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Category Archives: Greek

What language(s) did Jesus speak

03 Monday Jan 2022

Posted by memoirandremains in Greek, New Testament Background

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Jesus spoke Greek, NT Background

This article by Sanghwan Lee contends that the linguistic onment in Galilee was not exclusively and perhaps not predominately Aramaic, and that Greek was used far more widely than some scholars have contended. The basic contention of the article is as follows:

“First, the ipsissima verba of Jesus preserved in the Gospels strongly indicate that Jesus, a Gali- lean carpenter, was able to speak Greek.20 Secondly, since a conversation requires at least two parties (locutor and interlocutor), those who listened to the ipsissima verba of Jesus must have understood Greek. Thirdly, the members of the Galilean Q community who wrote down sayings of Jesus (in the 30s–40s) must have been able to write in Greek.”

The argument and evidence can be found here.

Herodotus on Happiness

31 Tuesday Dec 2019

Posted by memoirandremains in Greek, Uncategorized

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Croesus, Happiness, Herodotus, Nemesis, Solon

Herodotus recounts a story of Croesus asking the Athenian lawgiver Solon about happiness. Croesus who was quite wealth and at ease appeared to be a “happy man.” So Croesus hoping to flatter himself asked Solon who was the happiest man in the world. When Solon did not say Croesus, Croesus asked for the second; again, not Croesus. This irritated Croesus: how can I not be the happiest man in the world. Solon explained that happiness cannot be known until we know the end of the story:

So, Croesus, man is entirely chance. [5] To me you seem to be very rich and to be king of many people, but I cannot answer your question before I learn that you ended your life well.

Solon then explains how the matter of chance interacts with the matter of wealth: wealth perhaps soften some blows of chance, but it cannot alone make one happy:

The very rich man is not more fortunate than the man who has only his daily needs, unless he chances to end his life with all well. Many very rich men are unfortunate, many of moderate means are lucky.

The man who is very rich but unfortunate surpasses the lucky man in only two ways, while the lucky surpasses the rich but unfortunate in many. The rich man is more capable of fulfilling his appetites and of bearing a great disaster that falls upon him, and it is in these ways that he surpasses the other. The lucky man is not so able to support disaster or appetite as is the rich man, but his luck keeps these things away from him, and he is free from deformity and disease, has no experience of evils, and has fine children and good looks.

And we cannot know how much wealth will matter, because even wealth cannot guarantee all things necessary.

If besides all this he ends his life well, then he is the one whom you seek, the one worthy to be called fortunate. But refrain from calling him fortunate before he dies; call him lucky. It is impossible for one who is only human to obtain all these things at the same time, just as no land is self-sufficient in what it produces. Each country has one thing but lacks another; whichever has the most is the best. Just so no human being is self-sufficient; each person has one thing but lacks another.

And so, it is only at death that we learn whether one is happy:

Whoever passes through life with the most and then dies agreeably is the one who, in my opinion, O King, deserves to bear this name. It is necessary to see how the end of every affair turns out, for the god promises fortune to many people and then utterly ruins them.

Then Croesus was to learn the tale himself:

By saying this, Solon did not at all please Croesus, who sent him away without regard for him, but thinking him a great fool, because he ignored the present good and told him to look to the end of every affair.  But after Solon’s departure divine retribution fell heavily on Croesus; as I guess, because he supposed himself to be blessed beyond all other men.

The Greek here is more explicit than Godley’s translation. It reads, “ μετὰ δὲ Σόλωνα οἰχόμενον ἔλαβέ ἐκ θεοῦ νέμεσις μεγάλη Κροῖσοv.” After Solon departed, Croesus received from God great Nemesis. Nemesis is the retribution due.  She is the goddess who brings downfall to the proud.

And so Croesus learned in his own life that Solon was corrected: wealth cannot guarantee happiness.

 

 

Second Century A.D., Pleading letter from a son to his mother

17 Thursday Oct 2019

Posted by memoirandremains in Greek, Greek Translation, New Testament Background, Uncategorized

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Greek, Greek Translation

The letter is found in Loeb vol. 266, Select Papyri and is number 120, “From a Penitent Son.” The translation and notes below are my own.

Antonius Longus

To his mother

tê mêtri: The article functions as a possessive pronoun: literally, the mother

many/much greeting(s).

I’m really happy to write to you!

I am always praying that you will be healthy.

Kai dia pantos euchomai. The thought is parallel to Paul’s greeting: 1 Thessalonians 1:2 (ESV), “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers.” The word for prayer in the letter emphasizes a pray for something. It has the connotation of wish: I want this for you.

