191
ἔστι τοῦ δημιουργοῦ, ἅμα τῷ κόσμῳ γενόμενον." Θεός addresses them (Plato Tim. sec. 16) thus:—"θεοί θεῶν, ὧν ἐγὼ δημιουργὸς πατήρ τε ἔργων, ἅ δι’ ἐμοῦ γενόμενα ἄλυτα ἐμοῦ γ’ ἐθέλοντος.—μιμούμενοι τὴν ἐμὴν δύναμιν περὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν γένεσιν," κ.τ.λ. "Nam ministros regni sui Deus genuit," says Seneca (in Lact. lib. c. v. vii.), and Manu (Sanhita, i. 22)—
"The Supreme Ruler created a host of gods, endowed with principles of action and with living souls; as well as a number of subtle genii, and also the perpetual sacrifice." That "plebs cœli," "πλῆθος θεῶν," those "ministri regni dei," are in Holy Scripture, the בְּנֵי אֱלֹהיִם, Gen. vi. 2; Job i. 26, etc. (rendered in Chaldee by כְּתֵי מַלְאֲכַיָּא, "legions of Angels"), and the צָבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם, "στρατία οὐράνιος," St. Luke ii. 13. They are mentioned in Carm. Samarit. c. iii. 8, as ࠏࠊࠕࠓࠄ࠭ ࠃࠀࠋࠄࠅࠕࠄ࠭, "copiæ divinæ" (frequently alluded to by the Sabæans in Lib. Adami, as ܐܘܬܪܳܐ "genius," from ܝܬܪ "to excel," (Psalm ciii. 20,—"Angels that excel in strength"); as, e.g., lib. i. p. 174, ܐܢܰܬ ܡܰܢܕܐ ܕܚܶܐ ܐܘܬܪܐ ܙܪܝܙܐ ܘܡܙܪܙܐ—"Thou Genius, harbinger of life, thyself ready, and making others ready also," etc.); and the ࠇࠉࠋࠉࠊ "Potestates," ἐξουσίαι, Carm. iv. 8. They are the ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ"—in one sense "ἥρωες ἀγαυοὶ (Pyth. Aur. c. 2), on which Hierocles remarks:—"τοὺς δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ δαίμονας
