Chapter 9

One must know that in the matter of equivocal terms there are three things to be asked: whether the term is equivocal, how many meanings it has, and of which of these it is a question. Now, first of all, it must be explained what an equivocal term is. Terms are equivocal when two or more things have one name, while each one of them has a different meaning, that is to say, takes a different definition. Such is the case with the term genusf for genus is of the number of equivocal terms. Thus, first of all, that is called a genus which is from a place of origin or from a progenitor, and both of these in two ways: either proximately or remotely. It is from the place of origin proximately, as when a person from Jerusalem is called a Hierosolymite, but remotely, as with a Palestinian from Palestine. Similarly, it is from the proximate progenitor, as when Achilles is called Peleides, because he was the son of Peleus; while it is from the more remote, as when Achilles is called Aeacides from his grandfather Aeacus—for the latter was the father of Peleus. Then, again, that relationship is called genus which exists between a person and his several descendants, as when all those descending from Israel are called Israelites. Now, these aforementioned kinds of genus are of no concern to the philosophers.

Again, that is called genus to which the species is subaltern. For example, under animal come man, the horse, and other species; hence, the animal is a genus. It is with this kind of genus that the philosophers are concerned and we define it by saying that genus is that which is predicated in respect to their essence of several things differing in species. Thus, animal, which is a genus, is predicated essentially of man, the horse, the ox, and a number of other things, all of which differ from one another in species. For the species of man is one thing, whereas that of the horse is another, and that of the ox is still another. The genus is predicated as to what something is, for, when we are asked what a man is, we reply that he is an animal. The same is true with the horse, because, when we are asked what it is, we reply that it is an animal. Thus, genus is that to which the species is subaltern. (And again, genus is that which is divided into species.) For genus is divided into species, is more general than the species, contains the species, and is higher than they.

Now, one should know that the more general is said to be superior, while the more particular is said to be inferior and is subject to predication. Thus, there are things which are subject with respect to existence. Such is substance, because it is subject with respect to the existence of the accident, since the accident subsists in it. There is also that which is subject with respect to predication, and this is the particular. For the genus is predicated of the species as the species is of the individuals. It is clear, however, that the genus is more general than the species, as the species is more general than the individual. In what follows we shall with the help of God learn more accurately about these things. But, now that we have discussed genus, let us also discuss species.

{Περὶ γένους.} Ἰστέον, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν ὁμωνύμων τρία δεῖ ζητεῖν. Ἐάν ἐστι τῶν ὁμωνύμων, καὶ πόσα σημαίνει καὶ περὶ ποίου αὐτῶν ἐστιν ὁ λόγος. Δεῖ οὖν πρότερον εἰπεῖν, τί ἐστιν ὁμώνυμον. Ὁμώνυμα οὖν εἰσιν, ὅταν δύο ἢ καὶ πλείονα ἓν ἔχουσιν ὄνομα, ἕκαστον δὲ αὐτῶν ἄλλο τι σημαίνει καὶ ἄλλης οὐσίας ἐστὶν ἤγουν ἕτερον ὁρισμὸν δέχεται, ὡς καὶ νῦν ἐπὶ τοῦ γένους: τὸ γὰρ γένος τῶν ὁμωνύμων ἐστί. Λέγεται γὰρ γένος πρῶτον μὲν τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς πατρίδος καὶ τοῦ τεκόντος, καὶ ἕκαστον αὐτῶν διχῶς: ἢ προσεχῶς ἢ πόῤῥω. Ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς προσεχοῦς πατρίδος, ὡς λέγεταί τις Ἱεροσολυμίτης, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς πόῤῥω Παλαιστινός. Ὁμοίως ἀπὸ τοῦ προσεχοῦς τεκόντος, ὡς ὅταν ὁ Ἀχιλλεὺς υἱὸς ὢν τοῦ Πηλέως λέγεται Πηλεΐδης, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ πόῤῥω, ὡς ὅταν ὁ αὐτὸς Ἀχιλλεὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ πάππου αὐτοῦ Αἰακοῦ Αἰακίδης: οὗτος γὰρ ἦν τοῦ Πηλέως πατήρ. Λέγεται πάλιν γένος ἡ ἑνὸς πρὸς πολλοὺς τοὺς ἐξ αὐτοῦ σχέσις, ὡς ὅταν πάντες οἱ ἔχοντες τὸ καταγώγιον ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ λέγονται Ἰσραηλῖται. Περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν προειρημένων γενῶν οὐκ ἔστι λόγος τοῖς φιλοσόφοις. Λέγεται πάλιν γένος, ᾧ ὑποτάσσεται τὸ εἶδος, οἷον ὑπὸ τὸ ζῷόν ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ἵππος καὶ ἕτερα εἴδη: τὸ οὖν ζῷον γένος ἐστί. Περὶ τούτου τοῦ γένους παρὰ τοῖς φιλοσόφοις ὁ λόγος. Γένος οὖν ἐστι τὸ κατὰ πλειόνων καὶ διαφερόντων τῷ εἴδει ἐν τῷ τί ἐστι κατηγορούμενον, ὥσπερ τὸ ζῷον γένος ὂν κατηγορεῖται ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἵππου καὶ βοὸς καὶ ἄλλων πλειόνων ἐν τῷ τί ἐστιν, ἅτινα τῷ εἴδει διαφέρουσιν ἀλλήλων: ἕτερον γὰρ εἶδος ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἄλλο ἵππου καὶ ἄλλο βοός. Ἐν τῷ τί δέ ἐστι κατηγορεῖται. Ἐρωτώμενοι γὰρ ‘τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος’, φαμὲν ‘ζῷον’. Ὁμοίως καὶ ἵππος: ἐρωτώμενοι ‘τί ἐστιν’, λέγομεν‘ ζῷον’. Ὥστε γένος ἐστίν, ᾧ ὑπόκειται τὸ εἶδος. Τὸ γὰρ γένος εἰς εἴδη διαιρεῖται καὶ καθολικώτερον τοῦ εἴδους ἐστὶ καὶ περιέχει τὰ εἴδη καὶ ἐπάνω αὐτῶν ἐστιν. Χρὴ γὰρ γινώσκειν, ὡς ἐπάνω λέγεται τὸ καθολικώτερον, ὑποκάτω δὲ καὶ ὑποκείμενον πρὸς κατηγορίαν τὸ μερικώτερον. Ἔστι γὰρ ὑποκείμενον πρὸς ὕπαρξιν ὡς ἡ οὐσία, ὑπόκειται γὰρ πρὸς ὕπαρξιν τῷ συμβεβηκότι: ἐν αὐτῇ γὰρ ὑφίσταται τὸ συμβεβηκός. Καὶ ἔστιν ὑποκείμενον πρὸς κατηγορίαν τὸ μερικόν: κατηγορεῖται γὰρ τὸ μὲν γένος τοῦ εἴδους καὶ τὸ εἶδος τῶν ἀτόμων. Δῆλον δὲ ὡς καθολικώτερόν ἐστι τὸ γένος τοῦ εἴδους καὶ τὸ εἶδος τῶν ἀτόμων, περὶ ὧν ἀκριβέστερον ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς σὺν θεῷ μαθησόμεθα. Νῦν δὲ εἰπόντες περὶ τοῦ γένους εἴπωμεν καὶ περὶ τοῦ εἴδους.