Physics

SS. John of Damascus & Comas the Hymnographer.

Metaphysics

Starting with being in the most generic sense, we may divide it positively into corporeal or negatively into incorporeal. That which is incorporeal then constitutes spirit, & that which is different as corporeal, body. We may then do the same with body into animate & inanimate, where the animate is life, & the inanimate, mineral. Again, with life, into sentient & insentient, which is animal & plant. And again, animal into rational & irrational, i.e. man & beast.

Having differentiated from the most abstract—i.e. generic—to the most immanant—i.e. specific—we may no longer divide according to species, but enumeration, e.g. Peter, Paul, John &c.

The Porphyrian Tree.

So we have then formed the image of a tree, with the most specific species as the roots, & the supreme genus as the tip.

Prædicamenta

Prædicament E.g.
Substance What is it being?
Quantity How much is it?
Relation To what is it?
Quality Like what is it?
Time When is it?
Place Where is it?
Position How is it doing?
Habit How is it being?
Activity What is it doing?
Passion What is done to it?

Quanta

See the grammar page for more on speech, & the astronomy page for more on time.

Qualities

Quality I.e.
Habit Uneasily changable activity.
Disposition Easily changable activity.
Potency Having that power.
Impotency Not having that power.
Affection Lightly acted upon.
Passivity Firmly acted upon.
Shape Of inanimate & animate bodies.
Form Of only animate bodies.

Causes

Cause E.g.
Matter What is it made of?
Form What is it made after?
Efficient What is it made by?
Perfect What it made for?

In the example of a table: the wood is the material cause, the carpenter’s plan is the formal cause, the carpenter’s tool is the efficient cause, & dining on is the perfect cause.

See Luke Smith’s article.

Unions

Union E.g
Substance …of hypostases.
Hypostasis …of soul & body.
Stationary …of judgements by will.
Welding …of brass & lead.
Joining …of stones & wood.
Mingling …of wine & water.
Mixture …of wheatmeal & water.
Fusion …of wax & pitch.
Heaping …of wheat & barley.
Coalescence …of a brand & fire.

Motions

Substance Quantity Quality Place
Generation Increase Alteration Circular
Destruction Decrease Direct

Physics

Matter

Material bodies exist as the concurrence of these qualities:

But it should be known these are in themselves not matter but, rather, bare concepts.

Elements

Element Attributes
Fire Hot & Dry
Air Hot & Wet
Water Cold & Wet
Earth Cold & Dry

Some class æther (æthḗr) as a fifth element (Latin: quintessence), while others consider it a special kind of fire. At any rate, it is celestial.

The elements & the sense each is the mean of:

The sense of touch is usually omitted as a common background sense.

Body

Humor Organ
Yellow Bile Gallbladder
Blood Liver
Phlegm Brain
Black Bile Spleen

Food is chewed through the mouth, passed down to the stomach, which then converts what is nutritious into a liquid & gives it to the liver, but sends what isn’t nutritious down to the intestine to be exited. The liver converts the liquid from the stomach into like itself—i.e blood—& further sends the fiery impurities to the gallbladder, but the earthy impurities to the spleen. The liver then distributes the blood throughout the body via the veins. The kidneys catch the spent watery part of the blood, which acted as its vehicle along the veins & sends it down to the bladder to be exited.

Air is inhaled by the nostrils to the lungs, which hold it. The heart then takes the air from the lungs according to its rhythem, heats, & distributes breath throughout the body by the arteries. It also takes the expired breath from the arteries & sends it to the lungs to be exited. As the arteries contract with pulsation, the blood from the veins is drawn into the artery & infused with the breath, which is then sent back out into the veins with pulsation.

The senses & their organ of function:

The soul’s faculties & their ventricle of function in the brain:

The separate senses are collected together in the imagination, which in the rational creature then communicates the common sense by the reason to the intellect.

Soul

Partition Faculty Location
Intelligent Reason (lógos) Head
Incensive Passion (thymós) Chest
Appetative Affection (érōs) Belly

Colors

Color Hour
White ——————
Yellow Noonday
Red Afternoon
Purple Evening
Green Sunset
Blue Night
Black ——————

Order of the colors as seen progressing through the hours of the day.

The color white is the dilation of sight, but black is the contraction of it. The colors yellow, red, purple, green, & blue, are ratios of white & black.

