by entering conjunction (ἐν ταῖς συνάψεσιν) with one another as well as
how many by entering opposition, and which by coming to be behind and in
front of one another at which time intervals, are severally hidden to us and
as they appear again send to those who cannot reckon, panics and signs of
things that are going to happen afterwards. [Tim. 40c3–d3]
Their thesis is, in short, that these ἐπανακυκλήσεις and προχωρήσεις are
respectively the planetary retrogradations and direct motions.33
Now, by the close of the fourth century bc, it was indeed customary to
distinguish two kinds of stars: those that are fixed in relation to one another
and move only with the daily rotation of the heavens, and those that are
not fixed (the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) but
move periodically in relation to the fixed stars in addition to their moving
with the daily rotation [cf. 40b4–8]. However, one notable feature of how
this distinction was made is the absence of any attempt to specify, or even
to name, the ways in which the wandering stars or planets move in relation
to the fixed stars. Moreover, the few explicit attempts to characterize the
planets’ observable motions are limited primarily to their sidereal motions,
that is, to their return along the zodiacal circle to some star or constellation.
Thus, in the Timaeus, the seven planets are said to move on circles about
the Earth, all in the plane of an oblique circle and in a direction opposite to
32 Tim. 40c4: see Comment 10.06, pp. 205–206.

33 Documenting this view, which is dogma nowadays, would be a substantial task. For a
recent occurrence, see Zeyl 2000, xlvii.
that of the daily rotation. Further, Mercury and Venus are, unlike the others
planets, described as regularly overtaking and being overtaken by the Sun
in the course of their circuits around this oblique course. So far this seems
harmless enough. The difficulty is that, according to Timaeus, the dialogue’s
chief interlocutor, Mercury and Venus overtake and are overtaken by the Sun
because, though they have been put into circles that have the same period
as the Sun, each has been allotted a power or tendency contrary to the Sun
[38d2–6].
As one might expect, this passage is important to those who hold that
Timaeus’ remarks about the planets show awareness of the fact that they
sometimes exhibit retrograde motion. So, the question is, ‘Need this con-
trary power entail a reference to, or knowledge of, retrogradation?’ A.E. Tay-
lor, for example, holds that the power in question is that exhibited by Mer-
cury and Venus, the two inner planets, when their motion (which includes
retrogradations) is viewed in relation to the Sun—meaning, I presume, that
this power is evident in the observable fact that these planets, which never
stray far from the Sun, rise before the Sun as morning stars and set after the
Sun as evening stars.34 Though Heath is agnostic about the meaning of the
passage, he does maintain that the natural sense of the words is that Mercury
and Venus actually move in the opposite direction to the Sun.35 Though both
scholars assume that Plato must have in mind station and retrogradation, it
should be obvious that this is a non sequitur. The fact that Venus and Mer-
cury appear as Evening and Morning Stars is, I admit, equivalent to the claim
that Venus and Mercury exhibit retrograde motion.36 But it is fallacious to
impute knowledge of the latter to Plato (or to anyone for that matter) given
only that he knows of the former. Indeed, as I shall argue, Plato’s remarks
about Venus and Mercury are easily understood without involving any allu-
sion to planetary retrogradation.
Consider Timaeus’ earlier description of the construction of the world-
soul. The Demiurge begins by compounding soul stuff which he pounds out
flat into a long band [35a1–b3]. Next, after marking the entire length of the
band into sections according to the sequence 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 27, and after
34 Taylor 1928, 196–202.

35 Heath 1913, 165–169.
36 Given that the Sun moves at a constant speed eastwards along the zodiacal circle, the
fact that both Venus and Mercury, though they too have an overall eastward motion, some-
times cross our western horizon following the Sun (Evening Star) and then subsequently
cross our eastern horizon in advance of it means that they have for a time made a westward
motion or retrogradation.
inserting arithmetic and harmonic means and then filling in sections in the
ratio of 4:3 with sections in the ratio of 9:8, he cuts the band lengthwise into
two strips of equal length, lays one strip on the other to form an X, and joins
the ends of each strip to produce two identical circles situated obliquely
to one another and attached at diametrically opposing points [35b4–36c2].
Then,
he embraced (each strip) with a motion that goes round in the same place
with regard to the same things, and made one circle the outer and the other
the inner. Accordingly, the outer motion he declared to be characteristic of
the nature of the Same; and the inner motion, characteristic of the nature of
the Different. Then, he caused the [motion] of the Same to go round to the
right on the side and the [motion] of the Different, to the left on the diagonal.
And he gave supremacy to the revolution of the Same and the Like. For, he
left it as one undivided [revolution]. But after he split the inner [revolution]
six times into seven unequal circles according to each interval of doubles and
triples, there being three of each [sequence], he prescribed that the circles
go in directions opposite to one another, and that in speed three be similar
whereas four be dissimilar to one another and to the three, though they move
according to ratio. [Tim. 36c2–d7]
Timaeus does not explain how the circles taken from the Different can
have motions in directions opposite to one another. Still, it is not difficult
to supply one: all we need suppose is that Timaeus is alluding to the fact
that circles into which the Different is divided have opposing motions, one
due to the motion of the Same and the other due to the motion of the
Different itself. In short, to leap ahead by talking of the bodies to be inserted
in these seven circles, each will have a sidereal and a diurnal motion. The
awkwardness here is due to the fact that, at this stage in Timaeus’ tale,
the world-soul has no body, which means that he is obliged to talk about
motions (revolutions) without referring to what is moved or in motion.
For present purposes, there is a point which should be relatively uncon-
troversial; namely, that, in the logical sequence of Timaeus’ account, the
Demiurge’s division of the motion or revolution of the Different into circular
motions does not by itself produce motions that differ from one another. As
the text makes clear, such differentiation among the motions or circles into
which the Different is divided requires separate acts of prescription on the
Demiurge’s part [36d4–7].37 But, given that the world-soul has as yet no body
and is differentiated only by its motions, this act must effectively involve
37 See Zeyl 2000, xlv–xlvi, 22.

assigning additional motions to the seven motions already established. One

possible scheme would be to assign:
– the motion of the Different simpliciter to the Sun;
– the same speed to the motions of the Sun, Mercury, and Venus;
– an additional motion to each of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn which con-
stantly opposes (but does not overcome) the motion due the Different;
and
– yet another motion to the Moon which constantly supplements the
motion of the Different.38
But, however it goes, the fundamental point is that Timaeus is accommodat-
ing the empirical fact that the planets each have fixed sidereal periods and
that he proposes to do this by making these periods the outcome of smooth
sidereal motions. Plainly, there is no recognition yet of the phenomena of
station and retrogradation. Indeed, the story thus far is not even sufficient
to account for motions of the Sun, Venus, and Mercury. To accomplish this,
Timaeus first embodies these motions.
Thus, at 38c7–d1, the Demiurge constructs the body of each planet and
places it into one of the seven revolutions into which the Different has
been divided. In this way, the seven revolutions, which by themselves are
neither paths nor tracks but simply motions, are embodied. And, though
these revolutions were originally just portions of the world-soul, they now
become the soul of a planet [cf. 38e3–6].
Next, at 38d2–6, to explain the known motions of the Sun, Venus, and
Mercury, Timaeus relates that Mercury and Venus are each assigned a power
(δύναµις) opposed to the Sun. This power is not itself a motion. Nor is it
a power to move in a single direction, given that this power is to account
for the observable fact that these planets overtake and are overtaken by
the Sun. Rather, it is, I suggest, a power opposed to the Sun, specifically, to
the smoothness or steadiness of its motion eastward. That is, it is a feature
enabling Mercury and Venus to slow down and speed up in relation to the
Sun’s constant motion as all three course eastward. The only constraint
is that the exercise of this power must be such that the periods of the
eastward circuits are the same for all three. In effect, Timaeus assigns the
soul of Mercury and of Venus, treated now as living creatures, an ability to
move autonomously and intermittently with a motion that augments and
diminishes the revolution of the Different.39
38 Cf. Cornford 1966, 74–86.

39 Cf. Epin. 986e3–7, 987b2–5.
But what might Timaeus hope to accomplish in this? Is he allowing for the
fact that Venus and Mercury never stray far from the Sun and are visible only
for a brief while after sunset or before sunrise? Or does he really understand
that Mercury and Venus both exhibit stations and retrogradations? Clearly,
the proposition that Venus and Mercury are both morning and evening stars
and the proposition that they both make periodic stations and retrograda-
tions are as a matter of physical fact equivalent. Equally clear is the fallacy
of supposing that being aware of one of these two equivalent propositions
entails being aware of the other. So, which of them might Timaeus have in
mind? As it turns out, what he actually says offers virtually no support for
the view that he is thinking of the stations and retrogradations that Mercury
and Venus regularly make.
To explain: for better or worse, Timaeus is treating the observable
motions of Venus and Mercury as real motions rather than as apparent
motions to be explained away. The metaphor that he uses in assigning to
each planet a power to vary its motion eastward is that of a circular race.
Mercury and Venus are, in effect, imagined as runners who, though they
keep pace with the Sun overall and complete the eastward circuit in the
same time, occasionally fall behind, then catch up to, and even overtake
the Sun before slowing down and falling back again. It is important to real-
ize that there is nothing in this metaphor involving, requiring, or implying
that Mercury and Venus make stations and retrogradations against the back-
ground of the fixed stars. Such reference to the fixed stars in talking of station
and retrogradation would, of course, be diagnostic. But in its absence, we
must conclude that Timaeus’ imagery no more entails that Mercury and
Venus make stations and retrogradations than, for instance, falling behind
in a race and then catching up and going ahead entails really stopping, going
backwards, stopping, and then racing forwards, or even appearing to do any
of these things against some background of stationary spectators. Indeed, it
is telling that Timaeus does not even require that the exercise of this con-
trary power be regular or periodic like the planet’s sidereal motion. All that
the passage demands is a sense of the overall eastward direction of the race;
and this itself may well have been inferred from the fact that the planets set
close to the Sun, the eastward motion of which is readily inferred from its
observable behavior at the horizon. Accordingly, there is is no warrant here
to suppose that Timaeus is accommodating any knowledge of planetary sta-
tion and retrogradation.
This brings us back to Tim. 40c3–d3 and the problem of deciding what the
ἐπανακυκλήσεις and προχωρήσεις are. If we construe the planetary ἐπανακυ-
κλήσεις as the planetary circlings back or goings round—the full locution,
‘the circling motions of their circuits back to themselves’, is typically pleo-

nastic—the question is whether these ‘circlings back’ include their diurnal
motions, their sidereal motions, or both. How one answers this will bear in
turn on whether «καί» in «καὶ προχωρήσεις» [40c5] is construed as epexeget-
ical: the προχωρήσεις themselves would seem to be the planetary motions
eastward.40
In any case, nothing Timaeus says warrants taking «ἐπανακυκλήσεις» to
designate retrogradations. For, up to the point where he turns to the mat-
ter of planetary omens, Timaeus’ remarks are made of all seven planets
without qualification or distinction. Thus, if one insists that Timaeus is
referring to retrogradations, one effectively introjects, and then has to mit-
igate, the acute problem that this makes his reference to ἐπανακυκλήσεις
deceptive and half true if not plainly false, because neither the Sun nor
the Moon exhibits retrograde motion. One may, of course, do this by fur-
ther supposing a compression in the way that Timaeus expresses himself.
But this is a desperate interpretative strategy, given the availability of alter-
natives that do less violence to the text. And there are a number of cred-
ible alternatives that readily come to mind. For example, if we suppose
instead that each planet has more than one ἐπανακύκλησις, these might well
include:
– its diurnal circling back due to the revolution of the Same
– its sidereal circling back due to the revolution of the Different as
modified by its own native power (in the case of Mercury and Venus) or
by the motion that it contributes in addition (in the case of the Moon)
or in opposition (in the case of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn), as well as
– the resultant spiral.
Or if we imagine that each planet has only one ἐπανακύκλησις, it would still
be acceptable to identify it as any one of these possibilities. And in no case
would this yield any problems with the text.
40 There is no compelling reason in the Timaeus for sharply distinguishing an ἐπανακύκλη-
σις from an ἀνακύκλησις. The participial form of the verb «ἀνακυκλεῖσθαι» and the cognate
«ἀνακύκλησις» each occur once in the Platonic corpus. Plato, Pol. 269e3 mentions an ἀνα-
κύκλησις of the cosmos. In context, this is plainly a rotation in the opposite direction [cf.
269a1–5, c4–d4]. Specifically, it is a (periodic) reversal in direction of the diurnal rotation
(currently from east to west, but earlier, so the story goes, from west to east). The participial
form occurs at Tim. 37a5. Here «αὐτή τε ἀνακυκλουµένη πρὸς αὑτήν», however, can mean at
most ‘it circling back to itself’ without implying any specific direction, since the motion at
issue is that of the world-soul understood as a mixture of the Same and the Different.
The noun «ἐπανακύκλησις» is rare: it occurs once in the Platonic corpus

and not again until the Platonic commentators writing almost a millennium
later. So, it is admittedly difficult to get a sure sense of its meaning in the
Timaeus. The related verb «ἐπανακυκλεῖσθαι» occurs slightly more often,
though, again, only once in the Platonic corpus. There are several undatable
passages in the Homeric scholia in which the verb means ‘to circle back’.
The earliest datable occurrences are in texts written in the second century
ad. In general, the verb as it appears in these and later documents means ‘to
circle back’, ‘to recur’, ‘to recur cyclically’, ‘to move or go in a circle’, and the
like. Still, we should perhaps inquire whether the use of this verb at Resp.
617b2 illuminates the meaning of the cognate noun in the Timaeus or itself
indicates retrograde motion.
Plato, Resp. 617a4–b4

In relating what is now known as the Myth of Er, Socrates remarks:
The spindle turns as whole, then, in a circle with the same motion; but in
the whole as it revolves, the seven inner circles revolve gently with a motion
that is opposite to the whole. And of these circles, the eighth41 goes most
swiftly. Second and together with one another go the seventh, sixth, and fifth
[circles].42 Third in motion, as it appears to them, goes the fourth [circle]43
circling back (ἐπανακυκλούµενον). And fourth goes the third;44 and fifth, the
second.45 [Resp. 617a4–b4]
It will be agreed on all sides, I expect, that this observed motion of Mars is
not retrograde; that is, it is not a motion westward taking place between
two stations. Given the mechanism governing planetary motion that is
described in the Myth of Er, this observed motion can only be Mars’ un-
abated motion eastward. So, the participle «ἐπανακυκλούµενον» signifies
here no more than ‘going-back in a circle’, not a counter-revolution. And so
it fits with later usage and is consistent with the account of Tim. 40c3–d3
suggested above.
41 scil. the circle of the Moon.

42 scil. the circles of the Sun, Venus, and Mercury.
43 scil. the circle of Mars.
44 scil. the circle of Jupiter.
45 scil. the circle of Saturn.
The Planetary Turnings

There are occasions in which Plato writes of planetary τροπαί. At Pol. 270b10–
c2, we read:
One should regard this change as the greatest and most complete τροπή of all
the τροπαί that occur in the heavens.
This greatest and most complete τροπή is the turning round or reversal in
direction of the daily rotation of the cosmos [cf. Pol. 269a1–5, c4–d4]. At
Leg. 767c6, 945e4, for instance, we find the more common use of «τροπαί» to
designate the reversals in the direction of the Sun’s motion as observed along
the horizon as well as those points on the horizon where these reversals
are seen to take place. Specifically, it designates these turnings and the two
points on the eastern horizon where the Sun rises on days of solstice.
Now, one might be tempted to imagine that other planets were also
thought to have such τροπαί as well, that Greeks at the time were aware
that during its sidereal period each planet will rise at a northernmost and
a southernmost point on the eastern horizon. The main problem is that
there is no independent record or indication that any ancient Greek actually
observed or was concerned with the lunar standstills, for example, or with
the behavior of the planets as observed at the horizon. Still, it certainly
remains a possibility, even if the idea was not fully articulated or realized
in action. Admittedly, this idea may be in play when Timaeus, in speaking
of the Sun, Moon, and five planets, states:
In this way and for the sake of these [reasons] were generated all those
heavenly bodies which, as they make their way through the heavens, have
τροπαί, in order that this [living thing] should be as like as possible to the
complete and intelligible Living Thing in the imitation of its sempiternal
nature. [Tim. 39d7–e2: cf. 38c3–6]
Such talk of τροπαί, even if it denotes not turnings or revolutions but rever-
sals or goings back(ward), still does not amount to recognition of planetary
retrogradation. After all, when the turnings are not reversals in the motion of
the cosmos itself, that is, its counterrevolutions, they are planetary reversals
in direction and points on the horizon where these reversals are observed
to occur. Moreover, even if Plato is thinking that each planet has τροπαί of
this sort at 39d7–e2, such reversals are simply artifacts of the fact that all
seven bodies move on circles oblique to the daily rotation. In other words,
the reversal indicated is not the reversal meant when the ancients actually
do talk of a planet’s retrograde motion—as the fact that Plato makes no
mention of stations or of the fixed stars, and that he includes the Sun and
Moon with the five planets would indicate.
Epinomis 986a8–987d2
Though the Epinomis is a dialogue purporting to continue the conversation
represented in Plato’s Leges and was for a long time included in the Platonic
corpus, the consensus now is that it was not in fact written by Plato. There
is an ancient tradition that it was written instead by Philip of Opus (flor. ca
–350), a contemporary of Aristotle, in the period after Plato’s death in –346.
During this conversation, the Athenian Stranger has occasion to empha-
size that there are eight visible gods in the heavens, each equally deserving of
honor and devotion. This requires him to state who these gods are [986a8–
987d2] and, thus, he comes to declare:
But they have in fact taken their nomenclature from gods. For, the Morning
Star, which is also the Evening Star, has itself the credit, I dare say, of belonging
to Aphrodite, which is very fitting for a Syrian Lawgiver; whereas the [planet]
that roughly keeps pace with the Sun and at the same time with this [first one]
belongs to Hermes.
We should mention three further motions of [bodies] that make their way
to the right with the Moon and Sun. And we must say that the eighth is one
which one should call Cosmos in a special sense, and which makes its way
in opposition to all the others as it carries [round] the rest, as it would seem
even to men who know little of these matters. But we must state, and do state,
all that we know sufficiently, since real wisdom appears in this way somehow
to one who has shared even slightly in right and divine thought.
Three [wandering] stars are left then, of which there is one that differs among
them by its slowness, and some speak of it by the name of Saturn; but we must
say that the one after this in slowness belongs to Jupiter; and the [planet] after
this belongs to Mars—it has the reddest color of all.
It is not at all difficult to understand any of this, when someone points it out;
but, as we say, it is necessary that he who has learned take the lead.
[Epin. 987b1–d2]
As this passage makes clear, Epin. 986a8–987d2 concerns only the sidereal
motion of each planet: that motion by which each planet returns to a fixed
star serves by itself to distinguish the seven wandering stars from those that
are fixed.
Epicurus, Epistula ad Pythoclem

In book 10 of his Vitae philosophorum, Diogenes Laertius (third century ad)
preserves three letters from Epicurus (–340 to –269) to various correspon-
dents. Of particular interest is the letter to Pythocles in which Epicurus
undertakes a ‘brief, well circumscribed discussion of phenomena in the
sky’.46 The basic aim in this discussion is to attain peace of mind and sure
confidence. As Epicurus would have it, this aim is to be realized by noting
that each of these phenomena admits of more than one explanation and by
refusing to make arbitrary choices among the alternatives.47
Thus, near the end of his letter, Epicurus gives two accounts of why some
stars are fixed and others wander. To begin, he entertains the three possible
explanations of why some stars seem fixed:48
– they are in a part of the cosmos that is at rest, or
– they are enveloped in a revolving ring of air that checks their motion,
or
– their fuel supply is not elongated—which means that they are ob-
served only in one place.
Then, he turns to the wandering stars. As he sees it,
it is possible that some of the stars wander—if it happens that they are subject
to motions in this way—and that others may not in fact because, as they move
in a circle, they have been so constrained from the beginning that some move
along the same revolution which is smooth, whereas others (move) at the
same time (along a revolution) which is subject to certain unsmoothnesses.
But it is also possible that in the regions where they travel there are in
some places smooth stretches of air that push them on together in the same
direction successively and kindle them smoothly, whereas in other places the
[stretches] are so unsmooth that the variations observed are produced.
[von der Muehll 1922, 41.20–42.5]
Epicurus begins by registering doubt that there really are stars that wander.
He then explains the distinction between fixed and wandering stars first by
imagining that it has been ordained from the beginning that each star moves
in a circle, and that the revolution in this circle is sometimes smooth and
sometimes unsmooth. Alternatively, he supposes that each star is produced
by kindling air49 and that some stars seem fixed because the airy fuel for
them is configured smoothly whereas other stars appear to wander because
their fuel is configured unsmoothly.
Now, the smooth or regular revolution has to be the diurnal revolution of
the fixed stars. But what makes the other revolutions unsmooth or irregular?
There are many possible answers. After all, revolutions may be unsmooth if
they define unequal arcs in equal times, these arcs being either always in the
46 von der Muehll 1922, 27.13–28.

47 von der Muehll 1922, 28.7–29.6.
48 von der Muehll 1922, 41.12–18.
49 Cf. von der Muehll 1922, 31.6–10.
same direction or sometimes in one direction and sometimes in the other.

They may also be unsmooth if they may make occasional departures from
the circle, or if they combine the two preceding types of unsmoothness. In
short, Epicurus’ account is severely underdetermined on this point because
he neither states which of the numerous sorts of unsmoothness he has in
mind nor describes how the air that is the fuel for the planets is configured.
Thus far, then, it would not appear that Epicurus is thinking of anything so
specific as planetary station and retrogradation.
Next, Epicurus inveighs briefly against the partisans of rash astronomy
who maintain that there is but a single cause for the fact that some stars
wander while the others stay fixed.50 Then, he turns to the observation
that some planets seem to fall behind others during the course of their
revolution:
It happens that some stars are observed being left behind by others because,
though they travel the same circle, they go round more slowly; because,
though they are drawn back by the same revolution, they go in the opposite
direction, and also because, though [all] circle round the same revolution,
some go round through a greater region and some through a lesser. But
speaking of these matters without qualification is fitting to those who wish
to talk marvels to the many. [von der Muehll 1922, 42.10–16]
In other words, to account for their wandering, he turns to the fact that the
planets have different (sidereal) periods. He offers three ways to account for
this. The first is that the planets all go round the same circle (westwards)
but at different speeds, and thus they (only) appear to move eastwards at
different rates.51 Next is that the planets that seem slower are really going
in the opposite direction to those that appear faster but nevertheless do
go in the same direction overall because they are dragged round by the
(stronger) revolution of the latter.52 The third explanation is wonderfully
vague. The problem is the pleonastic «τὴν αὐτὴν δίνην περικυκλοῦντα» (‘circle
round the same revolution’ = ‘perform the same revolution’) and deciding
what makes a revolution the same. There are several possibilities, though
the one that seems most promising is that the planets each move eastward
(same direction)53 with the same linear speed.54 This interpretation amounts
50 von der Muehll 1922, 42.5–9.

