Reading 10 : Keeping your Respect and Trustworthiness

Reading 10: June 1

Chapters 24.2-24.4
Translations Due Sunday, June 8 (midnight CST)
Grammar Questions Due Tuesday, June 10 (midnight CST)

Chapter 24: A Diatribe of sorts

Most chapters of the Enchiridion do not fall into the category of the 'Diatribe.' The diatribe was one of the oratory methods that was perfected in the Hellenistic era. The longstanding tradition of the diatribe is to give ethical advice, consolation, and exortation...especially on topics of death, exile, poverty, grief, anger and old age. "Not only the themes but also the style of such discourses have many generic features. The typically include anecdotes, examples, quotations, personification, imperatives, rapid sequences of question and answer, and other rhetorical devices that would be out of place in a purely expository treatise" (Long, p. 48). Such a description fits Chapter 24.

Long disagrees with Epictetus' Discourses being classified as merely a diatribe 'stock-repertoire'. Epictetus was a professional teacher and often proceeds systematically. His main points are based upon concepts and procedures that he explains and justifies withing the context or that he can presume his audience to know because he has treated them fully elsewhere (Long, p.49). Epictetus expands the 'traditional' categories and includes topics such as tyrannical threats to life and limb, political freedom, loss of property, jealousy and resentment, anxiety, family squabbles and affections, sexual allure, dinner-table manners, bereavement, friendship, hygiene, and much more (Long. p. 2).

Many of the Discourses can be called 'diatribes' in their format. In Chapter 24, Epictetus sets up several arguments by asking questions of an imaginary student. These questions were perhaps real questions or arguments proposed by his students who could not get their head around what Epictetus was teaching. Most translations of the Enchiridion put Chapter 24 into block paragraph format. Reading the Discourses can be difficult as it is often hard to determine who is supposed to be talking at any given line. Mattheson is one of the few who put Chapter 24 into 'response' format.

Chapter 24
Let not reflections such as these afflict you ‘ I shall live without honour, and never be of any account ‘ for if lack of honour is an evil, no one but yourself can involve you in evil any more than in shame. Is it your business to get office or to be invited to an entertainment?

‘Certainly not.’

Where then is the dishorour you talk of? How can you be ‘of no account anywhere’, when you ought to count for something in those matters only which are in your power, where you may achieve the highest worth?

‘But my friends’, you say, ‘ will lack assistance.’

What do you mean by’ lack assistance’? They will not have cash from you and you will not make them Roman citizens. Who told you that to do these things is in our power, and not dependent upon others? Who can give to another what is not his to give?

‘Get them then,’ says he, ‘ that we may have them.’

If I can get them and keep my self-respect, honour, magnanimity, show the way and I will get them. But if you call on me to lose the good things that are mine, in order that you may win things that are not good, look how unfair and thoughtless you are. And which do you really prefer? Money, or a faithful, modest friend? Therefore help me rather to keep these qualities, and do not expect from me actions which will make me lose them.

But my country’, says he, will lack assistance, so far as lies in me.’

Once more I ask, What assistance do you mean? It will not owe colonnades or baths to you. What of that? It does not owe shoes to the blacksmith or arms to the shoemaker ; it is sufficient if each man fulfils his own function. Would you do it no good if you secured to it another faithful and modest citizen?

‘Yes.’

Well, then, you would not be useless to it.

‘What place then shall I have in the city?’

Whatever place you can hold while you keep your character for honour and self—respect. But if you are going to lose these qualities in trying to benefit your city, what benefit, I asIc, would you have done her when you attain to the perfection of being lost to shame and honour?

Several newer books are available on Greek rhetoric: Handbook of Classical Rhetoric in the Hellenistic Period, 330 B.C.-A.D. 400 by Stanley E. Porter (Paperback - Jul 2001) and A Companion to Greek Rhetoric (Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World) by Ian Worthington (Hardcover - Dec 18, 2006)

Aids to Reading the Greek

Special Words

The meanings of the LSJ lexicon do not always point out or fit the 'Stoic' use of terms. The following list of words which are the behavioral, ethical and philosophical terms that occur in the reading. Some of them are 'Stoic specific'; most are not. As the special vocabulary page is being built, a more complete 'special lexicon' will become available to help understand the Greek word. The Stoic Groups also has a posting of terms (the Greek is transliterated). Here are some of the brief glosses. The freqencies are for the entire Enchiridion.

