Εἴδωλον
likeness, image, phantom
Translated by Bobbiejo Winfrey ✝22 May 2003Vetting: high10 revisions
Translation
[Meaning] a shadowy image; or an appearance of a body, a certain cloudy shadow. As Bacchylides [writes]: "dark-dyed likeness of an Ithacan man."1 Also the Poet [writes] about Antikleia: "three times like a shadow [she escaped] from my hands."2 "But he [was] the true substance. So it is necessary to observe how they furnish appearances of bodies to those seeing them, but indeed not true substance."3
"The Pythia ordered [them] to hang raised in the air a certain image shaped into the appearance of a woman: and the city was strengthened."4 And elsewhere: "then these were images of what the unfortunate corpse of that man was about to endure not much later."5
And the Scripture says: "you shall not make idols for yourselves nor any image," as there is a difference between an idol and an image. For while idols are the representations of things that do not exist, like the Tritons and Sphynxes and Centaurs; images are the likenesses of things that exist, as of beasts and human beings. Bowing down also is different from worship. For while one may bow down because of fear, true worship in accordance with the soul [does not happen because of fear]. Each of the two is both profane and hated by God.6
Sophocles [writes]: "for I see that we are nothing else than phantoms." Meaning representations more unreal than non-existent things.7
And Damascius says: "whenever we set up and engrave some kind of idols, [they are] a shadow of dreams in Pindar's phrase.8
"And [the] sons of Ephraim happened to be worshippers of idols."9
"The Pythia ordered [them] to hang raised in the air a certain image shaped into the appearance of a woman: and the city was strengthened."4 And elsewhere: "then these were images of what the unfortunate corpse of that man was about to endure not much later."5
And the Scripture says: "you shall not make idols for yourselves nor any image," as there is a difference between an idol and an image. For while idols are the representations of things that do not exist, like the Tritons and Sphynxes and Centaurs; images are the likenesses of things that exist, as of beasts and human beings. Bowing down also is different from worship. For while one may bow down because of fear, true worship in accordance with the soul [does not happen because of fear]. Each of the two is both profane and hated by God.6
Sophocles [writes]: "for I see that we are nothing else than phantoms." Meaning representations more unreal than non-existent things.7
And Damascius says: "whenever we set up and engrave some kind of idols, [they are] a shadow of dreams in Pindar's phrase.8
"And [the] sons of Ephraim happened to be worshippers of idols."9