Echthroi (Ἐχθροί) is a Greek plural meaning "The Enemy" (literally "enemies"). The singular form of the word, Echthros (Ἐχθρός), is used in many versions and translations of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

for "enemy". The words Echthros and Echthroi occur mainly in connection with biblical studies and in literary criticism of classical literature, specifically

Greek tragedy Greek tragedy is a form of theatre from Ancient Greece and Greek inhabited Anatolia. It reached its most significant form in Athens in the 5th century BC, the works of which are sometimes called Attic tragedy. Greek tragedy is widely believed t ...

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 ...

and others classified people encountered by characters in tragedy into "

philoi ''Philoi'' ( grc, φίλοι; plural of φίλος ''philos'' "friend") is a word that roughly translates to "friend." This type of friendship is based on the characteristically Greek value for reciprocity as opposed to a friendship that exists as ...

" (friends and loved ones), "echthroi" (enemies), and "medetoeroi" (neithers), with the characters and their audience seeking a positive outcome for the first group and the downfall of the second.{{cite book , last = Lowe , first = N. J. , author2=S , title = The Classical Plot and the Invention of Western Narrative , publisher = Cambridge University Press , year = 2000 , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=pzhS0wQNvNoC&q=Echthroi&pg=RA1-PA178 , isbn = 0-521-60445-1 , page = 178 The term also appears in Canto XII of the little-known epic ''The Purple Island'' by seventeenth-century poet and

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Phineas Fletcher Phineas Fletcher (8 April 1582 – 13 December 1650) was an English poet, elder son of Dr Giles Fletcher, and brother of Giles the Younger. He was born at Cranbrook, Kent, and was baptized on 8 April 1582. Life He was admitted a scholar of E ...

, apparently in the general meaning of enemies.The Poems of Phineas Fletcher
Google Books. Retrieved 2008-03-01.

References

Greek words and phrases

See also

References