Posts by Don

Greek text: Usener edition

6

ἕνεκα τοῦ θαρρεῖν ἐξ ανθρώπων ἦν κατὰ φύσιν ἀρχῆς καὶ βασιλείας ἀγαθόν, ἐξ ὧν ἄν ποτε τοῦτο οἷός τʼᾖ παρασκευάζεσθαι.

• Ἕνεκα
  • ἕνεκᾰ
    • (with genitive)
      • on account of, for the sake of, because of
      • with regard to, as far as regards, as for
• τοῦ θαρρεῖν
  • θαρσέω to be of good courage, take courage; confidence, audacity
    • θαρρεῖν present active infinitive
    • C. inf. to believe confidently that, Soph.; also, to make bold or venture to do, Xen.
• ἀρχῆς καὶ βασιλείας
• https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?do…57:entry=a)rxh/
• https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?do…ntry=basilei/a2
• ἐξ ἀνθρώπων
  • "from humans/people/mankind"
• ἦν κατὰ φύσιν ἀγαθόν,
  • κατὰ + accusative:
    • downwards
    • along, through, in
    • towards
    • during
    • for, for the purpose of
    • according to, in conformity with
  • φύσιν ἀγαθόν = "natural good (something doing good practical service to one)"
• ἐξ ὧν ἄν ποτε τοῦτο οἷός
  • ὧν masculine/feminine/neuter genitive plural of ὅς who, which, that
  • ἄν particle, expresses potentiality "in that case"
  • ποτε (adverb) at some time (or other), at one time
  • οἶος m (feminine οἴᾱ, neuter οἶον); first/second declension
    • only, single
• τ’ ᾖ παρασκευάζεσθαι.
  • παρασκευάζω.
    • A. to get ready, prepare, Hdt., attic
      • 2. to provide, procure, to get up, Dem.
      • 3. to make or render so and so, with a Part. or adj., π. τινὰ εὖ ἔχοντα, π. τινὰ ὅτι βέλτιστον Xen.; c. inf., π. τινὰ ὡς μὴ ποιεῖν to accustom him not to do, id=Xen.;—so, π. ὅπως ὡς βέλτισται ἔσονται αἱ ψυχαί Plat.
      • 4. absol. to make one's friend, Dem.
    • B. Mid. and Pass.:
      • I. in proper sense of Mid., to get ready or prepare for oneself, Hdt., attic
      • 2. in Oratt. to procure witnesses and partisans, so as to obtain a false verdict (cf. παρασκευή 1. 3):—absol. to form a party, intrigue, Dem.:—so in Act., Xen.
        II. in Mid., absol. to prepare oneself, make preparations, Hdt., attic
      • 2. perf. παρεσκεύασμαι is mostly pass. to be ready, be prepared, Hdt., attic; παρεσκευάσθαι τί to be provided with a thing, Plat.:—impers., ὡς παρεσκεύαστο when preparations had been made, Thuc.
    • fut. άσω. Pass., perf. παρεσκεύασμαι

Exactly, kochiekoch , thanks for bringing that up! It's still 1st or 2nd century CE when there were still practicing Epicureans. In fact:

2 Timothy 3 Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament

φιλήδονοι, lovers of pleasure) An epithet of the Epicureans. Pleasure destroys the love and sense of God. Such are our Epicureans.

Bengel was writing in the 1600s:

Johann Albrecht Bengel - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I had the thought this evening that with some of the Vatican Sayings being copies (or near copies) of passages from Kyriai Doxai (Principal Doctrines), it would be good to compare what order the VS gives the KDs that it includes. Furthermore, we can probably confirm that the VS/KD passages were also "standalone" passages in KD itself. Also, we read the Vatican Sayings (or as they're titled in the manuscript, "Epicurus's Declaration") in isolation because they are headed that way, with red initial letters. Maybe we should examine them to for any similar groups of like topics. Translations are Saint-Andre's.

Note that, as usual, the correct idea of the gods is first! Just like Principle Doctrines, just like the letter to Menoikeus.

VS = KD

1 = 1

That which is blissful and immortal has no troubles itself, nor does it cause trouble for others, so that it is not affected by anger or gratitude (for all such things come about through weakness).

2 = 2

Death is nothing to us; for what has disintegrated lacks awareness, and what lacks awareness is nothing to us.

