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For links to many more fragments: The Orphic Fragments of Otto Kern.

SUMMARY: Fragment 155 consists of five quotations about Cronus, all of which quote a prayer from Zeus to his father to “raise up our generation.”

155. (118) σχόλιον Πρόκλου επὶ Κρατύλου Πλάτωνος 391 a (27, 21 Pasqu.):

καὶ γὰρ ὁ μέγιστος Κρόνος ἄνωθεν τὰς τῶν νοήσεων ἀρχὰς ἐνδίδωσι τῶι δημιουργῶι καὶ ἐπιστατεῖ τῆς ὅλης δημιουργίας· διὸ καὶ δαίμονα αὐτὸν ὁ Ζεὺς καλεῖ παρ’ Ὀρφεῖ·

ὄρθου δ’ ἡμετέρην γενεήν, ἀριδείκετε δαῖμων.

καὶ ἔοικεν τῶν συναγωγῶν καὶ τῶν διαιρέσεων τὰς ἀκροτάτας αἰτίας ἔχειν παρ’ έαύτῶι ὁ Κρόνος, διὰ μὲν τῶν οὐρανίων τομῶν προάγων εἰς τὰ μέρη τὴν ὁλότητα τὴν νοερὰν καὶ προόδων γεννητικῶν καὶ πολλαπλασιασμῶν αἴτιος γινόμενος καὶ ὅλως τῆς | ^{28 Pasqu.} Τιτανικῆς γενεᾶς ἡγούμενος, ἀφ᾿ ἧς ἡ διαίρεσις τῶν ὄντων, διὰ δὲ τῶν καταπόσεων συνάγων τὰ ἑαυτοῦ πάλιν γεννήματα καὶ ἑνίζων πρὸς ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀναλύων εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μονοειδῆ καὶ ἀμέριστον αἰτίαν. ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ δημιουργὸς Ζεὺς παρ’ αὐτοῦ προσεχῶς ὑποδέχεται τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῶν ὄντων καὶ νοεῖ τὰ ἐν αὐτῶι πρώτως· μαντεύει μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶι καὶ ἡ Νύξ (fragment 103), ἀλλ’ ὁ πατὴρ προσεχῶς, καὶ πάντα τὰ μέτρα τῆς ὅλης δημιουργίας αὐτῶι ἐνδίδωσιν.

“For also, mighty Krónos grants to the Dîmiourgós from on high the principles of his understandings, and he presides over the whole of creation; wherefore, Zefs (Ζεὺς) calls him a daimôn, (as is said) by Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς):

‘And raise up (or “guide,” ἡμετέρην) our generation, glorious daimôn!’

“And it is probable that Krónos bears in himself the consummate causes of unifications and divisions, advancing through the divisions of the heavens into shares, the wholeness of the intellectual, becoming the cause of generative and more numerous processions, and wholly leading the generation of the Titáns himself, from which the divisibility of existing things (comes about), for through the swallowings, uniting back in itself those who have been produced, and of unity to himself, and releasing them from himself into simplicity and undivided cause. And since then the Dîmiourgós Zefs attentively receives the truth of existing things from him, and apprehends first (that which is) in him; for even Nyx prophecies to him (fragment 103), but immediately the father also surrenders to him all the due allotments of the whole creation.”

(trans. by the author)

The same verse is found in σχόλιον Πρόκλου επὶ Τιμαίου Πλάτωνος B prooem. (I 207, 11 Diehl):

πρὸς δὲ τὸν Κρόνον πάλιν μετὰ τοὺς δεσμοὺς μόνον οὐκ εὐχόμενός φησιν·

ὄρθου --- [δ’ ἡμετέρην γενεήν, ἀριδείκετε *] δαῖμον,

καὶ διὰ πάντων τῶν ἐχομένων τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς εὐμένειαν προκαλούμενος.

“But again to Saturn (Κρόνος), after the bonds, Jupiter (Ζεύς) all but praying says,

‘Dæmon, most fam’d, our progeny direct.’

“And in all that follows, he calls forth the benevolence of his father.”

(trans. Thomas Taylor, 1820)

* This section not in Kern’s manuscript, but apparently in that used by Taylor.

And in σχόλιον Πρόκλου επὶ Ἀλκιβιάδου αʹ Πλάτωνος I 103 a p. 384, 3 Cous. (Westerink/O’Neil 74.3-5):

ὥσπερ δὴ καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ὀρφεῖ λέγει που πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πατέρα τὸν Κρόνον ὁ Ζεύς·

‘ὄρθου δ’ ἡμετέρην γενεήν, ἀριδείκετε δαῖμον’.

“Even as also in (the teachings of) Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς), Zefs (Ζεύς) says to his own father:

‘And raise up our generation, glorious daimôn!’

(trans. by the author)

σχόλιον Ὀλυμπιοδώρου επὶ Ἀλκιβιάδου αʹ Πλάτωνος I c. 3 p. 15 Creuz.:

καὶ Ὀρφεὺς τὸν Δία ποιεῖ πρὸς τὸν οἰκεῖον πατέρα λέγοντα·

ὄρθου --- δαίμων.

“And Orphéfs (Ὀρφεὺς) makes Zefs (Ζεύς) say to his own father:

‘Raise us up --- daimôn!’ ”

(trans. by the author)

Ἀπορίαι καὶ λύσεις περὶ τῶν πρώτων ἀρχῶν εἰς τὸν Πλάτωνος Παρμενίδην Δαμασκίου 270 (II 136, 27 Rue.):

οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ Ὀρφεὺς ἐν τῶι Κρόνωι ἐξάπτει τὰ πείσματα τῆς ὅλης δημιουργίας, ὅ γέ τοι δημιουργικός, καὶ εὔχεται πρὸς αὐτόν·

ὄρθου --- [δ’ ἡμετέρην γενεήν, ἀριδείκετε *] δαῖμον;

| ^{137 Rue.} ἀπευθύνει ἄρα καὶ ἀπορθοῖ τὴν ὅλην κοσμοποιΐαν· ἔτι τοίνυν σαφέστερον οἱ Φοίνικες ταῦτα περὶ αὐτοῦ ἀξιοῦσιν, πρῶτον μὲν δαίμονα αὐτὸν ποιοῦντες εἰληχότα τὸν δημιουργόν.

* This section not in Kern’s text, but found in other manuscripts.

“But does not Orphéfs (Ὀρφεὺς) attach to Krónos the bonds of all creation, at least of the Dîmiourgic, even as he prays to him:

‘And raise up (our generation, glorious) daimôn!’ ?

“He restores straightway and guides aright the whole of creation; still yet, accordingly, the Phoenicians clearly think this of him indeed, making him the first daimôn (i.e. God) to be designated the Dîmiourgós.”

(trans. by the author)

Herm. X vs. 4; Lobeck I 518; Kern Herm. XXIII 1888, 487 n. XIX; Holwerda 319.

The story of the birth of the Gods: Orphic Theogony.

We know the various qualities and characteristics of the Gods based on metaphorical stories: Mythology.

Dictionary of terms related to ancient Greek mythology: Glossary of Hellenic Mythology.

Introduction to the Thæí (the Gods): The Nature of the Gods.

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