51 Simplicius [476.11–12] explicitly rejects this line of argument: see 109n73.
52 This may be no more than a creative extrapolation of the claim in Aristotle, De caelo
2.10 that the revolution of the celestial sphere reduces the eastward motion of the planets.
53 If the direction is westward, this third account collapses into the first.
54 If they had the same angular speed, they would have the same sidereal period, that is,
they would not fall behind one another.

to the sort of account considered by Simplicius in commenting on De caelo

2.10.55 in that it explains the varying planetary sidereal periods as a result of
the fact that the planetary revolutions are of different sizes.
Ptolemy, Alm. 12.1: Apollonius of Perga

In the first chapter of book 12 of his Almagest, Ptolemy turns his attention
to the retrograde arcs described by each of the five planets on the celestial
sphere as it travels from first to second station [see Figure 6, p. 25]. Since the
lengths of these arcs vary periodically in each case, he sets himself the task
of determining the least and greatest arcs for each planet, and of showing
that his computations of the lengths of these arcs are in as close agreement
as possible with the observed data. He begins by noting that, “for this sort
of determination, both other µαθηµατικοί and Apollonius of Perga56 prove
in the case of a single anomaly of the Sun the lemma57 that …”,58 where
this lemma lays out conditions for determining the stationary points in an
epicyclic and in an eccentric hypothesis. Then, in the rest of the chapter,
Ptolemy presents his own mathematical derivation of the stationary points,
which unlike any previous effort, combines both hypotheses in a single
display or figure.59 The problem is to decide whether any of this entitles us to
suppose that Apollonius was aware that the five planets make stations and
retrogradations.
Scholars commonly suppose that Ptolemy’s proof of what ‘the other µαθη-
µατικοί and Apollonius of Perga’ have demonstrated goes back to Apollonius.
55 474.29–475.9: see Comment 10.14, pp. 213–214.

56 οἱ τε ἄλλοι µαθηµατικοὶ καὶ ᾽Απολλώνιος ὁ Περγαῖος. Gerald Toomer [1984, 555] has ‘a
number of mathematicians, notably Apollonius of Perge’. The locution, «οἱ τε ἄλλοι καὶ Χ»
(‘the others and X’ or ‘X, besides others’), occurs fairly often in Greek. In general, it serves to
single out X as a member of a group [cf. Comment 11.01, p. 217–218]. Whether this should be
rendered along the lines of ‘the others and especially X’ as a rule seems unlikely, given the
number of occurrences in which ‘X’ is modified by some intensive pronominal adjective or
in which an adverb such as «µάλιστα» (‘especially’) is added in order to achieve this sort of
emphasis. In the same vein, we should not allow that the true subject of the locution is X
alone, that mention of others is perhaps merely a mark of politeness and urbanity or the like.
This may turn out to be true when what follows includes an attribution directed explicitly
to X—though even here one should prefer to see argument case by case rather than a mere
stipulation of what the locution means—but it seems unlikely when, as we find in the present
instance, the others are explicitly described by an adjective or the like and nothing extra is
added about X. The practical point is that Apollonius may here be singled out not as a special
contributor but as one that defines the type, that is, the µαθηµατικός.
57 2.450.9 προαποδεικνύουσι (prove the lemma): lit. ‘prove before or in advance’.
58 Heiberg 1898–1903, 2.450.9–11.
59 Heiberg 1898–1903, 2.451.22–452.4.
But this is obviously incorrect: Ptolemy in fact presents the proof that he
gives in Alm. 12.1 as his own and opposes it to the pair of proofs offered by
the earlier theorists.60 So, what is the relation of Ptolemy’s contribution to
that of his predecessors in this matter? There is, of course, no way to dis-
cern how the work of the other µαθηµατικοί figures in Ptolemy’s proof. As
for Apollonius, Neugebauer has pointed out that there are important rela-
tions between Ptolemy’s proof and certain theorems in Apollonius’ Conica
and Plan. loci.61 But none of this tells us about what Apollonius and the
other µαθηµατικοί were doing. Though Ptolemy plainly supposes that the
lemma was proven for the sort of determination that he has in mind,62 the
truth may be that he is in fact adapting arguments propounded originally
in other contexts to his own purposes without recognizing these other con-
texts.
This feature of Ptolemy’s historiography comes into play later when he
introduces a lemma about scalene triangles which he attributes explicitly
to Apollonius:
Let us accept these preliminary results considered thus far. Given that it
remains to prove that, when the straight lines divided in this sort of ratio
have been ascertained for each of the two hypotheses, the points Η and Θ
will encompass the appearances of the stations, and that the arc ΗΦΘ must
be retrograde, while the rest [of the circle] must be direct, Apollonius assumes
in advance a small lemma, namely, that, given the triangle ΑΒΓ which has ΒΓ
longer than ΑΓ, if Γ∆, which is not less than ΑΓ, is taken [from ΓΒ], Γ∆ to Β∆
will have a have ratio greater than the angle subtended by ΑΒΓ to the angle
subtended by ΒΓΑ. [Heiberg 1898–1903, 2.456.3–13]
This lemma itself is purely mathematical and bears no indication of its origi-
nal context or purpose. Granted, for his part, Ptolemy presents the lemma as
intended for the next step in his own proof, a single proof identifying the sta-
tionary points in both astronomical hypotheses. But in doing this, Ptolemy
effectively contradicts his earlier claim that this unified proof is his. Thus,
taking this passage as evidence that Apollonius was in fact aware of sta-
tions and retrogradations would seem unwarranted. Indeed, it makes better
sense to hold that, in borrowing this lemma from Apollonius, Ptolemy has
conflated the reasons why Apollonius proposed it with the reasons why he
60 As Toomer [1984, 556n3] rightly remarks, this weighs against Neugebauer’s view [1975,
264: cf. 1955] that Ptolemy’s proof is taken from Apollonius.

61 Neugebauer 1959b, 1975, 264.
62 Though «εἰς δὴ τὴν τοιαύτην διάληψιν» may indicate respect, it probably indicates
purpose here, as Toomer has it [1984, 555: cf. Heiberg 1898–1903, 2.456.3–10].
borrows it. This is not, I hasten to add, a great blunder on Ptolemy’s part: the
Almagest is witness to his active engagement with astronomical problems;
there is no basis for any expectation of concern with their prior history. The
Almagest is a treatise in astronomy and not in the history of astronomy. His
assumption that Apollonius was working on the same problems as he is
perfectly rational and akin to Hipparchus’ tacitly ‘modernizing’ the accounts
of the heavens put forward by Eudoxus and Aratus.63 The problems come
when modern historians fail to see this.
In sum, Ptolemy himself gives reason to doubt that Apollonius himself
undertook a demonstration of planetary stationary points and retrograde
arcs. To this argument from what Ptolemy actually says should be added the
numerous considerations adduced by Goldstein [2009] in his own examina-
tion of Apollonius’ purported contribution to ancient astronomy.
At the same time, it is, I admit, reasonable to ask whether Apollonius did
address the issue of the planetary stations. After all, his skill as a mathemati-
cian is amply evident and the problem is a real one for any theorist disposed
to a kinematic, geometric representation of planetary motion that gives pri-
ority to circular motion. Further, it is well within the realm of possibility
that Apollonius learned of the planetary motions from sources that were
ultimately Babylonian—there was certainly an influx of Babylonian celes-
tial science in the century or so after the fall of Babylon to Alexander in –330,
as P. Hibeh 27 attests, and planetary theory is found in many divisions of this
science. Still, to those who would adopt this line of speculation, it should be
clear that, so far as one can tell in light of the evidence currently available,
any work by Apollonius in planetary theory was marginal to Greco-Latin
interests in celestial science over the next two or three centuries: there is,
after all, no evidence of any further commentary on this problem of station-
ary points in the Greco-Latin astronomical literature extant until the time
of Ptolemy, even in instances in which such commentary or acknowledg-
ment would have been appropriate.64 But, more fundamentally, one must
acknowledge that speculation of this sort, though useful perhaps for gen-
erating hypotheses for research, does not constitute historical knowledge
and has no place among the positive results confirmable by recourse to the
documentary remains. To the contrary, so far as Apollonius is concerned,
63See Bowen and Goldstein 1991.

64Likewise, as Goldstein [2009] points out, the same is true of Apollonius’ putative
demonstration of the equivalence of the eccentric and epicyclic hypotheses.
the sober claim that he merely supplied some fundamental results in planar
geometry is alone cogent, since this is all that Alm. 12.1 demands.65
Conclusion
Neither the Platonic nor the pseudepigraphic Platonic dialogues provide
good support for the thesis that the Greeks prior to the first century bc were
aware of planetary stations and retrogradations. The same holds true of Epi-
curus’ letters and of what Ptolemy actually reports of his early predecessors,
Apollonius in particular. Indeed, these passages at issue require much less—
in the main, a recognition of the varying sidereal motions that the planets
have.
Given that, excluding the disputed Meta. Λ.8, Aristotle himself does not
betray knowledge of these planetary phenomena, there is no warrant prima
facie for the claim that Aristotle actually had such knowledge or that it
figures in Meta. Λ.8. Accordingly, it follows that Simplicius’ reconstruction of
Aristotle’s formulation of the two ἀπορίαι may well be mistaken. Recognizing
this has important consequences. Notably, it allows us to put aside scholarly
accounts that take for granted that Simplicius is correct. Specifically, it
allows us to disengage the current study of Simplicius’ commentary on In
de caelo 2.10–12 from the corpus of learned speculation that reconstructs the
homocentric theory of planetary motion described in Λ.8 by correcting the
technical details of Simplicius’ account [492.25–499.15]66 and then teasing
out the mathematical implications of this significantly ‘revised’ Simplicius.
In short, we are, for now at least, spared the farrago of mathematical and
historical analysis that has its roots in the work of Giovanni Schiaparelli
[1925–1927] and set free to examine how Simplicius reconstructs the past
in order to meet Philoponus’ attack.
Should one balk at this and wonder whether it is right to sidestep Schi-
aparelli and his intellectual epigony in this way, I will point out that Aris-
totle’s account is so focused on its immediate task, counting the number of
unmoved movers, that it omits:
– naming the planetary motions in question,
– explaining what the third and fourth motions of the five plants are for,
65 As Goldstein [2009] observes, it is unusual for Ptolemy to attribute theorems to named
predecessors, that one or both of the references to ᾽Απολλώνιος in 12.1 may be an interpolation,
and that either of these references may derive from an early misreading of «᾽Απολλινάριος».
66 See Comments 12.12, 12.16, pp. 262–264, 265–266.
– stating where the planetary body lies on the sphere in which it is

embedded,
– describing how these spheres together account for the observed plan-
etary motion,
– identifying what Callippus’ additional spheres actually accomplished,
– revising the planetary hypotheses that are incorporated into the single
cosmic structure, and
– explaining where the unwinding spheres belong or how they actually
work.
In other words, the account in Λ.8 is grossly underdetermined from the
standpoint of astronomy, and reasonably so. Moreover, though a modest
amount of what is missing may be inferred plausibly from what Aristotle
writes, most of it cannot but requires introducing assumptions and using
mathematics to make inferences that are at best consistent with the text.
But this latter kind of argument is fallacious because it imputes to Aristotle
some consequences of what he has written. Granted, this fallacy might be
mitigated somewhat by finding what is imputed in his writings elsewhere or
in those of his contemporaries. But as I have tried to show in this Comment,
the bar for such mitigation is high. In truth, unless new texts come to light
from the period, I would say that this mitigation is simply not forthcoming,
at least for those who choose not to ignore a plainer meaning of what Aris-
totle and his contemporaries have actually written elsewhere in favor of an
interpretation whose main, if not only, justification is that it somehow ‘saves’
Meta. Λ.8. In my view, any such reconstruction that introduces phenom-
ena demonstrably unnoticed at the time neither constitutes nor advances
knowledge of the past. In fact, such scholarship simply demonstrates that
we can go very far astray indeed when we ask the wrong questions of a text.

Proclus on Sosigenes
It is customary to cite Proclus, Hyp. ast. 4.98 in support of the claim that
Sosigenes wrote a treatise entitled On the Unwinding Spheres.67 The same
67 περὶ τῶν ἀνελιττουσῶν hσφαιρῶνi: I am assuming that the work which Proclus mentions
here is the same one that Simplicius uses in his commentary. Given that Simplicius’ citations
from this work plainly concern unwinding spheres, I have taken «ἀνελιττουσῶν» to mean
‘unwinding’ rather than ‘turning’. But one might just as well suppose that the title should
be On the Turning Spheres. See 135n113.
passage has also been cited by modern scholars68 as evidence that Sosigenes
observed an annular eclipse, which they then compute to be the annular
eclipse of 164 Sep 4, the only such eclipse visible, they claim, in Greece
during the relevant period. But this is wishful thinking on both counts.
Consider Proclus, Hyp. ast. 4.97–99:
Thus, the diameter of the Sun (since [the Sun] is itself extended), [I mean] [130.9]
its apparent diameter, is always ascertained to be the same by means of
the dioptra whether the Sun is at apogee or at perigee.69 But the apparent
diameter of the Moon is greater and smaller at different distances [from
Earth]; and only when the Moon is in the [points] of its own circle farthest [15]
from the Earth,70 when it is plainly full and in conjunction (as it is in solar
eclipses), is its apparent diameter the same as the Sun’s [apparent] diameter.
It is in fact clear to [Ptolemy]71 that, if this is true, what Sosigenes the Peri-
patetic has recorded in his [discussions] of the unwinding spheres is not true,
[namely], that during eclipses near the Earth,72 the Sun was observed not to be [20]
entirely covered but to extend beyond the disk of the Moon with the extremes
of its own circumference and to cast light unimpeded [by the Moon]. Cer-
tainly, if one accepts this, either the Sun will exhibit different apparent diame-
ters or the Moon, in respect to the [diameter] that is apparent from the dioptra
when [the Moon] is at [points] farthest from the Earth,73 will not be identical [25]
to the [apparent] diameter of the Sun. [Manitius 1909, 130.9–26]
The remark attributed to Sosigenes offers a middle ground between Ptol-
emy’s view that no total solar eclipses are annular and the view found in
P. Par. gr. 1 col. 19.16–1774 (first half of second century bc) and Cleomedes,
Cael. 2.4.108–115 that all such eclipses are annular. The key point for our
purposes is that the remark attributed to Sosigenes stands as a claim about a
whole class of observations that are not necessarily his own—note ‘during
eclipses near the Earth’ and the absence of any indication that Sosigenes
actually observed one himself. Moreover, if Sosigenes is construed to be
reporting real observations, we should still hesitate to follow Proclus in
supposing that these were observations of annular eclipses rather than
68 E.g., Neugebauer 1975, 104n1.

69 εἴτε ἀπογείου τοῦ ἡλίου ὄντος εἴτε περιγείου.
70 Hyp. ast. 4.97 ἐν τοῖς ἀπογείους … τοῦ ἑαυτῆς κύκλου.
71 Cf. Hyp. ast. 4.95. The reference is to Alm. 5.14. Ptolemy does allow that the solar distance
varies in his Hypoth. plan. [cf. Goldstein 1967, 7; Morelon 1993, 66].
72 scil. eclipses when both bodies are near the Earth and, hence, when the Moon is
apparently larger than it is in eclipses far from the Earth.

73 ἐν τοῖς ἀπογείοις.
74 = P. Louvre 2388 Ro + 2329 Ro. See Bowen 2008b.
observations of the solar corona during a total eclipse.75 There was, after all,
no theory in antiquity to explain the light that sometimes appears around
the Moon during total solar eclipses and, hence, no way to distinguish such
eclipses from annular eclipses. As R. Grant remarks:
Among the various eclipses of the sun recorded as having happened in
ancient times, some were, in all probability, annular: but in no instance is the
description of the writer sufficiently clear to establish, beyond all doubt, the
actual occurrence of an eclipse of this nature. [Grant 1852, 371]
As for my ‘in his [discussions] of the turning spheres’, the Greek is «ἐν
τοῖς περὶ» with the genitive. This locution is found without any substantive
specified for «τοῖς» 10 times in the corpus of Proclus’ writings. Of these
occurrences, two76 involve what proves to be a reference by title to treatises
or books still extant, Aristotle’s De sensu and Archimedes’ De sph. et cyl. And
four others, which are found in commentaries on particular treatises, either
involve reference to a passage in the treatise being commented on77 or to a
passage in some other work by the author of the treatise.78 The remaining
four occurrences (including the one currently under consideration) are, in
my view, uncertain: given the locution that Proclus uses, they may involve
reference to passages on a certain subject or to treatises by title or by subject.
And so any decision about the specific intent of any of these occurrences
should be based on independent evidence.
Unfortunately, in the case of Sosigenes and his purported treatise, no
such evidence is forthcoming. Accordingly, it is more prudent, I think, to
avoid positing a treatise otherwise unattested and to suppose instead that
he is referring to discussions. Such caution will seem warranted if one con-
siders the 35 instances in which Proclus actually does supply a substan-
tive to go with «τοῖς», since, for him, the substantive of choice (30 occur-
rences) is «λόγοις» and it typically signifies a passage (literally, words), dis-
cussions, accounts, or arguments. Indeed, there is but one occurrence79
which seems to involve the citation of a work by its title—the fact that this
locution is balanced by another construction designating Plato’s Phaedrus
suggests this. Otherwise, in the remaining five instances, Proclus uses «γράµ-
75 Cf. Philostratus, Vita Apoll. 8.23.1–4 and Plutarch, De facie 932b–c with Newton 1972,
99–100, 601 and Grant 1852, 367, 371–372, 376–383.

76 Kroll 1899–1901, 2.167.10–11; Friedlein 1873, 71.18–19.
77 Kroll 1899–1901, 1.41.11–12; Diehl 1903–1906, 3.58.24–25; Manitius 1909, 220.7–15.
78 Kroll 1899–1901, 1.170.15–16 with Plato, Crat. 392b1–393b6.
79 Diehl 1903–1906, 2.105.32–106.2.
µασι» (‘writings’), «δόγµασι» (‘doctrines’), «παραδεδοµένοις» (‘views handed

down’), «πλάσµασι» (‘images’ or ‘figures’), and «τύποις» (‘outlines’). Clearly,
only one of these, «γράµµασι»,80 would entail reference to a treatise, though
not necessarily by title.
On ‘Saving the Phenomena’
There are numerous ways in which the Greeks expressed the idea of saving
the phenomena or appearances. These expressions occur in different con-
texts and indicate different tasks. In some instances, one is to account for
an apparent irregularity and thus to save the phenomena by explaining it
away; in others, the task is to explain a regularity and thus to preserve or
maintain it; and in others still the meaning of the expression is left vague.
With this in mind, let us distinguish the slogan «(δια)σώζειν τὰ φαίνοµενα»
(‘saving the phenomena’) from the project itself, and try to determine what
the project was originally by considering the early occurrences of the slo-
gan.
Plutarch, De facie 923a

The earliest occurrence of the slogan in this form is found in a fictional
dialogue written by Plutarch. Surprisingly enough, though the context is
broadly astronomical, Plutarch is not here concerned with the motions of
the five planets, but with the thesis that the Earth revolves about the Sun
and rotates on an axis:
And Lucius laughed and said: ‘Oh sir, just don’t bring suit against us for
impiety just as Cleanthes thought that the Greeks ought to lay an action for
impiety against Aristarchus the Samian on the ground that he was disturbing
the hearth of the universe because he sought to save [the] phenomena by
assuming that the heaven is at rest while the Earth is revolving along [its
oblique circle] and at the same time rotating about its own axis.’
[Plutarch, De facie 923a: Cherniss 1957, 55 lightly revised]
The implication of Lucius’ remark is that the risings and settings of the
Sun and fixed stars seen each day on the eastern and western horizon
respectively, and the fact that the Sun’s rising point on the eastern horizon
80 Kroll 1899–1901, 2.113.8–9.

moves north and south along the horizon during the year, and so forth,
can be saved (that is, explained) on two hypotheses. The first is geocentric:
it locates an immobile Earth at the center of the celestial sphere and has
the Sun as well as this sphere revolving around it, the Sun moving on a
circle that is oblique to the revolution of the celestial sphere. The second
is heliocentric: it places the Sun at the center of a stationary celestial sphere
and has the Earth rotating on its axis as it revolves about the Sun on a circle
that is oblique to the axis of rotation. The choice between these hypotheses
is momentarily cast as a matter of piety.
Archimedes, Arenarius 1.4–7

