PhilHellene

[Orphic_Hymn]

A well known argument used by our Northern neighbors and unfortunately adopted by so-called authorities like Ernst Badian (ridiculed during the VIIth International Symposium on Ancient Macedonia in Thessaloniki Oct. 14-18th 2002 for totally ignoring ancient Hellenic and thus unable to read the ancient texts) is that the term "philHellene" can't be applied to a Hellene or to use E.Badian's exact words "surely not an appellation that could be given to an actual Greek"

This obvious misconception comes from Herodotus' use of it when talking about the Egyptian Pharoh Amasis, who in book 2.178 suggests became a philHellene or when Plutarch uses it in his "Life of Marcus Antonius 23".. added to their ignorance of the Hellenic language and the Hellenic anthology that unlike they believe, isn't limited to these two texts.

BUT was the term philHellene strictly used for "friends" of the Hellenes or was it, as the comprehensive Liddle and Scott lexikon suggest, an appellation "generally of Hellenic patriots"?


The Hellenic anthology clarifies.

Isocrates used it when talking about Jason of Pherae

Isocrates, Philippos 122

ἔστιν οὖν ἀνδρὸς μέγα φρονοῦντος καὶ φιλέλληνος καὶ πορρωτέρω τῶν ἄλλων τῇ διανοίᾳ καθορῶντος

He again used it when talking about Evagoras

Isocrates, Evagoras 50

νῦν δὲ τοσοῦτον μεταπεπτώκασιν ὥσθ᾽ ἁμιλλᾶσθαι μὲν οἵτινες αὐτῶν δόξουσι φιλέλληνες εἶναι μάλιστα

Xenophon gives us a highly interesting quote when writing about the life of his friend, Agesilaus King of Sparta

Xenophon, Agesilaus 4

εἴ γε μὴν αὖ καλὸν Ἕλληνα ὄντα φιλέλληνα εἶναι

its honorable for a Hellene to be a philHellene


In Plato's Republic, the founder of a purely Hellenic city admits that its Hellenic inhabitants must be philHellenes and consider all of Hellas as their home.

Plato, Republic 470e

ἀλλ᾽ οὐ φιλέλληνες; οὐδὲ οἰκείαν τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἡγήσονται,

Isocrates in his Panegyrikos, decides that the use of 'ἀμείνους' (brave) to title his ancestors that stood up against the Persians is inadequate and instead chooses to title them philHellenes.

Isocrates, Panegyrickos 96

καίτοι πῶς ἂν ἐκείνων ἄνδρες ἀμείνους ἢ μᾶλλον φιλέλληνες ὄντες ἐπιδειχθεῖεν

[Ehetlaios]

Bravo.

Oi emfylioi odigisan sto na misoumaste metaksy mas (akoma kai simera ) opote to "philellhnas" einai logiko na eixe periergi simasia tote kai twra.

[Orphic_Hymn]

Claudius Aelianus writes about Heron (Gelon's brother) the Syracusian, descendant of the colonists of Rhodes.

Claudius Aelianus Soph., Varia historia
Book 9, section 1, line 1

Ἱέρωνά φασι τὸν Συρακόσιον φιλέλληνα γενέσθαι

Dio Chrysostomus describes the Theban and Elian participation in the stand at Thermopyles as an act of Philhellenism.

Dio Chrysostomus Soph., Orationes
Oration 37, section 17, line 9

Λακεδαιμονίοις ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῶν δικαίων τῆς Ἑλλάδος μετὰ τῆς Θηβαίων καὶ Ἠλείων πόλεως ἀντέβησαν·ᾧ καὶ διέδειξαν οὐ φιλολάκωνες ὄντες, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς φιλέλληνεσ καὶ φιλοδίκαιοι καὶ φιλελεύθεροι καὶ μισοπόνηροι καὶ μισοτύραννοι

Heliodorus speaks of Theagenes the Thessalian's philhellenic moral

Heliodorus Scr. Erot., Aethiopica
Book 7, chapter 19, section 8, line 2

Καὶ ὁ Θεαγένης τὸ μὲν τῆς φιλοφροσύνης καὶ ὡς φιλέλλην τὸ ἦθος

Themistius, like Xenophon listed above, describes Agesilaus King of Sparta as a philHellene

Themistius Phil., Rhet., Πρὸς τοὺς αἰτιασαμένους ἐπὶ τῷ δέξασθαι τὴν ἀρχήν
Section 25, line 18

Ἀγησίλαον δὲ φιλέλληνα

Sopater speaks of Demosthenes

Sopater Rhet., Διαίρεσις ζητημάτων
Volume 8, page 205, line 8

Δεινὸς ὁ Δημοσθένης καὶ φιλέλλην

The neoPlatonic philosopher Porphyrius explains that Homer describes Agamemnon not as a philhellene but as 'philautos' (conceited, shefish)

Porphyrius Phil., Quaestionum Homericarum ad Iliadem pertinentium reliquiae
Iliad book 4, section 334, line 12

καλεῖ Ἀγαμέμνων (Δ 339), ἐπεὶ οὐ φιλέλλην ἀλλὰ φίλαυτος ὁρᾶται.

