Metaphorical Extensions of ἐγγύς
Posted: March 31st, 2012, 4:53 pm
I've been reading in John Chrysostom's Homilies on Colossians and came across this instance of ἐγγύς:
Ἐν ᾧ καὶ περιετμήθητε περιτομῇ (55)
ἀχειροποιήτῳ, ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει τοῦ σώματος τῶν
ἁμαρτιῶν τῆς σαρκὸς, ἐν τῇ περιτομῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ.
Ὅρα πῶς ἐγγὺς γίνεται τοῦ πράγματος. Ἐν
τῇ ἀπεκδύσει, φησίν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ἐκδύσει.
LSJ:
ἐγγύς [ῠ], Adv., Comp. ἐγγυτέρω (-τέρῳ Hell.Oxy.6.3), also -ύτερον Pl.Lg.704e: Sup. ἐγγυτάτω or -ύτατα (first in Hp., and Att.); also ἔγγῑον, ἔγγιστα (v. ἐγγίων).
I. of Place, near, nigh, at hand: freq. in Hom., ἐ. γὰρ νυκτός τε καὶ ἤματός εἰσι κέλευθοι Od.10.86: c. gen., hard by, near to; so λύπας ἐγγυτέρω nearer to grief, S.OC1217: c. dat., Il.11.340, E.Heracl.37; ἐγγὺς ὁδῷ dub. in IG12.974: mostly with Verbs of rest, ἐ. ἑστάναι, παρεστάναι, A.Pers.686, Eu.65, τολν ἔνγιστά σοι μένοντα POxy.3314.23 (iv A.D.); but ἐ. χωρεῖν Id.Th.59: c. gen., οἱ ἐγγυτάτω τῆς ἀγορᾶς κατεσκευασμένοι Lys.24.20, etc.
II. of Time, nigh at hand, Il.22.453; ἐ. ἡμῖν ὁ ἀγών X.Cyr.2.3.2.
III. of Numbers, etc., nearly, ἔτεσι ἐ. εἴκοσι Th.6.5; μισθὸς ἐ. ἐνιαυτοῦ X.HG3.1.28: generally, nearly, almost, ἐ. ἔγνως S.Ichn.301; οὐδʼ ἐ. τινος not nearly, i.e. not by a great deal, nothing like it, Pl.Smp.198b; ἔχει οὐχ οὕτω ταῦτα οὐδʼ ἐ. not so .. nor yet nearly so, D.21.30; οὐκ ἐποίουν τοῦτο, οὐδʼ ἐ. Id.18.96; mostly, Hp.Mochl.34.
IV. of Qualities, coming near, ἐ. τι καὶ παραπλήσιον Pl.Grg.520a; ἐγγύτατα τοῦ νῦν τρόπου, τῆς ξυμπάσης γνώμης, Th.1.13, 22; ὅτι ἐγγύτατα τούτων Id.7.86; κοινῇ δὲ πᾶσιν οὐδεὶς ἐγγυτέρω D.18.288; δοκεῖς δηλῶσαι ἐγγύτατα τὴν ῥητορικήν Pl.Grg.452e; ἐ. εἶναι, c. gen., Id.Phd.116b; ἐ. τυφλῶν Id.R.508c; ἐ. τι τείνειν τοῦ τεθνάναι very near death, Id.Phd.65a; κακῶς παθεῖν ἐγγύτατα D.21.123.
V. of Relationship, akin to, οἱ Ζηνὸς ἐ. A.Fr.162; ἐγγυτέρω γένει or γένους, Pl.Ap.30a, Is.3.72; ἐγγύτατα γένους A.Supp.388, Lys.Fr.41, Pl.Hp.Ma.304d; ἐγγυτάτω γένους IG1.77, Ar.Av.1666.
But for this particular instance, could we get away with something like "precise, where metaphorical proximity entails precision?
Something like:
Ὅρα πῶς ἐγγὺς γίνεται τοῦ πράγματος. Ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει, φησίν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ἐκδύσει.