Should we say, then, that Aristarchus characterized his project as one of sav-
ing the phenomena? There is certainly no surviving treatise by Aristarchus
to confirm the attribution made in the De facie. Whether there ever was
one is, in fact, a nice question concerning how one interprets the earli-
est text ascribing to Aristarchus this thesis about the Earth’s motion. This
text is the preface to Archimedes’ Arenarius, a treatise that broaches astro-
nomical matters because it aims to demonstrate that Archimedes’ system
for expressing numbers is capable of representing numbers larger than the
number of grains of sand that it would take to fill the cosmos or celestial
sphere.
In this preface, Archimedes (died –211), a near contemporary of Aristar-
chus, writes:
You [scil. King Gelon] understand that the sphere of which the center of
the Earth is the center and the radius equal to the line between the center
of the Sun and the center of the Earth is called cosmos by the majority of
astronomers, since you have learned these things in the demonstrations writ-
ten by astronomers. But Aristarchus of Samos has made available illustrations
of certain hypotheses and from what is laid down in these it follows that the
cosmos is many times greater than the one just mentioned. For, he posits that
the fixed stars and the Sun remain at rest; that the Earth revolves on the cir-
cumference of a circle about the Sun, which is situated in the center of its
course; and that the sphere of the fixed stars, which is situated about the same
center as the Sun, is so great in size that the circle on which it is posited that
the Earth revolves has the same sort of relation to the distance of the fixed
stars as the center of the sphere has to its surface. But it is indeed readily
apparent that this is impossible. For, since the center of a sphere has no mag-
nitude, one should not posit that it has any ratio to the surface of the sphere
at all. One should, however, understand that Aristarchus has this in mind:
whereas we posit that the Earth is, as it were, the center of the cosmos, the
sphere on which lies the circle along which he posits that the Earth revolves
has to the sphere of the fixed stars the ratio that the Earth has to what we call
the cosmos. For, he adapts his demonstrations81 of the phenomena to what is

laid down in this way; and he especially appears to posit that the magnitude
of the sphere in which he makes the Earth move is equal to what we call the
cosmos. [Archimedes, Arenarius 1.4–7]
The question of a treatise comes to a point in the phrase «ὑποθεσίων τινῶν
ἐξέδωκεν γραφάς» which I have translated by ‘made available illustrations
of certain hypotheses’. Heath proposes that it means ‘brought out a book
of certain hypotheses’.82 Both renderings are acceptable as far as the Greek
goes, so it is unfortunate that there is no credible way to decide the question
given the evidence at hand.
According to Archimedes, Aristarchus posited that:
– the fixed stars and the Sun remain in place,
– the Earth travels around a circle with the Sun at its center, and
– the sphere of the fixed stars is so great that the circle on which the
Earth travels stands in relation to the radius of the celestial sphere as
the center of a sphere to its surface.
The first two theses are obviously consistent with Plutarch’s De facie 923a.
For present purposes, however, it is important to notice that Archimedes
says nothing about Aristarchus’ reasons for positing terrestrial motion.
Instead, his attention is captured by the claim that a point and a sphere’s sur-
face can be in a ratio. Since he regards this claim as mistaken—these relata
cannot, for instance, exceed one another when multiplied [cf. Euclid, Elem.
5 defs 3–4]—he recasts Aristarchus’ analogy. As he sees it, what Aristarchus
really meant was that the ratio of the Earth to the sphere containing the
circle of the Earth’s motion is the same as the ratio of this sphere to the
celestial sphere. Though Archimedes’ revision is motivated by technical
concerns about what a ratio is as well as perhaps by the nature of the project
that he undertakes in the Arenarius, Archimedes does support it by adding
that Aristarchus ‘adapts his demonstrations of the phenomena to what is
laid down in this way’. But what these phenomena are and exactly how
Aristarchus demonstrated them is left utterly unexplained. Equally note-
worthy is that Archimedes does not describe whatever Aristarchus suppos-
edly did as an exercise in saving the phenomena.
Consequently, in the absence of further information from Archimedes,
we should not take it for granted that a demonstration (ἀπόδειξις) here is
81 ἀποδειξίας.
82 Heath 1913, 302–303.
a mathematical deduction, or an argument that defends a thesis by adduc-

ing supporting considerations, or even an exhibition of how a scheme or
configuration might work, to name but three possibilities. Moreover, we
should not suppose without argument that a hypothesis (ὑπόθεσις) here is,
for instance, a claim put forward for discussion rather than a point of agree-
ment or a presupposition or premiss of deductive argument. In short, we
should not prejudge which of the various possible meanings of ‘demonstra-
tion’ and ‘hypothesis’ that Archimedes intends.
Thus far, then, we have Archimedes as the earliest source of the view that
Aristarchus thought the Earth rotates on an axis and revolves about the Sun
which is at the center of a fixed celestial sphere. But Archimedes’ testimony
leaves unstated why Aristarchus proposed this: all Archimedes indicates is
that he thinks it had something to do with some phenomena. And apart
from this, Archimedes’ testimony not only makes one wonder what the
majority of astronomers whom he mentions thought about the five planets
and whether they bothered to treat them as distinct objects of study—the
remark that they identify the cosmos with the sphere containing the circle
on which the Sun travels does seem peculiar—it also introduces another
problem. For, the De magnitudinibus et distantiis solis et lunae, a treatise
usually ascribed to Aristarchus, assumes that the Sun and Moon revolve in
homocentric circles about the Earth. I will return to this, after considering
three more passages that have been brought to bear on the question of what
Aristarchus was proposing.
Seneca, Nat. quaest. 7.2.3

The first comes from Seneca (–4 to 65), who writes that
it will also be relevant to discuss these things so that we may know whether
the universe rotates as the Earth stands still or whether the Earth rotates as the
universe stands still. For, there have been those who affirmed that we are the
ones whom the nature of things causes to move, though we are not aware of
it; and that the risings and settings do not occur by virtue of the motion of the
heavens but that we ourselves rise and set. The subject is worthy of thought
so that we may know in what condition we live, whether we have drawn as
our lot a dwelling-place that is the most inert or the fastest moving, whether
god makes all things move around us or makes us move around (them).
[Seneca, Nat. quaest. 7.2.3]
Here we find that those who adopted the thesis that Earth rotates on its
axis supposedly wished to account for horizon phenomena, particularly, the
diurnal risings and settings of the fixed stars. It is worth noting, however,
that Seneca makes no mention of the Earth’s motion about the Sun, a
motion that would surely help in accounting for these risings and settings
throughout the year.83 Thus, one may well doubt that Seneca is in fact
alluding specifically to Aristarchus, as some have thought.
In fact, Seneca may only have in mind the dispute between Aristotle and
those who agree with him in putting the Earth at the center of the cosmos
but who object to Aristotle’s argument [cf. De caelo 2.13–14, esp. 297a2–6]
that the motions of the constellations seen in the night sky follow from
our being on a motionless Earth at the center of a rotating celestial sphere.
Indeed, Aristotle himself [De caelo 293b30–32] finds in Plato’s Timaeus [cf.
40b8–c3] the thesis that the Earth is at the center of the cosmos but pos-
sessed of an axial rotation. Now, whether Aristotle is right about Plato’s
meaning in this passage is beside the point: for our purposes, it suffices that
the thesis is directly attested in a datable, extant text written prior to Seneca
in a context that differs from the one indicated in Archimedes’ report about
Aristarchus.
Still, even if Seneca means an allusion to Aristarchus, we must note that,
while he does indicate the phenomena to be accounted for, he does not
characterize the argument or demonstration involved.
Stobaeus, Ecl. 1.25.3k

As for the Earth’s motion about the Sun, this is next mentioned by Stobaeus,
a writer in the fifth century ad:
Aristarchus determines that the Sun is among the fixed [celestial bodies], and
that the Earth moves around the solar circle and is cast into shadow according
to its inclinations [Stobaeus, Ecl. 1.25.3k]
But here again there is no statement of why Aristarchus made these claims,
though Heath surmises from the reference to the Earth’s inclinations that he
was concerned to explain climatic differences among the seasons.84 Further,
as before, there is no general characterization of what Aristarchus was doing.
Plutarch, Plat. quaest. 1006b–c

In sum, Plutarch’s De facie 923a is the earliest extant text to assert that
Aristarchus (or anyone else for that matter) sought to ‘save the phenom-
ena’. Yet, like Archimedes before him, Plutarch does not specify what these
83 Cf. Sextus Empiricus, Adv. math. 10.174.

84 Heath 1913, 305.
phenomena are or what saving them entails beyond explaining them as

regular occurrences. This situation is hardly improved or clarified when
Plutarch writes:
What does Timaeus mean by saying that souls were strewn as seed into Earth
and Moon and all the other instruments of time?
Was he giving the Earth motion like that of Sun and Moon and the five planets,
which, because of their turnings,85 he called instruments of time; and ought
the Earth coiling about the axis extended through all be understood to have
been devised not as confined and at rest but as turning and whirling about, as
Aristarchus and Seleucus have later shown, the former hypothesizing (ὑποτι-
θέµενος) it only but Seleucus stating it as a fact as well?
[Plutarch, Plat. quaest. 1006b–c: cf. Cherniss 1976, 76–79]
Heath86 cites Simplicius, In phys. 2.2 and conjectures that Plutarch is ascrib-
ing to Aristarchus a distinction between stating a hypothesis and affirming it
as a fact that derives from a distinction between kinds of discourse about the
heavens—namely, that of the scientist who aims only to put forth hypothe-
ses capable of accounting for the phenomena, and that of the physical the-
orist who is obliged to determine what is really the case. But, in light of the
interpretation of the relevant passage from In phys. 2.2 given in Chapter 2
[37–57], I would say that this conjecture misses the mark.
Though Simplicius does state that astronomers are tasked with saving
the phenomena, he also indicates that the hypotheses which they devise
to do this are in fact held to be the case, that is, true, though without
argument beyond the fact that the hypotheses save the phenomena. Thus,
from Simplicius’ standpoint, Heath’s treating Aristarchus as an astronomer
puts Aristarchus’ use of geocentric hypotheses in his De magnitudinibus
at odds Archimedes’ ascription to him as an astronomer of heliocentrism.
One might, of course, contend that Archimedes is just wrong or suppose
that Aristarchus changed his mind after or before writing his treatise. But I
suspect that the problem actually lies with Plutarch.
In his Plat. quaest., Plutarch has Aristarchus put forward his heliocentric
hypotheses not as a fact but as a subject or starting point for discussion—
a perfectly common usage of «ὑπόθεσις»—which Seleucus (second century
bc) then adopted as an astronomical hypothesis by offering it as the reality
that saved the phenomena. Thus, Plutarch effectively casts Aristarchus as a
philosopher; it is Seleucus who is the astronomer.
85 διὰ τὰς τροπὰς: see p. 240.

86 1913, 305–306.
In his De facie, however, Plutarch has Aristarchus putting heliocentrism

forward as an astronomical hypothesis said to save the phenomena, in a
way that Cleanthes, a Stoic philosopher, took to constitute an impious claim
about what is in fact the case. Just how Plutarch actually saw Aristarchus’
contribution or imagined its ontological commitment is unclear. One may
well wonder, given that the De facie is a dialogue with dramatic elements,
whether Lucius’ talk of Aristarchus’ saving the phenomena by means of a
heliocentric hypothesis that Cleanthes understood as a claim about reality
is but a dramatic fiction to make the charge of impiety appropriate. After all,
offering such a hypothesis as a mere starting point for discussion would be
weak beer when compared to proposing that it constitutes the realia, and
probably would not have been perceived as credible grounds for incurring
the philosopher’s accusation. In any event, the immediate context in which
the passage occurs is not a dialectical exercise but a philosophical discussion
of the physical constitution of the Moon. And so here again, there is a
dramatic reason for construing Aristarchus’ heliocentrism as a thesis about
how things really are.
Thus, given the possibility that De facie 923a takes dramatic license in
ascribing anachronistically to Aristarchus a project described as one of
saving the phenomena, and given also that there is otherwise no earlier
source that construes whatever Aristarchus did as a project in saving the
phenomena, and in light of the fact that this is the earliest occurrence of
the slogan «τὰ φαινόµενα σῴζειν», we really should try to find its original
context elsewhere in order to ascertain its earliest meaning in the history
of the interpretation of astronomy.
Now, as I have already indicated, my working hypothesis is that this slogan
was actually crafted in the first century bc with a view to the efforts at the
time to account for the motions of the five planets by explaining away their
apparent irregularity or unsmoothness. In other words, I think that there is
good reason to suppose that Simplicius’ report of Alexander of Aphrodisias’
careful (φιλοπόνως)87 citation of Geminus’ summary outline of a passage
from the Meteorologica by Posidonius is reliable in that its key language and
ideas are not accretions due to Alexander or Simplicius but actually derive
from Posidonius/Geminus.
Demonstrating or, more likely, supporting, this hypothesis will take us
far beyond the present remit. So, to conclude this comment, I will limit
87 On this adverb, see 11n38.

attention to a passage from Geminus’ Introductio astronomiae which, I think,

was written in the context of Posidonius’ remarks about astronomy and
physical theory.88
Geminus, Intro. ast. 1.19–22

Granted, Geminus does not here use the language of saving phenomena.
Nevertheless, he is the first to identify this explicitly as a distinct task in
astronomy:
It is posited89 for astronomy90 as a whole that the Sun, Moon, and five planets
move at a constant speed in a circle,91 and in a direction opposite to [the daily
rotation of] the cosmos. For, the Pythagoreans, who were the first to come to
investigations of this sort, hypothesized92 that the motions of the Sun, Moon,
and five planets are circular and smooth. The reason is that they did not admit
in things that are divine and eternal such disorder that sometimes [these
things] move more quickly, sometimes more slowly, and that sometimes they
stand still—which they in fact call stations in the case of the five planets.
For, not even in the case of a man who is well behaved and orderly would
one accept such unsmoothness of motion in his modes of progression.93 For,
the necessities of life are often causes of slowness and speed for men; but,
in the case of the imperishable nature of the celestial bodies, no cause of
speed and slowness can be introduced. For which reason they have proposed
the following question: How can the phenomena be explained by means of
circular, smooth motions?
Accordingly, we will give the explanation concerning the other celestial bod-
ies elsewhere;94 but right now we will show concerning the Sun the reason
why, though it moves at a constant speed, it traverses equal arcs in unequal
times.95 [Intro. ast. 1.19–22]
The only difficulty that this passage poses for the suggestion that De facie
923a retrojects a slogan and activity to Aristarchus in the third century that
88 Cf. Bowen 2007, 330–334, 344–348; Bowen 2012e.

89 ὑπόκειται: the present tense of «ὑπόκειµαι» is often used instead of the perfect passive
tense of «ὑποτίθηµι» and thus often means (as it does here) ‘it is assumed as a hypothesis’ or
‘it is hypothesized.’ Cf. «ὑπέθεντο» below.
90 ἀστρολογία.
91 ἰσοταχῶς scil. they each travel equal arcs of their circular paths in equal times [cf. 1.31].
92 ὑπέθεντο.
93 πορεῖαι: cf. Aristotle, Eth. Nic. 1125a12–16. Even less, then, would one ascribe such disor-
derly motion to the divine celestial bodies.

94 Geminus does not return to this in the Intro. ast. Perhaps this was a topic to be taken
up in a treatise for more advanced students.

95 For the Greek text, I have consulted both Manitius 1898 and Aujac et al. 1975.
actually derives from the first in a somewhat different context, comes with
Geminus’ mention of the Pythagoreans. But we should not suppose imme-
diately that when Geminus assigns this project of explaining (or in other ter-
minology, saving) the planetary phenomena to ‘the Pythagoreans,’ he means
the early Pythagoreans.96 There is, after all, no good evidence dating from the
fifth and fourth centuries warranting the claim that the early Pythagoreans
(or any early Greek for that matter) were aware of such characteristic plane-
tary motions as their stations and retrogradations.97 In fact, it would be more
in line with what we actually do know to suppose that, while Geminus might
mean the early Pythagoreans, he could just as well mean the Pythagoreans
of the revived Pythagorean movement that was contemporary with him and
Cicero, since this movement did involve interest in horoscopic astrology and
study of the planetary motions.98 Moreover, if Geminus does mean the early
Pythagoreans, he could be relying on literature ascribed to them but written
in the late second and first centuries bc when the planetary motions became
known in the Greco-Roman world.99
Conclusion
Given the present state of the evidence, the most that we should allow is
that the project of explaining the retrogradations and stations of the five
planets only began to take shape after the late second century bc as Greco-
Latin writers tried to address the problem of planetary motion in greater
detail than ever before. The slogan, ‘save the phenomena’, first appears in
a text written some years after this, however. There is, of course, no way
to determine whether this slogan was coined specially to encapsulate this
new project in astronomy or whether it was borrowed from an analogous
project in a different domain. Nevertheless, I submit that, so far as Greco-
Latin astronomy is concerned, its original scope was precisely this task of
explaining planetary stations and retrogradations away, though, apparently,
it soon was generalized to cover explanations that accounted for other
astronomical phenomena.
96 As does van der Waerden [1988, 107–108], for example: cf. Evans and Berggren 2006,
49–50.
97 See Comment 12.07, pp. 230–248.
98 See Bowen 2012d.
99 See Comment 12.39, pp. 297–298.

An Alternative Reading
I have translated the question following Moerbeke’s text,

quae necessitas tamquam secundum veritatem pluribus existentibus corporibus
circa unumquodque erraticorum et propter hoc pluribus motibus sic causam
querere, propter quid propinqui non erratice planete pluribus feruntur lation-
ibus quam extremi? 100 [Bossier n.d.b, 515.5–10]
What need is there to seek in this way the reason why the planets proximate
to the fixed [sphere] perform more motions than the ones that are last, as
though for each of the wandering stars there are in truth a greater number of
bodies [than one] and because of this a greater number of motions?101
which has ‘erraticorum’ instead of «τῶν ἀπλανῶν» (‘than the fixed spheres’)
found in 488.29 of Heiberg’s text:
τίς ἀνάγκη ὡς κατὰ ἀλήθειαν πλείονων ὄντων σώµατων περὶ ἕκαστον τῶν ἀπλανῶν
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πλείονων κινήσεων οὕτως αἰτίαν ζητεῖν, διὰ τί οἱ προσεχεῖς τῇ ἀπλανεῖ
πλάνητες πλείονας φέρονται φορὰς τῶν ἐσχάτων; [488.27–30]
What need is there to seek in this way the reason why the planets proximate
to the fixed [sphere] perform more motions than the ones that are last, as
though in each case there are in truth a greater number of bodies than the
fixed [spheres] and because of this a greater number of motions?102
In short, given that there is reason to doubt that Aristotle’s homocentric
theory, for example, represents the way things really are, Simplicius wonders
about the sense of proceeding as though there were more than one body
associated with each planet and, hence, more than one (proper) motion,
and then worrying about the first ἀπορία. He presumably does not mean
by this to deny that the planets appear to make more than one motion: his
concern is, I take it, that addressing the first ἀπορία without knowing how
many motions each planet really does make is pointless.
If we retain «τῶν ἀπλανῶν», the thought borders on nonsense. Still, given
that each of Aristotle’s planetary systems has a single sphere that reproduces
100 515.10 reading ‘extremis’.

101 Cf. Mueller 2005, 29 and n95. Mueller’s translation goes astray, however, by rendering
the occurrences of «πλειόνων», a comparative adjective, by ‘several’.
102 Cf. Grosseteste’s
quae necessitas ut secundum veritatem pluribus existentibus corporibus circa unum-

quodque non errantium et propter hoc pluribus motibus, sic causam quaerere, propter
quid proximi aplani planetae plures feruntur lationes extremis? [Bossier n.d.a, 168.1–5]
the motion of the fixed or celestial sphere, Simplicius would have to be

thinking of the system of homocentric winding and unwinding spheres for
each planet and asking very awkwardly why we should suppose that there
is more than one (proper) motion.
Comment 12.11 De caelo 292b29–30 139n137
The Living Sources of Celestial Motion
In De caelo 292b29, I take «τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς» (‘of the living source’) as
a hendiadys.103
De caelo 292b28–30 is difficult. At issue is the antecedent of «ἑκάστης» in
νοῆσαι γὰρ δεῖ τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἑκάστης πολλὴν ὑπεροχὴν εἶναι τῆς πρώτης
πρὸς τὰς ἄλλας.
Regrettably, neither Grosseteste’s translation
intellegere enim oportet vitae et principii uniuscuiusque multam superexcellen-
tiam esse primae ad alias [Bossier n.d.a, 169.21–23]
nor Moerbeke’s lemma
De dubitatione autem usque illuc multam excellentiam esse primae ad alias
[Bossier n.d.b, 520a]
are any help in this: both translators render «κίνησις» (‘motion’), one possi-
ble referent of «ἑκάστης», by ‘latio’, ‘translatio’ as well as by ‘motus’. More-
over, though these lines from the De caelo would be easier if one followed
some mss and Simplicius [490.7–8] in omitting «ἑκάστης», there is little real
doubt that it belongs in the text.104
So, in De caelo 292b29–30, what exactly is first and greatly superior in «τῆς
ζωῆς καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἑκάστης … τῆς πρώτης»? As it turns out, translators differ
on whether it is a motion105 or what is described in the phrase «τῆς ζωῆς καὶ
τῆς ἀρχῆς ἑκάστης».106
103 So Guthrie 1960, 213 ‘each of these living principles’. But see Leggatt 1995, 149 ‘the life
and the principle of each locomotion’; Pellegrin 2004, 261 ‘pour la vie comme pour chaque
principe’ [but see 439n13 ‘concernant la vie et le principe’]; Mueller 2005, 30 ‘with regard to
each’s life and sovereignty’.
104 Cf. Moraux 1965, 84, Bossier n.d.a, 169.21–23.
105 See, e.g., Leggatt 1995, 149; Pellegrin 2004, 261 and n13.
106 See Moraux 1965, 83–84; Mueller 2005, 30.
In my translation, I construe «τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἑκάστης» as a genitive

of connection (‘regarding …’)107 and take Aristotle to mean that there is a
great superiority of the first living source of motion, thus abandoning my
effort of 2008d, 48. In other words, I take Aristotle’s point to be that each of
the celestial (proper) motions derives from a living source and that the first
or outermost living source is greatly superior to the rest because it causes
the other living sources of motion to perform the diurnal rotation [cf. De
caelo 291b31–32]. This seems preferable to supposing that what is first is the
first motion, since this makes «τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἑκάστης» odd if not
irrelevant.
But what are these living sources of motion? They are certainly not souls
themselves [cf. De an. 413a20–b4] but ensouled celestial bodies (viz. celestial
animals). Plainly, the first such ensouled body is the celestial sphere. As
for the planetary motions, 293a4–11 make clear, I think, that each of the
homocentric spheres required to produce the motion of a given planet is
ensouled.
If this is right, the upshot is that De caelo 2.12 diverges both from Plato,
Tim. 41d4–e1 by denying that the planets themselves are ensouled and the
sources of their own motions, and from the account found in Meta. Λ.8
by proposing ensouled spheres rather than unmoved movers as sources of
motion in the heavens.

The Third Solar Motion
This claim about the Sun’s motion is also found in the commentary on Meta.
E–N.108 It first appears in Hipparchus, In Arat. 1.9.1, where it is ascribed to
Attalus, who reportedly argued that one should follow the manuscript vari-
ant for Aratus, Phaen. 467 asserting that the tropic and equinoctial circles
have breadth rather than the one stating that they are without breadth. As
Hipparchus [In Arat. 1.9.2] writes:
[88.15] The reason is that the astronomers109 too, [Attalus] says, hypothesize that the
tropic, equinoctial, and zodiacal circles possess breadth because the Sun does
not always make its solstices on the same circle, but sometimes farther north
and sometimes farther south. [Manitius 1894, 88.13–18]
107 Smyth 1971, § 1381.

