- Source
- Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, editor. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.64.1-2.64.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-05
The author explains that the Egyptians were the first to establish the rules against having intercourse in temples and entering them unwashed, and criticizes other nations who allow this practice based on the behavior of animals.
καὶ τὸ μὴ μίσγεσθαι γυναιξὶ ἐν ἱροῖσι μηδὲ ἀλούτους ἀπὸ γυναικῶν ἐς ἱρὰ ἐσιέναι1 οὗτοι εἰσὶ οἱ πρῶτοι θρησκεύσαντες. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι σχεδὸν πάντες ἄνθρωποι, πλὴν Αἰγυπτίων καὶ Ἑλλήνων, μίσγονται ἐν ἱροῖσι καὶ ἀπὸ γυναικῶν ἀνιστάμενοι ἄλουτοι ἐσέρχονται ἐς ἱρόν, νομίζοντες ἀνθρώπους εἶναι κατά περ τὰ ἄλλα κτήνεα·
Moreover, they were the first who made it a point of religion not to have intercourse with women in temples, nor to enter temples after having intercourse without washing. For almost all other men, except the Egyptians and the Greeks, have intercourse in temples and enter temples without washing after rising from women, thinking that men are just like the other beasts;
καὶ γὰρ τὰ ἄλλα κτήνεα ὁρᾶν2 καὶ ὀρνίθων γένεα ὀχευόμενα ἔν τε τοῖσι νηοῖσι τῶν θεῶν καὶ ἐν τοῖσι τεμένεσι· εἰ ὦν εἶναι τῷ θεῷ τοῦτο μὴ φίλον, οὐκ ἂν οὐδὲ τὰ κτήνεα ποιέειν.3 οὗτοι μέν νυν τοιαῦτα ἐπιλέγοντες ποιεῦσι ἔμοιγε οὐκ ἀρεστά·
for they see the other beasts and the kinds of birds copulating both in the temples of the gods and in the sacred precincts; if, therefore, this were not pleasing to the god, the beasts would not do it either. Now, arguing in this manner, they act in a way that is by no means pleasing to me.
- 2.64.1τὸ μὴ μίσγεσθαι... ἐσιέναι
The articular infinitive phrase at the beginning of the sentence functions as the object of the following participle θρησκεύσαντες ('those who practice as a religious rite').
- 2.64.2ὁρᾶν
An infinitive in indirect discourse, continuing from the preceding νομίζοντες (or the thought implied by it), presenting the basis of their belief.
- 2.64.2εἰ ὦν εἶναι... οὐκ ἂν... ποιέειν
A conditional sentence in indirect discourse. The original condition in direct discourse (contrary-to-fact or potential) has both its conditional verb (εἶναι) and its apodosis verb (ποιέειν with ἄν) converted into infinitives due to the indirect discourse.