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Μάρας

Maras

Translated by Catharine Roth25 Apr 2008Vetting: high3 revisions

2 notes · 218 words
From Beroea the city in Syria, one of the richest men, but nevertheless satiety begot no insolence in him; for no satiety of money was evident, but he made it a means for justice and philanthropy, assisting those in need and providing generously for public causes. Thus he offered himself to everyone as a kind and just man, so that no one of the citizens ever brought a charge against him, nor any foreigner among his neighbors in the city or those in the nearby fields. In fact he did not consider it a work of justice if he did not do injustice1 to any member of the community, but rather only if he did not keep striving to do them good. Therefore he did not concern himself only with his own affairs but also with those of others, especially of neighboring residents in the city and the countryside. Especial evidence of this [is provided by the fact that] if anyone of his neighbors wanted to sell or buy something, the seller increased the price and the buyer increased the valuation above the market price, obviously just for this reason, to obtain as an abutter and neighbor Maras, the most just of all men. And so Maras migrated into a proverb, by his just treatment of his neighbors.2

Greek original · Adler’s text

Μάρας, ἀπὸ Βεροίας τῆς ἐν Συρίᾳ πόλεως, ἀνὴρ τῶν πλουσιωτάτων, ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ κόρος οὐδεμίαν αὐτῷ ὕβριν ἐνέτεκεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ κόρος οὐδεὶς ἐφαίνετο τῶν χρημάτων, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ὄργανα ἐποιεῖτο δικαιοσύνης τε καὶ φιλανθρωπίας, ἐπιχορηγῶν τε τοῖς δεομένοις καὶ φιλοτιμούμενος ἐν τοῖς πολιτεύμασιν. οὕτω παρεῖχεν ἑαυτὸν τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐπιεικῆ καὶ δίκαιον, ὥστε οὔτε τῶν πολιτῶν οὐδεὶς αὐτῷ ἐγκέκληκε πώποτε οὔτε ξένων οὔτε τῶν κατ' ἀστὺ γειτόνων οὔτε τῶν ἐν ἀγροῖς ὁμορούντων. οὐ μὴν ταῦτα δικαιοσύνης ἔργα ἀπελογίζετο, εἰ μηδένα ἀδικεῖν τῶν πολιτευομένων, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα μᾶλλον, εἰ μὴ κάμνοι εὐεργετῶν. τοιγαροῦν οὐ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ μόνον ἐπεμελεῖτο πραγμάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων, μάλιστα τῶν παρακεκτημένων ἔν τε τῷ ἄστει καὶ κατ' ἀγρούς. μάλιστα δὲ τούτου τεκμήριον, εἴ τις ἠβούλετό τι πωλεῖν ἤ τις ὠνεῖσθαι τῶν πλησιαζόντων αὐτῷ, ὁ μὲν προσαπῄτει, ὁ δὲ προσετίθει τῷ τιμήματι τῆς ἄλλης ἀξίας, ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ γέ τοι δήπουθεν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ κτήσασθαι ὅμορον καὶ γείτονα Μάραν, τὸν πάντων ἀνθρώπων δικαιότατον. ὥστε καὶ ἐξενίκησεν εἰς παροιμίαν ὁ Μάρας, ἐπὶ δικαίᾳ χρήσει τῶν πέλας.

Betacode
*ma/ras, a)po\ *beroi/as th=s e)n *suri/a| po/lews, a)nh\r tw=n plousiwta/twn, a)ll' o(/mws o( ko/ros ou)demi/an au)tw=| u(/brin e)ne/teken: ou)de\ ga\r ko/ros ou)dei\s e)fai/neto tw=n xrhma/twn, a)lla\ tau=ta me\n o)/rgana e)poiei=to dikaiosu/nhs te kai\ filanqrwpi/as, e)pixorhgw=n te toi=s deome/nois kai\ filotimou/menos e)n toi=s politeu/masin. ou(/tw parei=xen e(auto\n toi=s pa=sin e)pieikh= kai\ di/kaion, w(/ste ou)/te tw=n politw=n ou)dei\s au)tw=| e)gke/klhke pw/pote ou)/te ce/nwn ou)/te tw=n kat' a)stu\ geito/nwn ou)/te tw=n e)n a)groi=s o(morou/ntwn. ou) mh\n tau=ta dikaiosu/nhs e)/rga a)pelogi/zeto, ei) mhde/na a)dikei=n tw=n politeuome/nwn, a)ll' e)kei=na ma=llon, ei) mh\ ka/mnoi eu)ergetw=n. toigarou=n ou) tw=n e(autou= mo/non e)pemelei=to pragma/twn, a)lla\ kai\ tw=n a)llotri/wn, ma/lista tw=n parakekthme/nwn e)/n te tw=| a)/stei kai\ kat' a)grou/s. ma/lista de\ tou/tou tekmh/rion, ei)/ tis h)bou/leto/ ti pwlei=n h)/ tis w)nei=sqai tw=n plhsiazo/ntwn au)tw=|, o( me\n prosaph/|tei, o( de\ proseti/qei tw=| timh/mati th=s a)/llhs a)ci/as, u(pe\r  au)tou= ge/ toi dh/pouqen, u(pe\r tou= kth/sasqai o(/moron kai\ gei/tona *ma/ran, to\n pa/ntwn a)nqrw/pwn dikaio/taton. w(/ste kai\ e)ceni/khsen ei)s paroimi/an o( *ma/ras, e)pi\ dikai/a| xrh/sei tw=n pe/las.

Notes (2)

  1. Damascius, Life of Isidore fr. 226 Zintzen (266 Asmus, 92 Athanassiadi).
  2. 1Bernhardy emended the infinitive a)dikei=n to a)dikei=; Chalcocondyles' editio princeps printed a)dikoi/h. ↩
  3. 2He was nicknamed "Aristides"; cf. alpha 3903. ↩

Linked from1 entry

Neighbouring entries

μ179Μαραναθάmaranatha; our Lord, come; our Lord has comeμ180ΜαραντώπηMarantopeμ181ΜάραςMarasμ182Μαργαρίτηςpearlμ183Μαργαίνειrages
Revision history3 revisions · last 19 May 2015
  1. my typo — Catharine Roth
  2. another keyword — David Whitehead
  3. x-ref; more keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
  4. Translated — Catharine Roth

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