Stephanus pagination is a system of reference and organization used in modern editions and translations of

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

(and less famously,

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

) based on the three-volume 1578 edition''Platonis opera quae extant omnia'' edidit Henricus Stephanus, Genevae, 1578. of Plato's complete works translated by Joannes Serranus (

Jean de Serres Jean de Serres (; ; 1540–1598) was a major French historian and an advisor to King Henry IV during the French Wars of Religion, Wars of Religion that marred the French Reformation in the second half of the Sixteenth Century. As a refugee from r ...

) and published by Henricus Stephanus (

Henri Estienne Henri Estienne ( , ; 1528 or 15311598), also known as Henricus Stephanus ( ), was a French printer and classical scholar. He was the eldest son of Robert Estienne. He was instructed in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew by his father and would eventually ...

) in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Overview

In the case of Plato's works, Stephanus pagination first divides the works into numbers that are the page numbers of each of the Stephanus edition's three volumes, and each such page and page number is further subdivided into lettered sections which correspond to parallel Greek/Latin translated passages on a given page, mostly commonly a, b, c, d, and e. This system is used in modern scholarship to cite Plato. For Plato's works, unique coordinates for a passage can therefore be given with three pieces of information: the work's name, the (Stephanus) page number, and the letter denoting the passage. For example, "''Symposium'' 172a" cites ''

Symposium In Ancient Greece, the symposium (, ''sympósion'', from συμπίνειν, ''sympínein'', 'to drink together') was the part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was accompanied by music, dancing, recitals, o ...

'', Stephanus page 172 (the volume in which ''Symposium'' occurs, as it happens, volume 3), passage a. To avoid ambiguity in this scheme, either the Platonic work or the volume must be cited; absent this, "page 50" might refer to any of the "page 50s" across Stephanus' three volumes. Reference to Stephanus manifestly presupposes the existing ordering of the work in its given volumes, but given historical disagreement as to the chronology and proper ordering of Plato's works, care should therefore be taken when referring to Stephanus pagination as opposed to another scheme. More specific citations may add line numbers, e.g. ''Symposium'' 209a5–9, but these generally refer to the lines in John Burnet's Oxford Classical Text, not to Estienne's line divisions. There are some peculiarities in the Stephanus page numbers. The length of each page and each paragraph can vary if extra commentary appears on the page of the 1578 edition. Thus Stephanus pages are not all of the same length. Some pages do not have all the paragraphs a through e. There are also gaps in the sequence of Stephanus page numbers for Plato's ''

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

'' and ''

Laws Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a Socia ...

''. The reason is that the editors added separate introductions to each 'book' of these longer works, and thus the page numbers of these introductions are not used to refer to pages in Plato's dialogues. The spurious dialogue '' Halcyon'' was included in the corpus of

Lucian Lucian of Samosata (Λουκιανὸς ὁ Σαμοσατεύς, 125 – after 180) was a Hellenized Syrian satirist, rhetorician and pamphleteer who is best known for his characteristic tongue-in-cheek style, with which he frequently ridi ...

's works and does not have Stephanus numbers.

Bekker numbering Bekker numbering or Bekker pagination is the standard form of citation to the works of Aristotle. It is based on the page numbers used in the Prussian Academy of Sciences edition of the complete works of Aristotle (1831–1837) and takes its na ...

is the comparable system for the works of

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

, and

Diels–Kranz numbering Diels–Kranz (DK) numbering is the standard system for referencing the works of the ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosophers, based on the collection of quotations from and reports of their work, ''Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker'' (''The Fragment ...

is the comparable system for

Pre-Socratic philosophy Pre-Socratic philosophy, also known as early Greek philosophy, is ancient Greek philosophy before Socrates. Pre-Socratic philosophers were mostly interested in cosmology, the beginning and the substance of the universe, but the inquiries of the ...