Corrections to the Text

The Perseus text is unchanged.

Reading 10: Chapters 24.2-24.4

   Basic Reading
[24.3a]. εἰ δύναμαι κτήσασθαι τηρῶν ἐμαυτὸν αἰδήμονα καὶ πιστὸν καὶ μεγαλόφρονα, δείκνυε τὴν ὁδὸν καὶ κτήσομαι. [24.3b] εἰ δ᾽ ἐμὲ ἀξιοῦτε τὰ ἀγαθὰ τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ ἀπολέσαι, ἵνα ὑμεῖς τὰ μὴ ἀγαθὰ περιποιήσησθε, ὁρᾶτε ὑμεῖς, πῶς ἄνισοί ἐστε καὶ ἀγνώμονες. [24.3c] τί δὲ καὶ βούλεσθε μᾶλλον; ἀργύριον ἢ φίλον πιστὸν καὶ αἰδήμονα; [24.3d] εἰς τοῦτο οὖν μοι μᾶλλον συλλαμβάνετε καὶ μή, δι᾽ ὧν ἀποβαλῶ αὐτὰ ταῦτα, ἐκεῖνά με πράσσειν ἀξιοῦτε.

Basic Questions

Note: If you desire to get THE answer to the question and the answers to the questions suggested by the Greekstudy members, you may either view the appropriate Greekstudy email which includes the answers, or alternately (if you missed the email) send in your answers to the question(s). I'll be glad to email you the suggested answer and the answers sent in by the Greekstudy members.

Q1. Line 1

Q2. Line

Q3. Line

Q4. Line

Q5. Line

Q6. Line

Q7. Line

[11]... μαχέσθητι σαυτῷ, ἀφελοῦ σαυτὸν εἰς εὐσχημοσύνην, εἰς αἰδῶ, εἰς ἐλευθερίαν....[13] νῦν οὖν οὐ θέλεις σαυτῷ βοηθῆσαι; καὶ πόσῳ ῥᾴων αὕτη ἡ βοήθεια;... ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸν αὑτῷ λαλῆσαι, τῷ μάλιστα πεισθησομένῳ, πρὸς ὃν οὐδείς ἐστί σου πιθανώτερος. [14] καὶ πρῶτον μὲν κατάγνωθι τῶν γιγνομένων, εἶτα καταγνοὺς μὴ ἀπογνῷς σεαυτοῦ μηδὲ πάθῃς τὸ τῶν ἀγεννῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἳ ἅπαξ ἐνδόντες εἰσάπαν ἐπέδωκαν ἑαυτοὺς καὶ ὡς ὑπὸ ῥεύματος παρεσύρησα....[16] ιηθῇς." τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ σὺ πάθε: ἴσθι γάρ, ὅτι οὐδέν ἐστιν εὐαγωγότερον ἀνθρωπίνης ψυχῆς. θελῆσαι δεῖ καὶ γέγονεν, διώρθωται: ὡς πάλιν ἀπονυστάσαι καὶ ἀπόλωλεν. ἔσωθεν γάρ ἐστι καὶ ἀπώλεια καὶ βοήθεια [17] — Εἶτα τί μοι ἀγαθόν; — Καὶ τί ζητεῖς τούτου μεῖζον; ἐξ ἀναισχύντου αἰδήμων ἔσῃ, ἐξ ἀκόσμου κόσμιος, ἐξ ἀπίστου πιστός, ἐξ ἀκολάστου σώφρων. [18] εἴ τινα ἄλλα τούτων μείζονα ζητεῖς, ποίει ἃ ποιεῖς: οὐδὲ θεῶν σέ τις ἔτι σῶσαι δύναται.

