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The Biography of Epicurus By Diogenes Laertius
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Great Work!
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Cassius
June 28, 2021 at 5:36 PM Moved the thread from forum Diogenes Laertius - The Life of Epicurus to forum The Biography of Epicurus By Diogenes Laertius (and other biographies). -
Cassius
August 19, 2023 at 8:34 PM Moved the thread from forum The Biography of Epicurus By Diogenes Laertius (and other biographies) to forum General Section Including Attributions To Epicurus In Laertius And Other Sources. -
Within the biography of Epicurus by Diogenes Laertius, it lists some of the books that Epicurus wrote, and "Of Love" is the third on the list. Is there anyway to track down if this was about "romance" or was it about all love in general? ( Don perhaps you might be able to help?)
QuoteSuch, then, in number and character are the writings of Epicurus, the best of which are the following :
Of Nature, thirty-seven books.
Of Atoms and Void.
Of Love.
....(etc.)
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Of Love
Περὶ ἔρωτος (erōtos)
love, mostly of the sexual passion
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, ἔρως
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I was just on Perseus/Tufts which also lists the word "desire":
Quoteἔρως (“ἔρως, -ωτος, -ωτι; -ωτες, -ώτων”.) a.
[select]
passion, love (v. von der Mühll, M. H., 1964, 169.) “ἀγαπατὰ δὲ — τῶν ἀρειόνων ἐρώτων ἐπικρατεῖν δύνασθαι. οἷοι καὶ Διὸς Αἰγίνας τε λέκτρον ποιμένες ἀμφεπόλησαν Κυπρίας δώρων” N. 8.5 “ἔρως γὰρ ἔχεν” (sc. “αὐτούς”) I. 8.29 ]“τ᾽ ἔρωτος ἀνταμοιβὰν ἐδάσσατο[ Δ. 4. 42. ματέῤ ἐρώτων οὐρανίαν — Ἀφροδίταν” fr. 122. 4. “χρῆν μὲν κατὰ καιρὸν ἐρώτων δρέπεσθαι, θυμέ, σὺν ἁλικίᾳ” fr. 123. 1. “εἴη καὶ ἐρᾶν καὶ ἔρωτι χαρίζεσθαι κατὰ καιρόν” fr. 127. 1. “χάριτάς τ᾽ Αφροδισίων ἐρώτων” fr. 128. 1.
b.
[select]
desire, longing “καὶ γὰρ ἑτέροις ἑτέρων ἔρωτες ἔκνιξαν φρένας” (A. W. Mair: “ἔρως ἔκνιξε” codd.: “ἔρως ὑπέκνιξε” Boeckh) P. 10.60 “οὐδ᾽ ἀλλοτρίων ἔρωτες ἀνδρὶ φέρειν κρέσσονες” N. 3.30 “ἀπροσίκτων δ᾽ ἐρώτων ὀξύτεραι μανίαι” N. 11.48(source)
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It's also the name of Eros Έρως the Greek god of love and desire (Roman: Cupid)
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Kalosyni
April 4, 2024 at 8:39 AM Moved the thread from forum General Section / Biography of Epicurus / Misc. Diogenes Laertius to forum The Biography and Will of Epicurus.
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