BIOGRAPHY OF OCELLUS LUCANUS

Practically nothing is known of the life of Ocellus, except that Iamblichus mentions the name of his brother Ocillus, and his sister Byndacis, all Pythagorean philosophers. In the biography of Archytas we read his writings were preserved by his family, so we may assume he returned home, after studying Pythagoreanism.

His significance, however, is great, for those letters of Plato witness how much he sought them, and that he indeed received some of them. Of the books that we have, Philo Judaeus reedited the first, in his writing on the Incorruptibility of the World. The second was used, almost word for word by Aristotle, in his tract on Generation and Corruption; and the fourth was used word for word by Iamblichus in his Life of Pythagoras. Ocellus was therefore much appreciated, and a very useful writer.

In his way, Archytas was almost as useful to Aristotle, in fragments: 6, 8, 1, 11, 17 (4), (5), (8 ); 9 (2), (4), (9), (10); 32; etc....

The truth is that Pythagoreanism was bodily adapted by Plato and Aristotle, who thereby made their fortunes. Pythagoreanism was an unselfish inspiration; and not until these fragments are united has it been possible to pass through Plato and Aristotle, to the real spring of Greek philosophy. As an instance, Plato wrote his Timaeus as an amplification of the book of the Pythagorean's [Locrian] Timaeus's tract which has been preserved along with Plato's works.