Unicity, Omni-comprehensiveness, and Specificity: Reflections on the Textual Unity of the Timaeus According to Proclus

Abstract

“Unicity, Omni-comprehensiveness, and Specificity: Reflections on the Textual Unity of the Timaeus According to Proclus”. This paper analyzes some central remarks offered by Proclus in his Timaeus’ Commentary regarding the textual unity of this Platonic dialogue. It begins by discussing Proclus’ determination of the Timaeus’ ?????? and examining the main exegetical criteria on which such determination is based (unicity, omni-comprehensiveness, and specificity). Additionally, it suggests that, according to Proclus, the search for a unique, omnicomprehensive, and specific ?????? has an internal justification –that is, associated with the main philosophical tenets of this dialogue–. The paper’s second section discusses the way in which the thesis of the strong textual unity of all Platonic dialogues leads to a detailed analysis of the initial section of the Timaeus and to the differentiation between several interpretative models. Finally, it shows that the hierarchical order of these models and Proclus’ preference for a “theological” or “metaphysical” interpretation of the Timaeus is a consequence of the ?????? theory and its exegetical criteria.