List of Greek Phrases / Lambda

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Λάβετε φάγετε τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμά μου.

Representation of the Last Supper in Blaubeuren
Λάβετε φάγετε τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμά μου.
Labete phagete touto esti to sōma mou.
“Take, eat; this is my body. "

Words of institution of the Lord's Supper according to the Gospel according to Matthew :

“As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. "

The words of institution are constitutive for all Christian churches that celebrate the Lord's Supper.

The institution report is the section of the Eucharistic Prayer in which Jesus' actions and speeches at the Last Supper are discussed.

Λάθε βιώσας.

Λάθε βιώσας.
Lathe biōsas.
"Live in secret!"

The Epicurean motto handed down by Plutarch in his work De latenter vivendo ( Of the Hidden Life ) did not apply under all circumstances: wherever they were able to assert their interests, this should also be done. But on the other hand "the clearest security arises from the calm and the retreat from the people" , because the teaching of Epicurus is oriented towards the individual happiness in life. Plutarch's examination of the Epicurean ideal of life is an antithesis to Epicurus' maxim, because Plutarch emphasizes the importance of a publicly responsible life.

Stephan Hohmann writes under the heading The preliminary question about the meaningfulness of political engagement :

“Epicurus is characterized by his" philosophy of joy ", which elevates pleasure to the highest principle of life. The philosopher himself says "Lust is the origin and goal of a happy life." (From the letter to Menoikeus) He came to this realization after observing animals and small children as they always tried to achieve the greatest possible comfort. This emphasis on lust ( hedone - ἡδονή ) brought Epicurus a lot of misunderstandings and hostility. What is meant is by no means gross sensual pleasure or even lust, but rather freedom from fear and pain . "

This avoidance of suffering corresponds to an asceticism on the spiritual level, which Epicurus calls ataraxia ( ἀταραξία ), serene peace of mind. From this striving for ataraxia it follows that the wise man tries to find his mental balance undisturbed by external influences. For this, Epicurus found the famous formula “Live in secret!” . He uses the gods as models for this way of life, who, according to his teaching, live between the infinite number of worlds ("intermundia"), but from there do not have any influence on world events.

Λακωνικὸν τρόπον

Λακωνικὸν τρόπον
Lakōnikon tropon
"Laconic way"

Laconia is a prefecture in the south of the Peloponnese administrative region . In ancient times, Laconia was the name of the Spartan state, the free inhabitants of which were called Laconians or Lacedaemonians . As laconic a brief but apt expression is called, once thought to be characteristic of the people of Laconia.

When Philip II approached with his army, legend has it that he sent the following threat to the laconic capital Sparta :

"When I defeat you, your houses will burn, your cities will be on fire, and your wives will be widows."

The Spartans answered dryly:

"If."

Λὰξ ἐπίβα δήμῳ.

Λὰξ ἐπίβα δήμῳ.
Lax epiba dēmō.
"Step on the people with your foot!"

Beginning of an anti-democratic verse by the aristocrat Theognis von Megara . Theognis lived from aristocracy to democracy in the period of upheaval and had to be exiled as a representative of the aristocracy.

The whole distich in the German translation reads:

With the foot on the people, (the) vain mind, hit them with the sting,
   the sharp one, and put a yoke on them, heavy on the neck!

Theognis also had a great influence on the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche , who dealt with his 700 distiches in his first book. Except for the original Greek quotations, this text is written entirely in Latin. Nietzsche deals in three parts with the life of Theognis, the circumstances of the time and his views on the gods, customs and the state. Nietzsches would have failed because of mathematics in Schulpforta and owed the Abitur only to the intercession of his teacher Corrsens, who said:

"Do you perhaps wish that we fail the most gifted student that Pforta has had while I've been here?"

λέγειν τὰ λεγόμενα

λέγειν τὰ λεγόμενα
legein ta legomena
"Passing on traditions"

The phrase comes from the Histories of Herodotus . The whole sentence of Herodotus reads:

Ἐγὼ δὲ ὀφείλω λέγειν τὰ λεγόμενα, πείθεσθαί γε μὲν οὐ παντάπασι ὀφείλω.
Egō de opheilō legein ta legomena, peithesthai ge men ou pantapāsi opheilō.
"I am supposed to pass on traditions, but not believe anything and everything."

