Humanitext Reader

Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §5.63.1-5.63.3

Inviolability of Hemithea's Sanctuary and Healing Miracles

Passage 385 of 406 · Greek

Summary

The passage describes the immense growth of Hemithea's sanctuary in later times, its miraculous inviolability respected even by Persians and pirates, and the goddess's beneficent acts of healing and assisting women in labor.

§5.63.1ἐν δὲ τοῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἔλαβε τὸ ἱερὸν αὔξησιν τῆς Ἡμιθέας, ὥστε μὴ μόνον παρὰ τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις καὶ τοῖς περιοίκοις τιμᾶσθαι διαφερόντως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς μακρὰν οἰκοῦντας εἰς αὐτὸ φιλοτίμως φοιτᾶν, καὶ θυσίαις τε μεγαλοπρεπέσι καὶ ἀναθήμασιν ἀξιολόγοις τιμᾶν, τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, Πέρσας ἡγουμένους τῆς Ἀσίας καὶ πάντα τὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἱερὰ συλῶντας μόνου τοῦ τῆς Ἡμιθέας τεμένους ἀποσχέσθαι, τούς τε λῃστὰς τοὺς πάντα διαρπάζοντας μόνον τοῦτο ἀφεῖναι παντελῶς ἄσυλον, καίπερ ἀτείχιστον ὑπάρχον καὶ ἀκίνδυνον ἔχον τὴν ἁρπαγήν.
In later times, this sanctuary of Hemithea attained such growth that it was not only preeminently honored by the inhabitants and their neighbors, but also those living far away eagerly resorted to it, honoring it with magnificent sacrifices and notable offerings; and what is greatest of all, the Persians, who ruled Asia and plundered all the sanctuaries of the Greeks, held off from the precinct of Hemithea alone, and the pirates who plundered everything left this place alone completely inviolable, although it was unfortified and its plundering presented no danger.
§5.63.2αἰτίαν δὲ τῆς ἐπὶ πλέον αὐξήσεως φέρουσι τὴν κοινὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους εὐεργεσίαν· τοῖς τε γὰρ κάμνουσι κατὰ τοὺς ὕπνους ἐφισταμένην φανερῶς διδόναι τὴν θεραπείαν καὶ πολλοὺς τοῖς ἀπεγνωσμένοις πάθεσι συνεχομένους ὑγιασθῆναι· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τὰς δυστοκούσας τῶν γυναικῶν τῆς ἐν ταῖς ὠδῖσι ταλαιπωρίας καὶ κινδύνων ἀπαλλάττειν τὴν θεόν.
As the cause of this further growth they bring forward her common beneficence to mankind; for they say that she appears clearly to those who are suffering during their sleep and grants them healing, and that many afflicted with hopeless ailments are restored to health; and in addition to these things, the goddess delivers women who are having difficult labor from the distress and dangers of their pangs.
§5.63.3διὸ καὶ πολλῶν ἐκ παλαιῶν χρόνων σεσωσμένων πεπλήρωται τὸ τέμενος ἀναθημάτων, καὶ ταῦτα οὔθʼ ὑπὸ φυλάκων οὔθʼ ὑπὸ τείχους ὀχυροῦ φυλαττόμενα, ἀλλʼ ὑπὸ τῆς συνήθους δεισιδαιμονίας.
Therefore the precinct has been filled with many offerings from those who have been saved from ancient times, and these are guarded neither by watchmen nor by a strong wall, but by the customary fear of the gods.

Notes

  1. 5.63.1ὥστε ... ἀποσχέσθαι ... ἀφεῖναι — Within the consecutive clause introduced by the conjunction ὥστε, several infinitive phrases are coordinated. Following τιμᾶσθαι, φοιτᾶν, and τιμᾶν in the first half, and set off by the parenthetical accusative phrase τὸ δὲ μέγιστον (and what is greatest), the infinitive clauses with subject accusatives Πέρσας ... ἀποσχέσθαι (that the Persians held off) and τούς τε λῃστὰς ... ἀφεῖναι (that the pirates left) are balanced in parallel.
  2. 5.63.1καίπερ ἀτείχιστον ὑπάρχον — A concessive participle phrase. The neuter singular nominative (or accusative) participles ὑπάρχον and ἔχον modify the omitted subject of the main clause, τὸ ἱερὸν (the sanctuary) or τοῦτο (this, referring to τὸ τέμενος, the sacred precinct).
  3. 5.63.2ἐφισταμένην φανερῶς διδόναι τὴν θεραπείαν — The implied subject of the infinitive διδόναι in indirect discourse is "she" (the goddess Hemithea, inferred from εὐεργεσίαν in the preceding sentence), which is formally indicated by the feminine accusative singular participle ἐφισταμένην (appearing or standing over [them]).
  4. 5.63.3πολλῶν ἐκ παλαιῶν χρόνων σεσωσμένων — A genitive noun phrase containing the perfect passive participle σεσωσμένων (those having been saved). Although it could grammatically be construed as a genitive absolute ("since many had been saved from ancient times"), it is more naturally understood as a genitive of origin or possession modifying ἀναθημάτων ("offerings of many who have been saved from ancient times").

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §5.63.1-5.63.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc5:5.63.1-5.63.3

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.