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The Delphic maxims are a set of
maxims inscribed on the
Temple of Apollo at
Delphi. Originally, they were said to have been given by the
Greek god
The following is a list of gods, goddesses, and many other divine and semi-divine figures from ancient Greek mythology and ancient Greek religion.
Immortals
The Greeks created images of their deities for many purposes. A temple would house the ...
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...
's
Oracle at Delphi, Pythia, and therefore were attributed to Apollo. Plato attributed them to the
Seven Sages of Greece
The Seven Sages (of Greece) or Seven Wise Men (Greek: ''hoi hepta sophoi'') was the title given by classical Greek tradition to seven philosophers, statesmen, and law-givers of the 7–6th century BC who were renowned for their wisdom.
The ...
, as did the 3rd-century
doxographer Doxography ( el, δόξα – "an opinion", "a point of view" + – "to write", "to describe") is a term used especially for the works of classical historians, describing the points of view of past philosophers and scientists. The term w ...
Diogenes Laertius
Diogenes Laërtius ( ; grc-gre, Διογένης Λαέρτιος, ; ) was a biographer of the Greek philosophers. Nothing is definitively known about his life, but his surviving ''Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers'' is a principal sour ...
and the 5th-century scholar
Stobaeus
Joannes Stobaeus (; grc-gre, Ἰωάννης ὁ Στοβαῖος; fl. 5th-century AD), from Stobi in Macedonia, was the compiler of a valuable series of extracts from Greek authors. The work was originally divided into two volumes containin ...
. Contemporary scholars, however, hold that their original authorship is uncertain, and that "most likely they were popular proverbs, which tended later to be attributed to particular sages". Roman educator
Quintilian argued that students should copy these aphorisms often to improve their moral core. Perhaps the most famous of these maxims is "
know thyself
The Ancient Greek aphorism "know thyself" (Greek: , transliterated: '; also ' with the ε contracted) is the first of three Delphic maxims inscribed in the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi according to the Greek writer Pausania ...
", which was the first of three maxims carved above the entrance to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.
The specific order and wording of each maxim varies among different versions (and translations) of the text. Not all maxims appear in all versions.
Entrance maxims
Three maxims are known to have been inscribed on the
Temple of Apollo at
Delphi at least as early as the 5th century BC, and appear to have persisted into the 1st century AD.
The exact location of the inscription is uncertain; it is variously stated to have been on the wall of the
pronaos
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...
(forecourt), on a column, on a doorpost, on the temple front, or on the
propylaea (gateway).
The maxims are as follows:
These maxims are routinely referenced by ancient authors, most notably by
Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
. Benjamin Jowett's index to his translation of the ''Dialogues of Plato'' lists six dialogues which mention the Delphic inscriptions: ''
Charmides'' (164D), ''
Protagoras'' (343B), ''
Phaedrus'' (229E), ''
Philebus'' (45E, 48C), ''
Laws
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...
'' (II.923A), ''
Alcibiades I'' (124B, 129A, 132C).
147 maxims of Stobaeus
In the 5th-century anthology of
Stobaeus
Joannes Stobaeus (; grc-gre, Ἰωάννης ὁ Στοβαῖος; fl. 5th-century AD), from Stobi in Macedonia, was the compiler of a valuable series of extracts from Greek authors. The work was originally divided into two volumes containin ...
, there is a list of 147 maxims attributed to the
Seven Sages of Greece
The Seven Sages (of Greece) or Seven Wise Men (Greek: ''hoi hepta sophoi'') was the title given by classical Greek tradition to seven philosophers, statesmen, and law-givers of the 7–6th century BC who were renowned for their wisdom.
The ...
.
Stobaeus cites a certain Sosiades as his source, but the identity of Sosiades is unknown, and it was once thought that this collection of maxims was of no great antiquity. However, parallel sayings have since been found in several ancient inscriptions, some dating to around 300 BC. These inscriptions also inform us that the original maxims were "carved on the stele at Delphi".
