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Ficino's Marginal Notes on Olympiodorus in Riccardi Greek MS 37∗

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 July 2016

L. G. Westerink
L. G. Westerink*
Affiliation:
State University of New York at Buffalo
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Extract

Marsilio Ficino is one of those scholars of whose habits and methods we can now form a fairly complete picture, thanks to the increasing accessibility of library materials. Besides autograph copies of his own work, we possess a great many books he used, and in most cases annotated extensively. The number of Greek manuscripts known to have been handled by him rose from seven in 1937 (Kristeller's Supplementum Ficinianum) to sixteen in 1962, when M. Sicherl reported on the state of the question in Scriptorium. Prof. Sicherl is continuing his research and preparing a comprehensive study of the subject; the present article, a by-product of my occupation with the text of Olympiodorus and Damascius, is concerned only with Ficino's marginalia to the commentaries on Plato's Phaedo and Philebus in Riccardianus gr. 37. For a correct understanding of the character of these texts and the relationship between them, a short outline of their history will be useful.

Type
Articles
Information
Traditio , Volume 24 , 1968 , pp. 351 - 378
Copyright
Copyright © Fordham University Press 

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References

1 Sicherl, M., ‘Neuentdeckte Handschriften von Marsilio Ficino und Johannes Reuchlin,’ Scriptorium 16 (1962) 50–61. Cf. id., ‘Platonismus und Textüberlieferung,’ Jahrbuch der Oesterreichischen Byzantinischen Gesellschaft 15 (1966) 201–229 (esp. 223–228).Google Scholar

2 Norvin, W. (ed.), Olympiodori philosophi in Platonis Phaedonem commentaria (Leipzig 1913) v–vii.Google Scholar

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6 ‘Neuentdeckte Handschriften’ 54–58; id., Die Handschriften, Ausgaben und Übersetzungen von Iamblichos De Mysteriis (Texte und Untersuchungen 62 [1957]) 24–25. Essentially the same conclusion already in Henry, P., Études Plotiniennes II (2nd ed. Brussels-Paris 1948) 5–62, where six varieties are distinguished.Google Scholar

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8 Fic. 1223.13–16: cf. Dam. § 45; Fic. 1229.27–62: cf. Dam. §§ 54–56; Fic. 1269.49–51: cf. Dam. §§ 11, 259.Google Scholar

9 For Olympiodorus and Damascius on the Phaedo, to Norvin's edition of 1913; for Damascius OP the Philebus, to my own edition of 1959. Both editions cited supra. Google Scholar

10 Vol. I for the Theologia Platonica, Vol. II for the In Phaedonem epitome and the In Philebum annotationes. Google Scholar

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186–191 Theol. Plat. 18.10 (421.40–43): ‘Totidem gradus bonis in Phaedone distribuuntur, ubi asseritur animas innocentes et pias, sed expertes philosophiae, in aëre una cum aëris corporibus facile vivere, animas autem philosophia civili insuper praeditas, in coelo cum coelestibus lucidisque vehiculis, denique purgatissimas super coelum absque corporibus beatissime vivere.’ — In Phaed. epit. 1394.43–48: ‘Praemia vero sic Plato distinguit. Animae quae iustae et sanctae sine philosophia vixerunt, sublimia terrae, qualia supra descripsimus, ascendentes, in tenuissimis spiritalibusque ibi corporibus habitant. Quae vero civiliter propterea philosophatae sunt, cum splendidis coelestibusque corporibus coelum colunt. Sed quae per exactam Philosophiam perfecte purgatae sunt, in locum supercoelestem evolant, ubi absque corporibus omnino, ut Plato hic inquit, totum per tempus vivunt.’ Google Scholar

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64–65 In Phaed. epit. 1394.3–5: ‘Quod autem dicit iniquos absque duce errare, absque benefico intellige duce. Adde quod neque quo trahantur, agnoscunt, et violentia rapiuntur.’ Google Scholar

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109 In phaed. epit. 1394.18–19: ‘Tu vero terrae huiusmodi habitationem terrestri Moysi paradyso similem esse memento.’ Google Scholar

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125–131 lb. 1394.23–33: ‘Acheron … locus est purgatorius … Pylegeton … vimque puniendi continet per calorem … Styx Cocytusque … per luctum fletumque puniunt … Addunt quidam ad haec flumina Oceanum… in quo distinguendi definiendique virtus intelligatur.’ Google Scholar

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114–115 Cicero, , De senect. 13.44 (Plato, , Tim. 69d1).Google Scholar

119 morbum] -m ex -s R. Google Scholar

128 Porphyry, , Vita Plot. 7.2–3.Google Scholar

141 alio] sic R. Google Scholar

146–239 In all the manuscripts of the Greek text, including R, §§54–62 precede §§41–53.Google Scholar

146–151 = In Phileb. annot. 1260.6–9.Google Scholar

148 omnes] omnia Bas. Google Scholar

152–156 = In Phileb. annot. 1260.9–12.Google Scholar

158–223 = Ib. 1260.12–52.Google Scholar

168 exalando] elevando Bas. Google Scholar

170–172 Tim. 47a7–b2; Protag. 321d3.Google Scholar

173 gratosque Bas. Google Scholar

174–177 Polit 271d3–272b1; Protag. 320c8–322a8.Google Scholar

176 providentia Bas. Google Scholar

177 commendasse] mandasse Bas. Google Scholar

178 filii Bas. Google Scholar

179–180 Origenes, , Contra Celsum 4.76.Google Scholar

180–181 Avicenna, , Metaphysica (Venice 1495; Louvain 1961), Tract. 10, cap. 2.Google Scholar

183 dein Bas. Google Scholar

186 adoctivos Dei] adoptivos Dei filios Bas. Google Scholar

200 divinos Bas. Google Scholar

216 partibus Bas. Google Scholar

237 In Phileb. cap. 17 (1223.13–16).Google Scholar

258 Cf. Saffrey, , Notes Platoniciennes 172 (lines 130–131).Google Scholar

301–304 § 257.3–5.Google Scholar

366 de hoc ego ambigo] The words may refer either to those immediately preceding, or to ‘identitate substantie,’ under which they are written. Google Scholar