George Long 1890 translation

[11]... Fight with yourself, restore yourself to decency, to modesty, to liberty.....[13] Now will you not help yourself? and how much easier is this help? but it is only necessary for you to speak to yourself who will be most easily persuaded, with whom no man has more power of persuasion than yourself. [14] First of all, condemn what you are doing, and then when you have condemned it, do not despair of yourself, and be not in the condition of those men of mean spirit, who, when they have once given in, surrender themselves completely and are carried away as if by a torrent.... [16] Do you also do something of the same kind: for be well assured that nothing is more tractable than the human soul. You must exercise the Will, and the thing is done, it is set right: as on the other hand, only fall a nodding (be careless), and the thing is lost: for from within comes ruin and from within comes help. [17] Then (you say) what good do I gain? And what greater good do you seek than this? From a shameless man you will become a modest man, from a disorderly you will become an orderly man, from a faithless you will become a faithful man, from a man of unbridled habits a sober man. If you seek any thing more than this, go on doing what you are doing: not even a God can now help you.

Paraphrasis Christiana 31 || Enchiridion §24.3

ἀλλ' ἐρεῖ σοι ὁ λογισμός· 'κτη̈σαι, ἵνα αὐτοῖς μεταδῷς.' λέγὲ δὲ τούτῳ σύ· 'εἰ δύναμαι κτήσασθαι τηρῶν ἐμαυτὸν αἰδήμονα καὶ πιστὸν καὶ ἐλεύθερον, δεῖξον τὴν ὁδόν. εἰ δὲ παραινεῖς μοι τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ ἀγαθὰ ἀπολέσαι, ἵνα ἄλλοις τὰ μὴ ἀγαθὰ περιποιήσω, ὅρα πῶς ἄτακτος εἶ καὶ ἀσύμφορος.' τί δὲ βούλονται οἱ γνήσιοι φίλοι· ἀργύριον ἢ φίλον πιστὸν καὶ αιδήμονα; εἰς τοῦτο οὖν σπούδαζε μᾶλλον, ὅπως αὐτοῖς χρήσιμος ᾖς. τοὺς γὰρ μὴ τούτοις χαίροντας καὶ ταῦτα ἐκείνων προτιμῶντας οὐδαμῶς εἰς φίλους τακτέον. ἀλλ' ἐνοχλοῦσί σοι οἱ λογισμοὶ λέγοντεσ ὅτι 'τοῦτον εἰ στέρξομεν τὸν βίον, οὐδεμία ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει μνήμη οὐδὲ ὄνομα οὐδὲ τιμή.

*More of the Paraphrasis Christiana Chapter 31 can be found on the Reading 11 page advanced reading

Collected Notes on the text.

The order of the notes may be out of order in relation to the text.

Sentences numbered for sending in the translations

Enchiridion Chapters 24.4
Optional Reading 1
[24.2a] ἀλλά σοι οἱ φίλοι ἀβοήθητοι ἔσονται. τί λέγεις τὸ ἀβοήθητοι;
[24.2b] οὐχ ἕξουσι παρὰ σοῦ κερμάτιον: οὐδὲ πολίτας Ῥωμαίων αὐτοὺς ποιήσεις.
[24.2c] τίς οὖν σοι εἶπεν, ὅτι ταῦτα τῶν ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν ἐστιν, οὐχὶ δὲ ἀλλότρια ἔργα;
[24.2d] τίς δὲ δοῦναι δύναται ἑτέρῳ, ἃ μὴ ἔχει αὐτός;
[24.2e] "κτῆσαι οὖν", φησίν, "ἵνα ἡμεῖς ἔχωμεν"

Basic Reading
[24.3a]. εἰ δύναμαι κτήσασθαι τηρῶν ἐμαυτὸν αἰδήμονα καὶ πιστὸν καὶ μεγαλόφρονα, δείκνυε τὴν ὁδὸν καὶ κτήσομαι.
[24.3b] εἰ δ᾽ ἐμὲ ἀξιοῦτε τὰ ἀγαθὰ τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ ἀπολέσαι, ἵνα ὑμεῖς τὰ μὴ ἀγαθὰ περιποιήσησθε, ὁρᾶτε ὑμεῖς, πῶς ἄνισοί ἐστε καὶ ἀγνώμονες.
[24.3c] τί δὲ καὶ βούλεσθε μᾶλλον; ἀργύριον ἢ φίλον πιστὸν καὶ αἰδήμονα;
[24.3d] εἰς τοῦτο οὖν μοι μᾶλλον συλλαμβάνετε καὶ μή, δι᾽ ὧν ἀποβαλῶ αὐτὰ ταῦτα, ἐκεῖνά με πράσσειν ἀξιοῦτε.

