Help request re quotation from a Greek Father
Posted: January 17th, 2015, 11:17 pm
The National Library of Australia has been digitising newspapers from its archives. A newspaper called The Colonist printed in 1835 a letter to the editor which includes some Greek. (Details of the letter are: 1835 'TO THE EDITOR OF THE COLONIST.', The Colonist (Sydney, NSW : 1835 - 1840), 16 April, p. 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31716419).
The Greek, and the paragraph which introduces it, are as follows:
I would be grateful for any help in establishing the origin of the quote and its accuracy as given.
Alex Hopkins
Melbourne, Australia
The Greek, and the paragraph which introduces it, are as follows:
Incidentally, the publication of this letter was met with derision. Why? The Australian, a rival newspaper, the next day sneered: “Greek without accents! This is worse than ‘Geometry without axioms.’”"Wherefore, seeing we are compassed about with such a cloud of witnesses," let us imitate their glorious examples; ever bearing in mind that ignorance of the Scriptures, as the illustrious Greek Father observes, is the cause of all evils:
των παντων κακων μη αναγινωσκειν βιβλια ψυχης φαρμακα
I would be grateful for any help in establishing the origin of the quote and its accuracy as given.
Alex Hopkins
Melbourne, Australia