Marcus Aurelius (Haines 1916)/Glossary

by Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Layout 2

 

III.—GLOSSARY OF GREEK TERMS

ἀδιάφορα (=μέσα), V. 20; VI. 32, 41, 45; VII. 31; VIII. 56; XI. 16; things indifferent, i.e. neither good nor bad = (1) things absolutely indifferent, such as the number of pebbles on the shore; (2) προηγμένα, things to be chosen as having a relative value, as good health; (3) ἀπροηγμένα, to be rejected, as of less relative value, cp. Fronto, De Eloq. Nab. p. 143

ἀερῶδες, τό, IV. 4, 21; VIII. 54; IX. 9; x. 7, § 2. From a comparison of these we get τὸ στερέμνιον = τὸ γεῶδες (earth), τὸ ὑγρὸν (water), τὸ πνευματικὸν = τὸ ἀερῶδες (X. 7, § 2, the spiritual or pneumatic into airy or aerial), τὸ πυρῶδες (fire) = ? τὸ νοερ῀ον, cp. XI. 20

αἰτία, τὸ αἴτιον, τὸ αἰτιῶδες (see Seneca. Ep. 65), the Causal. Formal, Formative Principle which makes a thing what it is, contrasted with ὕλη (matter), IV. 21; VI. 5 ; VII. 29; VIII. 3, 11; XII. 8, 10, 18, 29; the Primary Cause, or Nature, or God, VIII. 27; IX. 29; the Individual Cause in Man. VIII. 7; IX. 31; x. 26; the Quality of the Cause, i.e. the power it has of making a thing what it is, IX. 25; absorbed into the λόγοs of the Universe, VII. 10; Destiny, the primal Cause and sum of all lower causes, v. 8

ἀκατάληπτος, ἀκαταληψία, inpossibility of any certain conviction, v. 10; VII. 54. It was the main position of the Sceptics that nothing could be really known, but even Socrates and his successors said similar things. Epictetus stoutly maintains the contrary

ἀκοινώνητος, one who selfishly disregards the common interests and cuts himself adrift from his fellows, II. 1, 2; III. 5; VIII. 34; x. 6; XI. 18 ad fin.; XII. 23

ἀναφορά, the reference of a thing to its end or purpose, its relation to its objective, with Cause and Matter making up the whole thing, xii. 8, 10, 18, 20

ἀξία, (i) the true value or worth of things, (2) the relative value of things preferential, III. 11; VI. 3, etc.

ἀπάθεια, the passionless calm of the true Stoic, I. 9 (of Sextus); VI. 16; xi. 18 ad fin.; cp. ἀταραξία

ἅπαξ λεγόμενα, words only found (it seems) in Marcus are: ἀκύβευτος 1. 8; † ἀνδρονομεῖσθαι Χ. 19; ἀνθύλλιον IV. 20; ἀπαλλακτιᾶν Χ. 36; ἀποκαισαριοῦσθαι VI. 30; ἀπορρέμβεσθαι III. 4; IV 22; ἀπροστάτητος XII. 14; ἀρεσκευτικὸς 1. 16; ἀφυσιολογήτως Χ. 9; ἁψικάρδιος IX. 3; γαλάκτιον V. 4; γλισχρεύεσθαι V. 5; γλώσσημα IV. 33; ἐμφιλοτεχνεῖν VII. 54; †ἐνεργησείειν III. 7; ἐντέριον (?) vi. 13; †εὐχαριεντίζεσθαι 1. 15 ; καλοήθης Ι. 1; κοινονοημοσύνη 1. 16; μυίδιον VII. 3; μυξάριον ΙV. 48; vi. 13; ὁμοδογματεῖν ΙΧ. 3; XI. 8; ὁμοθαμνεῖν Χ. 8; παραζητεῖν XII. 5; περίφορος 1.15; προπτωτικὸς XI. 10; προσβήσσεσθαι IV. 49; ῥιπταστικὸς Ι. 16; σεμνοτυφία ΙΧ. 29; σμαράγδιον IV. 20; στρωμάτιον V. 1; συγκατατήκεσθαι V. 1; συμμηρύεσθαι III. 11; VII. 23; συμμήρυσις IV. 40; συμπεριφαντάζεσθαι X. 38; συμπροσπίπτειν VII. 22; X. 31; XII. 27; συνεμφέρειν III. 4; συννήθειν (?) IV. 34; τριγερήνιος, IV. 50; ὑπέρτασις, Χ. 8; φαντασιοπλήκτως, Ι. 7; χυλάριον vi. 13

