Lexical and Critical Notes on Dio Chrysostom HIGHET, GILBERT Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies; Summer 1976; 17, 2; ProQuest pg. 153

Lexical and Critical Notes 
on Dio Chrysostom 

Gilbert Highet 

I N A previous issue of this periodical I gave a short list of words and 
of special senses of words occurring in Dio Chrysostom which were 
not attributed to him in Liddell-Scott-Jones but were usually 

supported by references to later authors. l The following should be 
added to the brief catalog.2 

ADDENDA 

*aYYELov I, metaph. of the human body, a. 4>pov~CEWC Ka~ AOYOV 

(Dio 12.59). 
a1Tof.Laprdvw, <cause to waste away' (Dio 3.83). The passive occurs in 

Plato, hut for the active LS] cite only Soranus and other late authors. 
apLCTEtk, <champion' (Dio 29.11, 32.48). 
IlT01TOC 3, of things, <had, harmful' (Dio 16.5). 
*fHa{pw med., 'stand up straight' (Dio 40.9). 
*8LaKp{vw med., 'part one's hair' (Dio 21.7). 
8VC(maAAaK'TWC EXELV, <be reluctant to abandon' (Dio 38.50). LSJ 

quote only Eustathius. 
*SVCTVX~C, 'foolish, misguided' (Dem. 14.32, Dio 35.8). 
£VELAEW, 'wrap in' (Dio 23.3). For the active LSJ cite Dioscorides. 
*epE1TTw, 'roof' (Dio 79.1). 
ZKpLa 11.3, <benches' in a theater (Dio 33.9). 
*icTop{a 'sightseeing' (Dio 27.5). 
Ka'TaVOEW 1.5, 'look at, view' (Dio 28.3). 
KEvOSogiw 2, 'to be vain-glorious' (Dio 38.29). 
f.L€POC Iv.2.h. eK TOV 1TAelovoc f.L€POVC, 'for the most part' (Dio 31.22). 
*f.L{c(Japvoc, adj., 'working for wages' (Dio 22.1). 

1 GRBS 15 (1974) 247-53.1 should like to correct an oversight. On pp.252-53 I said that the 
epic parody in Dio 32.82f ought to be in Brandt's Parodorum epicorum Graecorum reliquiae. 
It is there, with a valuable commentary, among the 'incertorum fragmenta' on pp.100-07. 

2 An asterisk means that the word, or a particular form of the word, or a particular 
Significance of the word, does not appear in LS]. 

153 



154 LEXICAL AND CRITICAL NOTES ON 010 CHRYSOSTOM 

*oAlyoc IV. TrpOC oAtyov, 'for a short time' (Dio 32.89, 34.18, 34.37, 
Luc. Nigr. 23, Hdn. 3.7.8. [p.90 Stavenhagen]). 

&paw 11.2, 'see to' (Dio 34.49). 
*TraVTooam)c, 'trying every method' (Dio 4.76). The regular word is 

TravToioc 2. 
*TrWAEt:W pass., 'be suckled', of a colt (Dio 21.6). 
paLcTIJp, 'hammer' (Dio 40.9). 

*Taxvc c.I.2: OaTTov, 'earlier, previously' (Dio 31.30, 31.33, D.L. 
6.56). 

*Vt/niAoc I, of a man, 'tall' (Dio 21.1). 
*X~fLa I: XP7JfLaTwv alone, 'for money' (Dio 17.11). 

CORRIGENDA 

Here are a few suggestions for the improvement of von Arnim's 
text of Dio Chrysostom (2 vols., Berlin 1893 and 1896, repro 1962). 

3.86. The emperor (Dio tells Trajan) considers friendship the finest 
of his possessions. It is not so disgraceful or so dangerous to lack money 
as to lack friends: ov yap OUTWC 7fj Xop7JylCf Kat TOt:C CTpaTOTrEOOLC ... 
ouupVAaTTHJI TT]V €VOaLfLov{av WC 7fj TrlCT€L TWV c/>{AWV. The adverb OUTWC 

hangs in the air. Read OUTWC < &cc/>aAJ:c>, comparing a repetition of the 
idea in 3.96: avw oJ: c/>LAlac ovo' EV dpIJvv ~fjv &cc/>aMc. 

