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For links to many more fragments: The Orphic Fragments of Otto Kern.

SUMMARY: Fragment 68 states that Orpheus calls Time the first cause of all things.

68. (50) σχόλιον Πρόκλου επί Κρατύλου Πλάτωνος 396 b. c p. 59, 14 Pasqu.:

ὅτι τὸν Κρόνον διὰ τὸ ἀμέριστον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἑνιαῖον καὶ πατρικὸν καὶ ἀγαθουργὸν ἐν τοῖς νοεροῖς εἰς ταὐτόν τινες ἄγουσι τῇ μιᾷ τῶν πάντων αἰτίᾳ, οὐ καλῶς λέγοντες· ἀναλογεῖ γὰρ αὐτῇ μόνον, ὡς καὶ Ὀρφεὺς τὴν πρώτην πάντων αἰτίαν Χρόνον καλεῖ ὁμωνύμως σχεδὸν τῷ Κρόνῳ, αἱ δὲ θεοπαράδοτοι φῆμαι (Kroll De or. Chald. 16 s.) τὴν θεότητα ταύτην τῷ ἅπαξ χαρακτηρίζουσιν λέγουσαι ἅπαξ ἐπέκεινα· τὸ γὰρ ἅπαξ τῷ ἑνὶ συγγενές.

“On account of his indivisible, unitary, patrilineal, and propitious affiliation to the noetic, some declare Krónos (Κρόνος) to be identical to the unique cause of all things, but this is not rightly said; for he is only analogous (to the one responsible for all things), so Orphéfs (Ὀρφεὺς) calls the first cause of all Khrónos (Chronos or Time, Χρόνος), having almost the same name as Krónos (Cronos, Κρόνος); yet the oracles delivered by God (Kroll De or. Chald. 16 s.), characterize this divinity ‘once’ when saying ‘once beyond;’ for this ‘once’ is of the same family as the one. ” (trans. by the author)

Cf. σχόλιον Πρόκλου επί Κρατύλου Πλάτωνος 396 c p. 66, 28 Pasqu.:

ὅτι ὁ μὲν Ὀρφεὺς πολὺ τῆς τῶν μύθων ἐξουσίας ἀπολέλαυκεν, καὶ πάντα τὰ πρὸ τοῦ Οὐρανοῦ μέχρι | ^{67 Pasqu.} τῆς πρωτίστης αἰτίας ὀνόμασιν ἐδήλωσεν, καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ἄρρητον καὶ τῶν νοητῶν ἑνάδων ἐκβεβηκὸς Χρόνον προσείρηκεν, εἴθ' ὅτι πάσης γενέσεως αἴτιον προϋπάρχον, εἴτε [ὅτι del. Pasqu.; εἴθ' ὅτι codd.] τὰ ὄντως ὄντα γινόμενα παραδιδούς (παραδίδωσι Kroll, qui ὅτι servat), ἵνα τὴν τάξιν ἐνδείξηται αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν τῶν ὁλικωτέρων πρὸς τὰ μερικώτερα ὑπεροχήν, ἵνα ᾖ ταὐτὸν τὸ κατὰ χρόνον τῷ κατ' αἰτίαν, ὥσπερ ἡ γένεσις τῇ τεταγμένῃ προόδῳ,

“Indeed, Orphéfs (Ὀρφεὺς) enjoyed great benefit from license accorded to the myths, and has disclosed the names of all those (deities) coming before Ouranós (Οὐρανός) extending even so far as to the first cause. And of the Ἄρρητος (unspoken) itself, and of the intelligible henads advancing forward, (these two) he calls Khrónos (Time). Either that (Time) is the causal beginning of all generation, or he (Ὀρφεὺς) is presenting the actually existing things as being generated, this in order to point out their arrangement and the preeminence of the universal (deities, as distinct) from the particular, in order that the succession of time is identical to causal succession, even as this genesis is likened with ordered procession.” (trans. by the author)

in σχόλιον Πρόκλου επὶ Παρμενίδου Πλάτωνος 141 a VII p. 1224, 33 Cous.²; in σχόλιον Πρόκλου επὶ Τιμαίου Πλάτωνος 28 b (I 280, 22 Diehl), 30 a (I 385, 20 Diehl);

Περὶ τῆς κατὰ Πλάτωνα θεολογίας Πρόκλου I 28 p. 68, 2:

τοῖς μὲν γὰρ Ὀρφικοῖς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸ πρώτιστον αἴτιον Χρόνος πρσείρηται;

“For whereas in the Orphica, also for this reason, renders the very first cause to be Khrónos (Time).” (trans. by the author)

σχόλιον Συριανοῦ τὰ μετὰ τὰ φυσικά τοῦ Ἀριστοτέλους B 4 p. 1000 a 19 p. 1000 a 19 (43, 23 Kr.):

Χρόνον δὲ καὶ Ὀρφεὺς τὸ πρῶτον ἐκάλει.

“And Orphéfs (Ὀρφεὺς) also calls Khrónos (Time) the first.” (trans. by the author)

The story of the birth of the Gods: Orphic Theogony.

We know the various qualities and characteristics of the Gods based on metaphorical stories: Mythology.

Dictionary of terms related to ancient Greek mythology: Glossary of Hellenic Mythology.

Introduction to the Thæí (the Gods): The Nature of the Gods.

How do we know there are Gods? Experiencing Gods.