ἀπροαίρετα, things not in our choice or power, XII. 3, 23, 33

ἀρχαί, Zeno recognized θεὸς (τὸ ποιοὖν) and ὕλη (τὸ πάσχον) as ἀρχαὶ or Beginnings

ἀταραξία (cp. ἀπάθεια) IΧ. 31, freedom from perturbation at external things

ἄτομοι, ΙV. 3; VI. 24; VI. 32, 50; VIII. 17; IX. 28, 39; x. 6; XI. 18. Indivisible atoms endowed with motion were, according to Democritus, and after him Epicurus and Lucretius, the origin of all things without any First Cause. Marcus often puts this view, but only to reject it

ἀφορμή = means. Marcus does not use the word in its Stoic sense of “disinclination” )( ὁρμή

 

δαίμων, evil spirit, I. 6; good, x.13; εὐδαιμονία, vii. 17; the "genius" or "daemon" within us, II. 13, 17 ; III. 6, 7, 12, 16; VIII. 45; XII. 3; given by Zeus to us, v. 27; θεός, V. 10 ; = νοῦς, III. 3

διάλυσις, VII. 50, etc., a breaking up of things into their component parts, and the subsequent sifting out of these into the elements

διάνοια, faculty of thought, or mind, IIΙ. 1; = λογικὴ ψυχή, vi. 32; not affected by the motions of the πνεῦμα, IV. 3

διαπνεῖσθαι, to breathe through the veins and arteries, a medical theory (see Gataker in loc. for illustrations from Galen), III. 1; VI. 16

δόγμα, a postulate, axiom, or principle established by reason and experience; what the sensations are to the body and impulses to the soul, δόγματα are to the intelligence, III. 16; called "sacred," X. 9. See κρῖμα and θεώρημα

 

εἶδος, only used once (XI. 20) in its philosophical sense of “general term," "class," or "species"

εἱμαρμένη, ἡ, destiny, III. 6; v. 8, etc.; = Clotho, IV. 34; τὰ συγκλωθόμενα, IIΙ. 4, 11, 16; IV. 26; ἡ πεπρωμένη, III. 8; τὸ συμβαῖνον, IV. 44 etc.

ἔκκλισις, avoidance )( ὄρεξις (q.v.), VIII. 7; XI. 37. The things that are “within the man” are κρίσις judgment, ὁρμὴ impulse, ὄρεξις propension towards, ἔκκλισις aversion from, a thing, VIII. 28; but the latter must be reserved only for things in our power, VIII. 7; XI. 37

ἐκπύρωσις, cyclical confagration of the Universe, a doctrine of Heraclitus (q.v.), III. 3. Justin Apol. ii. 7 points out the difference between the Stoic and Christian view of this conflagration (2 St. Peter iii. 7, 10)

ἔννοια, conception, thought, or notion not amounting to a conviction (δόγμα), but κοινὴ ἔννοια = φαντασία καταληπτική, a conclusive conviction. See πρόληψις

ἐξαγωγή = suicide does not occur, but see III. 1 (ἐξακτέον)

ἕξις, VI. 14; VII. 16; XI. 18; XII. 16. Lucian, Conviv. 23, says, τί διαφέρει σχέσις ἕξεως ; and in Hermot. 81 he laughs at the jargon of philosophy with its ἕξεις and σχέσεις, its καταλήψεις and φαντασίαι. Σχέσις, feature; ἕξις, a simple essential form or quality (ποιότης); φύσις, a forming power, VI. 14

εὐδαιμονία, harmony of man’s will (δαίμων) with God's = εὔροια βίου, VII. 17

εύρους, εὐροεῖν (εὔροια, Epict. i. 4. 6), the calm even flow of the virtuous life = εὐοδεῖν, V. 34; x. 6; even of Zeus himself, v. 8; εὕρουν καὶ θεουδῆ βίον, ΙΙ. 5

ἐνέργεια, the activity of the ψυχὴ contrasted with πεῖσις (q.v.) = the passivity of the body, v. 20, etc.

