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Monday, April 25, 2011

«Κατάσσεις», or Epictetus's Leg

Or, the manumission of will.
by JLS
for the GC

Celsus wrote of his mentor, Epictetus:

http://www.san.beck.org/Epictetus.html

Celsus wrote, "Take Epictetus, who, when his master was twisting his leg, said, smiling and unmoved, 'You will break my leg;' and when it was broken, he added, 'Did I not tell you that you would break it?'"

I haven't been able to find Celsus's Greek, but this is

Origen, Contra Celsum 7.23:

Οὐκοῦν Ἐπίκτητον;
Ὃς τοῦ δεσπότου στρεβλοῦντος αὐτοῦ τὸ σκέλος ὑπομειδιῶν ἀνεκπλήκτως ἔλεγε·
«Κατάσσεις»,
καὶ κατάξαντος
«Οὐκ ἔλεγον», εἶπεν, «ὅτι κατάσσεις»;

What about Epictetus, then?
When his master was twisting his leg, he smiled gently and calmly said,
'You are breaking it'.
And when he had broken it he said,
'Did I not tell you that you were breaking it?'

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