The Masters of Truth in Archaic Greece

232 Pages·1996·3.6 MB·English

by  Marcel Detienne

The Masters of Truth
in Archaic Greece
Marcel Detienne
Foreword by PierreV idal-Naquet
ZONE BOOKS · NEW YORK
1996
© 199U6r wnIecn,.
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Detienne, Marcel.
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The Ma stersof Truth in Archaic Greece
Translatebdy JanetL loyd
Contents
ForewboyPr ide Vrirdea l-Na7 quet
Preftaotc heAe m eriEcdaint i1o5 n
I TruatnhdS ocie3t5 y
IIT he Memofot rhPyeeo t3 9
IIIT heO lMda nof t ehS ea5 3
IV TheA mibgyuo ifSt pee6c9h
v ThPer ocoefSs esc ulari8z9 ation
VI A Choibceet wAeleetnh eainadA pate1 07
VII Ambgiuyia tnCdo tnrdaict1i35o n
Note1s39
ComplteaymBr einbglriayop h215
Inde2x19

Foreword
PierreV idal-uNeatq
Thet itolfMe a rcDeelt ineen'bso oakn nounbcoetsah p aradox
anda p roagmr.A ret here such acs"r meaasttuoerfrte srst u h"?
Aleradiyn A ntuiiqyt,o nev ieowf e ducathieoltndh aatm aster
musbte i ndepenodfte hntetr uhteht eaches,i bswo htibhec yho nd
hima ndb eyonudsI .n t hnen ieteecnetnht utrhyiv si eswe emed
tirumhpanitn the ssctireinaccntede s v etnh e soscciiaeln ces.
It was bMeacrabxue slveie eds ociraeally i ctoulbdea no bejct
ofs cniceea ndh ecnei ndpeenednotf t hoeb sertvhearht eo nce
decalretdh ahtew asn oatM arixsTto.da yt hakti nodfu niversal­
ismi sw ideqlueys tioantlehdo,u igtih s n omty o bejcvteih erteo
explwahiyno rh ow.T haitt qiuess tioinsse adul otryt ot heex ­
tentth awte a rmeu chm orse entsiivneo wt ot hpes cyhoglcioa,l
sociaaln,de veenc onomciocni ditonisnw hicshc ieinctt hiofught
appeaarneddd e veloapswe edl als tthoie n ifinetd viersitthye of
perspecptriovpeosbs yed dfi efresncth olaanrdss c ienOcnet sh.e
other hiatin shda m,rfu lw henpa rctuilrs atatoeris dn ivideusa­ls
tbalhi tsheemlsvaests h hee ra-ladnsd mas-toefsr osm me iiltant
turthM.i lainttwsh,e thmeirla irtoyr i netlclteu,ab lantdo gteher
evreywhearreo und oorftd hedera sys ,u cahs" Stutdhywe o rks
ofP redseinXt, f ollwo hitse ahcignsa,n do behyi dsri ectivYeets !"
wheervetrh mea stheirm siesl fdo sinp yl,ta hecraenb en ot urth.
7
THE MASTERS OF TRUTH
Howevseurc shi tuatmiaoyhn asve ev lovemdi,l aintlta ngguea,
liek poet-rayl befiodtri effrenrte aso-nissfu ndamentuanl­ly
translaantdia cbnolme municaanbo lred:ie rsc o mprehenosnilbyl e
tot hpee rsons addcroenstsresadcis.et n,iIt cnli afnguadgies'tsi nc­
tivfeea turiesi s ta ccseisbyi ltiaotl tlh osweh oh ave attempted
tol eairatns w elals i ttsr ansblialyti iatntoe verhyu madni alect.
Iti sno r elfectoinot nh vea uleo fo thheurm aanc hvieemen-ts
AfricCahni,n eosrAe m,e rind-itoar ne cgonitzhea stc ieinclt ainf­
guagient, h feo rimn w hicihti smo swti deklnywo nt odaoyr,i g­
ianteidnG receea,G reecneu rteudor na h etraigfea rri chaenrd
morceo mpltehxa ann pya ssoendb yt h"enI dau-rEopegarno"u ps
arrivoin"n Ggr eesko"ia ltt he eonftd h teh dim rielnlnium.
