The Methodism of Caelius Aurelianus 327
of internal bleedings), there is no impediment to it, and itispossible to
proceed on the basis of a sufficient degree of certainty about these entities.
5 conclusion
To the best of my knowledge, passages like those just quoted are without
parallel in Soranus, and it is tempting to believe that they represent a
further development in Methodism. Yet bearing in mind what was said
earlier about the difficulties involved in comparing Soranus with Caelius,
we should be careful here not to overstate the case. Moreover, especially
in the case of definitions, and to a lesser extent also in the case of causal
explanations, we see Caelius actually appealing to Soranus for support and
quoting Soranic definitions and statements about causes. Hence in these
cases the explanatory scenario of ‘tensions inherent in Methodism as such’
would seem to present itself as more plausible; it may remain a matter
of opinion whether these tensions are real or can be solved, mitigated or
at least appreciated, along the lines of what I have called the criterion of
relevance.
Against this, one might still argue that these appeals to Soranus concern
Soranus as he appears in Caelius Aurelianus, who may have created his own
image of his great precursor to make it suit his own version of Methodism
(comparable to the way in which Galen created his image of Hippocrates for
his own purposes); and it would certainly be worth examining in what types
of context Soranus is quoted, and what (rhetorical) reasons underly Caelius’
practice of quoting him (and other authorities).^100 Yet for the present it
seems preferable to refrain from such developmental speculations:neque
ualde nobis de hoc certandum est, ne in occulta quaestione uersemur.^101
(^100) On this question, see van der Eijk ( 1999 c). (^101) Acut. 2. 34. 183.