108 See Hayduck 1891, 703.23–28.
109 ἀστρολόγοι.
and then adds:

And Eudoxus too claims that this occurs. At any rate (γοῦν), he says the
following in his Enoptron: ‘Even the Sun is observed making a deviation in [88.20]
the positions of its solstices, a deviation that is rather unclear to many and
utterly insignificant.’ [Manitius 1894, 88.18–22]
What has passed unnoticed about these lines is that Hipparchus is inferring
that Eudoxus would agree with Attalus about the Sun’s motion on the
basis of a few lines from Eudoxus’ Enoptron, and that he is not in fact
certain that these lines do indeed support this inference.110 In other words,
Hipparchus leaves open the question whether Eudoxus actually thought
that the observed variation in the position of the solstices on the horizon
entailed that the solstitial and equinoctial circles have breadth. Hipparchus
then goes on in In Arat. 1.9.3–13 to refute Attalus by arguing that the center of
the Sun does not stray from the zodiacal circle, and that neither Aratus nor
the astronomers (µαθηµατικοί) suppose the tropic, zodiacal, and equinoctial
circles to have breadth.
This refutation also challenges the assumption that Eudoxus (always?)
held that the Sun had three motions. If I understand Mendell,111 the citation
of Eudoxus at In Arat. 1.9.2 should mean that, while the second and third
spheres combine to produce an annual solar motion which is not quite
circular, the deviations are very small and virtually unobservable.
But, this is not how Hipparchus attacks Attalus’ thesis: he does not pro-
ceed by pointing out that there are no observable deviations in the Sun’s
course from a great circle. Instead, to make the case that the fundamental
circles defined on the celestial sphere are without breadth (and so exactly
circular), Hipparchus adduces:
– the fact that eclipses occur when the bodies involved are on the zodi-
acal circle,
– the practice of the µαθηµατικοί,
– the fact that the equinoxes and solstices each take place during the
course of a single day, and
– Aratus’ own words.
His conclusion is, effectively, that no ‘proper’ astronomer (µαθηµατικός),112 as
opposed to an ἀστρολόγος, holds that the solstitial and equinoctial circles do
110 This, I take it, is the force of the particle γοῦν: cf. Smyth 1971, §2820.
111 Mendell 1998, 188–189; 2000, 95–100.
112 Cf. In Arat. 1.1.8, 1.9.9.
have breadth and, therefore, that the Sun’s path was not exactly the zodiacal
circle. That he mentions in this context Aratus, who, he elsewhere says,
followed the µαθηµατικοί, a group which included Eudoxus,113 in versifying
the latter’s Phaenomena, is significant.114

An Error in the Solar Hypothesis?
The claim that the westward motion of the second sphere is faster than
that of the third and smallest sphere—which means that the period of the
third sphere’s rotation is longer than that of the second sphere—is not
in Aristotle’s account. As Heath sees it, if the period of the motion of the
second sphere is a year, and if the third sphere is the one with the much
slower motion, the Sun will spend more than half a year above the zodiacal
circle and then more than half a year below.115 Thus, Heath (and others)
propose to correct Simplicius by supposing that, for Eudoxus, the Sun’s slow
motion belongs to the second sphere and its annual motion to the third.
Mendell [1998, 2000] has recently disputed the validity of this criticism and
has offered an alternative reconstruction.116

The Length of the Day
While Simplicius is right so far as he goes, his allusion to the fact that the
day is longer than one complete revolution of the celestial sphere is, under
the circumstances, unsophisticated. The problem is that he treats the day as
the interval from one setting of the Sun to the next, that is, from one horizon
crossing to the next solar crossing of the same horizon. Such an account does
not isolate the contribution made by the observer’s latitude to the length
of the day. It is for this reason that Ptolemy [Alm. 3.9] defined the day as
the interval from one solar crossing of the meridian (scil. the great circle
through the celestial poles and the observer’s zenith point) to the next solar
113 See In Arat. 2.2.19: cf. 2.1.19–22.

114 On Hipparchus’ treatment of Aratus, see Mastorakou 2007.
115 Heath 1913, 198.
116 See Comment 12.17, pp. 266–268.
crossing of the same limb of the meridian. Ptolemy’s definition of the day
permits quantification of the equation of time, that is, the amount by which
the length of any given day differs from one full revolution of the celestial
sphere. In effect then, Simplicius takes recourse to a crude understanding
of the day that is found in Geminus, Intro. ast. 6.1–4 and Cleomedes, Cael.
1.4.72–89, for example.
On Latitude (πλάτος)
Simplicius’ exposition here is less than careful. Up to this point and after-
wards [see especially 497.4–5], «πλάτος» in phrases such as «κατὰ πλάτος»
and «εἰς πλάτος» is, to use the technical term, ‘latitude’, where latitude is a
vertical distance above (or below) a reference circle, specifically, the zodia-
cal circle. (If the reference circle were the celestial equator, πλάτος would be
declination.) In effect, Simplicius is following usage that had been in place
from at least the first century bc and is clear in the works of Proclus.117 Thus,
in 495.4–5, the distance between the poles of the two spheres is said to be
equal to the Moon’s greatest displacement in latitude, that is, in its motion
above (or below) the zodiacal circle. Yet, in 495.5–8, Simplicius calls the sum
of these maximum displacements above and below the zodiacal circle a
πλάτος and affirms that the distance between the poles of the second and
third lunar spheres is one half of it. Plainly, he is using «πλάτος» in another
sense to designate the distance between two latitudes (hence, my ‘breadth
[of latitude]’). Though such usage in talking of the planetary motions is with
precedent,118 it is awkward in this context.
The Third Lunar Motion
In writing of the westward motion in longitude of the points of the Moon’s

greatest latitude, Simplicius is effectively describing the motion of the lunar
nodes (points where its orbit passes through the ecliptic). Understanding
117See e.g., Hyp. ast. 3.26–28, 4.12. Cf. Hiller 1878, 134.13–135.6; Cleomedes, Cael. 2.4.1–5.
118See, e.g., Aujac 1975, 291 s.v. «πλάτος» on Geminus’ usage; Hiller 1878, 135.12–21; Cleo-
medes, Cael. 1.2.49 and 74, 2.6.9 and 96.
this westward motion of the lunar nodes is essential to the theory of eclipses.
That Simplicius talks of the longitudinal motion of the points of the Moon’s
greatest displacement in latitude rather than of the motion of the lunar
nodes may indicate that he has been influenced by Ptolemy’s practice [Alm.
5.8–9] of computing a planet’s argument of latitude starting from its north-
ern limit (the place on the zodiacal circle that is reached when the Moon
is at its farthest latitude north of this circle), a practice that has several
advantages over taking one of the nodes as a starting point in computing
the occurrences of eclipses [cf. Alm. 6.5]. In any case, in introducing his own
descriptive account of eclipses, Theon of Smyrna writes of the regression of
the lunar nodes,119 except that he has the nodes going in the wrong direction
(εἰς τὰ ἑπόµενα τῶν ζῳδίων); whereas Cleomedes [Cael. 2.5.141–147] does not
mention any motion of the lunar nodes at all.120
For some scholars, the question has been whether one should rely on this
passage and ascribe to Eudoxus knowledge of the regression of the lunar
nodes. Victor Thoren [1971] rightly treats the question as one about eclipses,
but specifies it as one about whether Eudoxus knew that they can occur at
any point of the zodiacal circle and then argues (in support of Ideler and
Schiaparelli) that we should. Dicks, however, maintains quite sensibly that
we should not.121

An Error in the Lunar Hypothesis?
According to Heath, Simplicius is again in error about the second and third
spheres: if the period of this slow westward motion of the nodes is 223
synodic months, say, it follows in Simplicius’ account that the Moon will
pass through each node once in this period and, thus, that it will spend
half of this period (roughly 9 years) above the zodiacal circle and then half
below.122 Heath’s ‘solution’ is to suppose that, for Eudoxus, the third sphere is
for the Moon’s return to a given node (the draconitic month) along a circle
that is inclined to the zodiacal circle at an angle equal to the Moon’s greatest
119 Hiller 1878, 194.13–195.4.

120 Cf. Bowen and Todd 2004, 152n32.
121 Dicks 1970, 178–181. See also Bowen 2001, 2002. On Mendell’s interpretation of these
lines, see Comment 12.17 below.

122 Heath 1913, 197, which follows Ideler.
latitude, and that the second sphere is for the slow motion of the nodes along
the zodiacal circle from east to west.123
Recently, Mendell124 has proposed that modern critics have erred in
assuming that the motion of the second lunar sphere is for the Moon’s mean
sidereal or zodiacal motion. As he sees it, Simplicius does not in fact go
astray at all in his description of the second and third lunar spheres: for
Mendell, Simplicius’ error, such as it is, lies in not explaining that the east-
ward motion of the second lunar sphere accounts for the Moon’s eastward
motion but not its period, and that the period of the third sphere’s eastward
motion is distinct from the effect of this third sphere in causing the east-
ward motion of the points of the Moon’s greatest latitude. Mendell’s remark
is well taken: Simplicius does not identify the periods of the motions of the
second and third spheres of either the Sun or the Moon.125 But there is a criti-
cal problem with the dependence of Mendell’s reconstruction on his finding
that ‘the hippopede is implicit in any model of celestial motion involving
two or more spheres rotating at some angle to each other’ [1998, 188], and
with his taking for granted that this was known to Simplicius (to say noth-
ing of Eudoxus). It is surely significant that Simplicius himself mentions
the hippopede only in reference to the third and fourth planetary spheres
[496.23–497.5], a very special case in which the two inclined spheres rotate
in opposite directions at the same speed. In short, Mendell’s reconstruction
is liable to the charge of committing the fallacy of implication, that is, the
fallacy of attributing to Simplicius a mathematical consequence of what he
writes.126
Incidentally, I would not concede that, if it is possible to read Simplicius’
words in a way which avoids an error that he seems to make or not to com-
prehend, this better reading of what he says derives from another source [so
Mendell 2000, 60]. This ‘principle’, which Mendell labels ‘lectio indocti doc-
tior potior’, is hardly compelling as a general rule: moreover, in this instance
at least, it is, I think, no more than a pretext for reading a reconstruction into
the past. To put it baldly, even if Simplicius makes an avoidable mistake in
123 Cf. Comment 12.11, pp. 261–262. For objections to such interference with the transmitted
text, see Dicks 1970, 181; Bowen 2001 and 2002.

124 See Mendell 1998, 191–194; 2000, 100–104.
125 Simplicius’ remark at 494.26–28 that the second sphere of the Moon moves in the same
way as the second sphere of the Sun seems limited to the fact that each is for motion along
the zodiacal circle.
126 Cf. Robinson 1966, 3–4. For criticism in other terms of the reconstructions offered by
Heath and Mendell, see Yavetz 2003.

his account of the second and third solar/lunar spheres, this would hardly
license the claim that someone earlier got it right.
Now, Mendell [2000, 95] does believe that 493.11–498.1127 derives from
Eudemus (or a ‘synthesis of Theophrastus and Eudemus’), though he offers
no good argument in support of this beyond the tendentious claim that
his interpretation of this passage is consistent with this assumption. Note,
however, that this passage does not fit with the explicit citations of Eudemus’
History of Astronomy that we find elsewhere: these other citations indicate a
digest organized by person listing their contributions to astronomy without
explanation or criticism.128 Furthermore, so far as his explanation of Meta.
Λ.8 is concerned, Simplicius explicitly turns to an authority (Sosigenes) for
guidance only with regard to the question of the unwinding spheres: in
493.11–498.1, he is ostensibly speaking propria voce. 129

Values for the Sidereal Periods
These are values for the zodiacal or sidereal periods of the five planetary
bodies. Except in the case of Mars, the values which Simplicius reports are
the same as those found in Geminus, Intro. ast. 1.24–30 and Cleomedes, Cael.
1.2.22–36:130
127 Actually, Mendell says that the text at issue runs from 493 to 499 in Heiberg’s edition.
But this overlooks the fact that Simplicius explicitly introduces Sosigenes at 498.2 and cites
him extensively in what follows.
128 Cf. 488.18–24; Bowen 2003a, 315–318.
129 I will pass over the vexed questions of the relation of Simplicius’ remarks on Meta. Λ.8
in his In de caelo 2.12 and the commentary on Aristotle’s Meta. edited by Hayduck [see 1891,
702.36–706.15], and of whose commentary In de caelo it is that the author of the latter refers
to in 703.14–16.
For present purposes, it is important to distinguish those passages in which Simplicius
explicitly mentions or quotes the views of others from those in which he may be drawing
tacitly on previous work. The burden of proof lies heavily on those who suppose that a given
passage is an instance of the latter, especially when the work putatively used in this way is no
longer extant. Still, should one imagine that anyone has made such a case regarding 493.11–
498.1 and its dependence on the commentary on Aristotle’s Meta., this merely pushes back
my criticism of Mendell’s ‘principle’ and reconstruction, since the In meta. seems to treat the
lunar motions as Simplicius does.
130 Both Cicero [De nat. deor. 2.53] and Theon of Smyrna [Hiller 1878, 136.8] assign Mars a
sidereal period of less than two years.

Table 2. Planetary Sidereal Periods

Planet Geminus Cleomedes Simplicius Modern
Mercury 1y 1
y 1y 88d
Venus 1y 1y 1y 224.7d
Mars 2y 6m 2y 5m 2y 687d
Jupiter 12y 12y 12y 11.86y
Saturn 30y 30y 30y 29.46y
The claim that the sidereal periods of Venus and Mercury are each 1 year
is found as early as Plato, Resp. 617a4–b4 and Tim. 38d2–4. It is interesting
that P. Par. 1 col. 5 reports the same values as Simplicius for the periods
of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Yet, as Neugebauer [1975, 688] remarks, since
these values for the outer planets are so widely accepted, we should draw
no conclusion about the connection between Simplicius’ commentary and
the papyrus.
Note that the modern values for the sidereal periods are defined for the
planet as seen from the Sun, whereas, for the ancients, the sidereal periods
were those observed by an observer on Earth. When one converts Ptolemy’s
hypotheses for these planets by putting the Sun at the center of the epicycle
(rather than on the line from the Earth through this center), treats the
Sun as the center of a circle on which the Earth revolves (thus producing
a heliocentric hypothesis), and then computes the mean sidereal periods
from the period relations given in Alm. 9.3, one gets modern values.131
The Particle «πως»
The indefiniteness of «πως» (‘somehow’, ‘in some way’) often shades into
uncertainty (‘presumably’, ‘I suppose’). Thus, this particle, when combined
with the demonstrative adverb «ὧδε» serves to indicate varying sorts of
distance between the speaker and what he is going to say. When one looks
at the nine occurrences of «ὧδέ πως» in Simplicius’ authentic writings, it
is apparent that there are some instances in which this distance is wholly
an artifact of urbanity and that it does not signify any real indefiniteness
131 Cf. Goldstein 2002, esp. 230. See Toomer 1984, 669–672 for discussion of Ptolemy’s
derivation of his parameters for the planetary mean motions.

or uncertainty at all. His usage of «ὧδέ πως» in introducing quotations is

of this sort.132 Similar to these occurrences is the one in which Simplicius
introduces what is effectively a paraphrase rather than a quotation.133 In
neither case does the usage of «πως» translate easily into contemporary
English precisely because it is an alien form of polite expression.134
But, when «ὧδέ πως» introduces what is not a quotation or paraphrase,
«πως» has real force. On one occasion, it is indefinite in that it presents
what follows as a way of doing or accomplishing something; and so it simply
means ‘in a way as follows’.135 The implication that what follows could be
formulated differently to make the same general point is, I think, real. This
leaves two instances in which «πως» in «ὧδέ πως» may go farther than this
by suggesting uncertainty. After all, this is possible at Diels 1882–1895, 524.21
and, as I shall argue, likely at 495.29.136
Up to 495.29, Simplicius has interpreted Aristotle’s account in Meta. Λ.8
of the reportedly Eudoxan view of the homocentric models for the Sun,
Moon, and of the first two motions of the five planets, by supplementing
this account with information not found in Aristotle’s text itself; and he has
done this confidently, with no sign of reservation. At 495.29, however, «πως»
in «ὧδε πως ἔχουσιν» would seem to signal a measure of uncertainty in mak-
ing sense of what Aristotle reports about the motion of the last two planetary
spheres.
The alternative view that «πως» entails that what follows is but one
account among others which Simplicius knows of or believes possible is
implausible: though Simplicius does mention divergent accounts of Meta.
Λ.8, this comes later and seems restricted to the question of the unwinding
spheres.137 Certainly, the criticism of the hippopede generated by the third
and fourth spheres at 497.5 concerns whether the hippopede duly repre-
sents the planet’s motion in latitude, and not whether a hippopede is gen-
erated in the first place as Simplicius has explained.
132 See 104.5, 505.30: cf. Kalbfleisch 1907, 121.13, 331.27, 394.12.
133 See Diels 1882–1895, 276.7.
134 Cf. Hankinson 2002, 76; Fleet 1997, 30. Mueller’s ‘At least he says the following sort of
thing’ [2005, 45] for «λέγει γοῦν ὧδέ πως» [505.30] is misleading.
135 See Kalbfleisch 1907, 22.15.
136 Cf. «τάχα ἄν ᾧδέ πως ἐπιχειροίη» at Diels 1882–1895, 619.20, where «πως» indicates
uncertainty and means something like ‘I suppose’ or ‘I presume’. This is the only occurrence
of «ᾧδέ πως» in the editions of Simplicius’ writings and one wonders whether it should be
emended to «ὧδέ πως».
137 I am overlooking for the moment those accounts which utilize eccentric circles and
spheres: cf. 493.11.

Thus, Simplicius’ position is, I take it, that while what follows is not what
Aristotle actually said, it is nevertheless a good guess at what he understood.
Of course, whether Simplicius is right in this is a critical question.
The preceding comment assumes Heiberg’s text. I should point out, how-
ever, that Grosseteste’s ‘Reliquae autem duae hic qualiter habent?’138 would
seem to translate «πῶς ἔχουσιν;» rather than «ὧδέ πως ἔχουσιν» and that
the Fragmentum Toletanum has ‘Relique autem due sic se habent’,139 which
would seem to translate «ὧδε ἔχουσιν».
Values for the Synodic Periods
The values that Simplicius reports for the five planetary synodic periods are
roughly those reported by Cleomedes at Cael. 2.7.8–10, except in the case of
Mars where the difference is substantial.
Table 3. Planetary Synodic Periods

Planet Cleomedes Simplicius* Modern
Mercury 116d 110d 116d
Venus 584 19m 583.9
Mars 780 8 20d
m 687
Jupiter 398 =~13m 399
Saturn 378 =~13m 378
*Simplicius does not specify the length of the month.
Clemency Montelle has noted that Cleomedes’ values ultimately derive

from Babylonian Goal-Year texts.140
Note again that the modern definition of the synodic period differs from
the ancient in that it is heliocentric: this period is now defined by the
configurations of the Earth and some other planet as seen from the Sun.
138 Bossier n.d.a, 177.24–25.

139 Bossier 1975, 3.6.6.
140 Montelle 2007, 478. A planet’s Goal Year is that integral number of (sidereal) years in
which it makes its return to the same star and in which there is a whole number of synodic
events of the same sort. The synodic period is, thus, the result of dividing the Goal Year by
the number of synodic events.
I am not aware, however, of any earlier Greek source that reports or entails
the same synodic periods as the ones reported by Simplicius.141 But, in a
private communication, Montelle has called my attention to a cuneiform
tablet, BM 35402, which puts the synodic period for Mars at 6 months and
20 days (~= 197 days).

The Verb «ἥκω»
Ido Yavetz proposes that Simplicius’ «πρὸς τοὺς πόλους … ἧκεν» could plau-
sibly mean ‘move toward the poles’, and develops a reconstruction in which
the planet is no longer on the equator of the fourth sphere.142 Though the
reconstruction is interesting, the linguistic point is quite unlikely. «ἥκω» is,
as it were, not a verb of motion but a verb of having moved.143 Hence, it means
that the planet has moved to the poles and, therefore, if one considers the
verb’s aspect, is present at the poles. So, in this context, one understands
that it arrives at or reaches the poles. At 501.16, «ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἥξει» surely
means ‘will have come to’ or ‘will arrive at’, given «ἐν πλείονι χρόνῳ»: ‘will
move towards’ simply ruins the argument. At 506.12, «µήπω … ἥκειν εἰς τὴν
῾Ελλάδα» makes good sense if it means ‘had not yet come to Greece’: ‘had
not yet moved towards Greece’ would be mildly bizarre. There are numer-
ous other occurrence of this verb in Simplicius’ writings and, like those of
«ἥκω» more generally, they do not support Yavetz’ conjecture. Note Gros-
seteste’s ‘ad polos … venit’ and Moerbeke’s ‘ad polos … pertingeret’.144

The Hippopede
Curiously enough, the earliest evidence for the use of «ἡ ἱπποπέδη» rather
than «ὁ τοῦ ἵππου πέδος» or just «ὁ πέδος» to designate a horse-fetter seems
to come in the ninth century ad.145 So far as I can determine, the earliest ref-
141 See Neugebauer 1975, 782–785 for a survey of values found in ancient sources for the
planetary synodic periods.

142 Yavetz 1998, 231.
143 See Smyth 1971, § 1886.
144 Bossier n.d.a, 178.30–179.1 and Bossier 1975, 3.7.16.
145 Cf. Hipp. Berol. 106.1.
erences to a curve called a hippopede in a mathematical context are found

in Proclus’ commentary on Euclid’s Elements. Proclus, who does not men-
tion Eudoxus or anyone else in connection with this curve, presents the
hippopede as a spiric section that is interlaced and like a horse’s fetter (pre-
sumably, the figure 8).146 The hippopede that Simplicius mentions is often
described nowadays as a spherical lemniscate formed by the intersection of
a sphere and a straight circular cylinder.147 See also Figure 12.06(b) [p. 190] for
a qualitative derivation which assumes a two-stage procedure for generating
the hippopede (first spin the fourth sphere and then, the third sphere).148
Comment 12.23 In de caelo 497.24–504.3 154n214
The Unwinding Spheres
Aristotle’s aim in Meta. Λ.6–7 is to show that there are immaterial, non-
sensible, unmoving/unchanging substances; that these substances are
purely active, eternal intellects; and that they are ultimate principles of
motion/change in the world. In Λ.8, he argues that there are as many of these
ultimate causes or unmoved movers as there are motions in the heavens, and
then proposes to determine just how many these are. As Beere rightly points
out, this project is an essential supplement to Aristotle’s account of physi-
cal theory or science of nature,149 and its real novelty lies in the thesis that
this number can be decided in a non-arbitrary, systematic way by consulting
astronomical theory.
Obviously, it is important for this project to distinguish between an intrin-
sic motion, a motion that is forced or imposed, and a resultant motion, since
only the former will have its own unmoved mover. For example, consider
the question of the diurnal revolution of the planets. If one looks to Plato’s
Timaeus, there would be but one unmoved mover for this, since the motion
of the Same (viz. of the celestial sphere) is imposed on all the planetary
motions beneath the celestial sphere. Now, if one were to focus solely on the
146 Friedlein 1873, 112.4–5: cf. 126.24–127.3, 128.2–5.

