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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §16.27.1-16.27.5

Publication of the Oracle and the Reactions of Greek Cities

Passage 535 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Philomelus extorts a declaration from the Pythia, publishing it as a divine sanction, and favorably interprets an omen of an eagle to mobilize support. He dispatches embassies to Greek cities to justify his occupation of Delphi; while Athens and Sparta ally with him, Thebes and Locris declare war on behalf of the god.

§16.27.1οὗτος γὰρ κρατῶν τοῦ μαντείου προσέταττε τῇ Πυθίᾳ τὴν μαντείαν ἀπὸ τοῦ τρίποδος ποιεῖσθαι κατὰ τὰ πάτρια.
For since he was in control of the oracle, he commanded the Pythia to deliver her prophecy from the tripod according to ancestral custom.
ἀποκριναμένης δʼ αὐτῆς ὅτι τοιαῦτα οὐκ ἔστι τὰ πάτρια διηπειλήσατο καὶ συνηνάγκασε τὴν ἀνάβασιν ποιεῖσθαι ἐπὶ τὸν τρίποδα.
When she answered that such was not the ancestral custom, he threatened her and forced her to make her ascent onto the tripod.
ἀποφθεγξαμένης δʼ αὐτῆς πρὸς τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τοῦ βιαζομένου ὅτι ἔξεστιν αὐτῷ πράττειν ὃ βούλεται ἀσμένως τὸ ῥηθὲν ἐδέξατο καὶ τὸν προσήκοντα χρησμὸν ἔχειν ἀπεφαίνετο.
And when she cried out, in the face of the overwhelming power of the one forcing her, that it was permitted to him to do whatever he wished, he gladly accepted what had been spoken and declared that he had the appropriate oracle.
εὐθὺς δὲ καὶ τὸν χρησμὸν ἔγγραφον ποιήσας καὶ προθεὶς εἰς τοὐμφανὲς ἅπασιν ἐποίησε φανερὸν ὅτι ὁ θεὸς αὐτῷ δίδωσιν ἐξουσίαν πράττειν ὅ, τι βούλεται.
Immediately, he committed the oracle to writing and set it forth in public view, making it clear to everyone that the god was giving him authority to do whatever he wished.
§16.27.2συναγαγὼν δʼ ἐκκλησίαν καὶ τὴν μαντείαν τοῖς πλήθεσι δηλώσας καὶ παρακαλέσας θαρρεῖν ἐτρέπετο πρὸς τὰς τοῦ πολέμου πράξεις.
Having gathered an assembly, revealed the prophecy to the multitude, and encouraged them to be of good courage, he turned to the actions of the war.
ἐγένετο δʼ αὐτῷ καὶ σημεῖον ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος· ἀετὸς γὰρ ὑπερπετώμενος τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ συγκυλισθεὶς ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὰς τρεφομένας ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ περιστερὰς ἐθήρευεν, ὧν ἐνίας ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἥρπαζε τῶν βωμῶν.
There also occurred for him a sign in the temple of Apollo; for an eagle, flying over the temple of the god and swooping down to the earth, hunted the pigeons that were kept in the temple, snatching some of them from the very altars.
τὸ δὲ σημεῖον ἔφασαν οἱ περὶ ταῦτʼ ἀσχολούμενοι σημαίνειν τῷ Φιλομήλῳ καὶ τοῖς Φωκεῦσι κρατήσειν τῶν περὶ Δελφοὺς πραγμάτων.
Those who were occupied with such matters said that the sign meant that Philomelus and the Phocians would gain control of the affairs of Delphi.
§16.27.3ἐπαρθεὶς οὖν ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐπέλεξε τῶν φίλων τοὺς εὐθετωτάτους εἰς τὰς πρεσβείας καὶ τούτων τοὺς μὲν εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας, τοὺς δʼ εἰς Λακεδαίμονα, τοὺς δʼ εἰς τὰς Θήβας ἐξέπεμψεν· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἄλλας τὰς ἐπισημοτάτας τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα πόλεων ἀπέστειλεν, ἀπολογούμενος ὅτι κατείληπται τοὺς Δελφοὺς οὐ τοῖς ἱεροῖς χρήμασιν ἐπιβουλεύων, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ ἱεροῦ προστασίας ἀμφισβητῶν· εἶναι γὰρ Φωκέων αὐτὴν ἰδίαν ἐν τοῖς παλαιοῖς χρόνοις ἀποδεδειγμένην.
Elated, therefore, by these things, he selected from his friends those best suited for embassies and dispatched some of them to Athens, some to Lacedaemon, and some to Thebes; in like manner he also sent to the other most prominent cities of Greece, defending himself on the ground that he had occupied Delphi, not because he was plotting against the sacred funds, but because he was disputing for the guardianship of the temple; for he claimed that this belonged peculiarly to the Phocians, having been designated so in ancient times.
§16.27.4τῶν δὲ χρημάτων τὸν λόγον ἔφη πᾶσι τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἀποδώσειν καὶ τόν τε σταθμὸν καὶ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἀναθημάτων ἕτοιμος εἶναι παραδοῦναι τοῖς βουλομένοις ἐξετάζειν.
Regarding the funds, he said that he would render an account to all the Greeks, and that he was ready to hand over both the weight and the number of the offerings to those who wished to examine them.
ἠξίου δέ, ἄν τις διʼ ἔχθραν ἢ φθόνον πολεμῇ Φωκεῦσι, μάλιστα μὲν συμμαχεῖν, εἰ δὲ μή γε, τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν.
He requested that, if anyone should make war on the Phocians because of enmity or envy, they should preferably ally with them, or if not, at least remain neutral.
§16.27.5τῶν δὲ πρέσβεων τὸ προσταχθὲν πραξάντων Ἀθηναῖοι μὲν καὶ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καί τινες ἄλλοι συμμαχίαν πρὸς αὐτὸν συνέθεντο καὶ βοηθήσειν ἐπηγγείλαντο, Βοιωτοὶ δὲ καὶ Λοκροὶ καί τινες ἕτεροι τἀναντία τούτοις ἐψηφίσαντο καὶ τὸν πόλεμον ὑπὲρ τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς τοὺς Φωκεῖς ἐπανείλαντο.
When the ambassadors had executed what had been commanded, the Athenians, Lacedaemonians, and certain others concluded an alliance with him and promised to bring aid, but the Boeotians, Locrians, and certain others voted the opposite of these things and undertook the war against the Phocians on behalf of the god.
ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπράχθη κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν ἐνιαυτόν.
These things, then, were transacted during this year.

