§297ἐπιβόθρια, οὕτω γὰρ αὐτὰ προσεῖπεν, ἔδει δὲ ἄρα βόθρους ὀρύξαντα ἐπʼ αὐτῶν δρᾶσαι τὰ ἱερὰ οἷστισι δὴ καὶ ἔδει θεῶν·
"Rituals over the pits" (epibothria), for so he called them; and indeed, it was necessary, having dug pits (bothroi), to perform on them the sacred rites to whichever of the gods was indeed proper.
ἔπειτα ἀναστρέφοντα λαβόντα κέρματα διαβαίνειν τε τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ ἀπορρίπτειν, καὶ ἕτερʼ ἄττα, οἶμαι, πρὸς τούτοις ἐκέλευσε.
Then, turning back and taking some coins, to cross the river and throw them away, and he ordered some other things, I believe, in addition to these.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐλθόντα εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν θῦσαι τῷ Ἀσκληπιῷ τέλεια καὶ στῆσαι κρατῆρας ἱεροὺς καὶ νεῖμαι μοίρας ἱερὰς ἅπασι τοῖς συμφοιτηταῖς·
After this, having gone to the temple, to sacrifice to Asclepius full-grown victims, and to set up sacred mixing bowls, and to distribute sacred portions to all his fellow students.
δεῖν δὲ καὶ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ παρατέμνειν ὑπὲρ σωτηρίας τοῦ παντός.
And he said that it was necessary also to cut off a part of his own body for the salvation of the whole.
ἀλλὰ γὰρ εἶναι τοῦτο ἐργῶδες, τοῦτο μὲν καὶ δὴ παριέναι μοι, ἀντὶ δὲ τούτου τὸν δακτύλιον ὃν ἐφόρουν περιελόμενον ἀναθεῖναι τῷ Τελεσφόρῳ, τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ ποιεῖν ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ τὸν δάκτυλον αὐτὸν προείμην, ἐπιγράψαι δὲ εἰς τὴν σφενδόνην τοῦ δακτυλίου, Κρόνου παῖ· ταῦτα ποιοῦντι σωτηρίαν εἶναι.
But since this was difficult, he excused me from this, and instead of this, taking off the ring I was wearing, to dedicate it to Telesphorus—for that had the same effect as if I were to surrender the finger itself—and to inscribe on the bezel of the ring, "Child of Cronus"; and that for one doing these things there was salvation.
τὸ δὴ μετὰ τοῦτο ἔξεστιν εἰκάζειν ὅπως διεκείμεθα, καὶ ὁποίαν τινὰ ἁρμονίαν πάλιν ἡμᾶς ἡρμόσατο ὁ θεός.
What happened after this, one can guess how we were disposed, and what kind of harmony the god tuned us to once again.
σχεδὸν γὰρ ὥσπερ ἐν τελετῇ περὶ πάντα ταῦτα διήγομεν, παρεστώσης ἅμα τῷ φόβῳ τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἐλπίδος.
For we passed all this time almost as if in an initiation, with good hope standing beside our fear.
ἀκόλουθα δὲ τούτοις καὶ εἰς ταυτὸν φέροντα καὶ τὰ χρόνῳ ὕστερον γενόμενα, ἐξ ὧν τὸ ἀψίνθιον ἔπιον.
Consistent with these and leading to the same point were also the events that occurred later, from which I drank the wormwood.
ὅτι μὲν δὴ τῷ παντὶ φρικωδέστερον καὶ ἐναργέστερον αὐτὰς τὰς ὄψεις καθαρὰς διηγεῖσθαι δῆλον, ἀνάγκη δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν πλείστων χρῆσθαι τῇ ὑποθέσει ᾗπερ ἐνεστησάμην, καὶ κεφάλαια ἐπιτρέχειν, ὅπως ἂν ἀπαντᾷ τῷ λόγῳ.
Now, that it is far more hair-raising and vivid to recount the pure visions themselves is clear, but in most cases it is necessary to follow the premise I assumed and run through the main points, as it fits the narrative.
ἦν Φιλάδελφος τῶν νεωκόρων ἅτερος· τούτῳ γίγνεται τῆς αὐτῆς νυκτὸς ὄψις ὀνείρατος ἥπερ κἀμοὶ, μικρὰ δέ πως παρήλλαττεν.