Buetv einrf e aswoanso rigianG arleleypk h enomne,ni omtu st
beh sitroilcyla conetxtualizWeed m.u sste etkh efu ndamental
factoirnst hhesi toorfyG reesko cyi,et thhes itoorfyt hGer eek
pepolet,oe xplathiend elitbeaeb ranadonmoefmn ytt ahn dt he
movemeanwta y furnocmo cnisouosrlagyn izatsitornuaclt( uybr es
whic1hm e an thosdei ndto hcta otn sciroeucsgolnyit zhee mseesl v
as" lgoiacl,i"nC luadeL evi-Strsaeun)ssi senf' asv oofra w ilullf
effortt od escrfiibrehs owt theu niverfsunec tiotnhse,hn o w
humnag roupsT hdero e.a sonoiftn hg"e p hsyiicstosfI" o nainad
Iatly grawpipht tlheed foprrmoleber,m a ndt hree ansiogno f his­
toarnissu cahsH ecateausH,e roodtuasn,dT huycdidtecask lde
thlea tter.
Thet rnasitfiroonmm y tthor easroenma inaps r obleevme n for
thowsheo r ecgonitzhea mty th too croenoatnsTa.hi end sif ficulty
habse eanp parteons te vegreanle ratoifo nssc hoIln1a 69r2si,.n
TheO rigoifGn rse Tehoku gJheta,Pni -ererV ernanetsb tliasdh ea
framewtohrabkto tDhe tieannndIes haroen,ew hicIwh i lasls ume
isa leradfya imalrit ot hree adTeor s.u m it" ruapt,it ohnoaulg ht"
arowsei thais np ecipfoilci teiccoanloi,mc a,n ds ocifarla mew,o rk
name,l ytohfat th e cwihtiyci,ht soenllfay p peatrheordu gahd eci-
8
FOREWORD
sievc riosfis sov ereiagnndwt iyt,h ais no cisaplac uen encbuemred
byt hde omniatipnrge seonfca eM ionano rM ycenameoanna rch
modelaefdt Eears tern "despots."
Befroet hea ppearaonfrc eea siostne ,lh fowevetrh,e rwea s
itfsou ndtaion,i stm,ha ant'( sit nh icsas Gere ekm an'rse)p resen­
tatiooftn h etu rthA,el hteiDae.ti enbnoeo'kis sn ots om ucha
hsitoorfyt hiwso rdS.u cahh sitowroyu lndo tb ew ithouitne tr­
est,b utD etieninsfae r t oow arayp hilgoilstotos urrentdoe r
"protohfor ugeht ymooglyH.e"d eifensh imse thodgoycl loaerly.
Itc onsiisn"t dse teirnmgi tnhef orcleie nso fa l exiscyaslt em
andi dnetyiifgn grouipnso ppositainodan s scoiatiionsn h,o rt
applygi tnhmee thoodfs tructluerxailgc yoa lnode xplortihneg
theoorfay s emafneitlwidic t htihne domoafai rnc hGariece "c e.
At theo fet nhdij so uneryw e come tor etmhaer kaibmglaeer y
openiPnagr miednepso'e ma ndh imse ditaotniB oeni n"gac: h ar­
iojto uneryg uidbeydt hed augehrtosf t heS una,w ayr eserved
fotrh ek nwoign mana,p atthh alte atdost heg ateosfD aya nd
Nighta,g oddewshso r eevaltsr uken oweldg"e a,ndt heo bli­
gatitoonc hoobseet wetehnew orldb eoifa nngd twhorel odf
oipnion.