7.50 Addressing the assembly of city-folk, the Euboean home­
steader offers, if they wish it, to pull down his cabins, but adds that the 
Urban Housing Committee must give his family a home in the city: 
1} TrWC VTr€V€YK€t:V oVV7JcofL€Oa TOV X€LfLWVOC; The verb requires an 
object: read TOVC X€LfLwvaC, which is more graphic. 

8.8. Diogenes declared that if he professed medicine people would 
flock to him, but when he offered to cure them of ignorance and other 
vices, nobody would consult him,ovo' <Xv €l TroAV 1TPOCAw€cOaL apyvptov 

EfL€AA€V. But Diogenes never suggested that his spiritual cures would 
make his patients rich: he would have scorned the idea. Delete 
apyvpLov as an addition by a reader who did not know that 
TrpocAafLf1avw can be used without an object, as in Dem. 2.7. 

8.34. Diogenes praised Hercules for choosing death by fire, o€l~ac 
on ovoJ:v agtov Ec/>POVTL~€ TOV TrVP€TOV. Von Arnim says in his apparatus 
criticus that he does not understand the clause, and (with Wilamo­
witz) believes it to be lacunose. The meaning is clear if agLOv is ex­
cised: oooJ:v c/>povTl,w is a common idiom meaning 'despise'. 

11.96. Explaining to the Trojans that the Greeks were really de-



GILBERT HIGHET 155 

feated in the Trojan war, Dio asserts that Hector killed Achilles and 
(as Homer says) captured his armor; he then pursued Achilles' 
chariot-team, ou Aafkiv O€, KaKE{vwv UAOV'TWV. Self-contradictory. The 
horses, like Hector himself, were tired; Dio remembers Iliad 17.75-78 

and rationalizes it. Read KCljlVDV"1'WV. 
11.114. After this (Dio continues) the Greeks sailed away to the 

Chersonese and stayed there in the hope of concluding the war with­
out a Trojan counterattack on Greece, Ei 1TWC 'Tip IId.p'o, Kd./LvOlm 

(lhaAAd.gHav aV'TOIJc. But the Achaeans' chief enemies in Troy were 
Priam and Hector, mentioned a few lines below. Read 'Tip IIp,d./LCfJ' 

18.7. Dio declares Menander best of all the comedians: if 'TE yap 

'TOV M. /L{/LTJoc a1TaV'TOC fj80vc Kat. Xd.pt'TOC 1T(Xcav {J1TEpf3€f3ATJKE ,"," 
SE,vo'T7]'Ta 'TWV 1TaAatwv KWluKWV. Menander does indeed excel in 
character-drawing, but j.d/LTJCtC Xd.pt'TOC is not a dramatic virtue. 
Read Kat. (€1T{OHgtc 1TaV'TOSa1Tfjc) Xd.pt'TOC, or something of the 
sort. 

18.8. Lyric, elegiac, iambic and dithyrambic poems are well worth 
reading if one has the leisure; but not for a busy man, 'Tip 1Tpd.'T'THV 

, ., , 'e' '\ I "e ~ I V A . 'TE KCU a/La 'Tac 1Tpa~ HC Ka, 'TOVC I\oyovc av~ E'V utaVOOV/LEVCfJ. on rnIm, 
followed faithfully by Bude, excises'Tac 1Tpd.gELC. But Dio's friend is 
trying to enlarge his command of literature while engaged in politics 
(18.1), so we should read a/La 'TaLC 1Tpd.gEct. 

24.2. Men excel in different pursuits. Some are better than others at 
wrestling and boxing and running, Ka~ 'TOV C1T()POV /L~ OLa/Lap'TELV, 

Ka~ 1TA€oV'TEC /L~ SLmP8ELpat 'T~V vavv. Not all men are sowers, just as not 
all are sailors. Here (Y€WPYOVVTEC) is required to parallel1TA£ov'TEc. 