Philadelphus was one of the temple wardens; to him, during the same night, there occurred a dream-vision identical to mine, but differing only slightly.
ἐδόκει ὁ μὲν Φιλάδελφος, τοσαῦτα γὰρ οὖν ἔχω διαμνημονεῦσαι, ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ τῷ ἱερῷ πλῆθος ἀνθρώπων εἶναι λευχειμονούντων καὶ συνεληλυθότων κατὰ τὸν θεὸν, ἐν δʼ αὐτοῖς ἑστῶτα ἐμὲ δημηγορεῖν τε καὶ ὑμνεῖν τὸν θεὸν, ἄλλα τε δὴ λέγοντα παντοῖα καὶ ὡς παρατρέψειέ μου τὰς μοίρας πολλαχῆ μὲν καὶ ἄλλῃ, ἔναγχος δὲ ὅτε καὶ ἀψίνθιον προσευρὼν προστάξειε πιεῖν ὄξει διειμένον, ὡς μὴ δυσχεράναιμι.
It seemed to Philadelphus—for I can remember this much—that in the sacred theater there was a crowd of people dressed in white and assembled for the god, and that I, standing among them, was haranguing the crowd and singing hymns to the god, saying various other things and how he had turned my fates around in many other ways, and recently when, having discovered wormwood, he ordered me to drink it diluted with vinegar so that I would not find it offensive.
καί τινα κλίμακα, οἶμαι, ἐξήγγελλεν ἱερὰν καὶ παρουσίαν καὶ δυνάμεις τινὰς τοῦ θεοῦ θαυμαστάς.
And he reported, I think, a certain sacred ladder, and the presence, and some wondrous powers of the god.
ταῦτα μὲν ὁ Φιλάδελφος §298ἐδόκει·
These things Philadelphus seemed to see.
ἐμοὶ δὲ αὐτῷ τοιάδε ἐγίγνετο.
But to myself, the following occurred.
ἐδόκουν ἐν τοῖς προπυλαίοις ἑστάναι τοῦ ἱεροῦ, συνειλέχθαι δὲ καὶ ἄλλους πολλούς τινας, ὥσπερ ἡνίκα ἂν τὸ ἱερὸν καθάρσιον γίγνηται, εἶναι δὲ λευχείμονάς τε καὶ τἄλλα πρέποντα τῷ σχήματι.
I seemed to be standing in the propylaea of the temple, and many others were assembled, just as when the purification of the temple takes place, and they were dressed in white and in other ways appropriate to the appearance.
ἐνταῦθα δὴ ἄλλας τε φωνὰς ἠφίειν εἰς τὸν θεὸν καὶ δὴ καὶ μοιρονόμον προσεῖπον αὐτὸν, ὡς τὰς μοίρας τοῖς ἀνθρώποις διανέμοντα.
There indeed I uttered various cries to the god, and indeed addressed him as "apportioner of fates" (moironomos), as distributing the fates to men.
ὡρμᾶτο δέ μοι τὸ ῥῆμα ἀπὸ τῶν εἰς ἐμαυτόν.
And the word arose for me from my own circumstances.
κἀπὶ τούτοις ἦν τὸ ἀψίνθιον ὅντινα δὴ τρόπον δηλωθὲν, ἐδηλώθη δὲ ὡς ἐναργέστατα, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ μυρία ἕτερα ἐναργῆ τὴν παρουσίαν εἶχε τοῦ θεοῦ.
And following upon these, there was the wormwood revealed in some manner, and indeed it was revealed most clearly, just as myriads of other things had the clear presence of the god.
καὶ γὰρ οἷον ἅπτεσθαι δοκεῖν ἦν καὶ διαισθάνεσθαι ὅτι αὐτὸς ἥκοι καὶ μέσως ἔχειν ὕπνου καὶ ἐγρηγόρσεως καὶ βούλεσθαι ἐκβλέπειν, καὶ ἀγωνιᾶν μὴ προαπαλλαγείη, καὶ ὦτα παραβεβληκέναι καὶ ἀκούειν, τὰ μὲν ὡς ὄναρ, τὰ δὲ ὡς ὕπαρ, καὶ τρίχες ὀρθαὶ καὶ δάκρυα σὺν χαρᾷ καὶ γνώμης ὄγκος ἀνεπαχθὴς, καὶ τίς ἀνθρώπων ταῦτά γʼ ἐνδείξασθαι λόγῳ δυνατός;
For indeed, it was as if one could touch him and perceive that he himself had come, being between sleep and waking, wishing to open one’s eyes, and anxious lest he should depart too soon, and having one's ears close and hearing, some things as in a dream, others as in waking reality, and hair standing on end, and tears with joy, and an unburdened loftiness of mind—and who among men is capable of expressing these things in words?