The expression is very often quoted in a different Latin form:

" Relata refero "  - "I report what has been reported."

Relata refero was also the motto of the Frankfurter Postzeitung , one of the very first newspapers, which was probably founded in 1615 in Frankfurt am Main .

The phrase is used to make it clear that you cannot judge the content of the reproduced facts, because you only know them from hearsay .

Latin variation ( Pliny the Elder ): " Prodenda, quia prodita " .

Λεγεὼν ὄνομά μοι.

Λεγεὼν ὄνομά μοι.
Legeōn onoma moi.
"My name is Legion."

In the Gospel according to Mark , the “unclean spirit” answers the question about his name: “My name is Legion; for we are many. ” In the Gospel of Luke he says his name is “ Legion. Because many bad spirits had entered him. "

" Καὶ ἐπηρώτα αὐτόν · τί ὄνομά σοι; καὶ ἀπεκρίθη λέγων λεγεὼν ὄνομά μοι, ὅτι πολλοί ἐσμεν. "

The Demon Legion , the demon of Gadara, was impressed by the power of Jesus and asked him not to send him back to Hell. Jesus drove out the demons and at the same time complied with their request: He allowed them to enter a herd of pigs. The pigs then drowned themselves in the Sea of ​​Galilee .

Λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν.

Excerpt from da Vinci's Last Supper : Peter asks John , his favorite disciple , while Judas sits distantly next to him.
Λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν.
Lego even hymin.
"Because I tell you."

A phrase that Jesus uses several times in the New Testament, such as in the Gospel according to Matthew :

"; Καὶ ἐσθιόντων αὐτῶν εἶπεν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με. "
"And as they were eating, he said, Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me."

The disciples reacted with horror to this prophecy and asked: “Lord, is it me?” But Jesus said: “He who dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.” But that was Judas Iscariot , who asked hypocritically : "Is it me, Rabbi?" And Jesus answered him: "You say it."

It is this scene that Leonardo da Vinci depicted in his Last Supper . While the disciples discuss in dismay, Judas stands still. He is placed between the quick-tempered Peter and the gentle John .

Λέκτρα δ 'ἀνδρῶν πόθῳ πίµπλαται δακρύµασιν.

Λέκτρα δ 'ἀνδρῶν πόθῳ πίµπλαται δακρύµασιν.
Lektra d'andrōn pothō pimplatai dakrymasin.
"The marital beds fill with tears due to the men's war campaign."

In the tragedy " The Persians " by the playwright Aeschylus , the chorus of the warrior women left behind by their husbands laments the sad fate:

Λέκτρα δ 'ἀνδρῶν πόθῳ. πίµπλαται δακρύµασιν.
Περσίδες δ 'ἁβροπενθεῖς ἑκά-
στα. πόθῳ φιλάνορι. -
τὸν αἰχµήεντα θοῦρον εὐνατῆρ ...

The Bremen writer Ludwig Wolde translates this as follows:

Longing for the
husband dampens the beds;
Persian women, tenderly mourning, demanding
men, each of them sent out
the strong, belligerent
bed companions and
now live lonely in the house.

λεοντῆ ἐπὶ κροκωτῷ

λεοντῆ ἐπὶ κροκωτῷ
leontē epi krokōtō
"Lion skin over saffron dress"

This phrase refers to the costume in which Dionysus descends into Hades in the drama The Frogs of Aristophanes . Dionysus wears a fine woman's dress, over which he has thrown a lion's skin so that people will mistake him for Heracles and be afraid of him. Heracles makes fun of this masquerade with the following words:

“I can't stand it, I'm bursting with laughter! The saffron dress, the lion skin over it! "

The humanist Erasmus von Rotterdam comments in his collection of proverbs Adagia :

"This proverb can be applied appropriately to certain monks and professors who on the outside bear the mark of their class, but inside are mercenary natures, or to those who hide an effeminate being behind ascetic features."

Λήμνια μοχθηρά

Giorgione's painting The storm was also a meeting of Adrastus and Hypsipile seen
Λήμνια μοχθηρά
Lēmnia mochthēra
"Lemnian sacrilege"

Because Aphrodite saw her sanctuaries neglected on Lemnos , she punished all women on the island with foul-smelling breath . As a result, their husbands stayed away and instead enjoyed themselves with Thracian slaves. The jealous wives then killed all the male residents of the island in one night. Thoas alone was hidden by his daughter Hypsipyle and survived.