Notice how precise he's being on the issue. He says Ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει. He did not say, ἐκδύσει.
Ἐν ᾧ καὶ περιετμήθητε περιτομῇ (55)
ἀχειροποιήτῳ, ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει τοῦ σώματος τῶν
ἁμαρτιῶν τῆς σαρκὸς, ἐν τῇ περιτομῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ.
Ὅρα πῶς ἐγγὺς γίνεται τοῦ πράγματος. Ἐν
τῇ ἀπεκδύσει, φησίν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ἐκδύσει.
LSJ:
ἐγγύς [ῠ], Adv., Comp. ἐγγυτέρω (-τέρῳ Hell.Oxy.6.3), also -ύτερον Pl.Lg.704e: Sup. ἐγγυτάτω or -ύτατα (first in Hp., and Att.); also ἔγγῑον, ἔγγιστα (v. ἐγγίων).
I. of Place, near, nigh, at hand: freq. in Hom., ἐ. γὰρ νυκτός τε καὶ ἤματός εἰσι κέλευθοι Od.10.86: c. gen., hard by, near to; so λύπας ἐγγυτέρω nearer to grief, S.OC1217: c. dat., Il.11.340, E.Heracl.37; ἐγγὺς ὁδῷ dub. in IG12.974: mostly with Verbs of rest, ἐ. ἑστάναι, παρεστάναι, A.Pers.686, Eu.65, τολν ἔνγιστά σοι μένοντα POxy.3314.23 (iv A.D.); but ἐ. χωρεῖν Id.Th.59: c. gen., οἱ ἐγγυτάτω τῆς ἀγορᾶς κατεσκευασμένοι Lys.24.20, etc.
II. of Time, nigh at hand, Il.22.453; ἐ. ἡμῖν ὁ ἀγών X.Cyr.2.3.2.
III. of Numbers, etc., nearly, ἔτεσι ἐ. εἴκοσι Th.6.5; μισθὸς ἐ. ἐνιαυτοῦ X.HG3.1.28: generally, nearly, almost, ἐ. ἔγνως S.Ichn.301; οὐδʼ ἐ. τινος not nearly, i.e. not by a great deal, nothing like it, Pl.Smp.198b; ἔχει οὐχ οὕτω ταῦτα οὐδʼ ἐ. not so .. nor yet nearly so, D.21.30; οὐκ ἐποίουν τοῦτο, οὐδʼ ἐ. Id.18.96; mostly, Hp.Mochl.34.
IV. of Qualities, coming near, ἐ. τι καὶ παραπλήσιον Pl.Grg.520a; ἐγγύτατα τοῦ νῦν τρόπου, τῆς ξυμπάσης γνώμης, Th.1.13, 22; ὅτι ἐγγύτατα τούτων Id.7.86; κοινῇ δὲ πᾶσιν οὐδεὶς ἐγγυτέρω D.18.288; δοκεῖς δηλῶσαι ἐγγύτατα τὴν ῥητορικήν Pl.Grg.452e; ἐ. εἶναι, c. gen., Id.Phd.116b; ἐ. τυφλῶν Id.R.508c; ἐ. τι τείνειν τοῦ τεθνάναι very near death, Id.Phd.65a; κακῶς παθεῖν ἐγγύτατα D.21.123.
V. of Relationship, akin to, οἱ Ζηνὸς ἐ. A.Fr.162; ἐγγυτέρω γένει or γένους, Pl.Ap.30a, Is.3.72; ἐγγύτατα γένους A.Supp.388, Lys.Fr.41, Pl.Hp.Ma.304d; ἐγγυτάτω γένους IG1.77, Ar.Av.1666.
But for this particular instance, could we get away with something like "precise, where metaphorical proximity entails precision?
Something like:
Ὅρα πῶς ἐγγὺς γίνεται τοῦ πράγματος. Ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει, φησίν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ἐκδύσει.
Notice how precise he's being on the issue. He says Ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει. He did not say, ἐκδύσει.