Μεγαλομερία
lavishness, munificence, greatness of parts
Translated by Ronald Allen14 Jul 2009Vetting: high8 revisions
Translation
Polybius says about [the] Carthaginians that "their expedition began with around fifteen myriad1 [sc. soldiers], by which not only someone present and beholding under his view, but even one hearing [sc. about these numbers], would have been struck with astonishment at the magnitude of the venture and the lavishness and power of both governments."2
And the Theologian [writes]: "... for those [who desire] the greatest things, or the greatest thing".3 'Of the greatest things' as in three consubstantial hypostases.4 Or 'of the greatest thing', [meaning] because of being in essence one and the same as the godhead. Or [he also writes] 'beyond great,' because of not being circumscribed by a certain quantity or magnitude or size.
And the Theologian [writes]: "... for those [who desire] the greatest things, or the greatest thing".3 'Of the greatest things' as in three consubstantial hypostases.4 Or 'of the greatest thing', [meaning] because of being in essence one and the same as the godhead. Or [he also writes] 'beyond great,' because of not being circumscribed by a certain quantity or magnitude or size.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Μεγαλομερία. Πολύβιος περὶ Καρχηδονίων φησίν, ὅτι ὁ στόλος αὐτῶν περὶ ιεʹ μυριάδας ὑπῆρχεν· ἐφ' οἷς οὐχ οἷον ἄν τις παρὼν καὶ θεώμενος ὑπὸ τὴν ὄψιν, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἀκούων καταπλαγείη τὸ τοῦ κινδύνου μέγεθος καὶ τὴν τῶν πολιτευμάτων ἀμφοτέρων μεγαλομερίαν καὶ δύναμιν. καὶ ὁ Θεολόγος· τοῖς τῶν μεγίστων ἢ τοῦ μεγίστου. μεγίστων ὡς ἐν τρισὶν ὑποστάσεσιν ὁμοουσίοις. ἢ τοῦ μεγίστου, διὰ τὸ κατ' οὐσίαν ἓν καὶ ταυτὸ τῆς θεότητος. ἢ ὑπὲρ τὸ μέγα, διὰ τὸ μὴ ποσῷ τινι ἢ μεγέθει ἢ πηλικότητι περιγράφεσθαι.
Betacode
*megalomeri/a. *polu/bios peri\ *karxhdoni/wn fhsi/n, o(/ti o( sto/los au)tw=n peri\ ie# muria/das u(ph=rxen: e)f' oi(=s ou)x oi(=on a)/n tis parw\n kai\ qew/menos u(po\ th\n o)/yin, a)lla\ ka)\n a)kou/wn kataplagei/h to\ tou= kindu/nou me/geqos kai\ th\n tw=n politeuma/twn a)mfote/rwn megalomeri/an kai\ du/namin. kai\ o( *qeolo/gos: toi=s tw=n megi/stwn h)\ tou= megi/stou. megi/stwn w(s e)n trisi\n u(posta/sesin o(moousi/ois. h)\ tou= megi/stou, dia\ to\ kat' ou)si/an e(\n kai\ tauto\ th=s qeo/thtos. h)\ u(pe\r to\ me/ga, dia\ to\ mh\ posw=| tini h)\ mege/qei h)\ phliko/thti perigra/fesqai.
Notes (4)
- The unglossed headword is a feminine noun in the nominative (and vocative) singular. This spelling, in which the Suda follows Polybius (see n. 2 below), is an alternative to
megalome/reia (lavishness, munificence; see LSJ s.v.).
The word's additional meaning, largeness of parts or scale, appears to be illustrated in the latter part of the entry (see nn. 3-4 below).
cf. mu 366. - 1One myriad (
mu/rioi ) is ten thousand, so this represents one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers (Smyth §347). ↩ - 2Polybius 1.26.8-9 (web address 1), describing the Carthaginian mobilization (256 BCE) for the Battle of Ecnomus (Eknomos; Barrington atlas map 47 grid D4), a hill near the town of Phintias (present-day Licata, Italy), on Sicily's southern coast (Lazenby, p. 84). Walbank suggests that Carthage was pursuing a defensive strategy and that Polybius' reckoning of the troop count from ship numbers is therefore exaggerated (Walbank, p. 86). However, Lazenby (op. cit., pp. 86-7) favors Polybius' account, together with his arithmetic; Ecnomus was arguably the largest sea-battle in history. ↩
- 3Gregory of Nazianzus, In sancta lumina PG 36.344.12, with scholion. ↩
- 4The Council of Nicaea (325 CE) defined the relationship between the persons (hypostases) of the Christian Trinity as
o(moou/sion , consubstantial. See LSJ s.v.; OCD(4) s.v. Nicaea (1); and related Suda passages alpha 3397, beta 150, gamma 450, epsilon 3782, lambda 256, and omicron 762. ↩
References
H.W. Smyth, Greek Grammar, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1956
J.F. Lazenby, The First Punic War, Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, 1996
F.W. Walbank, A Historical Commentary on Polybius, vol. I, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1957
J.F. Lazenby, The First Punic War, Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, 1996
F.W. Walbank, A Historical Commentary on Polybius, vol. I, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1957
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Neighbouring entries
Revision history8 revisions · last 26 Jul 2020
- more tweaking — Catharine Roth
- tweaked translation — Catharine Roth
- cosmeticule, tweaked link — Catharine Roth
- coding — Catharine Roth
- cosmeticule — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- Revised — David Whitehead
- x-ref; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Ronald Allen