But when the men failed to reproduce, the women tried to persuade the Argonauts to stay, and Queen Hypsipyle said to the Argonauts:

“Strangers, why are you so shy outside our gates? This city is not inhabited by men that you should be afraid. Our husbands have become unfaithful to us; they went to the land of their concubines with Thracian women whom they captured in war, and took their sons and male servants with them; but we are left helpless. Therefore, if you like it, come here, with our people, and if you like, you are to rule your own and us instead of my father Thoas. You will not blame the land, it is by far the most fertile island in this sea. "

Jason , the leader of the Argonauts, impregnated Hypsipyle and swore her eternal loyalty. Hypsipyle gave birth to twins. Jason ran away, however, and forgot his oath. When the Lemnians discovered that Hypsipyle had spared their father, they drove their queen away. She was captured by pirates and sold to Lycurgus , King of Nemea . Hypsipyle was then entrusted with the education of the Crown Prince. When the Seven marched through Nemea against Thebes , Hypsipyle showed them a source, leaving their ward out of sight. But this one was bitten by a snake and died. Adrastus saved Hypsipyle from Lycurgus' vengeance.

λίθον ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες

Corner stone on a church
Λίθον ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες, οὗτος ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας ·
Lithon hon apedokimasan hoi oikodomountes, houtos egenēthē eis kephalēn gōnias;
"The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."

In the New Testament the corner stone stands for Jesus Christ , see 1 Pet 2,4–8  EU . The corner stone is the most important stone in the whole structure. The other stones are aligned with it.

In the Gospel according to Matthew , Jesus quotes this passage from the Bible to announce that the fruits of the kingdom of God will soon no longer belong to the Jews alone .

In Paul's letter to the Ephesians this thought is deepened:

“You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ himself being the cornerstone. Assembled in it, the whole building grows into a holy temple in the Lord, and in it you are also raised up into a dwelling place for God in the Spirit. "

Λιμὴν πέφυκε πᾶσι παιδεία βροτοῖς.

Λιμὴν πέφυκε πᾶσι παιδεία βροτοῖς.
Limēn pephyke pasi paideia brotois.
"A haven is the education of all mortals."

A sentence from the Monosticha of the poet Menander , which underlines the importance of education.

This sentence is similar to another sentence by Menander:

" Λιμὴν ἀτυχίας ἐστὶν ἀνθρώποις τέχνη. "
Limēn atychias estin anthrōpois technē.
"Art is a port in misfortune for people."
Latin " Ars ipsa inopiae portus est mortalibus. "

The humanist Erasmus von Rotterdam writes about this in his collection of proverbs Adagia :

“So if you are clever you will encourage your children, even when wealth is in abundance, to learn a trade so that if fate robs them of their possessions or if they have to go into exile, they still have something to do with can earn their bread. "

The following quote from the Cynic Diogenes is also related :

“Τὴν παιδείαν […] τοῖς μὲν νέοις σωφροσύνην, τοῖς δὲ πρεσβυτέροις παραμυθίαν, τοῖς δυθίαν, τοῖς δὲ πέονησινινος πλκ πὲὲ πέονησο συλτς στος στος πλλεότς” σομος πυλκὲπτς σομος πυλκόῦτς ”σομος πυλκ πῦτς σομος συλκ πῦτς” σομος πυλτἶτς σομος.

"Education [...] is wisdom for the young, encouragement for the old, wealth for the poor and jewelry for the rich."

λόγοι Φιλιππικοί

Demosthenes is practicing on the beach
λόγοι Φιλιππικοί
logoi Philippikoi
" Philippine Speeches "

The term Philippine speeches goes back to between 351 BC. BC to 341 BC Speeches held by Demosthenes against King Philip of Macedonia , who threatened Athens . The word Philippika denotes an attack, fire, punitive or combat speech.

The Roman politician Marcus Tullius Cicero chose the name Philippica for his speeches against Mark Antony , whom he saw as a threat to the Roman Republic. The name Philippica suggested that he felt equal to the greatest Greek orator Demosthenes.