25.1. Dio and a pupil discuss what is meant by a daemon. Dio asks, 
"Is a daemon something within a man, ~ ;gW8EV dV apxov 'Tt Kat. KJJpLOV 
'TOV av8p(imov;" The pupil answers ""EYWYE." But ;ywy€ cannot be 
employed to reply to a disjunctive question and to mean "The 
latter." Read" Egw8€v. 

30.4. In his final illness Charidemus retained his intellectual powers, 
'TO CVVELva, ... Kat. O,aMYEc8aL. So the editors, von Arnim and Bude. But 
the infinitive of cvv{TJIU (= <understand') is shown, for instance by 
Herodotus 3.46.1, 3.63.4, and 5.80.1, to be cvvdvaL. 

30.18. Charidemus describes the world as a prison in which all men 
are fettered body and soul. Some are small and some tall, some ugly 
and some handsome, but all are bound by necessity. Just as they differ 
in physique, 0/LOLWC Kat 'TaLC 'TJJXa" 'TE Kat Saga" Kat 'TL/LaLC aAA~AWV 



156 LEXICAL AND CRITICAL NOTES ON DIO CHRYSOSTOM 

lnrEplXE£v. All men cannot be superior to one another: read aAAovc 
w,' • , a/\/\wv V7TEpEXE'V. 

30.26. In another interpretation of man's fate, Charidemus says we 
are akin to the gods, who placed us in this earth as a great city plants 

11 1 ''/'"'' A \ '" Q I.' ' I.' \ \, A a sma co ony, E'f' 7J'T'TOC£ nJLaK Ka£ OI\,..CP, o£Ka£o£c OE Ka£ VOJLO£C 'TOK 
aV'TOLc. The adjectival 8£Kato£c breaks the symmetry and is anyhow 
too imprecise. Read 8lKa£c. 

31.27. Lecturing the Rhodians, Dio tells them it is absurd to omit 
honoring benefactors, a'T07TOV ')IE OV'TOC 'TaU nva 7TapeLva£ 'TWV a~twv 
'T£JLfjc. The infinitive of 7TapE£JL£= 'pass over' is 7TapLEVa£. 

32.90. The Alexandrians, says Dio, should realize that not only an 
individual but a whole city can be made a captive, alpefJeLca -iJ7TO 
JLlfJ7Jc 7} cp8fjc ')Ivva£Kwv 7} apJLa'Twv. Alexandria had lots of singing girls 
(Dio 32.62) but no singing chariots. Read 7} < 'TeXXovc> apJLeX'Twv. 

33.1. In a long and involved exordium Dio tells the Tarsians he 
wonders why they want to listen to orators. It is because of their 
sweet voices? E7TE£'Ta wC7Tep opvlwv 7To(hL'TE aKovE£v JLEAcp8ovv'TWV 
VJLLV; The adverb of sequence, E7TEL'Ta. makes no sense. A subordinate 
clause of explanation is needed, introduced by E7TE£8~ ')IE. 

36.5. The city of Borysthenes is small and poor because of barbarian 
attacks. The Greek settlements on the western Black Sea coast have 
not yet recovered from being overrun by the Getae over a century 
ago. (In CAH IX ch. 5 p.228 Rostovtzeff places this incursion between 
67 and 50 B.C.) lloAAa'i ')lap 8~ 'Twec aAwcELc Ka'Ta 7ToAAa JLlp7J ')IE')IovaCL 
Tfjc 'E~eX8oc, a'TE EV 7TO~OLC 'T07TO£C 8£Ec7TapJLlv7Jc. This remark is of 
course true of the Greek lands and colonies before they became part 
of the Roman empire; but it is not relevant here, and may well 
be a marginal comment added by a reader who lived in the chaotic 
centuries after Dio's death. 

48.14. Dio begs his fellow-citizens to be calm and orderly for their 
own sakes and for his. For, if a philosopher enters politics and cannot 
produce concord in his city, 'ToiiTo 8ELVOV ';;871 Kat mpVK'TOV, as though a 
shipbuilder neglected the seaworthiness of his vessel. Such a failure is 
distressing but not literally inescapable, mpVK'TOV. Read ?upop7J'Tov. 

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 

April, 1976