November 23, 2006: Tracking Down a Source

It began when I found the following quote attributed to Plotinus:

Τό γάρ ϊχνος τόυ άμόρφου μορφή

I had two problems:

1. I wanted to track down the translation
2. I wanted specific source information

The Perseus online Greek dictionary helped me with the first. Once I got from ϊχνος to "trace," I was able to home in on a translation of the phrase: "Form is only the trace of that which has no form." I also had a specific location in the Enneads: VI, 7, 33. The only problem was that the phrase was not in my copy! It was only after a Google Book Search led me to Plotinus Or the Simplicity of Vision, by Pierre Hadot, that I was able to track the source to a specific line. I then discovered that, while my copy had the same translator that was cited for the phrase (MacKenna), that copy was a newer translation. In the new edition the phrase came out as: "Shape is an impress from the unshaped." I do not think I could have solved this problem with Google, but it was still a tough fight!