[Euklid]

This is great stuff.

[Orphic_Hymn]

Dionysius Halicarnassensis repeats the same statement Isokrates made in his Panegyrikos

Dionysius Halicarnassensis Hist., Rhet., De Demosthenis dictione
Section 40, line 83

ἵν' ἐν μέρει καὶ μὴ πρὸς ἑκάτερα κινδυνεύωσι. καίτοι πῶς ἂν ἐκείνων ἄνδρες ἀμείνους ἢ μᾶλλον φιλέλληνεσ ὄντες ἐπιδειχθεῖεν

Aelius Herodianus gives us a great quote, Hellenes philhellenes panhellenes, when refering to Homer's description of the Hellenic alliance against the Troyans.

Aelius Herodianus et Pseudo-Herodianus Gramm., Rhet., De prosodia catholica
Part+volume 3,1, page 16, line 15

Ἕλλην φιλέλλην, Πανέλληνες

Strabo speaks of the Samnitae who claim to have intermixed with Laconian colonists (and thus partly Hellenic in origin) and for this reason became philhellenes

Strabo Geogr., Geographica
Book 5, chapter 4, section 12, line 18

τινὲς δὲ καὶ Λάκωνας συνοίκους αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι φασὶ καὶ διὰ
τοῦτο καὶ φιλέλληνασ ὑπάρξαι,

Claudius Aelianus speaks of the presevation of being Hellenes and philhellenes.

Claudius Aelianus Soph., De natura animalium
Book 1, section 1, line 13

διαφυλάττειν τὸ εἶναι Ἕλληνές τε καὶ Φιλέλληνες.

[pankration]

I commend you for your research. Well done.

[GEOROX]

File, do you have English translations of these quotes?

Originally Posted by Orphic_Hymn

A well known argument used by our Northern neighbors and unfortunately adopted by so-called authorities like Ernst Badian (ridiculed during the VIIth International Symposium on Ancient Macedonia in Thessaloniki Oct. 14-18th 2002 for totally ignoring ancient Hellenic and thus unable to read the ancient texts) is that the term "philHellene" can't be applied to a Hellene or to use E.Badian's exact words "surely not an appellation that could be given to an actual Greek"

This obvious misconception comes from Herodotus' use of it when talking about the Egyptian Pharoh Amasis, who in book 2.178 suggests became a philHellene or when Plutarch uses it in his "Life of Marcus Antonius 23".. added to their ignorance of the Hellenic language and the Hellenic anthology that unlike they believe, isn't limited to these two texts.

BUT was the term philHellene strictly used for "friends" of the Hellenes or was it, as the comprehensive Liddle and Scott lexikon suggest, an appellation "generally of Hellenic patriots"?


The Hellenic anthology clarifies.

Isocrates used it when talking about Jason of Pherae


He again used it when talking about Evagoras



Xenophon gives us a highly interesting quote when writing about the life of his friend, Agesilaus King of Sparta



its honorable for a Hellene to be a philHellene


In Plato's Republic, the founder of a purely Hellenic city admits that its Hellenic inhabitants must be philHellenes and consider all of Hellas as their home.




Isocrates in his Panegyrikos, decides that the use of 'ἀμείνους' (brave) to title his ancestors that stood up against the Persians is inadequate and instead chooses to title them philHellenes.

[Andrew]

Good one dudes !!!!!

Can you put it also in the Ancient History stuff ????

[Ptolemy]

τον ελληνα και φιλελληνα Σεπτημιον ∙ Αυρ(ηλιον) ∙ Παυλεινον τον κρατιστον επιτροπον τον Σεβαστου Σωσηβιος φιλοσοφος, Σωσιβιου του φιλοσοφου ο υιος.

Inscription of Makedonia (Mygdonia) — Thessalonike — bef. mid. 3rd c. AD

[Orphic_Hymn]

Isokrates Panathenaicus 241

οἷός περ ὁ λόγος ὁ διαναγνωσθείς ἐστιν, ἐν ᾧ πεποίηκας τοὺς μὲν σοὺς προγόνους εἰρηνικοὺς καὶ φιλέλληνας καὶ τῆς ἰσότητος τῆς ἐν ταῖς πολιτείαις ἡγεμόνας, Σπαρτιάτας δ' ὑπεροπτικοὺς καὶ πολεμικοὺς καὶ πλεονέκτας, οἵους περ αὐτοὺς εἶναι πάντες ὑπειλήφασιν.
“τοιαύτην δ' ἑκατέρων ἐχόντων τὴν φύσιν, τοὺς μὲν ὑπὸ πάντων ἐπαινεῖσθαι καὶ δοκεῖν εὔνους εἶναι τῷ πλήθει, τοῖς δὲ τοὺς μὲν πολλοὺς φθονεῖν καὶ δυσμενῶς ἔχειν

Even such is the discourse which has been read, in which you have represented your ancestors as devoted to peace and philHellenes and champions of equality in the government of states, but have painted the Spartans as arrogant and warlike and self-seeking, as indeed they have been conceived by all men to be. “Such being the nature of each of these two cities, the Athenians are extolled by all men and are credited with being friendly to the masses, while the Spartans are envied and disliked by the majority of men.