I perform worship to Lord Serapis every single day.

Kat’ aikastên êmairan. I’m not quite sure what the word in modifying daily means, because it does not appear in the BDAG or the LSJ. From the context, I think it must be emphatic. Serapis was associated with healing.

I wish you to know that I did not hope to come to the metropolis

Hope: elipzô. A future anticipation. Again, some guess work here on how to translate this concept: it could be “expect”, as the Loeb has it.  But this young man sounds more pathetic and pleading than that. He could not even hope to be near his mother.

This is the reason that I did not come to the city.

Charein: reason, on this cause.

I felt shame to come to Karanis, because I walked around in an evil state.

He uses a verb which is not listed in the BDAG or the LSJ. It is built off of the word which mean “modesty” (he says he is naked, which would immodest); but the emphasis is worse here. His “evil state” could be “rotten” or disgusting. “I didn’t want to see you, because I’m disgusting.”

I wrote to you that I am naked.

The “I wrote” is spelled with an “ai” rather than an “ê”. The letter contains a number of such unusual spellings.

        I beg you mother, consider how I am.

Loeb has “be reconciled with me.” What verb he means here is unclear. There are two possible words based upon the spelling. One word me divide by lot, therefore (share) an inheritance. There is also the verb to consider.

It’s my fault. I have learned the right lesson from all this.

Literally, For the rest, I know that for myself I have caused [this]. I have learned that which is fit.

I know that I have done wrong.

Loeb has “I have sinned.” It is the verb translated in the NT as “sin”. But I am not certain that the theological connotation of the word is fitting here. The word means to err, miss the mark.

I heard about you from [name is missing]; that you were found in Arsinoite.  He [?] told me all about you.

He spoke of you accurately.

Don’t you know that I would rather be crippled than that I should someone else even a dollar?

The money is an “obol”. Crippled could be maimed, disfigured. This last bit rings true to life. Having spoke of himself pitifully throughout he ends with a final justification. I am guessing that acted foolishly, lost everything and is priding himself on not being debt — now.

Book Review: Advances in the Study of Greek

02 Saturday Feb 2019

Posted by memoirandremains in Book Review, Greek, Uncategorized

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Advances in the Study of Greek: New Insights for Reading the New Testament by [Campbell, Constantine R.]

Author: Constantine R. Campbell. Forward by D.A. Carson

The title gives away the theme: The book concerns the study of the Greek language, primarily the study of Koine Greek (the Greek of the New Testament). There are ten chapters: 1) A history of the study of Greek. 2) A brief overview of the linguistics and linguistic theories. 3) Lexicography. 4) The middle voice (is there such a thing as a deponent verb?). 5) Verbal Aspect and Aktionsart. 6) The nature of word choice by a particular writer (idiolect, genre and register) 7-8) Two chapters on discourse analysis (one chapter on Hallidayan & Levinsohn/Runge). 9) A chapter on Koine pronunciation. 10) A chapter on teaching Greek.

The book is well-written throughout. Campbell write clearly. A great strength of the book is his ability to summarize and introduce arcane or complex subjects with clarity and precision. For instance the second chapter on linguistic theories was written largely as an introduction to the subject. My understanding of linguistic and linguistic theory is was limited and scattered. However, I had no difficulty in following Campbell’s summary of the subject. Even in the areas where I did some experience (such as Saussure) were useful by putting the theories into context.

For each of the chapters, Campbell provided an overview of the historical development of the topic. The historical development is not merely for interest, but also to place the “advancement” into context.

Each element of the chapter is set forth sequentially. There are individual titles for each division and subdivision. These individual headings are set out the table of contents, which makes it easy to quickly find a particular topic. I purchased the electronic version of the book; the various headings were keyed to the text and the table of contents.

Campbell also uses well-formed charts to summarize areas of relationship (such as the areas of linguistic study or “discourse strands and indicative tense-form patterns”).

The limitation of the book is in the nature of the book: it is an overview of the historical development of the study of the Greek language. This means that no-one subject is thoroughly covered. However, at the end of every chapter, Campbell provides a helpful list of further reading.

One could read the book and learn a great deal about general subjects of linguistics, the history of the story of Greek, pedagogy, and discourse grammar without the ability to read Greek. Yet, the book is about the Greek language and it assumes a familiarity with Koine Greek, verb forms, et cetera. Campbell assumes the ability to read Greek.  However, if one has limited Greek reading ability, it would be possible to simple skip over such sections (there not many untranslated Greek quotations).

