Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §12.11.1

Human Power to Obey God and Accept Allotment

Passage 462 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author points out how immense an inner power human beings possess, enabling them to do only what pleases God and to accept whatever God allot to them.

§12.11.1Ἡλίκην ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ἄνθρωπος μὴ ποιεῖν ἄλλο ἢ ὅπερ μέλλει ὁ θεὸς ἐπαινεῖν, καὶ δέχεσθαι πᾶν ὃν νέμῃ αὐτῷ ὁ θεός.
How great a power a human being has: to do nothing else than what God is going to approve, and to accept everything that God may allot to him.

Notes

  1. 12.11.1Ἡλίκην ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ἄνθρωπος μὴ ποιεῖν — The infinitives μὴ ποιεῖν (and the coordinated δέχεσθαι) function as appositive or explanatory infinitives qualifying the noun ἐξουσίαν, meaning 'the power to (do nothing...) and to (accept...)'.
  2. 12.11.1ὃν νέμῃ — The word ὃν here is understood as ὃ ἄν (the relative pronoun in neuter accusative singular ὅ combined with the modal particle ἄν), which accounts for the use of the subjunctive mood νέμῃ (3rd person singular of νέμω 'to allot'), forming a conditional relative clause meaning 'whatever [God] may allot'.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §12.11.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:12.11.1

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