147 Cf. Neugebauer 1953; Yavetz 1998, 221–225.
148 Yavetz [1998, 232–233] argues that the text admits another, and perhaps even better,
interpretation, and also contends [1998, 233–237] that there are numerous other curves that
could count as hippopedes.
149 Beere 2003, 1–3. I pass over for now the question of the epistemological status of the
argument in Meta. Λ.8, and whether it is a boundary argument connecting metaphysics and
physical theory.
language of Meta. 1073b17–32, in which the first sphere of each of the seven
planetary systems is said to be the sphere of the fixed stars and to perform its
motion, one might expect that the same is true for Aristotle, namely, that he
too thinks that the diurnal rotation of the celestial sphere is imposed on the
planets.150 However, in 1073b37–1074a12, when Aristotle comes to forming
a single, complete structure of all the celestial motions, he includes the
first carrying sphere in the system for each of the seven planets, thereby
treating each planet’s diurnal revolution as an intrinsic motion and not as
an imposed or a resultant motion.
This is surprising and it makes one wonder what has happened to the
celestial sphere itself. Moreover, it has the important consequence that the
last unwinding sphere of a given planet cannot serve as the first carrying
sphere of the planet below precisely because the diurnal rotation of the last
unwinding sphere around the celestial axis from east to west is a resultant
motion. For Aristotle, then, each of the seven diurnal planetary revolutions
must have its own unmoved mover,151 and, as Simplicius says, to discount
these motions is to depart significantly from his analysis [cf. 503.35–504.3].
So, when Simplicius [506.23–507.8] asks why the celestial sphere was not
sufficient for Aristotle, the question perhaps ought to have been, ‘Why did
Aristotle suppose that the diurnal revolution of each planet was an intrinsic
motion in the first place?’
When Aristotle assembles the planetary systems into a single structure
of nested rotating homocentric spheres,152 he evidently assumes that a con-
taining sphere can affect a contained sphere (that is, a sphere which has
its poles fixed in/on the containing sphere) only if the axis of the con-
taining sphere’s (resultant) rotation is oblique to the axis of the contained
sphere’s intrinsic rotation.153 Were this not the case, given that the first car-
rying spheres of the planetary systems all share the axis and motion of the
celestial sphere [cf. 494.1–3, 495.20–22], Aristotle would have been obliged
to unwind the first carrying sphere of each planetary system, since it is this
150 Cf. Yavetz 1998, 225.

151 Cf. Beere 2003, 12–14.
152 On the question of why he does this, see Bechler 1970 which, in spite of some missteps,
argues interestingly that Aristotle’s aim in assembling the spheres was not to accommodate
new phenomena but to preserve the phenomena already addressed by Eudoxus and Cal-
lippus in a system that used their hypotheses without introducing a void into the cosmos.
Aristotle’s aim, as Bechler sees it, was not to develop a unified mechanism in which motion
is transmitted from the celestial sphere to the spheres beneath it.
153 On the question of friction, see Beere 2003, 9.
sphere which imposes a diurnal rotation on the system’s last unwinding

sphere. For instance, if the (resultant) diurnal rotation from east to west
of Saturn’s last unwinding sphere could affect the rotation of Jupiter’s first
carrying sphere about the same axis, in the same direction, and in the same
time interval, the latter sphere would have a resultant motion from east
to west about the celestial axis that was twice as fast as the motion of the
celestial sphere itself—an adverse outcome for all the lower spheres, to be
sure. Yet, Aristotle does not unwind any planet’s first carrying sphere.
Furthermore, though Aristotle does not include the celestial sphere in his
reckoning in Λ.8, the second ἀπορία of De caelo 2.12 requires that this sphere
and its motion not be identified with the first carrying sphere of Saturn and
its motion. But, if the celestial sphere is to be included in the single structure
of homocentric spheres, the only way to do this without introducing an
unwinding sphere for the celestial sphere, would be to hold that, given two
homocentric spheres rotating in the same direction about the same axis, the
containing sphere does not impose any motion on the contained sphere.154
In an analysis that certainly rewards study, István Bodnár appears to
suppose that it is a fundamental or major presupposition of homocentric
theory that ‘the way revolutions of two consecutive homocentric spheres
are combined does not depend on external factors’,155 such as, I take it, the
orientation of their axes. It is not clear whose presupposition this is and one
should certainly like to see the argument that it is one which Aristotle makes
or needs to make. But Bodnár’s contention to the effect that the first carrying
sphere of Jupiter will have the combined motion of the last two unwinding
spheres of Saturn in addition to its own because
once the axis of rotation is not stationary, the rotation around this axis gets
transmitted to the embedded sphere, and hence the motion of the innermost
sphere, performed under the causal influence of the mover of its own, will be
added to the composite motion of the preceding sphere …
is a misfire, since he fails to distinguish intrinsic, imposed, and resultant
motion. The intrinsic motion of Saturn’s last unwinding sphere is about the
poles of the zodiacal circle and in the direction opposite to that of Saturn’s
second carrying sphere. The resultant motion of this last unwinding sphere,
however, is a diurnal rotation about the axis of the celestial sphere. This
resultant motion, which is the outcome of the motion imposed by the sphere
154 Cf. Bechler 1970, 119–120.

155 Bodnár 2005, 266–270.
immediately above the last unwinding sphere—a motion that is itself a

resultant motion—and its own intrinsic motion, does not affect Jupiter’s
first carrying sphere because the axis of rotation is the same. In other words,
Bodnár takes for granted the evidently false proposition that, for Aristotle,
whenever the containing sphere and the contained sphere have different
axes, the motion of the containing sphere must affect the motion of the
contained sphere. This would certainly be true in a two-sphere system. But
in more complicated structures such as Aristotle envisages, one should look
to the resultant motion of the containing sphere and not just to the motion
that it imposes because of its intrinsic motion—assuming that one is to
‘save’ Aristotle’s account of the unified structure of celestial motions.
One consequence of this interpretation, then, is that the theorems re-
counted by Simplicius in Sosigenes’ name at 500.5–14 and 500.22–501.2,
even if understood as preparatory to the more general remarks in 500.15–24
and 501.2–11 respectively, are nevertheless problematic, since they take for
granted that the outer of two rotating homocentric spheres with a common
axis will affect the motion of the inner sphere when they rotate in the same
direction.156
The actual count of the motions and, hence, of the unmoved movers was
controversial. To judge from what Simplicius writes, most commentators
understood how Aristotle reached 55, though some were troubled that this
entailed counting seven motions that were the same as the motion of the
celestial sphere. (None apparently inquired about what had happened to
the celestial sphere itself.) Moreover, their main difficulty, it seems, was
figuring out how Aristotle got 47 in a way that did not contravene sense or
basic tenets; and the best that they came up with was the suggestion that
the ‘47’ was a scribal error.
Yet, the simplest explanation of that number involves noticing Hippar-
chus’ doubt that Eudoxus actually did posit a third solar motion,157 and
conceding that Aristotle could in fact countenance removing this third
sphere for the Sun in addition to the two spheres for the Sun and for the
Moon added by Callippus. This would, of course, entail removing three of
the unwinding spheres which Aristotle himself adds. And, thus, there would
be 47 spheres in all.158
156 For discussion of Alexander’s remark in Quaestio 1.25 [see Bruns 1887, 40.23–30: cf.
Sharples 1992, 85] about the diurnal motion of the heavenly bodies below the celestial sphere,
see Bodnár 1997.
157 See Comment 12.12, pp. 262–264.
158 T.H. Martin [1881, 268] agrees that Aristotle certainly could have proposed this and even
It is curious that this solution did not strike Simplicius, given what he
writes at 493.23–31 and 501.12–21. It would hardly have been the first instance
in which he departs from a strict reading of Aristotle’s texts. In any case,
there is ample evidence suggesting that Aristotle himself held that the Sun
actually has but two motions. See:
– Meta. 1072a9–18, where it is argued that the ultimate cause of corrup-
tion and generation must have two motions;
– Meta. 1072a21–24, where it is clear that this cause is not the celestial
sphere but a wandering star; and
– De gen. et corr. 336a15–b24 which identifies these two motions as the
daily rotation and the motion along the oblique circle (κατὰ τὸν λοξὸν
κύκλον: scil. the zodiacal circle), and the wandering star as the Sun.159
An Emendation
In Heiberg’s text, «ἵνα τε θέσις … ὑπάρχοι» is in apposition and spells out

«δυοῖν ἕνεκα». The phrase «ἔδει … περιστρέφεσθαι», which is meant to explain
the preceding sentence, is problematic. Mueller offers:
For it was necessary both that a sphere move in the same way as the sphere
of the fixed stars or as some other sphere around the same axis as it and that
it rotate in equal time. [2005, 37]
but this misrepresents the Greek to make sense of it. The core of the problem
is «ἢ ἄλλῃ τινὶ σφαίρᾳ» (‘or to any other sphere’) [498.7]. This phrase adds
nothing sensible to the argument, which works perfectly without it. Indeed,
the phrase may derive from a marginal comment which crept into the text
early in its transmission: that is, perhaps a reader mindful of 487.4–10 wrote
«καὶ ἄλλῳ τινί» in the margin and later copyists incorporated this into the
text and ‘corrected’ it.160 Or, again, it may derive from a marginal comment
«ἢ ἄλλῃ τινί» meant to include spheres that share in the diurnal rotation as
asserts that he ought to have proposed it. Dryer [1906, 114n2] regards this as the simplest
explanation, but doubts that Aristotle had this in mind. Heath [1913, 220n1] allows that it
is possible that Aristotle had this in mind, but is persuaded that he lacked the knowledge
needed to make this improvement.
159 Cf. Meteor. 1.9, 2.4; De caelo .289a26–35.
160 Grosseteste [Bossier n.d.a, 180.17–18] has ‘vel alii alicui’ and Moerbeke [Bossier 1975,
3.9.15], ‘aut alii alicui’.

a resultant motion but do not have the same axis as the sphere of the fixed
stars.161 In any case, it is gratuitous and I propose that it be deleted.162

Sosigenes: The Unwinding Spheres
Plainly, Simplicius, on Sosigenes’ authority, holds that the agency of the

carrying spheres is directed downward [498.10–499.3]. But how is one to
understand the unwinding spheres?
If we start with Sosigenes/Simplicius’ account163 of the addition of the
fifth sphere [502.2–7], it is striking that the impact of this sphere is said
to have been demonstrated. The first question, then, is whether the phrase
«τοῦτο γὰρ δέδεικται» [502.6–7] is something that Simplicius has retained
from Sosigenes’ exposition without actually presenting the demonstration
in question or whether it is a reference to the theorems given already in
499.16–500.21. If it is the latter, given that
sphere A corresponds to the third carrying sphere

DE — the fourth carrying sphere
ZH — the fifth (= first unwinding) sphere
it follows initially that:
sphere 3 has the resultant motion m1 + m2 + m3

4 — m1 + m2 + m3 + m4,
where sphere p has an intrinsic motion mp, and saying that sphere q has mp
means that mp is imposed on sphere q. Accordingly, if one adds a fifth sphere
with an intrinsic motion opposite to the intrinsic motion of the fourth, the
situation changes in this way:
161 See Comment 12.23, pp. 273–277.

162 Incidentally, Moerbeke [Bossier 1975, 3.9.12–17] construes «ἵνα τε θέσις … ὑπάρχοι»
(‘ut situatio … existat’) as two final clauses with «ἔδει … περιστρέφεσθαι» (‘oportebat …
circumvolvi’).
163 Though it would help to know whether Simplicius’ citation of Sosigenes is a quotation,
a paraphrase, or a report, this still would not be enough to permit a decision about how much
in these citations is due to Simplicius and how much, to Sosigenes. To forestall such concerns
while keeping them in view, I will write of Sosigenes/Simplicius in discussing this passage.
sphere 3 has the resultant motion m1 + m2 + m3

4 — m1 + m2 + m3 + m4
5 — (m1 + m2 + m3 + m4 + m5) = (m1 + m2 + m3),
since m5 = –m4. The upshot is that sphere 5, which unwinds the motion of
sphere 4, will have the same resultant motion as sphere 3.
Adding a sixth sphere which has an intrinsic motion opposite to that of
the third sphere will effect the following:
sphere 2 has the resultant motion m1 + m2

3 — m1 + m2 + m3
4 — m1 + m2 + m3 + m4
5 — m1 + m2 + m3
6 — (m1 + m2 + m3 + m6) = (m1 + m2),
since m6 = –m3. And finally, adding a seventh sphere which has an intrinsic
motion opposite to the intrinsic motion of the second sphere will accom-
plish this:
sphere 1 has the intrinsic motion m1

2 has the resultant motion m1 + m2
3 — m1 + m2 + m3
4 — m1 + m2 + m3 + m4
5 — m1 + m2 + m3
6 — m1 + m2
7 — (m1 + m2 + m7) = m1 ,
since since m7 = –m2.

This interpretation is hardly original.164 In its favor is the fact that it is in
accord with the following conditions:
– though the action of the unwinding spheres is imagined to be simulta-
neous with that of the carrying spheres, this action in either case is to
be analyzed sequentially starting with the upper spheres and moving
to the lower [cf. 498.1–7];
– the activity of the unwinding spheres should preserve the observed
motions of the planet below them; that is, it must be such that the
each planetary system as a whole as well as the entire collocation of
164 See, e.g., Beere 2003, 6–7 and Bowen 2008d, 68n269: cf. Schiaparelli 1925–1927, 2.106.
carrying and unwinding spheres down to the carrying spheres of the

Moon shares in the diurnal rotation only;165 and
– the activity of the unwinding spheres should likewise not interfere
with the observed motions of the last carrying sphere above them.
Yet, I must admit, it does have its challenges. As Taiëb Farhat has communi-
cated to me privately, my earlier proposal to change the text,
κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τῆς πέµπτης κάθετον
at the same perpendicular on the fifth [sphere]
by reading
κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τῆς ἕκτης κάθετον
at the same perpendicular on the sixth [sphere],
is problematic; and I must admit to misgivings myself, given that the text
seems sound as it stands: not only are the extant Greek mss in agreement,
the indirect witnesses, Grosseteste and Moerbeke, apparently had this read-
ing too in the mss that they consulted.166 This emendation was predicated
on the argument that introducing the fifth sphere in order to unwind the
fourth serves to fix the points of the fifth sphere in relation to the third
sphere, whereas introducing the sixth sphere serves to fix the points of
the sixth in relation to the second sphere, not those of the third and fifth
spheres.167
But, Farhat’s counterproposal is, I find, equally problematic. I agree that it
is important to observe the steps in which the carrying spheres function and
the unwinding spheres are added. But, in explicating this, he also contends
that the unwinding spheres act by eliminating the opposed intrinsic motion
at its source and thus prevent this intrinsic motion from being imposed
downwards.168 On his construal of the account of the unwinding spheres
offered by Sosigenes/Simplicius, then, after adding the fifth sphere, if we
ignore the contribution of the intrinsic motion of each unwinding sphere
165 This will be true, of course, only if, contrary to what is indicated at 500.22–501.1, the
motions of spheres which have the same (intrinsic or resultant) axes as well as the same
(intrinsic or resultant) periods and directions of rotation are not compounded: see Comment
12.23, pp. 273–277.
166 Cf. Moerbeke’s ‘secundum eundum cathetum in quinta’ [Bossier 1975, 3.15.16] and
Grosseteste’s version [Bossier n.d.a, 184.24–25].

167 Mueller [2005, 41] has ‘directly below on the sixth sphere’ but does not signal his
departure from Heiberg’s text.

168 Cf. 491.17–21 does suggest that only its carrying spheres actually cause a planet to move.
to the resultant motion imposed downwards because the former is directed

upwards only, we have:
sphere 3 with the resultant motion m1 + m2 + m3

4 — (m1 + m2 + m3 + m4 + m5) = (m1 + m2 + m3)
5 — m1 + m2 + m3.
since m5 = –m4. Thus, adding the fifth sphere, that is, a sphere with an
intrinsic motion opposite to that of the fourth, serves to fix the fourth in
relation to the third. Likewise, since m6 = –m3, inserting the sixth sphere
would have the outcome that:
sphere 2 has the resultant motion m1 + m2

3 — (m1 + m2 + m3 + m6) = (m1 + m2)
4 — (m1 + m2 + m3+ m6) = (m1 + m2)
5 — (m1 + m2 + m3+ m6) = (m1 + m2)
6 — m1 + m2.
Again, granted that that the intrinsic motion of the sixth sphere is effective
upwards only, then, the intrinsic motion of the sixth sphere will fix the third
and fifth spheres in relation to the second sphere: as Sosigenes/Simplicius
would have it, perpendiculars dropped from the axis of the second sphere
will always pass through the same points of the other two spheres, if they
pass though them at all. In the same way, since m7 = –m2, the intrinsic motion
of seventh sphere will fix the second and sixth spheres (and with them, of
course, the third, fourth, and fifth spheres) in relation to the first:
sphere 1 has the intrinsic motion m1

2 has the resultant motion (m1 + m2 + m7) = m1
3 — (m1 + m2 + m7) = m1
4 — (m1 + m2 + m7) = m1
5 — (m1 + m2 + m7) = m1
6 — (m1 + m2 + m7) = m1
7 — m1.
The upshot will be that the entire system of carrying and unwinding spheres
moves with one motion, the diurnal rotation of the first sphere, because
each sphere below the first is now fixed in relation to it.
But, though such an account of the unwinding spheres renders 502.10–11
easily intelligible, it too has its challenges. In fact, not only does it have the
adverse consequence that the demonstration alluded to at 502.6–7 is not
included in Simplicius’ report of Sosigenes’ account, it has the catastrophic
consequence that, while the unwinding motions so construed will rightly

not impinge on the system of spheres for the planet immediately below the
last unwinding sphere in a planetary system, they will obliterate the motions
of all but the first of the carrying spheres above, unless one introduces a
scheme for their acting and not acting that allows the carrying spheres to
move their planet. There may be a version of this line of interpretation,
originating perhaps with Sosigenes, that makes good sense and can deal
with such problems. Still, it must be admitted that Simplicius’ use of it in
explicating Meta. Λ.8 is egregiously inept, if he is in fact relying on it.
Both interpretations broach the problem of the second of Ptolemy’s criti-
cisms and whether Ptolemy is not in fact commenting on Sosigenes’ explica-
tion of homocentric planetary theory. Let me explain. As Simplicius reports
at 506.16–22, Ptolemy had two objections to proponents of homocentric
hypotheses.169 The first is that their theory of unwinding spheres introduces
a plethora of spheres to accomplish one task, the joint return of the seven
planets in relation to the rotation of the fixed sphere. This criticism, which
presumably indicates an aesthetic preference for a simpler (that is, non-
homocentric) account of planetary motion, focuses on the very purpose for
the unwinding spheres, namely, the joint return of the individual motions
in each but the very last planetary system so that the resultant motion as
a whole is the daily rotation. The second criticism is that in each planetary
system that has unwinding spheres, this theory makes the lowest contained
or innermost spheres causes (αἰτίαι) of the joint return of the spheres above
them.
Now, it would seem appropriate in the context of Simplicius’ citation at
least, to suppose that these αἰτίαι (causes) are efficient causes. And, as I
gather from Farhat, in the Arabic version of the Hypoth. plan.,170 this is how
they are indeed presented. The question is, then, ‘In which direction is their
causality directed?’ Farhat maintains that the unwinding spheres act on the
spheres above them, though I have yet to understand how this can work in
the quasi-mechanical terms of the theory (if it does or is meant to). Why is
the motion imposed by any unwinding sphere not cancelled by the motion
of the sphere immediately above, given that the upper sphere has either an
intrinsic or a resultant motion that is opposed to it? Or must one also assume
that an intrinsic motion can be cancelled only by another intrinsic motion?
But, then, how might one make sense of that?
169 See Kroll 1899–1901, 2.230.3–15 or Proclus’ report of these criticisms by Ptolemy.
170 Cf. Nix 1907, 118.20–31.
In sum, I find the matter unsettled. There is plainly much to be gained

by examining book 2 of Ptolemy’s Hypoth. plan. For instance, armed with
knowledge of what the Arabic Ptolemy actually says about homocentric
planetary hypotheses, we could decide whether Simplicius has represented
the criticism correctly and, if so, perhaps, we might then try to use Ptolemy to
explicate what Simplicius says about the unwinding spheres. But this would
first require determining whether the Arabic Ptolemy is attacking a theory
of homocentric motion propounded to explicate Aristotle’s text or whether
the target was a theory developed in an independent effort to account for
planetary motion as this motion was understood at a much later date. In
either case too, it would be very useful to know if this homocentric theory
was the one put forth by Sosigenes himself, as Farhat himself maintains,
and how this theory compares to the one indicated by Simplicius in his
commentary.
But all this lies beyond my competence since I have no Arabic and since,
as I have been told by Farhat and others, Nix’s translation [1907] of the
Arabic version of Ptolemy’s treatise is unreliable—to say nothing of the
Arabic version itself. So, with this statement of what I take to be the status
quaestionis, I will close and leave determining the truth in this matter ‘for
the more vigorous to say’.
Aristotherus
Aristotherus is otherwise unknown, except for the assertion made at the

end of the anonymous Vita Arati IV that Aratus ‘was a student of (ἤκουσεν)
a certain Aristotherus, an astronomer (µαθηµατικός)’.171 This claim about
Aratus and Aristotherus is, however, unverifiable. Furthermore, the entry
for Aratus in the Suda, a lexicon compiled at the end of the 10th century
ad, makes no mention of Aristotherus but asserts instead that Aratus was
the pupil of Menecrates of Ephesus, a grammarian, and of the philosophers
Timon and Menedemus. Admittedly, this entry, so far as it concerns Timon
and Menedemus at least, may rest on inferences from other literary sources,
specifically, on anecdotal remarks at Diogenes Laertius, Vitae 2.133 and
9.113.
171 J. Martin 1974, 21.2. On the history of this text, see J. Martin 1956.
Granted, some scholars regard Vita Arati IV as worthless.172 But there is

no reasonable way to decide this in light of the documents available. It is
interesting that Heath states only that Aristotherus was apparently Aratus’
teacher173 and that he later abandoned such reticence in maintaining this
relation,174 despite the fact that Vita Arati IV was generally dismissed at the
time.
165n270 Comment 12.27 In de caelo 32.12–33.16

Simplicius versus Philoponus
As I explained in the Introduction to this volume, one of Simplicius’ over-

riding concerns is to rebut Philoponus’ Against Aristotle on the Eternity of
the World and, in particular, its numerous counterarguments to Aristotle’s
case for the existence and nature of a fifth simple body, aether.175 While most
of Philoponus’ criticisms are dispensed with when they arise early in the
commentary, there is one that is merely deflected when it first appears and
set aside for a more measured response later when Simplicius comes to De
caelo 2.12 [see Chapters 1–3]. This criticism not only exposes the challenge
facing Simplicius in rescuing Aristotle and his argument for the eternity of
the heavens, it draws forth in brief the main lines of his later defense.
According to Simplicius [32.1–11],176
[32.1] Since Alexander was right,177 says this man178 in his seventh chapter, that
Aristotle says that motion in a circle is strictly speaking this, namely, [motion]
172 See, e.g., Mair 1955, 186: cf. Aujac et al. 1979, 9 and n2, for references going back to the
19th century.
173 1913, 222n1: cf. North 1995, 84.
174 Heath 1921, 1.348: cf., e.g., Dreyer 1906, 141–142. See Bowen 2008a.
175 See 25.22–26.31 on p. 12: cf. Wildberg 1987, 39–40.
176 = Wildberg 1987, F7: cf. Rescigno 2004, f8c with 1.178–182.
177 32.1–2 εἰ καλῶς … ἐπέστησεν ὁ ᾽Αλέξανδρος. This and what follows may be either a
quotation or a (close) paraphrase. Given the evidence of Philoponus’ other criticisms [see
Wildberg 1987], the opening «εἰ» would seem to mean ‘since’. The same holds for «εἰ»
understood in 32.5 before «οἱ ἀστέρες»: at least, this provides better grounds for Simplicius’
speculation about how Philoponus came to know that the heavenly bodies rotate.
178 32.1 οὗτος [cf. 32.34]: scil. Philoponus. The use of the demonstrative without the name,
which is typical of the language of the law-courts and may serve to present Philoponus
formally as an opponent, likely indicates strong contempt as well [cf. Wildberg 1991, 107n1],
since, for Simplicius, Philoponus had perverted the proper study of philosophical texts [see
Wildberg 1999, 115–120]. See Hoffmann 1987, 197–199 on Philoponus’ anonymity in Simplicius’
polemic.
which is about the center of the universe, yet if all [motions] which are
not about [the center] of the universe are strictly speaking neither circu-
lar nor simple, and since the [planetary] stars (which perform a motion in [5]
accordance with their spheres, as the astronomers179 think), move about their
own centers, neither the [planetary] stars nor their epicycles nor, clearly,
the spheres called eccentric perform a motion that is circular or simple
strictly speaking, because both downward and upward [motion] are observed. [10]
Indeed, even if these [phenomena] conflict, he says, with Aristotle’s hypothe-
ses, still, the [planetary] stars evidently have perigees and apogees.180
Simplicius begins his response by advancing the idea that circular motion
is simple by virtue of its being about a center rather than by virtue of its
being about the center of the universe, a thesis that requires clarifying Aris-
totle’s commitment to the more restrictive notion of simple circular motion.
He then excuses Aristotle from the charge that he erred in warranting or
expounding a homocentric theory of planetary motion.
I say, then, that in these [lines]181 Aristotle is only saying this much, that [32.12]
motion in a circle is [motion] about a center, since this befits every circular
motion. But if he elsewhere says that bodies moving in a circle move about
the center of the universe, one should understand that he is making his case [15]
in accordance with the hypotheses of earlier astronomers.182 For the Eudox-
ans/Callippans183 (that is, those up to Aristotle who hypothesized turning
spheres homocentric to the universe), tried by those means to save the phe-
nomena, saying that all the spheres are about the center of the universe. But
[they tried] to explain [the phenomena] in accordance with these hypotheses
without mastering the causes of apogees, perigees, apparent direct motions, [20]
and retrogradations,184 that is, [the causes] of the unsmoothnesses apparent
in the motions of [the wandering stars].
For this reason, you know, the Hipparchans (and if there was anyone earlier
than [Hipparchus])185 and, after him, Ptolemy hypothesized eccentric spheres
and epicycles, without taking notice through these [new hypotheses] that
179 32.6 τοῖς ἀστρονόµοις.

