Pythagoras: His Life and Teaching, a Compendium of Classical Sources (67 page)

Stanley translates
as “Generation,” instead of the literal “testicles and genitals”.

p. 312.
He said.

See
page 373
above, note to
page 99
.

p. 312. Thus the Cabalists answer
The wise said; and Christians,
Believe.

The phrase,
(ameru hakamim)
“the sages say,” was translated by Reuchlin in Latin as
dixerunt sapientes
, read by Stanley as “the wise said.” The phrase is found, for example, in some of the Midrashim, such as the
Midrash ‘Aseret Ha-Dibrot
, and the
Midrash Vayosha
where the authors introduced subject matter without feeling the necessity to quote their sources, intitiating significant sections with,
ameru hakamim, “the sages say…”

In speaking of the corresponding Christian admonition “Believe,” Reuchlin was in turn quoting Gregory of Nazienzus'
First Invective Against Julian
, Chapter 102, where Gregory says of Julian:

“Ours,” says he, “are the words and speaking of Greek, whose right it is to worship the gods; yours are the want of words, and clownishness, and nothing beyond the faith in your own doctrine.” At this, those I fancy will not laugh, who follow the sect of Pythagoras amongst you, with whom the
“ is the first and greatest of articles of faith; and preferable to the “Golden (perhaps Leaden) Words.” For after that preliminary and much celebrated training of
Silence
of such as were initiated into his doctrine (in order that they might be trained in bridling speech by dint of holding their tongues), it was the rule, ‘tis said, that when questioned about any one of his tenets, they replied in explanation, when the reason was asked, that it had been so decreed by Pythagoras himself: and that the reason of the doctrine was what had come into that sage's head, without proof, and unquestioned. Thus your “He said so” comes to the same thing with our “Believe,” but in other syllables and terms, although you never give over ridiculing and abusing the latter. For our saying means that it is not allowable to disbelieve things said by divinely-inspired persons, but that the proof of
the Word is their
trustworthiness
, a thing more convincing than any logical argument or defense.”

(Goodman,
Johann Reuchlin On the Art of the Kabbalah
, pp. 144-147, King, C.W.
Julian the Emperor containing Gregory Nazianzen's Two Invectives and Libanius' Monody
, pp. 68-69)

p. 317. That is the IDEA (from
), [“seeing,
meaning
understanding”]

Stanley is paraphrasing Reuchlin's De Arte Cabalistica here, but the Greek as he gives it is problematical. The Reuchlin text has
“ from seeing (
), meaning understanding (
).” Stanley has structured his parenthetical note in such a way that
appears only as a gloss on
, apparently intending to emphasize that IDEA is derived from
, adding
as an explanation or definition of
It is unclear why Stanley did not simply quote Reuchlin verbatum. (Cf. Goodman,
Johann Reuchlin, On the Art of the Kabbalah. De Arte Cabalistica
, p. 152-153.)