If there were an “ideal reader” of the book, I imagine it would be a student of the Greek language casting about for a general PhD topic. Campbell draws out the various strands of Greek study and leaves them at the open issues for further study.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. However, this book is not for everyone (as is evidenced by the topic). .

I will mention elements from the various chapters in other posts

Euripides, Hebuca.2

04 Saturday Mar 2017

Posted by memoirandremains in Greek, Greek Translation, Uncategorized

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Euripides, Greek Translation, Hebuca, poem, Poetry

Lines 11-20

My father quietly sent a fortune

In gold with me, that should the Illian wall

Crash down, those living would not lack for life.

I was the youngest son of Priam’s house

And he sent me secretly from the land.

Of course, I did not carry any arms

Not even a lance, so young were my arms.

For as long as the boundaries stood secure,

The Towers of Troy upright and unshattered,

And Hector my brother’s spear saw good luck,

Then that man, my father’s Thracian friend,

Well cared for me, so I raised up like a tree.

 

πολὺν δὲ σὺν ἐμοὶ χρυσὸν ἐκπέμπει λάθρᾳ

πατήρ, ἵνʼ, εἴ ποτʼ Ἰλίου τείχη πέσοι,

τοῖς ζῶσιν εἴη παισὶ μὴ σπάνις βίου.

νεώτατος δʼ ἦ Πριαμιδῶν, ὃ καί με γῆς

ὑπεξέπεμψεν· οὔτε γὰρ φέρειν ὅπλα

[15] οὔτʼ ἔγχος οἷός τʼ ἦ νέῳ βραχίονι.

ἕως μὲν οὖν γῆς ὄρθʼ ἔκειθʼ ὁρίσματα

πύργοι τʼ ἄθραυστοι Τρωικῆς ἦσαν χθονὸς

Ἕκτωρ τʼ ἀδελφὸς οὑμὸς εὐτύχει δορί,

καλῶς παρʼ ἀνδρὶ Θρῃκὶ πατρῴῳ ξένῳ

[20] τροφαῖσιν ὥς τις πτόρθος ηὐξόμην, τάλας·

 

Euripides, Euripidis Fabulae, Ed. Gilbert Murray, Vol. 1, ed. Gilbert Murray (Medford, MA: Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1902).

 

 

Euripides, Hecuba.1

02 Thursday Mar 2017

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Euripides, Greek, Greek Translation, Hecuba, poem, Poetry

Here is the first lines of Polydorus’ introduction to the play Hecuba.

Polydorus

I have come, leaving the depths of the dead,

From the Dark Gates, where Hades dwells apart

From other gods. I am Polydorus

The son of Hecuba, of Cisseus;

Priam my father. After Priam feared

That danger from the Hellenes spear would fall

Upon the Phrygian City of Troy,

He secretly sent me from our land

To the home of his Thracian guest-friend

Polymenstor, who farms Chersone’s fair plain

And rules a horse-loving people by spear.

 

Πολυδώρου εἴδωλον

Ἥκω νεκρῶν κευθμῶνα καὶ σκότου πύλας

λιπών, ἵνʼ Ἅιδης χωρὶς ᾤκισται θεῶν,

Πολύδωρος, Ἑκάβης παῖς γεγὼς τῆς Κισσέως

Πριάμου τε πατρός, ὅς μʼ, ἐπεὶ Φρυγῶν πόλιν

[5] κίνδυνος ἔσχε δορὶ πεσεῖν Ἑλληνικῷ,

δείσας ὑπεξέπεμψε Τρωικῆς χθονὸς

Πολυμήστορος πρὸς δῶμα Θρῃκίου ξένου,

ὃς τήν<δʼ> ἀρίστην Χερσονησίαν πλάκα

σπείρει, φίλιππον λαὸν εὐθύνων δορί.

 

Euripides, Euripidis Fabulae, Ed. Gilbert Murray, Vol. 1, ed. Gilbert Murray (Medford, MA: Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1902).

 

 

Iphigenia in Aulis (Euripides)

25 Saturday Feb 2017

Posted by memoirandremains in Greek, Greek Translation, Uncategorized

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Euripides, Greek Translation, poem, Poetry

In this scene, the slave of Agamemnon is carrying a letter which could jeopardize the progress of the Greek armed trip against Troy (it is to stop the sacrifice of Agamemnon’s daughter to satisfy Artemis). Menelaus, the husband of Helen, and thus the one who most personally desires the war against Troy, stops the slave and tries to take the letter away from him.