180 32.11 ἐναργῶς φαίνονται περίγειοι καὶ ἀπόγειοι γινόµενοι οἱ ἀστέρες: lit. clearly appear (or
are observed) at their perigees and apogees. The question here is whether Philoponus has
naked-eye observations in mind or ready inference from tabular data.
181 32.12 ἐν τούτοις: scil. De caelo 1.2 esp. 268b14–269a9.
182 32.15 τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἀστρονόµων.
183 32.16: for the locution, see 165n268.
184 32.20: cf. 135n111 and 134n105.
185 32.23 εἴ τις πρὸ τούτου: Simplicius is allowing that there might have been either someone
earlier than Hipparchus or a non-Hipparchan contemporary with Hipparchus who hypoth-

esized eccentric spheres and epicycles. Cf. Moerbeke’s ‘si quis contemporaneus ipsi’: Bossier
et al. 2004, 44.92.
[25] all the heavenly bodies move about the center of the universe, but giving in
accordance with these hypotheses their explanations of the [phenomena]
stated earlier, though they had received explanations [of these phenomena]
by [the earlier astronomers].186
Now, Aristotle says nothing here about these matters; but, in [passages] in
which he does say [something], he is evidently following the hypotheses of
his predecessors.
[30] It is clear that differing about these hypotheses is not a matter of reproach,
since what is set forth is [the question]: ‘By hypothesizing what can the
phenomena be saved?’ So, it is not at all surprising if different people have
tried to save the phenomena on the basis of different hypotheses. If the
[wandering] stars move about their own centers, they also move in that they
are brought round the [center] of the universe by their spheres.187
Philoponus has just raised a critical point on which Simplicius agrees,
namely, the rejection of Aristotle’s homocentric planetary hypotheses. Since
it would serve his case no good to bring this to the reader’s attention and to
explain at this juncture Aristotle’s ‘real’ meaning, Simplicius offers polemic
instead: he attacks Philoponus’ reasons for holding that all stellar bodies
rotate on their own axes. The thrust of his argument is, I presume, that, while
he has good reason (based on a reading of Plato and a proper understand-
ing of Aristotle),188 Philoponus has none. In this way, Simplicius disengages a
more considered response about planetary hypotheses from his direct refu-
tation of Philoponus and allows himself to postpone it until later. In short,
Simplicius refuses even to hint that Philoponus may have hit upon a good
186 32.26 τὰς ὑπ’ ἐκείνων παραλειφθείσας.

187 In De caelo 1.2, Aristotle maintains that there are but two forms of simple motion,
motion in a straight line and motion in a circle; and much of his cosmology follows from
this. As Simplicius makes clear, Alexander took this to be a fundamental fact in physical
theory by construing the center in question to be the center of the universe. Thus, it would
follow that motions, when so construed in relation to the same single reference point, can
either (a) approach or depart from this point or (b) stay at the same distance from it.
Obviously, the simplest form of (a) is motion in a straight line (along a radius), whereas the
simplest form of (b) is motion in a circle. (This proposal is presumably intended to give a
physical, that is, a non-mathematical, explanation of Aristotle’s claim that the straight and
the circular are the only simple magnitudes.) All other motions would plainly be composites
of these two motions. To Alexander, we may imagine, Simplicius’ redefining of circular
motion to accommodate motion on an epicycle or eccentric circle as simple motions would
undermine the dichotomy that grounds Aristotle’s distinction between the sublunary and
supralunary elements; and it would effectively put into doubt the validity of the Aristotelian
cosmology/physical theory as a fundamental science that does not depend on any other
science for the truth of its own hypotheses. Cf. Bowen 2007.
188 See pp. 27–32.
reason for rejecting Aristotle. As I explain in Chapter 3, Simplicius’ prefer-

ring non-homocentric planetary hypotheses is in no way meant to impugn
Aristotle or the authority of the De caelo.189
The factual claim in his attack is that in Ptolemy’s Canones manuales,
there are included two columns, one giving the location of the epicenter
at regular intervals in the planet’s sidereal period, and the other listing
corrections to these positions that are due to the planet’s motion on its
epicycle. Simplicius’ polemic consists in wondering if Philoponus learned
that the planetary bodies move about their own centers or rotate (a thesis
that Simplicius endorses) by misinterpreting the second column.
The question, of course, is why Philoponus might have maintained that
the heavenly bodies rotate about their own axes in the first place. Perhaps, as
Christian Wildberg has pointed out to me, he was thinking that each planet
must, like the Moon, perform one rotation in the course of one revolution
on its epicycle or, equivalently, during one circuit of its eccentric circle. This
would certainly be in accord with Aristotle’s ‘as for one, so for all’ argument
in 2.11.
But, then, why does Simplicius mention astronomical tables? If this
polemic is not completely absurd, there must be some basis for it. One good
possibility is that the polemic springs from the supposition that Philoponus’
remark about observing the planets at their apogees and perigees is an infer-
ence from tabular data rather than a claim about naked-eye observations.190
There is no way to confirm this, but it is worth noting that Philoponus report-
edly referred to such tables in attacking Proclus and his arguments that the
world is eternal.191
From which of the astronomers did this man find out that the [wandering]
stars move about their own centers? Did he in fact misunderstand what is in [33.1]
Ptolemy’s Canones,192 namely, that there are different numbers for the center
of the epicycle and for the [wandering] star itself, and think that the latter
numbers are for the motion of the star about its proper center? [That is,
did he think this] because he did not know that these [latter] numbers are
189 See also pp. 10–15.

190 See Comments 12.28–12.30, 12.32–12.33, pp. 288–291, 291–293.
191 Philoponus mentions an unobservable conjunction of the seven planets in Taurus in ad
529 [Rabe 1899, 579.14–18]. His pupil, Severus Sebokht, offers a fuller account of this which
indicates that Philoponus used Ptolemy’s Canones manuales [see Neugebauer 1959a].
192 33.1 Κανόσι: the tables in the Almagest were revised with an eye to making them easier
to use and published separately as the Canones manuales. There is, admittedly, the possibility
that Simplicius is referring to the Almagest: but see 287n191; Neugebauer 1975, 838–839 and
note 6.
[5] for the star as it changes place [in longitude],193 whereas its motion about
its center does not occur with its changing place [in longitude]?194 But the
numbers for the center of the epicycle show the motion of the homocentric
or eccentric [circle] on which the epicycle moves, whereas the [numbers]
for the [wandering] star [show] the motion of the epicycle on which the star
moves.195
[10] Yet, it is impossible to ascertain the motion of the star itself about its own cen-
ter [I mean], the length of time in which196 the star makes a complete rotation,
since it does not change from place to place [in longitude] in accordance with
this motion. This is why none of the astronomers tried to deduce the complete
rotation of the star about its own center, that is, the length of time in which
it occurs, since it is not ascertainable. Plato, of course, knew this motion of
[15] the [wandering] stars.197 But what Aristotle believes about the motion of the
[wandering stars], he will say in the second [book] of this treatise.

The Size (Brightness) of Venus and Mars
Simplicius is mistaken: Venus is invisible to the naked eye at inferior con-

junction, that is, when it is in the middle of its retrograde arc. But even if we
allow that he is referring to Venus when it is near inferior conjunction, his
claim is still badly flawed.
First, a clarification. It is one of the peculiarities of the human eye that
when it looks up unaided at point sources of light in the heavens, it construes
their brightness as a matter of size. (To appreciate the distinction between
their brightness and their size, a distinction which was not actually made
until the invention of the telescope, just look at the heavens through a
pinhole.) Next, it is important to know that neither the apparent diameter
nor the brightness of Venus vary much at all during its synodic period.
Indeed, the apparent diameter of Venus varies from 0;0.10° to 0;1° of arc,
which is well below the threshold (0;1°) of our ability to discern angular
193 33.5 µεταβαίνοντός … τοῦ ἀστέρος: scil. they are a correction to the motion of the center
of the epicycle on the deferent.

194 33.6 µεταβαίνοντος αὐτοῦ: Simplicius’ point is that the motions are independent, that
the rotational motion makes no contribution to the motion in longitude [cf. 33.9–13].
195 33.6–8 reading «ἀλλ’ οἱ µὲν τοῦ κέντρου … φέρεται ὁ ἀστήρ». I have not followed Heiberg’s
punctuation here; instead, I have treated this sentence as a positive statement in its own right
and not as part of Simplicius’ very rhetorical question [cf. Moerbeke in Bossier et al. 2004,
45.8–10].
196 33.10 ἐν πόσῳ χρόνῳ.
197 33.13–14: cf. Timaeus 40a2–b8.
distance with the naked eye. Further, Venus has phases which compensate
its varying distance from Earth so that the magnitude of its brightness ranges
only from –3.9 to –4.7, which is equally difficult to detect.198
So, given that, in contrast, Mars is visible at the middle of its retrograde
arc and that it is noticeably brighter at this point,199 it seems that Simplicius’
thesis here may be no more than a misguided inference based on astronom-
ical theory that postdates Aristotle. After all, no one before Ptolemy appears
to have paid any attention to the fact that the stars (both fixed and wander-
ing) differ in size (brightness), if they noticed it at all.200 For his part, in his
Hypotheses planetarum, Ptolemy puts the five planets at varying distances
from the Earth but makes nothing of the variation in size (brightness) that
this might entail. Indeed, at one key point, though it surely follows from his
hypotheses for Venus, he does not even seem to recognize any variation in
its apparent diameter.201 It is difficult, then, to hold that prior to the second
century ad there was any real concern with the apparent size (brightness)
of the five planets, though this claim is essential to Simplicius’ ‘history’.
Still, Ptolemy does treat Venus and Mars as alike in that he assigns to
them very nearly the same ratio of their farthest distance from Earth to
their nearest distance. So, one possibility is that, given that size (brightness)
ought to vary with distance from Earth, Simplicius simply inferred that
such variation would be especially noticeable in the case of Venus and
Mars because their ratios are roughly 7:1. What is amusing is that he would
have been right (albeit accidentally) in the case of Mars and very wrong in
the case of Venus, which is significantly unlike Mars in that it is an inner
planet—this is why Venus (unlike Mars) has phases and is invisible at the
middle of its retrograde arc.
Shadows Cast by Venus
The earliest ancient text mentioning shadows cast by Venus seems to be

Pliny, Nat. hist. 2.37. Recent descriptions of these shadows add little more.202
Though modern computations and observations confirm that Venus does
198 See Goldstein 1996a, 1–2.

199 On the brightness of Mars, see Goldstein 1996b.
200 See, e.g., Aristotle, Meteor. 343b2–34; Pliny, Nat. hist. 2.39.
201 See Goldstein 1967, 8b. Al-#Urdı̄ found Ptolemy’s treatment of Venus problematic: see
Goldstein and Swerdlow 1970, 148 with ˙ identification of the author in Saliba 1979.
202 See, e.g., Herschell 1849, 272; Steavenson 1956, 264; Moore 1961, 27.
under certain circumstances cast shadows, one should not assume that
Simplicius has himself made such an observation or that he knows anyone
who has. He may, after all, be relying solely on literary sources such as Pliny’s
Nat. hist. 2.37.
In general, modern computations and observations serve only to discon-
firm ancient observational reports and not to verify them: the reason is that
modern science can at best demonstrate that an ancient report is consis-
tent with the natural phenomena. Showing that an ancient report is truly
observational requires study of the context in which the report occurs, the
aim being to get positive evidence that there actually was an observation.
Without such evidence, one should not, for instance, eliminate the possibil-
ity that such reports are but adaptations of literary topoi, some of which may
only be true coincidentally.203

The Size of the Moon
To the learned reader even of Simplicius’ time, this argument in support

of the thesis that the planets vary in distance to the Earth would not be
construed to be about the fact that the Moon (like the Sun) often appears
larger (nearer) at the horizon than at the zenith, a phenomenon explained in
physical terms by Ptolemy in Alm. 1.3,204 but psychologically in his Optica,205
as well as by Proclus [Hyp. ast. 7.13–15] who follows the account in the
Almagest. For, if it were about the Moon illusion,206 there would be lit-
tle point in the subsequent argument, given that observation by means of
instruments, as Ptolemy apparently discovered, does not confirm the exis-
tence of such a variation. (The reader may verify this by looking through a
pinhole at the Full Moon when it is at the horizon and at the zenith.)207
So what is Simplicius’ point in this argument? If the syntax of his remarks
at 504.33 [see 166n275] is a guide, he has doubts that any true variation in the
203 Cf. 1.4–2.5, 431.30–32.

204 Heiberg 1898–1907, 1.13.3–9: cf. Toomer 1984, 39n24. See also Cleomedes, Cael. 2.1.26–44;
Bowen and Todd 2004, 101n11.
205 Lejeune 1989, 115.15–116.8.
206 It is called an illusion because it suggests that the Moon’s day-circle is not in fact
circular.
207 For a very useful discussion of the Moon illusion and of how it has been understood
and is still being studied, see Ross and Plug 2002.

Moon’s apparent size is in fact discernible by the naked eye. Perhaps, then,
he is either still unclear himself about the nature of the Moon illusion, or
he is supposing, somewhat tentatively (and wrongly), that the very small
variation (putatively) seen with instruments can be seen with the naked eye.
In truth, we may have yet again an instance in which Simplicius formulates
his expectations based on theory as easy observations.208
Moerbeke: The Digression
Moerbeke’s translation of In de caelo 2.12 concludes here with the following:

Sic prosequitur Simplicius quod isti non possunt ista causare, sed neque que
videntur in eclipsibus; et postea ostendit quod nec Aristoteles firmam reputativit
hanc positionem; consequenter ponit ypotheses per eccentricos et epiciclos cuius
primos inventores dicit fuisse Pythagoricos, quas quia copiosus traduntur a
Ptolomeo, non curavi transferre. Deinde movet quasdam obiectiones contra has
ypotheses, de quibus dicit alias fore tempus considerandi, et nichil prosequitur
de ipsis.
In this way, Simplicius pursues the fact that they cannot explain these
[appearances], not even what they observe in eclipses. After that, he shows
that not even Aristotle considered this position secure. Accordingly, [Simpli-
cius] posits hypotheses in accordance with eccentric and epicyclic [circles]—
he says that the first discoverers of this were the Pythagoreans. (I have not
taken care to relate these [hypotheses] because they are handed down rather
fully by Ptolemy.) Then, he raises certain objections against these hypotheses,
concerning which he says that there will be time to consider others; he does
not pursue anything bearing on them. [Bossier 1975, 3.20.1–8]
Comment 12.32 In de caelo 504.33–505.1 166n276
The Ancient Digit (δάκτυλος)
Greco-Latin astronomers defined the finger or digit (δάκτυλος) in various

ways, some irrelevant in the present context and others at odds with the
phenomena. Thus, the digit of eclipse which is 1/12 the diameter of the
208 For Bate’s denial of the claim that atmospheric conditions are identical on the different
occasions or in different places, and his rejection of the validity of any claims that a difference
in the size of the heavenly bodies has been observed, see Bossier 1987, 319nn41–42.
eclipsed luminary209 is not at issue here; whereas the digit of arc which is 1/12
of 1° or 1/24 of a cubit (= 2°)210 yields a value for the diameter of the Moon that
is much too large.211
Perhaps Simplicius is assuming that the diameter of the lunar disk is 12
digits when the Moon is at its mean distance from the Earth. This type of
digit is mentioned elsewhere only in the De facie 935d, so far as I know, where
Plutarch writes, ‘The diameter of the moon measures 12 digits in apparent
size at her mean distance.’212 Cleomedes, Cael. 2.3.15–43213 also asserts that
the Moon’s diameter is 12 digits but does not specify any distance.214

An Invisible Variation in Size
Simplicius has thus far proposed that the observable variation in the appar-
ent sizes of the Moon, Venus, and Mars is due to a variation in their distances
from the Earth. He then says that such variation ought by rights to be visi-
ble in the case of the other planets as well; that is, he supposes that each of
the other planets ought to evidence a variation in its apparent size that is
due to a variation in its distance to the Earth. Allowing for the fact that such
variation in apparent size is not perceived, he considers whether the other
planets vary imperceptibly in size. He concludes that they do, and adduces
as proof the fact that these planets vary in their daily motion, that is, in the
number of degrees of longitude that each travels day by day. Though he does
not say how he knows this in each instance—it is a claim most easily estab-
lished for the Sun—such variation in a planet’s daily progress is, Simplicius
assumes, to be explained by positing a variation in its distance from Earth.
Thus, Geminus [Intro. ast. 1.13–41], for example, supposes that the Sun moves
on a circle that is eccentric to the Earth in order to explain the variation in
the length of the seasons and the zodiacal months.215
209 Cf. Ptolemy, Alm. 6.7: Heiberg 1898–1907, 2.500.19–501.1.

