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
- A taking, especially the capture of a city.[4][6]
- Acquisition, receiving.[4][5]
- choice; the right or chance to choose.[4][6]
- The selection of persons for an office; election by vote.[4][6]
- (Hellenistic) A chosen principle, outlook or course of action.[6][4]
- (Hellenistic) A school of thought or the people who hold it; a sect.[4][6]
- (New Testament) A faction, dissension.[7]
- (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
- ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Βασικό Λεξικό της Αρχαίας Ελληνικής, Portal for the Greek Language, https://www.greek-language.gr
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c d Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- ^ 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
- ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr