f the new); the word neos implies that
the world is always in process of creation. The giver of the name wanted
to express this longing of the soul, for the original name was neoesis,
and not noesis; but eta took the place of a double epsilon. The word
sophrosune is the salvation (soteria) of that wisdom (phronesis) which
we were just now considering. Epioteme (knowledge) is akin to this, and
indicates that the soul which is good for anything follows (epetai) the
motion of things, neither anticipating them nor falling behind them;
wherefore the word should rather be read as epistemene, inserting
epsilon nu. Sunesis (understanding) may be regarded in like manner as
a kind of conclusion; the word is derived from sunienai (to go along
with), and, like epistasthai (to know), implies the progression of the
soul in company with the nature of things. Sophia (wisdom) is very dark,
and appears not to be of native growth; the meaning is, touching the
motion or stream of things. You must remember that the poets, when they
speak of the commencement of any rapid motion, often use the word esuthe
(he rushed); and there was a famous Lacedaemonian who was named Sous
(Rush), for by this word the Lacedaemonians signify rapid motion, and
the touching (epaphe) of motion is expressed by sophia, for all things
are supposed to be in motion. Good (agathon) is the name which is given
to the admirable (agasto) in nature; for, although all things move,
still there are degrees of motion; some are swifter, some slower; but
there are some things which are admirable for their swiftness, and this
admirable part of nature is called agathon. Dikaiosune (justice) is
clearly dikaiou sunesis (understanding of the just); but the actual word
dikaion is more difficult: men are only agreed to a certain extent about
justice, and then they begin to disagree. For those who suppose all
things to be in motion conceive the greater part of nature to be a mere
receptacle; and they say that there is a penetrating power which passes
through all this, and is the instrument of creation in all, and is the
subtlest and swiftest element; for if it were not the subtlest, and a
power which none can keep out, and also the swiftest, passing by other
things as if they were standing still, it could not penetrate through
the moving universe. And this element, which superintends all things and
pierces (diaion) all, is rightly called dikaion; the letter k is only
added for the sake of