Ὡραπόλλων
Horapollon, Horapollo
Translated by Malcolm Heath4 Sep 2003Vetting: high6 revisions
Translation
An Egyptian,2 in the time of the emperor Zeno. Nicomedes was searching for Harpocras,3 and could not find him. Isidore the philosopher, when he learnt of this, sent a written message revealing the attackers. The messenger was captured, and acknowledged who it was that had sent him. They seized Horapollo and Heraiscus,4 strung them up by their hands, and asked after Harpocras and Isidore. Horapollo did not have the character of a philosopher, but kept hidden the belief about God that he held. Heraiscus had predicted that Horapollo would go over to the other side and abandon his ancestral customs; and this is what happened. Without any apparent compelling cause, he chose the change of his own accord, because of the hopes inspired by some insatiable desire -- for there is nothing else one could easily invoke to defend the defection.
Apparently, he became a Christian.5
Or perhaps the reverse.6
Greek original · Adler’s text
Ὡραπόλλων, Φαινεβύθεως, κώμης τοῦ Πανοπολίτου νομοῦ, γραμματικός, διδάξας ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ καὶ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, εἶτα ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει ἐπὶ Θεοδοσίου. ἔγραψε Τεμενικά, ὑπόμνημα Σοφοκλέους, Ἀλκαίου, εἰς Ὅμηρον. λαμπρὸς μὲν ἐπὶ τῇ τέχνῃ ἄνθρωπος καὶ τῶν πάλαι λογιμωτάτων γραμματικῶν οὐδέν τι μεῖον κλέος ἀπενεγκάμενος. Αἰγύπτιος, ἐπὶ Ζήνωνος βασιλέως. ζητῶν δὲ ὁ Νικομήδης τὸν Ἁρποκρᾶν ἦν καὶ μὴ εὑρίσκων αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ Ἰσίδωρος ὁ φιλόσοφος τοῦτο μαθὼν πέμπει διὰ γραμμάτων δηλούντων τοὺς ἐπιόντας. ἑάλω δὲ ὁ γραμματηφόρος καὶ ὡμολόγει τὸν πέμψαντα· καὶ τὸν Ὡραπόλλωνα καὶ τὸν Ἡραΐσκον αἱροῦσι καὶ νεύροις ἀνακρεμάσαντες ἀπὸ τῆς χειρὸς ἑκάτερον ἀπῄτουν τὸν Ἁρποκρᾶν καὶ Ἰσίδωρον. ὁ δὲ Ὡραπόλλων οὐκ ἦν τὸ ἦθος φιλόσοφος, ἀλλά τι καὶ ἐν βυθῷ τῆς περὶ θεοῦ δόξης ὧν ᾔδει ἀποκρυπτόμενος. ὁ γὰρ Ἡραΐσκος προεῖπεν ὡς αὐτομολήσει πρὸς ἑτέρους, καὶ καταπροήσεται τοὺς πατρίους νόμους ὁ Ὡραπόλλων· ὃ καὶ συνέβη γενέσθαι. ἀπ' οὐδεμιᾶς γὰρ ἀναγκαίας τύχης εἶναι δοκούσης αὐθαίρετον εἵλετο τὴν μεταβολήν, ἔτι ἐπὶ ἐλπίσιν ἴσως ἀπλήστου τινὸς ἐπιθυμίας. οὐ γὰρ ἄλλο τί ἐστι προχειρίσασθαι ῥᾳδίως εἰς ἀπολογίαν τῆς μεταστάσεως. ὡς ἔοικε, Χριστιανὸς ἐγεγόνει. ἢ καὶ ἀνάπαλιν ἴσως.