210 Cf. Neugebauer 1975, 530, 591; Toomer 1984, 322n5.
211 Aujac et al. [1979, 180n1] assume that the digit in question here is the angular measure;
but I see no reason to suppose that Simplicius thinks that the apparent diameter of the Moon
is even close to 1°.
212 Cherniss 1957, 143.
213 Cf. Bowen and Todd 2004, 131n7.
214 For Bate’s denial of the claim that there are instruments sufficiently precise to allow
the infallible determination of a difference in the apparent size of the heavenly bodies, see
Bossier 1987, 319n43.
215 But see Comment 12.08, pp. 248–251 on the question of the Sun’s distance to Earth.
So far, so good. What is odd, however, is Simplicius’ inference from this

that there is an imperceptible variation in apparent size. Certainly, neither
Geminus nor anyone else who allows that the Sun varies in its distance
from Earth claims that there is a perceptible or measurable difference in
the Sun’s apparent size. Indeed, Ptolemy’s theory of eclipses is predicated
on the assumption that there is none.216 As for the argument at hand, all
Simplicius needs is the assertion that planets other than the Moon, Venus,
and Mars vary in the distance to the Earth that each stands during the course
of its sidereal period too. His attempt to enhance this remark by writing of
an imperceptible variation in apparent size that is caused by a real variation
in planetary distance is bizarre and seems at risk of falsely converting the
proposition that the variation in a planet’s apparent size implies that it has
a perigee and an apogee.
Homocentric Hypotheses: A History
Polemarchus of Cyzicus is otherwise unknown except for the previous men-

tion at 493.6 [cf. 145n170]. It is striking that, in Simplicius’ story, there is
first Eudoxus, who sets out to answer Plato’s challenge by displaying the
planetary phenomena using homocentric hypotheses. (Whether Eudoxus
himself recognized that his hypotheses left certain relevant phenomena
unaccounted for is not clarified.) Next, there is Aristotle, who, contrary to
any evidence in his own extant writings, reportedly recognized the deficien-
cies of the Eudoxan hypotheses and was not satisfied with these hypotheses,
though he nevertheless adopted them. Then, there is Polemarchus, who
prefers the homocentric hypotheses, a preference apparently interpreted
to involve recognizing one important but recalcitrant ‘phenomenon’ which
he did not think significant. Next, comes Callippus, who tinkered with the
homocentric hypotheses in order to accommodate other phenomena with
unclear success. (Simplicius [504.19–22] inclines to the possibility that these
phenomena included variations in planetary distances). And finally, we
have Autolycus, who recognized the recalcitrant phenomenon, thought that
it was important, and tried to develop new hypotheses but failed. In short,
Simplicius’ story may be too good to be true: the ‘logical progress’ from
216 See Neugebauer 1975, 103–104.

positing some hypotheses, adopting these hypotheses with reservations,

adopting the same hypotheses but dismissing the reservations, and ac-
knowledging the reservations and tinkering with the hypotheses, to ac-
knowledging the reservations and trying to develop new hypotheses seems
more than just a little artificial. Still, it is a charming story, albeit one belied
by the fact that, so far as we can tell today, no theorist in the fifth to third
centuries bc took into account any variation in planetary size (brightness).217

Who Cares about the Number of Spheres?
It is customary to take «τοῖς ταῦτα πραγµατευοµένοις» as a reference to other

people.218 The problem is the scope of «ταῦτα». It appears to have «τὰ νῦν
εἰρηµένα» as its antecedent, and thus to be a reference to the determina-
tion of the number of the carrying and unwinding spheres. Now, it seems
to me unlikely that Aristotle would imagine that this is a project to engage
astronomers per se—it was obviously not something that he picked up from
Eudoxus—or philosophers of another school, say the Platonists. As I under-
stand the text, though Aristotle allows that there may be something to learn
from others, presumably astronomers (τὰ δὲ πυνθανοµένοις τῶν ζητούντων),
he takes for granted that the question of the count is a matter for further
research only by members of his own philosophical school, as one might
expect given that its context is the project of Meta. Λ. Still, the problem with
my translation is that one must supply «λόγους» (‘accounts’) with «ἀµφοτέ-
ρους» in 506.2–3.
Of course, however one understands «τοῖς ταῦτα πραγµατευοµένοις», the
underlying question is how this passage and, indeed, the argument of Meta.
Λ.8 fits into Aristotle’s remarks elsewhere about the various sorts of knowl-
edge and their interrelations. For Aristotle, astronomy is one of the more
physical of the sciences that use mathematics. So does his reckoning of the
number of unmoved movers in Λ.8 belong to astronomy, to physical the-
ory more generally, or to metaphysics? The first is unlikely given Aristotle’s
understanding of what a mathematical science is and how it proceeds [cf.
Phys. 2.2] and the fact that the items ultimately being counted are under-
stood to be unique substances devoid of matter.
217 See Comments 12.07, 12.09, 12.28–30,12.32–33 [pp. 230–248, 251–259, 288–291, 291–293].
218 Cf., e.g., Aujac et al. 1979, 182; Mueller 2005, 45.
Callisthenes and Aristotle
Neugebauer [1975, 608] supposes that these observations concerned

eclipses, though there is no such specification in Simplicius’ report. In any
case, the ‘31,000’ years is a fantasy, based perhaps on a reading of some Baby-
lonian Goal-Year Texts.219
As for Callisthenes’ sending reports of astronomical observations back
to Aristotle, one possibility is that the Babylonian observations which Aris-
totle mentions at De caelo 292a7–9 and Meteor. 343b28–30220 were among
those sent back by Callisthenes. Granted, the De caelo and Meteorologica
were at one time thought to antedate Alexander’s campaign in Babylonia
(–330);221 but such claims are difficult to maintain in the light of what schol-
ars now surmise about the nature and composition of Aristotle’s works.222
Indeed, one should not discount the possibility that the references to the
Babylonians were inserted later into the texts that became known as the
De caelo and Meteorologica. Still, such worry is tempered by the additional
possibility that Simplicius’ report about Callisthenes is no more than an
inference based primarily on Callisthenes’ relation to Aristotle, Aristotle’s
demonstrable interest in collecting and analyzing empirical data, and on
Aristotle’s reference to Babylonian astronomical observations in his trea-
tises.
219 Where the extant Greek mss have ‘31,000’,

ἅς ἱστορεῖ Πορφύριος ἐτῶν εἶναι χιλίων καὶ µυριάδων τριῶν ἕως τῶν ᾽Αλεξάνδρου τοῦ
Μακεδόνος σωζοµένας χρόνων,
the version of Moerbeke’s translation that was published in 1563 has ‘1903’,
quales narrat Porphyrius esse annorum mille et nongentorum trium usque ad tempora
Alexandri Macedoni salvatas, [177.col.A]
Though this ‘1903’ might seem more plausible, it is still unwarranted by any evidence that we
have today.
220 See pp. 119, 121n17.
221 Cf., e.g., Ross 1964, 18–19; Rist 1989, 16–17, 284–285.
222 Cf. Leggatt 1995, 3–4.

Simplicius on Ptolemy
Simplicius’ references to Ptolemy are quite complimentary223 and indicate

good standing in Simplicius’ hierarchy of authorities. Simplicius mentions a
number of Ptolemy’s works, including the Almagest, Geographia, Hypotheses
planetarum, Canones manuales, and Optica.224
On the interest in Ptolemy’s astronomical works shown by Simplicius,
and his predecessors, colleagues, and successors in the late Platonic school,
see Heiberg 1898–1907, 3.xxxv–xxvii; Heiberg 1894, 462.20–30 with Neuge-
bauer 1975, 1031–1054 and Pingree 1994.
Given Simplicius’ frequent citation of Proclus,225 it seems that Simplicius’
understanding of Ptolemaic astronomy, though based perhaps in part on
direct acquaintance with Ptolemy’s writings, was also dependent on Proclus’
writings, particularly Proclus’ Hyp. ast. and his later commentary on Plato’s
Timaeus.226
Mendell’s reconstructions [1998, 2002] of the solar and lunar theories that
Simplicius recounts in his digression, do not, I think, give sufficient weight
to Ptolemy’s impact on Simplicius’ understanding of matters in technical
astronomy.

Herophilus and the Nervous System
By Ptolemy’s time, there had been substantial advances in the understand-

ing of the anatomy and physiology of the nerves and brain. Indeed, as Galen
(129–199/216) and others report, Herophilus (–330/320 to –260/250) was the
first to investigate the anatomy of the nerves, and to distinguish motor and
sensory nerves.227 Moreover, he was the first to suppose that the ruling fac-
ulty or command center was located in the hind brain (that is, in the cere-
bellum or fourth ventricle), a view that Galen accepted.228
223 Cf. 9.21 ὁ δὲ θαυµαστὸς Πτολεµαῖος, 456.23 ὁ ἄριστος τῶν ἀστρονόµων, 710.14 ὁ µαθηµατικός.
224 See Heiberg 1894, 774 s.v. Πτολεµαῖος.
225 See, e.g., Heiberg 1894, 773 s.v. Πρόκλος.
226 Cf. Pingree 1994, 89–92 and Comment 10.13, pp. 211–213.
227 Cf. von Staden 1989, 43–50.
228 See von Staden 1989, 155–160, 247–259 with textual evidence at 313–319.
On the larger question of the role of medicine in the commentaries on

Aristotle’s works, see Todd 1984.
Simplicius and the Pythagoreans
Simplicius is most likely thinking of the Pythagoreans whom Plato and Aris-
totle mention in their works: at least, this would make for a proper distinc-
tion between the Pythagoreans and ‘those who came later’ (than Eudoxus,
Callippus, Polemarchus, Aristotle, and Autolycus) and whom Simplicius and
other late Platonists follow [506.9–10]. At the same time, so understood,
it is curious that Simplicius states the claim without comment: though
Iamblichus ranks highly in the late Platonist pantheon, this claim about
the Pythagoreans runs against Simplicius’ own view that it was Plato, not
the Pythagoreans, who initiated research concerning hypotheses that might
save the planetary phenomena.
As for the claim itself, one possibility is that Nicomachus and with him,
Iamblichus, have preserved a fact about these early Pythagoreans that has
otherwise been lost. This would mean that, in spite of the preceding demon-
stration that there are no extant texts prior to the second century requir-
ing us to hold that their authors were aware of planetary stations and ret-
rogradations, the early Pythagoreans did indeed posses such knowledge and
developed mathematical tools for its analysis. In response to this, let no
one deny that Nicomachus and Iamblichus may well have thought that they
were talking about the early Pythagoreans. What must be addressed is the
assumption that they were right in this and that we should follow them.
In the first place, there was a revival of Pythagoreanism during the time of
Cicero both in Rome and Alexandria, and this movement was characterized
in part by an interest in horoscopic astrology and questions about the
motions of the planets. Nigidius Figulus, a friend of Cicero, was, apparently,
a leading figure in this movement.229 Granted, nothing survives of his work
except citations in contemporary and later writers;230 but this still suffices to
contextualize his contribution. Others in the movement include Eudorus of
229 Bowen 2012d.

230 See O’Meara 1996: Hudson-Williams and Spawforth 1996; Bowen 2007, 332–333. See also
Getty 1941 on Figulus’ astrological prediction of what was to befall Rome at the outbreak of
the Civil War.
Alexandria (active ca 25 bc) and the itinerant holy man, Apollonius of Tyana
(first century ad).
Sketchy as this all may be, it is sufficient to challenge the bare assumption
that Nicomachus’ Pythagoreans were the early Pythagoreans rather than
the contemporaries of Cicero. Further, even if Nicomachus meant the early
Pythagoreans, the warrant for this may not have been access to informa-
tion dating from the fifth and fourth centuries, but to the pseudepigraphic
literature written in the late second and first centuries bc, when planetary
stations first became known to the Greco-Roman world, which purports to
relate the thought of earlier Pythagoreans.231 Indeed, for all we know, Nigid-
ius and his fellow Pythagoreans contributed to this pseudepigraphic litera-
ture.
This particular claim about the Pythagoreans is not found in any extant
work by either Nicomachus or Iamblichus. But Proclus [Hyp. ast. 1.34–35]
suggests, on the basis of some unnamed historical account (ὡς ἐκ τῆς ἱστο-
ρίας παρειλήφαµεν), that the Pythagoreans came up with the eccentric and
epicyclic hypotheses in response to Pythagoras’ requirement that they seek
ways to account for the phenomena using the fewest and simplest hypothe-
ses.
What we would seem to have, then, are competing historical narratives,
neither of which is credible given the evidence deriving from early Antiq-
uity.232 And the differences between them may in fact be due primarily to
Simplicius’ need to respond to Philoponus in defense of the Late Platonist
conviction that the heavens and thus, the cosmos, are uncreated and ever-
lasting.
As for Simplicius’ account, it seems that, neither the eccentric nor the
epicyclic hypotheses were developed in order to explain any variation in
the apparent size (brightness) of the planets. Rather, eccentric hypotheses
appear to have been developed in order to account for the different lengths
of the seasons and the epicyclic hypotheses, in order to account for the fact
that Venus and Mercury are limited in the distance that each travels from
the Sun.
231 Cf. Kahn 2001, 72–85. See also Comment 12.09, pp. 258–259.
232 See Comments 12.07 and 12.09, pp. 230–248 and 251–259.
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INDEX OF PASSAGES
Agathias Archimedes
Hist. Aren.
2.30.3–4 3 1.4–7 252–254
2.30.3–31.4 3
Aristotle
Alexander An. post.
De an. 1.9 76a4–13 44
29.1–4 138 1.13 78a31–b4 219
30.24 46 1.13 78b4–11 219
In meteor. 1.13 78b34–39 44
143.12–14 101, 136 De caelo
Περὶ ἀρχῶν 75 1.1–4 91
Quaest. 1.2 114, 286
1.1 2.20–4.26 75 1.2 268b11–13 27
1.25 276 1.2 268b14–16 27
1.25 39.9–41.19 75 1.2 268b14–269a9 285
1.2 268b17–24 27
[Alexander] 1.4 101, 104
In meta. 1.5 30
702.36–706.15 268 1.7 274b33–275a5 142
702.38–706.15 164 1.8 277b12–24 125
703.10–24 143 2.2 286a3–7 122
703.12–23 147 2.5 209
703.14–16 268 2.6 288a13–17 208
703.23–28 146, 262 2.8 9, 10, 63, 111
704.9–10 153 2.8 289a26–35 277
704.23–705.6 156 2.8 289b1–4 8, 50
705.25–39 162 2.8 289b1–290a7 29
705.39–706.13 163 2.8 289b4–5 8
706.13–15 164 2.8 289b5–290a7 8
706.16–17 169 2.8 289b30–290a5 207
706.23–24 169 2.8 290a7–12 112
2.8 290a7–24 29, 32
Aratus 2.8 290a7–29 8, 221
Phaen. 2.8 290a12–14 9
78 115 2.8 290a17 29
467 262 2.8 290a17–18 29
737 115 2.8 290a18–24 29
2.8 290a22 29
2.8 290a33–b11 32
2.8 290a35–b7 113
314 index of passages
De caelo (cont.) De gen. an.

2.8 290a36–b11 8–9 1.23 741a4–26 123
2.9 9, 120 De gen. et corr.
2.9 290b12–291a6 9 2.4 331a20–b4 138
2.10 62 2.10 336a15–b24 277
2.10 291a29 201–202 2.11 209
2.10 291a29–32 52 De part. an.
2.10 291a29–34 201 1.1 639b21–640a2 209
2.10 291a29–b10 97 1.5 644b22–645a5 122
2.10 291a30 203 Eth. Nic.
2.10 291a31–32 98 4.3 1125a12–16 258
2.10 291a32 52 Meta.
2.10 291b9–10 203–204 ∆.5 209
2.10–12 7–10, 51 Λ.6 1072a9–18 277
2.11 63 Λ.6–7 273
2.11 291b11–17 77, 111 Λ.7 1072a21–24 277
2.11 291b17–18 9 Λ.8 14, 33, 59, 65–
2.11 291b17–23 52, 114 67, 79, 81, 84,
2.12 63, 68 86, 91, 92, 146,
2.12 291b24–28 52 164, 168, 223,
2.12 291b24–292a18 119–120 228, 247, 262,
2.12 291b35–292a1 223–224 268
2.12 292a3–6 115, 224–225 Λ.8 1073b1–3 137
2.12 292a3–9 52 Λ.8 1073b10–11 168
2.12 292a7–9 295 Λ.8 1073b11–17 168
2.12 292a14–17 77 Λ.8 1073b17–32 274
2.12 292a14–18 52 Λ.8 1073b24–27 161
2.12 292a17–22 202 Λ.8 1073b32–38 153
2.12 292a18–21 227–229 Λ.8 1073b37–1074a12 274
2.12 292a18–22 52, 77 Λ.8 1073b38–1074a5 154
2.12 292a18–b10 122–123 Λ.8 1074a2–4 156
2.12 292a20–21 102 Λ.8 1074a6–14 162
2.12 292b10–25 129 Λ.8 1074a7–8 163
2.12 292b15–30 79 Λ.8 1074a8 162
2.12 292b25–30 139 Λ.8 1074a12–14 79, 87, 163
2.12 292b29 79 Λ.8 1074a14–17 169
2.12 292b29–30 261–262 Meteor.
2.12.292b30 79 1.6 343b2–34 289
2.12 292b30–293a4 69, 79, 140 1.6 343b28–30 121, 295
2.12 293a4–8 202 1.6 343b30–32 121
2.12 293a4–11 142 1.7 344a8–13 125
2.13 293b30–32 255 1.9 277
2.13–14 8, 10 2.4 277
2.14 297a2–6 255 Phys.
2.14 297a8–b23 42 1.9 54
2.14 297b23–30 219 2.2 40, 51, 203
2.14 297b23–298a8 42 2.2 193b22–35 38–40, 51
4.4 125 8.10 13
index of passages 315
[Aristotle] 41.12–18 242

Mech. Prob. 41.20–42.5 242
1 159 42.5–9 243
Περὶ εὐχῆς 130 42.10–16 243
Phys. prob.
15.4 168 Euclid
Elem.
Cleomedes 1 dem. 13 172
Cael. 1 dem. 16 172
1.1.115–119 104 1 dem. 20 159
1.2.20–43 150 1 dem. 32 172
1.2.22–24 213 5 defs 3–4 253
1.2.49 265 5 defs 4–5 97
1.2.74 265 Opt.
1.4.49–71 106 dem. 54 108
1.4.72–89 265
1.5.1–125 42 Galenus Gram.
1.5.126–145 42 Alleg.
2.1.26–44 290 331.7–9 138
2.1.310–311 43
2.1.332–333 43 Geminus
2.3.15–43 292 Intro. ast.
2.3.81–91 104 1.1–3 146
2.4.1–5 265 1.13–41 292
2.4.1–9 221 1.19–22 258–259
2.4.95–107 42 1.23–30 150
2.4.108–115 249 1.24 213
2.5 116 1.31–41 43, 47, 106
2.5.139–141 106 2.2–6 116
2.5.141–147 266 2.16–26 116
2.6.9 265 6.1–4 265
2.6.96 265 8.1 205
2.7.8–10 271 9.16 205
10.1–6 206
Diogenes Laertius 10–11 43
Vitae 12.14–27 109
2.133 283 12.19–21 109
7.132–133 41, 44 12.22–24 109
9.113 283 12.30 134
10.77–80 48 18.1 43
10.90–98 48
Heron
Epicurus Mech.
Ep. ad Pyth. 18.28–22.3 159
27.13–28.6 242
28.7–29.6 242
31.6–10 242
Hipparchus Simplicii in de caelo

In Arat. 34.41 13
1.1.8 263 36.82 14
1.9.1 262 158.70 7
1.9.2 262 180.7 7
1.9.3–13 263
1.9.9 263 MUL.APIN
2.1.19–22 264 2.1.39 150
2.2.19 264 2.1.64 150
Hippiatrica Berol. P. Hibeh 27 246

106.1 272
P. Par. gr. 1
Iamblichus col. 5 150, 269
De myst. col. 19.16–17 249
9.4.20–25 206 col. 23 153
Moerbeke PSI XV 1490 46

Frag. Tolet. 17
3.1.17 145 Pappus
3.2.10 146 Coll.
3.4.14 148 6 40
3.5.13 149 7.35 145
3.6.3 150 In Alm.
3.6.6 271 1.90–93 166
3.6.8–9 150
3.6.11 150 Philoponus
3.7.16. 272 De aetern.
3.9.7 154 579.14–18 287
3.9.9 154
3.9.12–17 278 Philostratus
3.9.15 277 Vita. Apoll.
3.11.11–12 156 8.23.1–4 250
3.11.15 156
3.11.18 157 Plato
3.12.11–12 157 Crat.
3.12.15–16 158 392b1–393b6 250
3.15.12 160 Leges
3.15.16 280 767c6 240
3.17.2 162 821b3–822d1 137, 232
3.17.17–19 163 822a4–8 137
3.20.1–8 291 954e4 240
Simp. phil. in de caelo 955e6–7 138
128.col.A 7 Pol.
165.col.A 53 269a1–5 238, 240
177.col.A 168, 295 269c4–d4 238, 240
269e3 238
270b10–c2 240
Resp. Pliny
533c7–d4 10 Nat. hist.
616e8–617a1 120 2.32 213
616e8–617a4 105 2.37 289
617a4–b4 239, 269 2.39 289
617a7–b3 107 2.68 167
617b1–2 107
Soph. Plotinus
254a4–b1 10 Enn.
Tim. 3.1.5–4 205
34b10–39e2 208
35a1–b3 234 Plutarch
35a1–40d5 137 De facie
35b4–36c2 235 923a 251–253, 255,
36b6–d6 133 258
36c2–d7 235 925c 207
36c4–d1 214 932b–c 250
37a5 238 935d 292
37c6–d7 133 937f 167
38c3–6 240 939a–b 167
38c7–d1 236 Plat. quaest.
38c7–d2 120 1006b–c 256–257
38d2–4 109, 269 Quaest. conv.
38d2–6 234, 236 669a 7
38d4–6 110
38e3–6 236 [Plutarch]
38e6 214 Plac.
38e6–39a3 106 895e6–7 138
39a1 214
39a2 107 Proclus
39a2–3 107 Hyp. ast.
39d7–e2 240 1.34–35 298
40a2–b8 32 3.26–28 265
40a8 221 4.12 265
40b8–c3 255 4.71–72 166
40c3–d3 232–239 4.72 137, 166
40c4 205, 233 4.87–96 166
40c5 238 4.95 249
41d4–e1 262 4.97 249–251
4.98 165
[Plato] 7.4 134, 135
Epin. 7.13–15 88, 290
986a8–987d2 241 7.18 250
986e3–7 236 7.19–23 212
987a1–6 121 In Euc.
987b2–5 236 71.18–19 250
987c4–5 150 112.4–5 273
In Euc. (cont.) 88.26 44

126.24–127.3 273 88.29–47 47
128.2–5 273 Nat. quaest.
In rem pub. 7.2.3 254–255
1.41.11–12 250
1.170.15–16 250 Sextus Empiricus
2.43.25 137 Adv. math.
2.113.8–9 251 10.174 255
2.167.10–11 250 Pyrr. Hyp.
2.230.3–15 282 1.180–182 48
2.230.14–15 212 1.181 46
2.300.23 137
In Tim. Simplicius
2.105.32–106.2 250 In cat.
3.58.24–25 250 7.29–32 61
3.62.22–24 212 22.15 270
3.62.24–63.20 212, 213 121.13 270
3.95.34–96.32 137 331.27 270
3.146.7–9 205 394.12 270
3.149.13–16 206 438.33–36 10
In de caelo 40, 92
Ptolemy 1.1–6.27 11, 68
Alm. 1.4–2.5 290
1.3 290 3.8–12 5
1.24.8–10 49 4.25–5.34 56
3.3 46 4.25–31 11, 68
3.4 211 4.31–5.37 68
3.9 264 4.34–5.4 138
5.8–9 266 5.35–37 11
5.13–16 98, 207 5.35–6.4 5
5.14 166, 249 8.11–12 27
5.15 105 9.21 296
6.5 266 10.28–11.30 27
6.7 292 11.7–10 28
9.3 269 12.16–27 34
12.1 46, 244–247 12.29–31 34
Can. man. 14, 287 13.22–14.29 12
Hypoth. plan. 32, 70, 153, 169, 14.27–29 27
211, 212, 282, 14.31–15.2 27
283, 289 15.22–31 27
Opt. 290 16.16–26 138
Tetrabib. 16.18–26 34
1.13 116 16.30–34 138
17.20–32 138
Seneca 17.20–33 34
Ep. 21.33–23.10 12
88.21–28 47 23.11–31 12
23.31–24.21 12 87.29–88.2 30
24.17–20 138 90.13–18 30
24.21–25.21 213 104.5 270
25.22–26.17 12–13, 33 106.4–6 33
25.23 12 107.12–13 54
26.11–15 33 119.7–13 33
26.17–19 14 119.12–13 7
26.17–21 30 135.9–10 33
26.19–21 13, 14 135.31–136.1 7
26.22–25 33 137.17–28 54
26.28–31 13, 33 138.15–22 54, 55
26.30 13 141.19–21 10
32.1–7 14 143.9–17 30
32.1–11 27, 34, 59, 80 143.9–22 61
32.1–33.16 62 154.12–16 54
32.4–11 28 157.1–12 30
32.9–11 88 157.19–21 30
32.12–16 67, 80 164.21–23 30
32.12–29 65, 84 173.23–30 30
32.12–32 28 178.26–28 30
32.12–33.16 28, 284–288 185.23–186.1 30
32.16 64 196.23–33 30
32.23–28 85 271.19 3
32.24–33.16 62 286.2–13 12
32.29–32 37 287.2–12 61
32.32–34 28 297.1–298.26 61
32.32–33.36 28 304.1 54
32.34–33.13 28 311.32 54
33.13–14 28 316.3 11
33.14–16 28 353.3–10 61
34.5–7 33 360.20–29 54, 61
35.31–33 33 361.5–364.14 18
35.33–35 33 370.29–371.4 6
42.6–16 12 371.1–4 30
50.15–18 33 372.15 54
50.18–52.18 12 377.20–24 30
65.9 30 377.20–34 60
69.11–15 61 377.24–25 80
70.16–19 30 377.29–34 33
70.17–18 33 377.32 60
74.4–5 10 378.20–21 33
74.4–7 30 431.30–32 290
80.23–26 33 444.18–445.7 50
81.10–11 33 452.9–453.21 29
84.11–85.15 34 453.22 29
85.24–31 30 453.22–25 29
87.1–8 54 453.25–34 29
In de caelo (cont.) 474.14–28 76