. Unlike Stephanus pagination, Bekker numbering starts with page 1 and proceeds through all of Aristotle's works without starting over, regardless of the number of volumes needed for a given edition. Bekker numbering therefore has the advantage, not shared by Stephanus pagination, of giving compact, unambiguous numerical citation of a given passage, page, etc, without the absolute necessity in order to avoid ambiguity to specify the dialogue, work or volume which exists in the case of Stephanus.

Stephanus numbers for Plato’s works

Volume 1

* (2a–16a) ''

Euthyphro ''Euthyphro'' (; ), is a philosophical work by Plato written in the form of a Socratic dialogue set during the weeks before the trial of Socrates in 399 BC. In the dialogue, Socrates and Euthyphro attempt to establish a definition of '' piet ...

'' * (17a–42a) '' Apologia Socratis'' * (43a–54e) ''

Crito ''Crito'' ( or ; ) is a dialogue written by the ancient Greece, ancient Greek philosopher Plato. It depicts a conversation between Socrates and his wealthy friend Crito of Alopece regarding justice (''δικαιοσύνη''), injustice (''ἀ ...

'' * (57a–118a) ''

Phaedo ''Phaedo'' (; , ''Phaidōn'') is a dialogue written by Plato, in which Socrates discusses the immortality of the soul and the nature of the afterlife with his friends in the hours leading up to his death. Socrates explores various arguments fo ...

'' * (121a–131a) '' Theages'' * (132a–139a) '' Amatores'' * (142a–210d) '' Theaetetus'' * (216a–268b) '' Sophista'' * (271a–307c) '' Euthydemus'' * (309a–362a) ''

Protagoras Protagoras ( ; ; )Guthrie, p. 262–263. was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher and rhetorical theorist. He is numbered as one of the sophists by Plato. In his dialogue '' Protagoras'', Plato credits him with inventing the role of the professional ...

'' * (363a–376c) '' Hippias Minor'' * (383a–440e) '' Cratylus'' * (447a–527e) ''

Gorgias Gorgias ( ; ; – ) was an ancient Greek sophist, pre-Socratic philosopher, and rhetorician who was a native of Leontinoi in Sicily. Several doxographers report that he was a pupil of Empedocles, although he would only have been a few years ...

'' * (530a–542b) ''

Ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...

Volume 2

* (11a–67b) ''

Philebus The ''Philebus'' (Φίληβος, ''Phílēbos'') is a work by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, written in dialogue form. It presents a fictional conversation between Plato's teacher Socrates and two young Athenians, Philebus and Protarchu ...

'' * (70a–100b) ''

Meno ''Meno'' (; , ''Ménōn'') is a Socratic dialogue written by Plato around 385 BC., but set at an earlier date around 402 BC. Meno begins the dialogue by asking Socrates whether virtue (in , '' aretē'') can be taught, acquired by practice, o ...

'' * (103a–135e) ''

Alcibiades I The ''First Alcibiades'', also referred to as ''Alcibiades Major'' and abbreviated as ''Alcibiades I'' (), is a dialogue ascribed to Plato, depicting Socrates in conversation with Alcibiades. Content In the preface Alcibiades is described as ...

'' * (138a–151c) '' Alcibiades II'' * (153a–176d) ''

Charmides Charmides (; ), son of Glaucon (who was the grandfather of Plato, and not to be confused with his brother of the same name), born circa 446 BC, was an Athenian statesman. Debra Nails''The People of Plato''(Indianapolis: Hackett, 2002), 90– ...

'' * (178a–201c) '' Laches'' * (203a–223b) ''

Lysis Lysis ( ; from Greek 'loosening') is the breaking down of the membrane of a cell, often by viral, enzymic, or osmotic (that is, "lytic" ) mechanisms that compromise its integrity. A fluid containing the contents of lysed cells is called a ...

'' * (225a–232c) ''

Hipparchus Hipparchus (; , ; BC) was a Ancient Greek astronomy, Greek astronomer, geographer, and mathematician. He is considered the founder of trigonometry, but is most famous for his incidental discovery of the precession of the equinoxes. Hippar ...