 

ἡγεμονικόν, τό (or τὸ κυριεῦον, τὸ προαιρετικόν, VIII. 56), the Ruling Reason (q.v.) or Principle (or Inner Self, Rendall), II. 2; IV. 1; v. 26; XII. 14, etc. = λόγος, φύσις, or even τέχνη λογική, V. 4; VII. 7 (cp. ψυχή, V. 32); διάνοια, VII. 64, 68; vous, IX. 22; III. 16; X. 24; XII. 3; sometimes even of God, VII. 75; IX. 22

 

θεώρημα, a truth perceived in Science, I. 7, § 4, 8; IV. 2; in Ethics = δόγμα, a principle or conviction; τὸ θεωρητικόν, the faculty of pure thought, x. 9; p. 375

 

καθῆκον, τό = officium, duty. Among τὰ καθήκοντα, duty in the highest sense perfectly performed, is κατόρθωμα (not used by M.). κατορθώσεις, V. 14, are acts that are the outcome of right reason

κατάληψις, VI. 30 (καταλαμβάνειν, καταληπτικός (ΙΧ. 6), ἀκατάληπτος); an important term in the Stoic philosophy meaning a "true comprehension” or “clear perception" of a thing, without which no right conduct in life is possible. See under συγκατάθεσις

κατόρθωσις, see καθῆκον

κίνησις, motion = change, v. 10 ; in the flesh (Epicurus), IX. 41; of the senses, VIII. 26; of the flesh (smooth or rough), x. 8; to anger, fear, etc., XI. 20; of the mind, VII 55; of virtue, VI. 17; )(σχέσις, VII. 60; XI. 2; tension (τόνος), VI. 38

κοινὸς and its kindred words occur over eighty times, and Marcus apparently coing the beautiful word κοινονοημοσύνη (Ι. 16), which deserves to rank with the “loving-kindness" of Coverdale's Bible. See under Fellowship

κρῖμα, conviction, almost δόγμα, iv 3, § 2; judgment, v. 19; VII. 47; XI. 11: cp. κρίσις, VI. 52, etc., the antecedent to ὁρμή, VIII. 16, 28; of the Christians, XI. 3; = ὑπόληψις (φαντασία), xi. 16, 18, § 7

 

λόγος (λογικός), reason or the reason, I. 8; II. 10; IV. 13, 16, 19, 24, 30, 33; v. 8, 9, 14, 28: VI. 23, 30; VII. 8, 11, 24; VIII. 48; IX. 10, 42; x. 31, 32 (νοῦς καὶ λ.); right reason, (= virtue, Cic. Tusc. iv. 15. 34), III. 6, 12; XI. 9; XII. 35; civic reason, IV. 29; IX. 12; common to Gods and men, VII. 53; λ. of Nature, IV. 29; v 32; VI. 58; VII. 10; common to all intelligent creatures, IV. 4; VII. 9; = a man's self (τὸ ἡγεμονικόν, q.v.), VIII. 40; convincing reason II. 5; IV. 24; σπερματικοὶ λόγοι, of the Universe into which all things are taken back = seminal principles, IV. 14, 21; VI 24; = λόγος only, VII. 10; x. 7; λογικός, applied to ζῷον, ἡγεμονικόν, τέχνη, φύσις, ψυχή

 

οἴησις, self-conceit or illusion, iv. 12; IX. 34; XII. 27

οἰκονομία, IV. 19, 51; XI. 18, § 5; management, and so policy, expediency, adaptation to circumstances, ulterior end, secondary purpose, and even finesse. We keep the double sense of the word in our “economy of truth”

ὄρεξις, propension or inclination towards a thing, of which the result is ὁρμὴ and the incentive φαντασία, IX. 7: cp. VIII. 23.) ἔκκλισις, VIII. 7. See under πάθος

ὁρμή = φορὰ ψυχῆς ἐπί τι (Stob. Ecl. ii. 160), impulse of the mind towards a thing (see ὄρεξις), resulting in a πάθος

ὁσιότης = δικαιοσύνη πρὸς θεόν, piety, sanctity, holiness

οὐσία, Substance or Being, sometimes = ὕλη, matter; )( ψυχή, IV. 40

 

πάθος, the “affect” resulting through πεῖσις from ὁρμή, the second stage of ὄρεξις, which depends itself on assent (συγκατάθεσις). Stobaeus defines it (Ecl. ii. 164) as a motion of the Soul contrary to Nature; παθολογεῖν. VIII. 13, to study the πάθη = Ethics

παλιγγενεσία, XI. 1; cp. VII. 19. The Stoic theory was that everything repeated itself in periodic cycles, when the world was renewed again after each conflagration (see ἐκπύρωσις and under Heraclitus); cp. Chrysippus, περὶ προνοίας, there will be another Socrates to live the same life again"; and Seneca, Ep. 36. 10, "veniet iterum qui nos in lucem reponat dies." But whether Marcus believed in this dismal theory is very doubtful, cp. X. 31.