The maxims given by Stobaeus are as follows:
Ai-Khanoum inscription
In the ruins of the Hellenistic city of
Ai-Khanoum
Ai-Khanoum (, meaning ''Lady Moon''; uz, Oyxonim) is the archaeological site of a Hellenistic city in Takhar Province, Afghanistan. The city, whose original name is unknown, was probably founded by an early ruler of the Seleucid Empire and se ...
(former
Greco-Bactrian kingdom, and modern
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
), on a
Herõon (funerary monument) identified in Greek as the tomb of Kineas (also described as the (founder) of the Greek settlement) and dated to 300-250 BCE, an inscription has been found describing part of the Delphic maxims (maxims 143 to 147):
the disciple of
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...
, who, according to the same inscription, had copied them from
Delphi:
These wise commandments of men of old''
''- Words of well-known thinkers - stand dedicated''
''In the most holy Pythian shrine''
''From there Klearchos, having copied them carefully, set them up, shining from afar, in the sanctuary of Kineas
Interpretation
First maxim
In Plato's ''
Charmides'', Critias argues that "know thyself!" was an admonition to those entering the sacred temple to remember or know their place and that "know thyself!" and "be temperate!" are the same. He claims that "succeeding sages who added 'never too much', or, 'give a pledge, and evil is nigh at hand', would appear to have so misunderstood them; for they imagined that 'know thyself!' was a piece of advice which the god gave, and not his salutation of the worshippers at their first coming in; and they dedicated their own inscription under the idea that they too would give equally useful pieces of advice".
In the balance of the ''Charmides'', Plato has Socrates lead a long inquiry as to how we may gain knowledge of ourselves.
Xenophon
Xenophon of Athens (; grc, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Greek mercenary armies o ...
likewise, in his ''Memorabilia'', uses the maxim "know thyself" as an organizing theme for his dialogue, in which Socrates explains that knowing oneself is the starting point for all good things, and failure to know oneself is the starting point of delusion, yet even from this starting point one cannot be sure one knows what is good and what is bad.
Third maxim
The third maxim, "Give a pledge and trouble is at hand", has been variously interpreted. The Greek word can mean either (a)
surety given for a loan; (b) a binding oath given during a marriage ceremony; or (c) a strong affirmation of any kind. Accordingly, the maxim may be warning against any one of these things.
The correct interpretation of the maxim was being debated as early as the 1st century BC, when
Diodorus Siculus discussed the question in his ''
Bibliotheca historica''. In Plutarch's ''Septem sapientium convivium'', the ambiguity of the phrase is said to have "kept many from marrying, and many from trusting, and some even from speaking".
Diogenes Laërtius (3rd-century AD) also makes reference to the maxim in his account of the life of
Pyrrho, the founder of
Pyrrhonism. Exploring the origins of the Pyrrhonean doctrine of
philosophical skepticism
Philosophical skepticism ( UK spelling: scepticism; from Greek σκέψις ''skepsis'', "inquiry") is a family of philosophical views that question the possibility of knowledge. It differs from other forms of skepticism in that it even reject ...
, Diogenes claims that the Delphic maxims are skeptical in nature, and interprets the third maxim to mean: "Trouble attends him who affirms anything in strong terms and confidently".
Analysing the various appearances of the maxim in Greek literature, Eliza Wilkins finds the opinion of the ancient authors on the meaning of split between the two rival interpretations of "commit yourself emphatically" and "become surety". Among Latin authors, however, the maxim is universally interpreted in the latter sense, as advice against giving surety.
See also
*
List of oracular statements from Delphi
*
Via media
References
Notes
Citations
Sources
*
Stobaeus
Joannes Stobaeus (; grc-gre, Ἰωάννης ὁ Στοβαῖος; fl. 5th-century AD), from Stobi in Macedonia, was the compiler of a valuable series of extracts from Greek authors. The work was originally divided into two volumes containin ...
, ''Anth',' 3.1.173
John Uebersax – Sentences of the Seven Sages{{refend
External links
Fysis.cz – Original text in Greek2018 English translation by Melissa Gold of Hellenion
Ancient Greek religion
Aphorisms