  1. The first speech against Philip was perhaps written before the speech for the freedom of the Rhodians .
  2. The second speech against Philip is a report on a legation trip to Messene and Argos , two states that sought protection from Thebes and Sparta with Philip .
  3. The third speech against Philip is the most passionate.
  4. The fourth speech against Philip discussed the possibility of being supported by the Persians in their fight against Philip.

Λόγοις δ 'ἐγὼ φιλοῦσαν οὐ στέργω φίλην.

Antigone before the corpse of her brother Polynices
Λόγοις δ 'ἐγὼ φιλοῦσαν οὐ στέργω φίλην.
Logois d'egō philousan ou stergō philēn.
"I don't like love that loves with words."

Quote from the tragedy Antigone by the poet Sophocles . The main character Antigone says these words to her sister Ismene , who refuses to help her with the forbidden burial of their common brother Polynices , but is worried about Antigone, who opposes King Creon's prohibition . For Antigone, however, what counts is the actions, not the intentions and thoughts.

λόγος ψευδὴς εἰκονίζων ἀλήθειαν

λόγος ψευδὴς εἰκονίζων ἀλήθειαν
logos pseudēs eikonizōn alētheian
"A fictional story that contains a truth"

Description of the fable , the characteristic feature of which is the parable speech. A certain truth is clothed in a fictional story:

" Μῦθός ἐστι λόγος ψευδὴς εἰκονίζων ἀλήθειαν. "
"The fable is a made-up story from which a truth can be gleaned."

Λοπαδοτεμαχοσελαχο ...

Λοπαδοτεμαχοσελαχογαλεοκρανιολειψανοδριμυποτριμματοσιλφιοκαραβομελιτοκατακεχυμενοκιχλεπικοσσυφοφαττοπεριστεραλεκτρυονοπτοκεφαλλιοκιγκλοπελειολαγῳοσιραιοβαφητραγανοπτερύγων
Lopadotemachoselachogaleokranioleipsanodrimhypotrimmatosilphiokarabomelitokatakechymenokichlepikossyphophattoperisteralektryonoptokephalliokinklopeleiolagōosiraiobaphētraganopterygōn
"Oyster snail salmon moray vinegar, honey, cream, butter, thrush, rabbit roast cockscombed pheasant calf brain field pigeon syrup herring lark truffle-filled bowl"

The Guinness Book of Records lists this fictional dish as the longest word in literature. It comes from the comedy The People's Assembly by the Attic poet Aristophanes , is 78 syllables long, names 17 ingredients and shows above all the joy of the Greeks in playful word combinations.

The protagonist Praxagora demands:

Hear: Everything will be common property in the future, and everything will belong to
everyone, One will nourish himself like everyone from now on, there are no longer any rich or poor people,
No one will have many acres of land and the other no place for a grave;
One of them will not keep slaves in Meng and the other will not keep a servant,
no, everyone and everyone is equal in everything to life!

Later a maid says:

And whoever of the audience is favorable to us,
And of the judges who doesn't look sideways,
Come with us ! We like to serve him!

Then the choir sings:

DC will give it Austernschneckenlachsmuränen-
Essighonigrahmgekröse-
Butterdrosselnhasenbraten-
Hahnenkammfasanenkälber-
Hirnfeldtaubensiruphering-
Lerch truffle-filled pies!

(Translations by Ludwig Seeger )

Λυδία λίθος

Gray silica slate on a geological nature trail in Haan
Λυδία λίθος
Lydia lithos
"Lydian stone"
Latin: " Lydia lapis "

The Lydian stone ( Lydite, Kieselschiefer ) was a touchstone , which, if it is colored black, can be used to taste the gold and silver.

The silver sample was a random sample in which a silver object was dragged over a slate of silica so that a silver line remained. Then the sample was compared with the so-called trial needles, the alloy of which was known. This type of silver test arose when the oracle of Delphi insisted on payment in pure silver and gold from the Lydian king Croesus .

The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer wrote the poem The Lydian Stone, a fable , about this stone in 1830 :

Gold was rubbed on a black stone;
A yellow line, however, was not left:
"This is not real gold!" so everyone cried.
It was thrown to inferior metals.

It was found late that that stone, although
black in color, was not a touchstone.
The gold was
chosen to be honored : only real stone can prove real gold.

The Greek Lydia Lithos Dance Theater (modern Greek Χοροθέατρο Λυδία Λίθος ), founded in 1996, gave itself this name because it strives for purity like the Lydian stone, which its founder regards as the philosopher's stone .