Optional Reading 2
[24.4a] "ἀλλ᾽ ἡ πατρίς, ὅσον ἐπ᾽ ἐμοί", φησίν, "ἀβοήθητος ἔσται".
[24.4b] πάλιν, ποίαν καὶ ταύτην βοήθειαν; στοὰς οὐχ ἕξει διὰ σὲ οὔτε βαλανεῖα.
[24.4c] καὶ τί τοῦτο; οὐδὲ γὰρ ὑποδήματα ἔχει διὰ τὸν χαλκέα οὐδ᾽ ὅπλα διὰ τὸν σκυτέα:
[24.4d] ἱκανὸν δέ, ἐὰν ἕκαστος ἐκπληρώσῃ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἔργον.
[24.4e] εἰ δὲ ἄλλον τινὰ αὐτῇ κατεσκεύαζες πολίτην πιστὸν καὶ αἰδήμονα, οὐδὲν ἂν αὐτὴν ὠφέλεις; "ναί."
[24.4f] οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ σὺ αὐτὸς ἀνωφελὴς ἂν εἴης αὐτῇ.
[24.4g] "τίνα οὖν ἕξω", φησί, "χώραν ἐν τῇ πόλει;"
[24.4h] ἣν ἂν δύνῃ φυλάττων ἅμα τὸν πιστὸν καὶ αἰδήμονα.

*[24.5a] εἰ δὲ ἐκείνην ὠφελεῖν βουλόμενος ἀποβαλεῖς ταῦτα, τί ὄφελος ἂν αὐτῇ γένοιο ἀναιδὴς καὶ ἄπιστος ἀποτελεσθείς;
*Part of Reading 11; Included for sake of completeness

Table of Words

The local gloss is context-specific. The word-link and lemma-link are linked to the Perseus Hopper vocabulary tool. I have gone through the Greek lemma and verified them for accuracy - but there may still be some errors. Many of the definitions have been taken from the following translations: Mattheson, Boter, White, Oldfather and Long. If you have a better suggestion for a word, send in the word number, Greek word and suggested gloss, and I will add it into the vocabulary list.

A note of caution: Perseus does not always work as expected. The links are betacode which works better than sending in Greek Unicode lookups. But sometimes it still will not work. In addition, Perseus is often slow - if you see it cranking and cranking, try later, the server is too busy. An example of unexpected results is as follows: the neuter plural form ἀπαραπόδιστα returns 'not found'; the root lemma ἀπαραπόδιστος brings up its own correct entry. Some words are only listed in the Middle LSJ, not the main LSJ (e.g. οὐδέπω). So if you look up οὐδέπω in the Archimedes Harvard LSJ or your own personal copy, you won't find it.

The columns for vocabulary frequency are compiled from Perseus' Max frequency for the Enchiridion (EnchX) and all of Epictetus' works (EpicX including the Enchiridion). The New Testament frequencies are from Tischendorf's NT as provided by MorphGnt.org. Words are linked on betacode, but some lemmas do not link correctly (a problem that will be fixed over time), thus there are occasionally NTX freqencies that are missing or partial. When comparing the frequency of the various works, you should remember the Enchiridion (4983 words) is about the same length as the book of Hebrews (4953 words) and all Epictetus' writings (The Discourses - 75,177 words, Fragments - 4023 words,and Enchiridion - 4983 words; grand total - 84183) are 60% of the length of the New Testament (138,019 words). Although both the Epictus' works and the New Testament books are different in content and author, if you multiply the Epictetus frequency by 1.6 (EpicX x 1.6) you can come up with a comparable usage between the two works.