Notes

  1. 16.27.1πρὸς τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τοῦ βιαζομένου — The preposition πρὸς indicates confrontation or facing a situation ('in the face of'). τοῦ βιαζομένου is the genitive masculine singular of the present participle of βιάζομαι ('to force, compel'), used substantively to refer to Philomelus. Thus, the phrase means 'in the face of the overwhelming power (or superiority) of the one forcing her,' showing the circumstance under which the Pythia gave her reply.
  2. 16.27.1ἔχειν ἀπεφαίνετο — Indirect discourse introduced by the verb ἀπεφαίνετο ('declared, asserted'). Since the subject of the infinitive ἔχειν is identical to that of the governing verb (Philomelus), the accusative subject pronoun for the infinitive is omitted. The participle προσήκοντα modifies χρησμόν, meaning 'fitting' or 'favorable (oracle).'
  3. 16.27.3κατείληπται — The third-person singular perfect middle-passive of καταλαμβάνω ('to occupy'). Here it functions in the middle voice with a deponent-like sense, taking the direct object in the accusative (τοὺς Δελφοὺς) with the subject of the main clause (Philomelus) as the agent ('that he had occupied Delphi'). Although it is grammatically possible to construe it as passive ('Delphi had been occupied'), the context of the embassy defending his actions makes the middle voice interpretation much more natural.
  4. 16.27.4ἕτοιμος εἶναι — In the indirect discourse introduced by the verb of saying (ἔφη), since the subject of the infinitive εἶναι is identical to the subject of the governing verb (Philomelus), the adjective ἕτοιμος stands in the nominative case instead of the accusative (ἕτοιμον). This is a standard Greek syntax known as 'Nominative with the Infinitive' (NcI).

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §16.27.1-16.27.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:16.27.1-16.27.5

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