Πῦρ

fire

Translated by Marcelo Boeri28 Jun 2004Vetting: high3 revisions

181 words

Translation

[Note] that things that are nourished by nature and increase because of this have a limit of [their] increase, and their increase toward the [proper] measure is limited; but neither the nourishment nor the increase of fire is limited. Therefore fire is not nourished and increased in a similar manner to things endowed with life. But if [fire] is not [nourished and increased] similarly, then it would not be a cause of nourishment and increase for the things endowed with life, either. But such a movement of fire would be generation rather than increase or nourishment. This alone of the elements was thought to be nourished and to increase, because in the other [elements] the excess is clearly an addition. For when water is added to water, and earth to earth, thus an excess arises. But fire is in excess not when fire is added, but when heterogeneous matter [has been added], such as timbers or things of that sort; and when these things are changed by the force of fire into the same substance, thus the excess of fire arises.

Greek original · Adler’s text

Πῦρ· ὅτι τὰ φύσει τρεφόμενα καὶ διὰ τοῦτο αὐξόμενα ὅρον ἔχει τῆς αὐξήσεως, καὶ ὥρισται αὐτῶν ἡ ἐπὶ τὸ μέτρον αὔξησις· τοῦ δὲ πυρὸς οὐχ ὥρισται οὔτε ἡ τροφὴ οὔτε ἡ αὔξησις. οὐκ ἄρα τὸ πῦρ ὁμοίως τοῖς ἐμψύχοις τρέφεται καὶ αὔξεται. εἰ δὲ μὴ ὁμοίως, οὐκ ἄρα οὐδὲ τοῖς ἐμψύχοις αἴτιον εἴη τῆς τροφῆς ἢ τῆς αὐξήσεως. ἡ δὲ τοιαύτη τοῦ πυρὸς κίνησις γένεσις ἂν μᾶλλον εἴη ἢ αὔξησις ἢ τροφή. ὑπενοήθη δὲ τοῦτο μόνον τῶν στοιχείων τρέφεσθαί τε καὶ αὔξεσθαι, διότι ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων ἐναργῶς ὁ πλεονασμὸς πρόθεσίς ἐστι· προστιθεμένου γὰρ ὕδατος ὕδατι καὶ γῆς γῇ, οὕτως γίνεται ὁ πλεονασμός. τὸ δὲ πῦρ πλεονάζει οὐ πυρὸς προστιθεμένου, ἀλλ' ἀνομοιοειδοῦς ὕλης, οἷον ξύλων ἢ τῶν τοιούτων, καὶ τούτων ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ πυρὸς δυνάμεως μεταβληθέντων εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν οὐσίαν, οὕτως ὁ πλεονασμὸς τοῦ πυρὸς γίνεται.

Betacode
*pu=r: o(/ti ta\ fu/sei trefo/mena kai\ dia\ tou=to au)co/mena o(/ron e)/xei th=s au)ch/sews, kai\ w(/ristai au)tw=n h( e)pi\ to\ me/tron au)/chsis: tou= de\ puro\s ou)x w(/ristai ou)/te h( trofh\ ou)/te h( au)/chsis. ou)k a)/ra to\ pu=r o(moi/ws toi=s e)myu/xois tre/fetai kai\ au)/cetai. ei) de\ mh\ o(moi/ws, ou)k a)/ra ou)de\ toi=s e)myu/xois ai)/tion ei)/h th=s trofh=s h)\ th=s au)ch/sews. h( de\ toiau/th tou= puro\s ki/nhsis ge/nesis a)\n ma=llon ei)/h h)\ au)/chsis h)\ trofh/. u(penoh/qh de\ tou=to mo/non tw=n stoixei/wn tre/fesqai/ te kai\ au)/cesqai, dio/ti e)pi\ me\n tw=n a)/llwn e)nargw=s o( pleonasmo\s pro/qesi/s e)sti: prostiqeme/nou ga\r u(/datos u(/dati kai\ gh=s gh=|, ou(/tws gi/netai o( pleonasmo/s. to\ de\ pu=r pleona/zei ou) puro\s prostiqeme/nou, a)ll'  a)nomoioeidou=s u(/lhs, oi(=on cu/lwn h)\ tw=n toiou/twn, kai\ tou/twn u(po\ th=s tou= puro\s duna/mews metablhqe/ntwn ei)s th\n au)th\n ou)si/an, ou(/tws o( pleonasmo\s tou= puro\s gi/netai. 

Notes

  1. This entry is taken from John Philoponus, On Aristotle's de anima 278.1-18. For this headword see also pi 3180.

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Revision history3 revisions · last 4 Aug 2014
  1. tweaked translation — Catharine Roth
  2. more keywords; tweaking — David Whitehead
  3. adjustments to tr; x-ref and another keyword; cosmetics — David Whitehead
  4. Translated — Marcelo Boeri

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