αἵρεσις

Pronunciation

• IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /hǎi̯.re.sis/^[1]
• IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ˈɛ.re.sis/^[1]
• IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ˈe.re.sis/^[1]

Forms

αἵρεσῐς (haíresis) f (genitive αἱρέσεως or αἱρέσῐος); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is derived from αἱρέω (hairéō, “to take, (middle) to choose”), with the suffix of action nouns -σις (-sis).^[1][2][3] Beekes knows no etymology for the verb, which uses ἑλεῖν (heleîn) as its aorist.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Herodotus uses it for the taking of a city, such as Babylon.^[4][5] Pindar already has the sense “choice”, and Aeschylus has αἵρεσιν διδόναι, “to give someone the choice”.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

The two senses follow the two voices of the verb: the active “take” gives “capture”, the middle “take for oneself, choose” gives “choice”.^[4][3] In Classical Athens it was also the election of magistrates, which Aristotle opposes to selection by lot.^[4][6]

In Hellenistic Greek it came to mean a chosen course or principle, and then a system of belief and those who hold it: Polybius and Diodorus use it for a philosophical school, and Diogenes Laertius lists the “schools” of philosophy.^[4][6][7] Josephus and Acts call the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essenes, and even the Christians, haireseis.^[7][4] In Paul it means a faction, and in Ignatius and later Christian writers a heretical sect.^[7]

Latin borrowed it as haeresis, Gothic and Old Church Slavonic took it too, and medieval vernacular Greek used it for a religious heresy and a bad habit.^[1][8]

Timeline

• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar uses it for a choice.^[4][5]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus and Thucydides use it for the capture of a city.^[4][6]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it for election by vote, as opposed to the lot.^[4][6]
• 2nd century BC – Polybius uses it for a philosophical school.^[4][6]
• 1st century AD – Josephus and Acts call the Jewish parties haireseis, and Paul uses it of factions.^[7]
• Early 2nd century AD – Ignatius uses it for a heretical sect.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A taking, especially the capture of a city.^[4][6]
2. Acquisition, receiving.^[4][5]
3. choice; the right or chance to choose.^[4][6]
4. The selection of persons for an office; election by vote.^[4][6]
5. (Hellenistic) A chosen principle, outlook or course of action.^[6][4]
6. (Hellenistic) A school of thought or the people who hold it; a sect.^[4][6]
7. (New Testament) A faction, dissension.^[7]
8. (Christian) A heretical sect, heresy.^[7][8]

Word family

• αἱρεσιάρχης (hairesiárkhēs)
• αἱρεσιώτης (hairesiṓtēs)

Related words

• αἱρέω (hairéō)
• αἱρετός (hairetós)
• αἱρετικός (hairetikós)
• προαίρεσις (proaíresis)
• διαίρεσις (diaíresis)
• Latin haeresis
• English heresy

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Βασικό Λεξικό της Αρχαίας Ελληνικής, Portal for the Greek Language, https://www.greek-language.gr
3. ^ a b c Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g Bauer, Walter; Danker, Frederick W., et al. (2000), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press
8. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr