god, the One or the Good,[1] at a certain moment conceived a creative design and fashioned the material world out of pre-existing elements.[2] This task completed, he created intellect and soul; and by combining the two together produced living intelligence.[3] He was now provided with all the requisite ingredients for peopling the world he had made; and his next step was to form a primal race of spiritual beings or daemons whom he endowed with immortality. From these by generation issued the whole progeny of gods worshipped by the Greeks, for whom their pedigrees and actions were recorded by Orpheus, Homer, and Hesiod. Among the divine existences were also to be reckoned the stars. At this stage the creative work of the One came to an end. He addressed the daemons and said: "You have observed my method of procedure when engaged in moulding yourselves. Follow my example and set about the production of mortal natures to inhabit the air, the water, and the earth." They obeyed his behests, and the whole animal kingdom was the result of their labours. But the grosser matter with which mortal souls are weighed down is the essence of evil, and the just man will, therefore, desire to escape from the body in order to be free from its impure passions.[4] For the Creator had appointed that each soul should be
- [Footnote: part merely co-ordinating previous notions, especially those of the
philosopher whose name is affixed to the dialogue. Reference to some other dialogues is necessary to complete the picture of his religion and theology.], [Greek: patêr], or [Greek: dêmiourgos]. 2. [Greek: Nous]. 3. [Greek: Psychê]. From the spurious Epinomis [Greek: Nous] may be equaled with [Greek: Logos].]