3 = 4

Pain does not last continuously in the flesh; instead, the sharpest pain lasts the shortest time, a pain that exceeds bodily pleasure lasts only a few days, and diseases that last a long time involve delights that exceed their pains.

5 = 5

It is not possible to live joyously without also living wisely and beautifully and rightly, nor to live wisely and beautifully and rightly without living joyously; and whoever lacks this cannot live joyously.

6 = 25

If at all critical times you do not connect each of your actions to the natural goal of life, but instead turn too soon to some other kind of goal in thinking whether to avoid or pursue something, then your thoughts and your actions will not be in harmony.

8 = 15

Natural wealth is both limited and easy to acquire, but the riches incited by groundless opinion have no end.

12 = 17

One who acts aright is utterly steady and serene, whereas one who goes astray is full of trouble and confusion.

13 = 27

Of all the things that wisdom provides for the complete happiness of one's entire life, by far the greatest is friendship.

20 = 29

Among desires, some are natural and necessary, some are natural and unnecessary, and some are unnatural and unnecessary (arising instead from groundless opinion).

22 = 19

Finite time and infinite time contain the same amount of joy, if its limits are measured out through reasoning.

49 = 12

It is impossible for someone who is completely ignorant about nature to wash away his fears about the most important matters if he retains some suspicions about the myths. So it is impossible to experience undiluted enjoyment without studying what is natural.

50 = 8

No pleasure is bad in itself; but the means of paying for some pleasures bring with them disturbances many times greater than the pleasures themselves.

72 = 13

It is useless to be safe from other people while retaining suspicions about what is above and below the earth and in general about the infinite unknown.

Great find!!!

The word in Greek is φιλήδονος (philēdonos) from φίλος (philos) and ἡδονή (hēdonē) or in the plural φιλήδονοι.

Textus Receptus

3:4 προδόται προπετεῖς τετυφωμένοι φιλήδονοι μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόθεοι (philotheoi)

I literally just checked my Daff Moon app and saw that today is the 20th day in the moon's cycle. So, happy "celestial" 20th to everyone!

Daff Moon Phase - Apps on Google Play

Current Moon phase, rise/set time and positions of the Moon, Sun and planets

play.google.com

Offering the following for food for thought...

What's the difference, if any, among the following:

• Pleasurable life
• Pleasure-filled life
• Life of pleasure
• Life of well-being
• Well-being
• Happy life
• Joyous life
• Blessed life

"Pleasure is not a four-letter word!"

In French:

https://journals.openedition.org/philosant/pdf/3044

From P. Gordon: Epicurus in Lycia.

[CASSIUS ADMIN NOTE: Thanks to Don for finding these two articles by Julie Giovacchini. At present I only have the second in google translate form (see post below) but they look to contain a lot of interesting information and deserve a thread of their own - especially the one linked in post 2 below.]

Gal. (Galen) and the tetrapharmakos

(Suggest using Google Translate for French website)

Quote from Cassius

I don't see what he is citing as a reference for the usage as to Epicurus two except the text from Philodemus, so is one of these words transcribed above translated as tetrapharmakos?

The word starts at the end of the first line of the manuscript image:

...... ΤΕΤΡΑΦΑΡ[ΜΑ]

ΚΟΣ ....

It's from Herculaneum manuscript P.Herc.1005.

Here's the full page/column, engraved 1844-1861 by Vincenzo Corazza

μνη[σθεὶς τῶν λόγων δεδει-]

γμέ[ν]ω̣ν καὶ τῶν [σοι] εὖ

γε̣[γ]ο̣νότ̣ων τόδε π[άλιν]

ἐπιλογίζου καὶ κ[ενὰ]

περὶ τοῦ̣ μέλλοντο[ς νό-]

[μ]ιζε καὶ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣[ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣]

[κ]αὶ πα̣νταχῆι παρει̣ρ[η-]

μένο̣[ν] ἡ τετραφάρμα-

κος· 'ἄφοβον ὁ θεός, ἀν[ύ-]

ποπτον ὁ θάνατος καὶ

τἀγαθὸν μὲν εὔκτητ̣ο̣ν̣,

τὸ δὲ δεινὸν εὐεκκα[ρ-]

τέρητον.' οὓς δ' ἐκ τῶν

βυβλίων φησὶν ἐκφέ-

ρει̣ν ἀν[α]λογισμούς,

ταύτας εἴσει τὰς λέξει̣ς

ἀν̣ταποδόσεις δώδ[ε]κ' [ἢ]

πεντ[ε]καίδεκα Μ[ ̣ ̣ ̣]ΙΣ[ ̣]

ΠΩ[ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣]ΡΕΙ[⁦ -ca.?- ⁩]

The four lines of the tetrapharmakos are underlined.