Λυποῦντα λύπει, καὶ φιλοῦνθ 'ὑπερφίλει.

Λυποῦντα λύπει, καὶ φιλοῦνθ 'ὑπερφίλει.
Lypounta lypei, kai philounth 'hyperphilei.
"The sick who hurts you, and love the one who loves!"

Sentence from the Monosticha of the poet Menander , which stands in contrast to the New Testament demand of Jesus for unrestricted charity :

27 But I say to you who listen, love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; 28 bless those who curse you and pray for those who offend you. "
" 27 Ἀλλὰ ὑμῖν λέγω τοῖς ἀκούουσιν · ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν, καλῶς ποιεῖτε τοῖς μισοῦσιν ὑμᾶς, 28 εὐλογεῖτε τοὺς καταρωμένους ὑμῖν, προσεύχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων ὑμᾶς. "

Λωτοῦ ἔφαγες.

Odysseus brings his companions away from the lotophages
Λωτοῦ ἔφαγες.
Lōtou ephages.
"You ate lotus."
Latin: “ Lotum gustasti. "

This sentence should mean that someone has forgotten their home. The background is the story of the lotophages ( Λωτοφάγοι ), the “lotus eaters” who live under unworthy conditions, but believe they are in paradise under the intoxicating influence of the lotus fruits . The mythical people are therefore used as a synonym for self-deception.

They are mentioned in the 9th song of the Odyssey , when Odysseus goes ashore and sends three men ahead, they are kindly received by the lotophages and receive lotus as a gift. Then the men forget their homeland and the purpose of their landing:

But they gave them a taste of their lotus.
But whoever enjoyed the lovely fruit of the lotus
never brought the message again and never thought
of coming home, no, they wanted to
stay in the midst of the lotophagous men and eat the lotus and completely forget about their homecoming.

The humanist Erasmus von Rotterdam writes in his collection of proverbs Adagia :

“You must have eaten lots, they used to say, when someone was in a foreign country for an excessively long time, just as if he were no longer thinking of returning home. The expression is also not inappropriate for people who, once got a taste for vice, lose all interest in their previous serious occupation. "

Individual evidence

  1. Gospel according to Matthew , 26.26 EU
  2. http://www.bibel-online.net/buch/40.matthaeus/26.html#26,26
  3. Social engagement with Epicurus and the Stoa - Navicula Bacchi (emphasis in the original)
  4. Epicurus : fragment 551
  5. Hans Poeschel: The Greek language . P. 308
  6. Quoted from Helmut Walther: Der Junge Nietzsche ( Memento from July 22, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  7. Histories of Herodotus (7,152 and a.)
  8. Gospel according to Mark , 5.9 EU
  9. Gospel according to Luke , 8.30 EU
  10. Gospel according to Matthew , 26.21
  11. http://www.bibel-online.net/buch/40.matthaeus/26.html#26,29
  12. Quoted from Hans Poeschel: The Greek language . Munich: dtv, 1975 (p. 321)
  13. a b c Erasmus of Rotterdam : Selected writings . Volume 7. Scientific Book Society. 1972
  14. Gustav Schwab : The most beautiful sagas of classical antiquity
  15. Psalm 118: 21-25
  16. Mk 12.10  EU and Lk 20.17  EU
  17. Paul's letter to the Ephesians, Eph 2.20  EU
  18. Diogenes Laertios : Lives and Opinions of Famous Philosophers , VI, 68
  19. ^ Sophocles : Antigone , 543
  20. ^ Translation by Ludwig Seeger .
  21. ^ Guinness Book of World Records . 1990, ISBN 0-8069-5790-5 , p. 129.
  22. Hans Poeschel: The Greek language . P. 209f.
  23. Act 1, scene 2; Aristophanes: By Ludwig Seeger. Vol. 3, p. 354 in the Google book search
  24. ^ Epilogue, 2nd scene; Aristophanes: By Ludwig Seeger. Vol. 3, p. 390 in the Google book search
  25. ^ Epilogue, 2nd scene; Aristophanes: By Ludwig Seeger. Vol. 3, p. 391 in the Google book search
  26. http://www.bibel-online.net/buch/42.lukas/6.html#6,27
  27. Michael Apostolios , 11.2