παράταξις. opposed line in battle, so opposition, not obstinacy (XI. 3) III. 3; VIII. 48. See also p. 381.

πεῖσις )( ἐνέργεια. V. 1, a passive condition antecedent to a κίνησις in the case of the body, corresponding to an ἐνέργεια of the mind, III. 6; V. 26; VI. 51; VII. 55; IX. 16

περίοδοι, V. 13,32; x. 7. See παλιγγενεσία

πνεῦμα = ἄνεμος, II. 2; the surrounding air, IX. 2; the inferior part of the ψυχὴ as distinct from νοῦς, IV. 3; it and its motion quite distinct from the διάνοια, IV. 3. Marcus does not seem to use the word in the sense of Atmospheric Current unless XII. 30 affords an instance.

πνεύματα, what remains of things when ουσία, ψυχή, and νοερὰ ψυχὴ are subtracted, XII. 30

πνευματικόν,τό, the Soul (= τὸ πνευμάτιον) of which the πνεῦμα or breath element at death goes back into τὸ ἀερῶδες, and the νοῦς into τὸ πυρῶδες, IV. 4; Χ.7 ; XI. 20

πνευμάτιον, τό = (1) ψυχή (Soul) in its lower sense (σῶμα, πνευμάτιον, νοῦς, XII. 14) II. 2; VIII. 56; IX, 36; XII. 3, 14; (2) ψυχή in its higher sense, including the vous, V. 26. 33; VI. 14; IX. 8, 34; XII. 30; the enveloping body and the πνευμάτιον that has grown with its growth, XII. 3; the vital breath which will be quenched or transferred elsewhere, VIII. 25; the sphere of it and the body outside our power, v. 33; unstable like all matter, IX. 36; burdened with the body, IX. 24. See under ψύχωσις

ποιότης, τὸ ποιόν, the property, quality, or form of a thing (almost the Cause which makes it what it is, IX. 25); τὸ ἰδίως ποιόν, separate individuality, VI. 3; IX. 25; X. 7; XII. 30

πολιτικός, mostly = κοινωνικός. See κοινός

προαιρεσις, free will or choice. See under ἀπροαίρετα

προαιρετικόν, τό (= τὸ ἡγεμονικόν), the faculty of choice, VIII. 56 προηγούμενον, τό, the leading or cardinal thing, VII. 55; VIII. 49; IX. 41. Marcus does not use the Stoic expression τὰ προηγμένα things preferential

πρόληψις = a primary conception possessed by all rational beings, Chrysippus in Diog. Laert. vii 53 (έννοια φυσικὴ τῶν καθ' όλου). Perceptions (φαντασίαι) resulting from sensation (αίσθησις) produce impressions (τυπώσεις) which repeated form memory and many memories make experience which gives us conceptions (προλήψεις)

 

σκεδασμός, σκορπισμός (cp. διάλυσις), a disintegration of things into their component atoms (VI. 24; VII. 32: VIII. 25) or elements. See under Dispersion and Dissolution

σκοπός (or τέλος, V. 15, 16), the end or objective of life, II. 16; VII. 4; XI. 6, 21; to which every ὁρμὴ and φαντασία should be directed, II. 7. See under Aim, Objective

σπερματικὸς λόγος (see under λόγος), IV. 14, 21; VI. 24; IX. 1 ad fin. = the Generative Reason, because the Primary Fire or Reason contains in it the Germs of all things. The σπερμ. λόγοι are the creative and forming forces in Nature which have produced (1) the Universe as a whole, and (2) individual things individually. Justin, Apol. ii. 8. 13, applies the Stoic term to Christ

στοιχεία, τά, the elements, earth, water, air, fire, II. 3, 17; VI. 17; IV. 4; X. 7; XI. 20, etc.; almost = atoms, VI. 17; VII. 31

συγκατάθεσις, the full mental assent required for a convincing impression (φαντασία καταληπτική) before convictions (δόγματα) can be translated into movement and action, but even this is liable to error, v. 10. See under πάθος

σύγκριμα, συγκριμάτιον, the compound—man, vii. 67; VIII. 25; XI. 20; composite things )( στοιχεῖα, II. 3; VI. 10 = κυκεών, the ‘farrago’ of things; σύγκρισις και λύσις, XII. 24, 36; the elements comprising the σῶμα, II. 17

συμπάθεια, sympathetic connexion or affinity of the parts in an organic whole, v. 26; IX. 9, § 3; mutual interdependence, IV. 27

συνείδησις, It is curious that Marcus never uses this Stoic equivalent for ‘Conscience,’ but see εὐσυνείδητος, vi. 30 ad fin.