It is interesting how strong the slave stands against a king in this short scene. The original Greek is set forth below the translation. As the original is verse, I worked the translation out as blank verse. I have tried to maintain some of the wordplay of Euripides.

 

Slave:

Menelaus, dang’rously you dare

Such things as you should never dare.

 

Menelaus

Back off: you’re far too loyal to your lord.

 

Slave:

Honor for me by your spite to be despised

 

Menelaus:

Tears for you if you do such things as you

Should never do.

 

Slave:

                                    It’s not for you to pry

Into this message which here I bear.

 

Menelaus:

Nor you to bear this evil for the Greeks.

 

Slave:

Others will contend about these things

But you, release this scroll to me.

 

Menelaus:

I will never move.

 

Slave:

                                    I will never go.

 

Menelaus:

Well then, my scepter soon will bleed your crown.

 

Slave:

What fame to die in service of my lord.

 

Menelaus:

Such big words for such a slave to spout –move!

 

Slave:

O Master, we shall be defamed — the letter!

By violence torn, without the will of right,

From out my very hand, Agamemnon.

 

 

Πρεσβύτης

Μενέλαε, τολμᾷς δείνʼ, ἅ σʼ ουʼ τολμᾶν χρεών.

Μενέλαος

ἄπελθε· λίαν δεσπόταισι πιστὸς εἶ.

Πρεσβύτης

[305] καλόν γέ μοι τοὔνειδος ἐξωνείδισας.

Μενέλαος

κλαίοις ἄν, ειʼ πράσσοις ἃ μὴ πράσσειν σε δεῖ.

Πρεσβύτης

ουʼ χρῆν σε λῦσαι δέλτον, ἣν ἐγὼ ʼφερον.

Μενέλαος

οὐδέ γε φέρειν σὲ πᾶσιν Ἕλλησιν κακά.

Πρεσβύτης

ἄλλοις ἁμιλλῶ ταῦτʼ· ἄφες δὲ τήνδʼ ἐμοί.

Μενέλαος

[310] οὐκ ἂν μεθείμην.

Πρεσβύτης

οὐδʼ ἔγωγʼ ἀφήσομαι.

Μενέλαος

σκήπτρῳ τάχʼ ἆρα σὸν καθαιμάξω κάρα.

Πρεσβύτης

ἀλλʼ εὐκλεές τοι δεσποτῶν θνῄσκειν ὕπερ.

Μενέλαος

μέθες· μακροὺς δὲ δοῦλος ὢν λέγεις λόγους.

Πρεσβύτης

ὦ δέσποτʼ, ἀδικούμεσθα. σὰς δʼ ἐπιστολὰς

[315] ἐξαρπάσας ὅδʼ ἐκ χερῶν ἐμῶν βίᾳ,

Ἀγάμεμνον, οὐδὲν τῇ δίκῃ χρῆσθαι θέλει.

 

Euripides, Euripidis Fabulae, Ed. Gilbert Murray, Vol. 3, ed. Gilbert Murray (Medford, MA: Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1913).

Marcus Aurelius, The Emperor to Himself (Meditations), Book 1 Complete

19 Monday Dec 2016

Posted by memoirandremains in Greek, Greek Translation, Marcus Aurelius, Philosophy, Uncategorized

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Greek, Greek Translation, Marcus Aurelius, Philosophy, Stoicism

A translation of book 1 of The Emperor to Himself , a principle source text for the philosophy of Stoicism may be found here: meditations-book-1

Rather than a discussion of how to live, Marcus begins with a discussion of what he has received from others (friends, family and the gods).

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 17.5-6, A Life According to Nature

14 Wednesday Dec 2016

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Greek, Greek Translation, Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Philosophy

I came quickly to appoint honors for those who cared for me, which they certainly desired me to do. I didn’t ignore their hope for such help from me, because they were also young.

I had a clear understanding of life according to Nature and of what it entails:  in as much as depends upon the gods and the communications from them, their assistance and inspiration; and there was nothing to hinder me from a life which accords with Nature; so that failure was my own fault — and also from not paying careful attention to the reminders (almost the instructions) of the gods .

Greek Text and Notes:

Continue reading →

Marcus Aurelius, Book I, 17.4, Family Matters

13 Tuesday Dec 2016

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Greek, Greek Text, Greek Translation, Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

The previous section of this translation may be found here

I happened to have such a brother who always able to help me have proper concern for myself; and also to cheer me with respect and love.

That my children were not born stupid or deformed.

That I didn’t make more progress in rhetoric or poetry — other like concerns — because if I did I would have been consumed by them if I thought I was doing well.

Greek Text and Notes:

Continue reading →

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