εἰ δέ τις τῶν τετελεσμένων ἐστὶ, σύνοιδέ τε καὶ γνωρίζει.
But if anyone has been initiated, he knows and recognizes them.
ὀφθέντων δὲ τούτων, ἐπειδὴ ἕως ἐγένετο, καλῶ τὸν ἰατρὸν Θεόδοτον· καὶ ὡς ἧκε, διηγοῦμαι τὰ ὀνείρατα.
When these had been seen, and when dawn came, I called the physician Theodotus; and when he arrived, I recounted the dreams.
ὁ δʼ ἐθαύμαζε μὲν ὡς εἶχε δαιμονίως, ἠπόρει δὲ ὅ τι χρήσοιτο, χειμῶνός τε ὥρᾳ καὶ ἅμα τὴν ἄγαν ἀσθένειαν τοῦ σώματος δεδιώς· μηνῶν γὰρ ἤδη συχνῶν ἐκείμην ἔνδον.
He marveled at how divinely inspired they were, but was at a loss as to what to do, fearing the winter season and at the same time the extreme weakness of my body; for I had already been lying indoors for many months.
ἔδοξεν οὖν ἡμῖν οὐ χεῖρον εἶναι μεταπέμψασθαι καὶ τὸν νεωκόρον τὸν Ἀσκληπιακὸν, ᾤκουν δʼ ἐν αὐτοῦ κατʼ ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον, καὶ ἅμα εἰώθειν κοινοῦσθαι τὰ πολλὰ τῶν ἐνυπνίων αὐτῷ.
It seemed to us, therefore, not a bad idea to summon also the temple warden of Asclepius, for I was living in his house at that time, and was accustomed to share most of my dreams with him.
ἧκεν ὁ νεωκόρος· καὶ οὐκ ἔφθημεν ἡμεῖς ἀρξάμενοι πρὸς αὐτὸν λόγου, καὶ ὃς ἄρχεται διηγεῖσθαι ἡμῖν· ἄρτι, ἔφη, ἥκω παρὰ τοῦ συννόμου, τὸν Φιλάδελφον λέγων, αὐτὸς δέ με καὶ ἐκάλεσεν· εἶδε γὰρ νυκτὸς ὄψιν θαυμαστὴν σοὶ διαφέρουσαν. καὶ οὕτω διηγεῖτο μὲν ὁ Ἀσκληπιακὸς ἃ εἶδεν ὁ Φιλάδελφος, ἐπιδιηγεῖται δὲ αὐτὸς ὁ Φιλάδελφος ὑφʼ ἡμῶν κληθείς.
The warden came; and we had not even begun our speech to him when he began to recount to us: "I have just come," he said, "from my colleague," meaning Philadelphus, "and he himself called me; for he saw a wondrous vision during the night concerning you." And so the warden of Asclepius recounted what Philadelphus had seen, and Philadelphus himself, being called by us, recounted it further.
ὡς δὲ συνέβαινε τὰ ὀνείρατα, ἐχρώμεθα ἤδη ἰάματι, καὶ ἔπιον δὴ ὅσον οὐδείς πω πρόσθεν, καὶ τῆς ὑστεραίας κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ ἐπισημήναντος τοῦ θεοῦ.
As the dreams coincided, we immediately employed the remedy, and I drank indeed as much as no one ever did before, and on the next day the god signaled in the same way.
καὶ τὴν μὲν ῥᾳστώνην τὴν περὶ τὴν πόσιν ἢ ὅσον ὤνησε τί τις ἂν λέγοι;
And as for the relief concerning the drinking, or how much it benefited me, what could anyone say?
ὅθεν δʼ οὖν ὁ λόγος οὗτος ὡρμήθη, τὰ γὰρ τῶν μοιρῶν ὡς κατεστήσατό μοι, πρὸς πολλοῖς ἄλλοις
At all events, where this story started from—for how he established the matter of my fates for me—in addition to many other things...