Ins omsee nsDee,t ienaniemi' sts o w riatp er ehisotfo rPya r­
menidpeose'm. T haptr eihsotryh ast urneodu tt ob ef arri cher
andm orceo mpxl tehahne e xpec.tN eedveretlhestsho,ru gthh e
mazoef earnu ditthiaotn caalnm obosevt e rhwelminagbluyn dant,
thep athhe f ollwos iosnt, h ew holeex,t remweellyld e ifend.
Truthw asi nitisapelhelc,ya ndD etiencnaep teustr hem oment
wheni tw ass tialp lr ilveigree serfvoecrde rtpaeirns opnose:t s
andd iveirnsb,o th tratihneel do nagip np rteinceispoh f" mem­
oryo"r o ft he" mues"w hoa lonkenw os" whawta ,sw hati s,
andw hawti lble "s;p eewchh eni tc onsttueitde ithperra iosre
blamaen dwa sc aplabeo fe ithgelroy riignfo rb eilttgl,oi fbn eing
eithteurrt uhflo rl yinIgnt. h eE astesronc iseo tfiE egypatn d
9
THE MASTERS OF TRUTH
Mesopoitaapm,r saiign kai gn wasn od ifferenftr opmr aisgi na
go.d pAo ets'pse e"csht rgetnhentehd"e"uj skti gn"b ys trength­
enig nthgeo d.H isp oeme nsuredn attheua artn d isteoycw ere
itnegraitne dt khnieg 'rso ypaelr soTnh.e rwea sn ot urthot her
thatnh acte nteretdh keoi gnn.
Byt htei m"eG releiekr tat"ue rmeergtehdM,ey cenakeiagnns
hadp assaewda yI.ti s u ncearitwnh ethetrh mey tchaikli gn,s itll
knowtno P idnaarn dAe schyilntu hsfe i fctehn tyu B.rCa.n dsu r­
vivgi innq uasil-lkfooircf orimn H elleinstmiycto hlgoye,v entu­
alltoyb er esuscibtySa itJrea dm eFsr azwearsr, e laylt hediirerc t
desncdeanTth.ef act tthhkea itgn becammey thiicspa elr haps
ofe vemno rec rcuiailm oprtantcome e t hainti st oD etienne.
Buti na neyve nta,sD etiehninmes qeuleifr t ighntoltyeH se,s iod's
Tehogoisnt hye oGnrleyep ko emt hacta nr elalbyec omapred to
thep oemosf t heE asctel;a r,li yti sc enetreodn a r oyfagilu re,
Zeusj,su ta st heE numEalw iassc enteornet dh geo dM adruk,
thper ototfyoptreh Bea blynoaink ign:" Anadg aitnh,ir soy failg ­
uries o nlayg odT."h irse mairdk enitewishf ate sisnset i:ta hlgeo d
hass uvrivebdu tt hse oicaslu ppowrhti cgha vhei ml ifen,a me,l y
thek ign,h asd iasppea.rG eoddasn dm ena rleadhya vsee parate
desitniaensdt, h e toiftm hege o dgsr owpsr oegsrsivmeorldeyi ­s
tanftr otmh tei moef m enI.n o nes urvitvriaindtgi -osni giinf­
can,t lpayo etoince- a" kigo nfj suticheo"l tdhsse c alaetos n,c e
dispegna snidan ccepttihntegr uaen dt he fSailmsliea.r,w leyf ind
thaatlt lr uitseh n igmaas,i st hter utehl-lhteirme sfl,a sd epcited
foerx apmlbey t hfei guorfte h e Oldo ftM haSene aP,r oteours
Neerust,o w homD eteinen devotcehsa pt3eo rf t hiwso rk.
Theriesn o" opposiotr"i coonn"t radibcettiwoetneh"nte r uaen d
thfela sbee,t weternu (thlA et)ha enido ablinv (ieLoteh)":Th uist
isn otth aAtel tehi(+a ) s tanodns one asnidLd eet( h-)eo nt he
other. Raanit nheterrme,d izaotndeee velboeptsw etehnpe o les,
inw hicAhl heetaipap roaLchteeehas n dv icvee rs'aNe.g atiivsi ty'
10