Music

Scale
ni / pa / bu / ga / di / ce / zo / ni

Notation

Sign Name Significance
𝁆 íson Initial note.
𝁇 olígon Ascend note.
𝁑 apóstrophos Descend note.
𝁉 petastḗs Ascend note (stressed).
𝃰 centḗmaton Ascend note (destressed).

Measurements

λͅ & £ are abbreviation signs for pound, Greek lítra & Latin libra. The latter is only used contemperarily for British money.

The foot was standardized by that of Agrippa—general of Augustus & husband of his daughter Julia the Elder—when he built what would become the Church of the Panagia & the Martyrs, Italy.

Lengths

Measure Definition Equals (ft.) Equals (dig.)
Digit = 1 digit = 1/16 ft. = 1 dig.
Palm = 4 digits = 1/4 ft. = 4 dig.
Span = 3 palms = 3/4 ft. = 12 dig.
Foot = 4 palms = 1 ft. = 16 dig.
Cubit = 2 spans = 1 1/2 ft. = 24 dig.
Pace = 2 1/2 feet = 2 1/2 ft. = 40 dig.
Double Pace = 5 feet = 5 ft. = 80 dig.
Fathom = 8 spans = 6 ft. = 96 dig.
Perch = 10 feet = 10 ft. = 160 dig.
Plethron = 10 perches = 100 ft. = 1,600 dig.
Stade = 6 plethra = 600 ft = 9,600 dig.
Mile = 8 1/3 stadia = 5,000 ft. = 80,000 dig.
Day’s Journey = 3 miles = 150,000 ft. ——————
Week’s Journey = 21 miles = 1,050,000 ft. ——————
Measure Definition Equals (ft.) Equals (dig.)
Inch = 1/12 foot = 1/12 ft. = 1 1/2 dig.
Yard = 1/2 fathom = 3 ft. = 48 dig.
Furlong = 1 stade = 600 ft. = 9,600 dig.
League = 1 1/2 miles = 7,500 ft. = 120,000 dig.

Area

Measure Definition Equals (ft.)
Acre = 1x1 plethron = 100x100 ft.

Weights

Measure Definition Equals (lb.)
Scruple = 1/24 ounce = 3/64 lb.
Semis = 1/12 ounce = 5/64 lb.
Solidus = 1/6 ounce = 1/72 lb.
Ounce = 1 ounce = 1/12 lb.
Pound = 12 ounces = 1 lb.
Measure Definition Equals (lb.)
Carat = 1/144 ounce = 1/1,728 lb.
Obol = 1/48 ounce = 1/64 lb.

Volumes

Measure Definition Equals (lb.)
Ounce = 1 ounce = 1/12 lb.
Cup = 1 1/2 ounces = 1/8 lb.
Pot = 3 ounces = 1/4 lb.
Pound = 12 ounces = 1 lb.
Handful = 18 1/2 ounces = 1 13/34 lbs.
Measure Definition Equals (oz.)
Pint = 1/2 quart = 2 1/4 oz.
Quart = 1/4 gallon = 4 1/2 oz.
Gallon = 6 pots = 18 oz.

Other

Plants & Minerals

Stone are also called rock (pétra). Sardius is also called ruby. Jacinth is also called sapphire. Brass is also called bronze & copper.

Some count tin & lead as one kind of metal, while others distinguish quicksilver (hydrárgyros) from silver.

Stones are formed by a dry affection (i.e. earth), but metals are by a wet affection (i.e. water).

To alloy a metal is to mix it with another, less valuable, metal, e.g. lead. This produces compound metal, such as brass—which is usually alloyed with lead or tin. A recent contemporary metall alloy is steel—which is iron alloyed with brass.

Some notable precious stones & thier colors:

Precious Stone Color
Pearl White
Amethyst Opaque Red
Jacinth Opaque Blue
Chrysoprase Striped Yellow
Topaz Clear Yellow
Beryl Opaque Green
Chrysolyte (Peridot) Opaque Yellow
Sardius Clear Red
Onyx Striped Red
Emerald Clear Green
Calcedony Striped Green
Sapphire (Lapis Lazuli) Striped Blue
Jasper Clear Blue
Carbuncle (cf. Chalcedony)
Agate (cf. Jacinth)
Ligure (cf. Chrysoprase)
Opal (cf. Chrysoprase)
Diamond (cf. Jasper)

References

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Physics · Metaphysics · Philosophy