'' * (234a–249e) ''

Menexenus Menexenus (; ) was one of the three sons of Socrates and Xanthippe. His two brothers were Lamprocles and Sophroniscus. Menexenus is not to be confused with the character of the same name who appears in Plato's dialogues ''Menexenus'' and ''Ly ...

'' * (257a–311c) '' Politicus'' * (313a–321d) ''

Minos Main injector neutrino oscillation search (MINOS) was a particle physics experiment designed to study the phenomena of neutrino oscillations, first discovered by a Super-Kamiokande (Super-K) experiment in 1998. Neutrinos produced by the NuMI ...

'' * '' Respublica'' :* (327a–354c) ''Respublica'' I :* (357a–383c) ''Respublica'' II :* (386a–417b) ''Respublica'' III :* (419a–445e) ''Respublica'' IV :* (449a–480a) ''Respublica'' V :* (484a–511e) ''Respublica'' VI :* (514a–541b) ''Respublica'' VII :* (543a–569c) ''Respublica'' VIII :* (571a–592b) ''Respublica'' IX :* (595a–621d) ''Respublica'' X * '' Leges'' :* (624a–650b) ''Leges'' I :* (652a–674c) ''Leges'' II :* (676a–702e) ''Leges'' III :* (704a–724b) ''Leges'' IV :* (726a–747e) ''Leges'' V :* (751a–785b) ''Leges'' VI :* (788a–824a) ''Leges'' VII :* (828a–850c) ''Leges'' VIII :* (853a–882c) ''Leges'' IX :* (884a–910d) ''Leges'' X :* (913a–938c) ''Leges'' XI :* (941a–969d) ''Leges'' XII * (973a–992e) ''

Epinomis ''Epinomis'' (Greek: , or ''On the Laws'') is the final dialogue in the Platonic corpus, a follow-on conversation among the interlocutors of ''Laws'' – a twelve-book exploration of the best way to structure a ''polis''. The participants in t ...

Volume 3

* (17a–92c) '' Timaeus'' * (106a–121c) ''

Critias Critias (; , ''Kritias''; – 403 BC) was an ancient Athenian poet, philosopher and political leader. He is known today for being a student of Socrates, a writer of some regard, and for becoming the leader of the Thirty Tyrants, who ruled Athens ...

'' * (126a–166c) ''

Parmenides Parmenides of Elea (; ; fl. late sixth or early fifth century BC) was a Pre-Socratic philosophy, pre-Socratic ancient Greece, Greek philosopher from Velia, Elea in Magna Graecia (Southern Italy). Parmenides was born in the Greek colony of Veli ...

'' * (172a–223d) ''

'' * (227a–279c) '' Phaedrus'' * (281a–304e) '' Hippias Major'' * (309a–363e) '' Epistolae'' ** (309a–310b) Epistola I ** (310b–315a) Epistola II ** (315a–319e) Epistola III ** (320a–321c) Epistola IV ** (321c–322c) Epistola V ** (322c–323d) Epistola VI ** (323d–352a) Epistola VII ** (352b–357d) Epistola VIII ** (357d–358b) Epistola IX ** (358b–358c) Epistola X ** (358d–359c) Epistola XI ** (359c–359e) Epistola XII ** (360a–363e) Epistola XIII * (364a–372a) '' Axiochus'' * (372a–375d) '' De Justitia'' * (376a–379d) '' De Virtute'' * (380a–386b) '' Demodocus'' * (387b–391d) ''

Sisyphus In Greek mythology, Sisyphus or Sisyphos (; Ancient Greek: Σίσυφος ''Sísyphos'') was the founder and king of Ancient Corinth, Ephyra (now known as Corinth). He reveals Zeus's abduction of Aegina (mythology), Aegina to the river god As ...

'' * (392a–406a) '' Eryxias'' * (406a–410e) '' Clitopho'' * (411a–416a) '' Definitiones''

References

{{Reflist

External links

Explanation for Quoting Plato: Stephanus references

Vol. 1Vol. 2
an
Vol. 3
– scan of Stephanus' Plato edition from 1578 Works about Platonism Works by Plato Plutarch Referencing systems 1578 Ancient Greek philosophy studies