Agreed, it’s better English. Present tense makes your “fight it out” difficult to me, though it would motivate the δια- as to completion. Here it’s got to be separation. Lit. “he told them to contest with one another”. But understanding Gibson is far less interesting than deciding between the two possible Greek constructions.
Deleted. But I stand by what I have said.
Okay. I never saw it. Implying that you were reading the Loeb for your understanding of Theon was a low blow on my part, and I apologize for that. You were right to say that was beneath me.