σύστημα, an organized body, or organism, the parts of which have a relation to one another

σχέσις, a non-essential quality or feature of a thing, ) κίνησις = rest (Rendall), VII. 60; XI. 2; attitude or relation towards other things, I. 12; VI. 38; VIII. 27; XI. 18. Three σχέσεις, (1) towards the body, (2) towards God, (3) towards our neighbour, VIII. 27. See under ἕξις, κίνησις

σῶμα, τὸ [σωμάτιον, σάρξ, σαρκία (plur.), σαρκίδιον, κρεᾴδιοι] a compound of τὸ γεῶδες and τὸ ὑγρόν, together forming τὸ στερέμνιον, IV. 4; x. 7; the vessel or sheath of Soul, III. 3: VIII. 27; IX. 3; that which overlays the Soul. XII. 2, 3

 

τέλος, see σκοπός

τόνος (τονικός) = tension imparted to soul by atmospheric substance therein existing (Zeller), the cause of virtues and vices. Zeller also says that the Stoics imagined two sorts of motion, the one (= our Repulsion) tending outwards and giving rise to the qualities of matter, the other (our Attraction) tending inwards and causing condensation. Cleanthes calls τόνος a πληγὴ πυρός

 

ὕλη, τὸ ὑλικόν, matter on which the αἴτιον (q.v.) acts

ὑποκείμενον, τό (or plural), matter not in its primary condition but as formed by the αἴτιον, VII. 29; ὑποκειμένη ὕλη, ΙΧ. 36; all material things and objects, V. 10; vI. 4, 23; VIII. 22, 24: IX. 3; X. 18

ὑπεξαίρεσις, IV. 1; v. 20; VI. 50; XI. 37, exception or reservation; cp. "sapiens ad omnia cum exceptione (μεθ' ὑπεξαιρέσεως) veniet, si nihil inciderit, quod impediat (Seneca, De Benef. iv. 34)

ὑπόλήψις, opinion, imagination; all things are merely what we think them to be, II. 15; IV. 3, ad fin.: XII. 8, 26; away with opinion! IV. 7; VIII. 40; XI. 18, § 7; XII. 22, 25; leave the fact as it is and add no opinion to it, v. 26; hold the power of forming opinions sacred, III. 9; a ὑπολ καταληπτική (q.v.) amounts to a truth, IX. 6. See under φαντασία and κρίσις

ὑπόστασις, substance, ix. 1 ad fin. subsistence, IX. 42; X. 5

 

φαντασία, impression, thought, notion; don't go beyond first impressions, VIII. 49; they dye or stamp the soul, v. 16; vi. 16; sift them, VIII. 26; appraise them aright, v. 36; φαντασία καταληπτική, irresistible impression that carries assent, iv. 22; VII. 54; wipe it out, Iv. 24; v. 2: VII. 17, 29; VIII. 29; IX. 7. See under ὑπόληψις and κρίσις

φυσιολογεῖν, VIII. 13 = Physics; cp. IX. 41; x. 9: so of the physiological disquisitions of Heraclitus, III. 3; cp. IX. 41 (from Epicurus).

 

ψυχή, ψυχάριον, Man = σῶμα, ψυχή, νοῦς, III. 16; but the Soul (ψυχή) twofold, (α) = πνευμάτιον (πνεῦμα), an exhalation from blood (ἀναθυμίασις, v. 33, vi. 15), and an inhalation (ἀνάπνευσις) from the air; (b) ἡ νοερά, λογική, VI. 14, 32; ix. 8; xi. 1; xii. 30; ψυχη = τὸ ἡγεμονικόν, I. 16 ad fin.; IV. 41; V. 26; IX. 3, 27, 34; an emanation from God, xii. 26; imprisoned in the body, iii. 7; cp. Int. p. xiv. The natural soul is called ῥομβός a vortex or current, ii. 17, § 1; the rational soul a sphere, xi. 12; its attributes, XI. 1, 2. There is a Soul of the Universe, XII. 30, 32, and of God, V. 34, the two being really the same

ψύχωσις It was a view of the Stoics that the embryo in the womb had only the φυσικὴ ψυχὴ of plants, and that the νοερὰ ψυχὴ came gradually to the child after birth by contact with the (cold) air, xii. 24. It was by the respiration of the atmospheric πνεῦμα that the child received the πνευμάτιον, VI. 15; X. 7