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, Τ , τετρα^φα^λαγγ-ία , τετρα^φάρμα^κος

That's the Liddell and Scott entry for the 1940 edition: Henry George Liddell. Robert Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by. Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1940.

See also

Tetrapharmacum - Wikipedia

Quote from Randall Moose

One of my favorite Epicurean quotes is Vatican Saying 52, "Friendship dances around the world, bidding us all to awaken to the recognition of happiness."

That's one of my favorites, too, and knowing a little about the ancient Greek original text makes it even better in my opinion.

ἡ φιλία περιχορεύει τὴν οἰκουμένην κηρύττουσα δὴ πᾶσιν ἡμῖν ἐγείρεσθαι ἐπὶ τὸν μακαρισμόν.

(hē philia perikhoreuei tēn oikoumenēn kēruttousa dē pasin hēmin egeiresthai epi ton makarismon.)

ἡ φιλία is friendship, love, affection for others

περιχορεύει, usually just translated as "dances around" is deeper than just that. Peri- is the "around" part, seen in English in perimeter "measure around." But the -χορεύει part means "to be the member of a chorus, taking part in the choral dance of ancient Greek drama." So the word itself implies taking part in a group dance, dancing around joyfully with others.

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, χορ-εύω

οἰκουμένην is the whole inhabited world and is related to the word meaning house (oikos).

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, οἰκουμέν-η

κηρύττουσα means

• To be a herald or auctioneer
• To make a proclamation as herald
• (transitive) To summon by herald
• (transitive) To proclaim, announce
• (transitive) To command someone publicly to do something (with infinitive or dative of thing)
• It's the same word used in the New Testament to mean "To preach the gospel"

μακαρισμόν is usually translated elsewhere as blessedness, supreme happiness, and is actually related directly to the word used to describe the gods in PD1

#619. How Thinking About Death Can Improve Your Life | Alua Arthur — Ten Percent Happier

Death isn’t the most appetizing topic, but contemplating mortality can be a massive source of motivation, perspective, and even stress relief. In this episode,…

www.tenpercent.com

#619. How Thinking About Death Can Improve Your Life | Alua Arthur

In this episode we talk about:

• How death can be a powerful motivator
• How consistently being aware that you’re going to die can be a “stress reliever”
• The utility of imagining your ideal death
• Her view on reincarnation
• How the concept of “healing” can sometimes be used as a weapon against ourselves
• The importance of not leaving things unsaid
• How “hope” at the end of life can sometimes be unhelpful
• What surprises her about death
• How her work helped her out of her depression
• The five steps that you should take when confronting your own death
• The harm that can sometimes result from too much medical intervention toward the end of life
• The often fraught relationship that vulnerable and marginalized people can have with the medical community
• The benefits of thinking about what version of yourself you want to meet on your deathbed
• The death meditation that she uses when working with people
• What to say and do when you are with somebody who is grieving
• And a practice she calls, “The dying things exercise”

See also TED Talk:

Alua Arthur: Why thinking about death helps you live a better life https://www.ted.com/talks/alua_art…e_a_better_life

Tufte's the Big Dog when it comes to data visualization.

Edward Tufte - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I'm a sucker for chapter and verse. I was going to suggest chapter numbers instead of headers so we could have things like Principle Doctrines 2:5 but that's just me. The idea of marginal topics is a nice idea.

Quote from Nate

I just wanted to share an early draft of my attempt. Ignore the translations and groupings; I am still fine-tuning them. Mainly, I meant to to copy the visual styles of my preferred copy of the Bible (The NRSV). Here are the first two pages:

That is a gorgeous format. What software did you use? That's exactly the kind of thing I had in mind.

Quote from Cassius

In case the topic isn't clear from the link -

Good point.... Edited the thread title. Thanks!