453.25–454.14 29 474.21–28 34
454.12 204 474.26–28 85, 211–213
454.15–18 30 474.30–32 76, 80
454.18–22 30 474.32–475.8 76
454.23 30 475.2–4 213–214
454.24 31 475.11–12 214–215
454.27–28 31 477.3–4 16
454.28–455.11 32 477.5–478.32 111–114
455.11–456.22 32 477.24–27 77
456.22–27 32 477.24–478.14 63
456.23 296 477.27–478.3 77, 79
462.20 85 478.8–14 77
462.20–21 3 479.3–480.23 114–117
462.20–31 85–86, 89 479.12 217–218
462.21 85 480.10–15 218–219
462.23 85 480.17–19 219–220
462.24–26 85 480.19–21 220–221
469.21–30 52–53 480.21–23 221
469.23 53 480.26–481.30 120–122
470.27–491.11 18 481.12–15 225–226
470.27–510.35 18 481.22–24 77, 80, 226–
470.29–471.12 63 227
470.29–477.2 97–110 481.25–26 77
471.1 204–205 481.26–30 77
471.1–4 81 482.3–485.2 123–129
471.4–6 81 483.15–19 10
471.4–11 63 483.19 54
471.6–11 81 485.5–10 77, 79
471.9 205–206 485.5–489.30 130–139
471.9–11 84, 85 485.10–12 77, 229–230
471.11 206–207 485.12–29 78
471.20 207–208 487.4–10 36
472.4–7 75 487.15–488.1 36
472.5–7 208–209 487.20–488.2 55, 230
472.8–15 36, 74, 75, 79 487.20–488.9 63
472.13–14 209 488.3–9 82
472.15–20 75 488.7–18 82
472.21–473.7 75 488.9–14 63
473.1–6 36 488.10–14 37, 50
473.6–474.6 36 488.14–18 51, 62, 64
473.7–474.6 75, 79 488.18–24 64, 81, 86
473.8–474.1 36 488.19–20 81, 83
473.15 209–210 488.20 248–251
473.26–27 210–211 488.21–24 251
473.28–474.1 211 488.25–27 37
474.7–13 76, 80 488.25–30 70
488.25–489.4 64, 70 497.24–504.3 273–277

488.27–30 260–261 498.1–10 87
488.29–489.1 71 498.1–503.27 65
488.30–489.4 36 498.5–10 277–278
488.31 71 498.10–499.1 87
489.1–4 71 499.16–501.11 87
489.5–11 64 501.12–21 87
489.12–13 78, 80 501.22–26 87
489.12–30 64 501.26–502.19 87
489.13–21 78 502.2–3 37
489.13–30 80 502.10–11 278–283
489.16–17 54 502.19–27 87
489.22–30 78 502.32–34 80
489.33–490.16 139–140 503.10–32 79
489.33–492.24 64 503.27–504.3 65
490.6–16 36 503.29–32 87
490.19–491.11 69, 140–142 503.32–34 79
491.1–2 79, 80 503.35–504.3 79, 87
491.3–11 79 504.4–9 87
491.6 54 504.4–15 65
491.15–510.35 142–177 504.16–20 89
492.24–28 64 504.16–25 66
492.25–28 37 504.16–505.19 59, 66
492.25–31 32 504.16–507.8 70
492.25–504.32 17 504.17–20 87
492.25–510.35 27 504.20–25 67
492.28–510.35 59, 64 504.20–505.19 87–89
492.31–493.11 64 504.24–25 283–284
493.9–11 65, 66 504.28–29 288–289
493.11–497.5 65 504.29–30 289–290
493.11–497.24 89 504.30–32 290–291
493.15–17 262–264 504.33 291
494.9–12 264 504.33–505.1 291–292
494.20–22 264–265 505.11–17 292–293
495.5–8 265 505.17–19 66
495.10–13 265–266 505.19–506.8 66
495.13–16 266–268 505.21–23 293–294
495.23–29 76, 268–269 505.23–30 66
495.29 269–271 505.27–506.8 70
496.6–9 271–272 505.30 270
496.27–28 272 506.2 294
497.3 272–273 506.8–10 28, 32
497.6–24 65 506.8–16 67
497.17–18 84 506.9–16 59
497.17–22 83 506.11–15 295
497.22–24 83 506.16 296
497.24–498.1 65 506.16–22 85, 282
In de caelo (cont.) 291.7–20 40

506.22 296 291.18–20 40
507.12–14 88, 297–298 291.21 11
509.16–26 70 291.21–292.3 41
509.16–510.8 31 291.22 41
509.21–22 69 291.25–31 41
509.22–26 69 292.3–15 42–43
509.26–28 86, 87 292.4 42
510.8–23 69 292.10 42
510.14–26 86 292.11 42
510.19 69 292.13–15 43, 44
510.19–23 85 292.14 43
510.24–26 70, 87 292.14–18 47
510.24–31 70 292.15–20 46
510.26–31 86 292.16 46
510.31–34 31, 32 292.16–17 49
510.31–35 37–38 292.16–18 46
510.33 5 292.18 46
587.26–588.3. 61 292.19–20 46
647.27–28 61 292.20 46
662.32–663.6 213 292.20–23 49
663.27–664.4 213 292.21 49
679.27–31 61 292.22–23 49
710.14 296 292.23–31 50
731.25–29 10, 28, 33, 292.26 50
54 292.29–31 41
In Epict. ench. 292.30 50
35.16–30 55 292.32–293.15 51
38.368–390 54 293.7–15 39
454.6–15 10 295.12–18 60
In phys. 40 373.3–18 49
8.28 207 378.3–19 49
59.23–24 3 524.21 270
59.30–31 3 601.9 3
129.32 11 611.11–12 3
183.18 3 619.20 270
192.14 3 622.26–28 54
198.17 3 630.35 3
250.13–17 54 642.17 3
255.3–16 54–55 644.10 3
255.13–14 55 774.28–29 3
276.7 270 778.27 3
290.3 38 795.4–5 3
290.3–9 39 795.12–14 3
290.9–26 39 795.14 3
290.14 39 795.16 11
290.27–291.7 39 795.34 11
1141.16–19 54 122.25–28 139

1141.21–25 54 122.25–123.9 139
1141.22–30 54 123.3–4 139
1143.26–29 54 123.5–9 140
1145.7–1147.9 54 123.9–10 140
1158.4–5 54 123.9–30 139
1326.38–1327.11 13 123.21–23 141
1337.20–33 54
1363.8–9 3 Theodosius
Sphaer.
Stobaeus dem. 11–15 160
Anthol.
1.22 §1d.2–4 138 Theon
Ecl. Exp.
1.25 3k 255 120.15–19 206
122.24–123.4 206
Strabo 131.4–9 206
Geog. 134.13–135.6 265
2.3.8 47 135.12–21 265
147.14–19 108
Themistius 148.5–10 206
In de caelo 150.7–12 166
118.8–12 99 156.20–157.12 88
118.12–24 99 164.14–17 88
118.32–37 112 166.10–13 46
118.37–119.2 112 173.5–9 88
119.12–15 125 178.3–184.23 146
119.30–33 227 187.5–13 206
119.38–120.4 125 189.7–18 146
120.8–16 125 192.2–193.11 206
120.16–38 126 194.13–195.4 266
121.6 129 194.20–195.4 206
121.8–9 129 201.7–13 106
121.24–27 131
121.28–29 229 Vita Arati IV 283, 284
121.28–31 132
121.40–122.11 229 Vitruvius
122.9 229 De arch.
122.10–20 229 9.1.5–14 47
122.24–35 139 9.1.14–15 213
Passages in I.G. Kidd 1988–1999, vol. 1
F14–15 41 F18.31–35 47
F16–17 41 F18.32–39 46
F18 41 F18.33–34 46
F18.1 41 F18.33–35 46
F18.1–18 41 F18.35 49
F18.2 41 F18.36 46
F18.7 41 F18.37–38 46
F18.17 43 F18.38 43
F18.18–30 43 F18.39 46, 49
F18.18–32 42–43 F18.39–42 49
F18.19 42 F18.40 49
F18.21 42 F18.41–42 49
F18.23–24 42 F18.42–52 50
F18.26 42 F18.46 50
F18.27 42 F18.50–53 41
F18.30–32 43, 44 F18.51 50
F18.31 43 T72 41
INDEX OF NAMES
Pre-Modern Names
Adrastus of Aphrodisias, 46 Callisthenes, 169, 295

Aenesidemus, 46, 48 Chosroes, 3, 4
Agathias of Myrina, 3, 4 Cicero, 214, 259, 297
Alexander of Aphrodisias, 11, 12, 27, 29, Cleanthes, 251, 257
30, 40, 41, 46, 60–61, 64, 73, 74, 77, 79, Cleomedes, 42, 47, 136
86, 101, 105, 106, 112, 115, 122, 130, 136, Ctesiphon, 3, 5
137, 141, 164, 208, 213, 226, 229, 257,
284, 286 Damascius, 3, 4
on isodromy, 76 Diodorus Siculus, 231
on rotating spheres, 76 Diogenes Laertius, 41, 44
on sublunary elements, 78 Diogenes of Phrygia, 3
on teleology, 75
Alexander of Macedon, 169, 246, 295 Egyptians, 121, 225
Ammonius, son of Hermeias, 3, 14, Epictetus, 5
85 Epicurus, 48, 109, 241
Anaximander, 63, 65, 66, 83, 98 Euclid, 145
Apollonius of Perga, 46, 244–247 Euctemon, 153
Apollonius of Tyana, 298 Eudemus, 63, 64, 73, 80, 84, 98, 136, 153,
Aratus, 283 268
Archimedes, 255, 256 and Sosigenes, 81–83
Aristarchus, 84, 98, 99, 207, 251–256, on Anaximander, 81
258 on Callippus, 83–84
Aristotherus, 165, 283–284 Eudorus, 297
Aristotle, 8–11, 27–32, 34, 37–40, 51–52, Eudoxus, 52, 64, 65, 81, 82, 92, 136, 145–
63–65 147, 154, 165, 223, 228, 263, 266, 276,
and Callippus, 64–67 293, 294, 297
and Plato, 30–34, 60–61 Eulamius (Eulalius), 3
on cosmic ἁρµονία, 9
Attalus, 262, 263 Galen, 296
Autolycus, 67, 165, 293, 297 Geminus, 41, 43, 47, 50, 109, 258, 259
Grosseteste, R., 16, 17, 114, 123
Babylonians, 121, 225
Bate, H., 291, 292 Harrân (Carrhae), 4
Berossus, 221 Heraclides of Pontus, 20, 49, 50
Heraclitus, 7
Calcidius, 214 Hermes of Phrygia, 3
Callippus, 52, 64, 65, 67, 84, 86, 145, Herophilus, 296
153, 154, 163, 165, 223, 248, 276, 293, Hipparchus, 84, 99, 206, 207, 263, 276,
297 285
326 index of names
Iamblichus, 88, 171, 297, 298 Pythagoreans, 63, 65, 66, 81, 88, 98, 171,
Isadore of Gaza, 3 258, 259, 291, 297–298
on cosmic ἁρµονία, 9, 83, 120
Justinian, 3 Pythocles, 241
Kepler, J., 213 Seleucus, 256

Seneca, 47, 254, 255
Levi ben Gerson, 166 Severus Sebokht, 287
Simplicius
Menecrates of Ephesus, 283 and Ptolemy, 211–213, 296
Menedemus, 283 cosmology, 34–36
Meton, 153 life, 3–4
Michael of Ephesus, 143 predicament, 10–15
readers, 5–6
Nicomachus of Gerasa, 88, 171, 297, 298 resources, 6
Nigidius Figulus, 297 style, 18
work, 4–5
Pappus, 40 Sosigenes, 64, 65, 73, 81–83, 86–87, 89,
Philip of Opus, 241 101, 136, 154–156, 160–165, 174, 176,
Philoponus, 6, 7, 8, 11–15, 27–28, 30–31, 249, 268, 276, 278, 281
33, 34, 38, 40, 56, 57, 59–60, 62, 71, 91, Sosigenes/Simplicius, 161, 278
173, 284, 287 Stobaeus, 255
Plato, 11, 28, 33, 34, 64, 76, 81, 82, 88, 106, Strabo, 47
107, 120, 136, 137, 145, 273, 288, 293, 297 Syrianus, 143
Pliny, 88
Plotinus, 164, 205 Themistius, 73, 99, 112
Plutarch, 207, 251, 255, 292 Theon of Alexandria, 40
Polemarchus, 145, 167, 293, 297 Theon of Smyrna, 46, 88
Porphyry, 79, 80, 164, 169, 295 Theophrastus, 87, 143, 146, 164, 268
Posidonius, 41, 47, 50, 136, 257 Thomas Aquinas, 17
his treatise, 41 Timocharis, 226
Posidonius/Geminus, 41, 43, 44, 46, 49, Timon, 283
50
Priscian of Lydus, 3, 4, 41 Vitruvius, 47, 231
Proclus, 3, 40, 86, 88, 205, 212, 248, 249,
273, 282, 287, 296, 298 William of Moerbeke, 17, 18
Ptolemy, 14, 32, 40, 46, 49, 59, 63, 73, 76,
81, 84–86, 91, 99, 105, 169, 207, 226, Xenarchus of Seleucia, 11, 12
249, 269, 282, 285, 290, 291, 296
hypotheses, 37 Zeno of Citium, 44
index of names 327
Modern Names
Allan, D.J., 17 Leggatt, S., 208

Aujac, G., 47, 165, 168, 292
Mendell, H., 135, 263, 267–268
Baltussen, H., 4, 7, 83 Montelle, C., 271
Beere, J., 162, 273 Moraux, P., 16, 17
Berggren, J.L., 41, 43, 47 Mueller, I., 15, 16, 43, 207, 226
Bodnár, I., 275–276
Bossier, F., 15, 17, 18 Neugebauer, O., 85, 145, 220, 245, 269,
295
Dicks, D.R., 224, 266
Rescigno, A., 209
Easterling, H.J., 223–224 Ross, W.D., 223
Elders, L., 115, 128, 228
Evans, J., 41, 43, 47 Schiaparelli, G., 20, 88, 154, 167, 168, 247,
266
Farhat, T., 170, 280, 283 Steel, C., 18
Stephenson, F.R., 225
Goldstein, B.R., 246, 247
Golitsis, P., 4 Tannery, P., 47, 50
Grant, R., 250 Tarán, L., 150
Tardieu, M., 4
Hadot, I., 4 Taylor, A.E., 214, 234
Heath, T.L., 20, 234, 253, 255, 256, Thoren, V.E., 266
264, 266 Todd, R.B., 47, 217
Heiberg, J.L., 17–19, 119, 165, 205, 209, Toomer, G.J., 244, 245
217, 218
Herald, D., 224–225 Verrycken, K., 38
Hoffmann, P., 7, 11 von Staden, H., 16
Ideler, L., 266 Walker, C., 225

Wildberg, C., 287
Johansen, T., 227
Jones, A., 41, 46 Yavetz, I., 272, 273
Kidd, I.G., 41, 46

INDEX OF SUBJECTS
This index is supplemented by the Analytical Table of Contents.
ἀκολούθησις, 134 φιλόπονος, 11, 257

ἀκροατής, 145 φυσική
ἀνελίττω, 135 and ἀστρολογία, 39–45, 51–
ἀνωµαλία, 135, 171 52
ἀστήρ, 119, 201 and µαθηµατική, 38–40
ἀστράγαλοι, 123, 126 φωστήρ, 137
ἀστρολόγος, 39, 204, 263 χρόνος, διέξοδος, 150
ἄστρον, 119, 201
δάκτυλος, 291 aether
διχότοµος, 114–115, 119, 218 composition, 34
ἐκκεντρότης, 105, 211 motion, 34
ἑλίσσοµαι, 29 astronomy
ἐντυγχάνω, 5 its limitations, 52–53
ἐπανακύκλησις, 233, 237–239 Athens
ἐπιχείρηµα, 139 coordinates, 224, 225
ἥκω, 272 cubit, 292
ἱπποπέδη, 152, 272–273 defense of
καταλαµβάνω, 204–205 Aristotle, 62–68, 92
κατάπτυστος, 14 De caelo, 68–69
κόπρια, τά, 6–7 late Platonists, 69–71, 92
µαθηµατική digit, 291
and φιλοσοφία, 39 dioptra, 166, 249
µαθηµατικός, 39, 203–204, 244, fixed sphere
263 as hypostasis, 36, 140
µῆκος, 147 fixed stars
παραβολή, 99, 205 as ensouled, 227–229, 261–
πλάτος, 147, 265 262
προήγησις, 134 motion, 8–9
προποδισµός, 135 precession, 85–86
προχώρησις, 233, 237 Jupiter, 121, 143, 153, 155, 160–162
πως, 269–271 occultation of a star, 121
σύνοδος, 205 sidereal period, 150
συµφωνία, 61 synodic period, 151
τις, 49 knucklebones, 122, 126
τροπή, 240 Mars, 115, 119, 121, 151, 154, 162,
ὑπόληψις, 148 165
ὑποποδισµός, 134 apparent size, 289
φάσις, 134 sidereal period, 150
φιλονεικέω, 30 synodic period, 151
index of subjects 329
Mercury, 152, 154, 162, 173 planets, 20

name, 30 apparent size, 52, 165–167
sidereal period, 150 as ensouled, 227–229, 261–262
synodic period, 151 as hypostases, 36, 133, 210–211
twinkling, 30 inner, phases, 21
Moon, 115, 119–121, 125, 127, 129, 131– nesting, 34, 212
135, 137, 147–149, 153, 154, 162–167, occultations, 225–226
174 outer, phases, 21
apparent size, 290–291 rationality, 34–36
eclipse of Sun, 114, 117, 249–250 sphericity, 10
nodal motion, 120, 265–266 Saturn, 120, 133, 143, 153, 155, 160–
occultation of Mars, 115, 119, 121, 162
224–225 names, 150
phases, 114–117, 119, 218 sidereal period, 150
sidereal period, 106 synodic period, 151
sphericity, 114–117, 218–221 saving the phenomena, 251–259
zigzag hypothesis, 47 Sun, 119–121, 125, 127, 129, 131–135, 137,
motion 146–150, 153, 154, 159, 162, 163, 166,
on one’s own accord, 112 167
observation a third motion, 146–148, 262–264,
as inference, 52–53 276
planetary motion apparent size, 249–250
as diurnal only, 108–109 eccentric hypothesis, 47
direct, 20 length of day, 264–265
diurnal, 20, 208 season lengths, 153
Goal Year, 271 Venus, 151, 154, 162, 165
hypotheses for, 37, 38, 47, 52 apparent size, 288–289
isodromy, 76, 80 brightness, 105
proper, 75 shadows cast, 289–290
retrogradation, 20–22, 134 sidereal period, 150
awareness of, 230–248 synodic period, 151
rotation, 29–32 twinkling, 30
sidereal, 9, 149, 201, 268–269
synodic, 20, 150, 271–272

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Simplicius on the Planets and Their Motions

The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/pha

Copyright 2013 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

1. The Heresy of Non-Homocentric Aetherial Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

2. The Heretical Rejection of All Hypotheses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

3. Simplicius, the Apologist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Saving the De caelo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

4. Simplicius, the Historian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

In de caelo 2.10. The proportionality of the planetary speeds . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

474.7–13 Alexander: The Isodromic Planets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

In de caelo 2.11. The Sphericity of the Wandering Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

In de caelo 2.12. The Proportionality of the Planetary Motions . . . . . . . . . . 119

In de caelo 2.10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Comment 10.11. In de caelo 473.15: A Lacuna? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

In de caelo 2.11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

In de caelo 2.12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Archimedes, Arenarius 1.4–7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Comment 12.35. In de caelo 506.2: Who Cares about the Number of

so many years ago. It may also be seen, I suppose, as an act of penance—the

It is only recently that I have moved from criticism of modern readings of

Simplicius’ commentary by Robert Grosseteste and William of Moerbeke.

() Parentheses enclose remarks that are parenthetical in Simplicius’ exposition.

1. The conjunction and opposition of an outer planet with the Sun . . . . 22

᾽Αρχὴ δέ τοι ἥµισυ παντός

Simplicius’ Life and Writings

Little is known of Simplicius’ life. He is often referred to as Simplicius of

Phrygia, Hermes and Diogenes of Phrygia, and Isadore of Gaza.

requirement of conversion to Christianity,6 it seems, if we follow Agathias,

6 This treaty was, however, no longer in force by ad 540.

taries were written between ad 535 and 545.

Aristotle’s Metaphysica and his epitome of Theophrastus’ Physica, neither

The Commentary on De caelo 2.10–12

Simplicius’ is the only surviving commentary in ancient Greek on Aristotle’s

23See Golitsis 2008, 12–13: cf. Hoffmann 2000, 611–614.

The present study, I hasten to say, is neither a general account of Simpli-

[1987], and Christian Wildberg [1999] most illuminating on this topic.

At this juncture, however, I will elaborate only the second consideration

The Place of 2.10–12 in the De caelo

simply asserts that it does not [289b4–5].

ench. [Hadot 1996, 454.6–15].

ter, ability, and education to understand their relation to the divinity, do so

the De caelo has a single objective.

[Diels 1882–1895, 1326.38–1327.11: see Wildberg 1991].

Philoponus was plainly an embarrassment. Though raised in late Pla-

21 for an allusion to Philoponus’ background in late Platonic exegesis. Simplicius, however,

ad [cf. Toomer 1978, 186–187].

The Text and Translation

51 See Moraux 1965, clviii–clxxii.

translation; moreover, though Heiberg rightly recognized the immense

on De caelo 1: for that we are wholly dependent on Moerbeke [see 361.5–364.14].

Admittedly, this accords with my own conclusion that these reconstruc-

Planetary Retrogradation: A Review

To understand Simplicius’ project in commenting on Aristotle’s De caelo,

1998, 2001, 2003.

substantiate it even more fully in the course of the following study.

To get a sense of what an observer north of the terrestrial equator may

Figure 2. The conjunctions of an inner planet with the Sun

Figure 3. The retrogradation of an inner planet

Figure 4. The retrogradation of an outer planet

Figure 5. The retrogradation of Venus in 2010 plotted against

Figure 6. The retrogradation of Mars in 1997 plotted against the celestial

The great digression at the end of Simplicius’ In de caelo 2.12 [492.25–510.35]