Betacode
*(wrapo/llwn, *fainebu/qews, kw/mhs tou= *panopoli/tou nomou=, grammatiko/s, dida/cas e)n *)alecandrei/a| kai\ e)n *ai)gu/ptw|, ei)=ta e)n *kwnstantinoupo/lei e)pi\ *qeodosi/ou. e)/graye *temenika/, u(po/mnhma *sofokle/ous, *)alkai/ou, ei)s *(/omhron. lampro\s me\n e)pi\ th=| te/xnh| a)/nqrwpos kai\ tw=n pa/lai logimwta/twn grammatikw=n ou)de/n ti mei=on kle/os a)penegka/menos. *ai)gu/ptios, e)pi\ *zh/nwnos basile/ws. zhtw=n de\ o( *nikomh/dhs to\n *(arpokra=n h)=n kai\ mh\ eu(ri/skwn au)to/n. o( de\ *)isi/dwros o( filo/sofos tou=to maqw\n pe/mpei dia\ gramma/twn dhlou/ntwn tou\s e)pio/ntas. e(a/lw de\ o( grammathfo/ros kai\ w(molo/gei to\n pe/myanta: kai\ to\n *(wrapo/llwna kai\ to\n *(hrai/+skon ai(rou=si kai\ neu/rois a)nakrema/santes a)po\ th=s xeiro\s e(ka/teron a)ph/|toun to\n *(arpokra=n kai\ *)isi/dwron. o( de\ *(wrapo/llwn ou)k h)=n to\ h)=qos filo/sofos, a)lla/ ti kai\ e)n buqw=| th=s peri\ qeou= do/chs w(=n h)/|dei a)pokrupto/menos. o( ga\r *(hrai/+skos proei=pen w(s au)tomolh/sei pro\s e(te/rous, kai\ kataproh/setai tou\s patri/ous no/mous o( *(wrapo/llwn: o(\ kai\ sune/bh gene/sqai. a)p' ou)demia=s ga\r a)nagkai/as tu/xhs ei)=nai dokou/shs au)qai/reton ei(/leto th\n metabolh/n, e)/ti e)pi\ e)lpi/sin i)/sws a)plh/stou tino\s e)piqumi/as. ou) ga\r a)/llo ti/ e)sti proxeiri/sasqai r(a|di/ws ei)s a)pologi/an th=s metasta/sews. w(s e)/oike, *xristiano\s e)gego/nei. h)\ kai\ a)na/palin i)/sws.
Notes (6)
- Probably C4/5 AD. See generally PLRE II Horapollon(2); FGrH 630.
- 1Of Egypt; cf. Stephanus of Byzantium s.v. Phenebethis. ↩
- 2The source now becomes Damascius, Life of Isidore frs. 314 and 317 Zintzen; cf. alpha 4010. ↩
- 3[alpha 4010] Harpocras. ↩
- 4[eta 450] Heraiscus. ↩
- 5For Damascius, "abandoning ancestral customs" and "going over to the other side" are typical ways of referring to a departure from paganism and conversion to Christianity. ↩
- 6Adler indicates this comment as a later addition. ↩
Linked from3 entries
- α4010ἉρποκρᾶςHarpokras, HarpocrasThis man was a close acquaintance of Ammonius. He was an Egyptian, a grammarian, in the time of the emperor Zeno. Nicomedes heard that he knew all about Ammonius, and was eager to apprehend him; but he inferred what was…
- κ728Καταπροήσεταιwill abandon[Meaning he/she/it] will betray. "Therefore both swore the oaths which are called most formidable among Christians, never to abandon each other even unto the dangers which lead to death."
- κ818Κατατείνας ἐρῶI will speak stretching outMeaning I will go through a long speech. In the second [book] of Republic [Plato writes]: "therefore I will speak stretching out." "But straining and stretching, he speaks the truth. And elsewhere: "and the two being…
Neighbouring entries
Revision history6 revisions · last 19 Sep 2023
- added another note — Catharine Roth
- added a note — Catharine Roth
- coding — David Whitehead
- more keywords; tweaking — David Whitehead
- another keyword — David Whitehead
- modified and augmented notes; added keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Malcolm Heath