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Hello
As part of my study of Classical Greek I was reading the Gospel of St John and was rather startled to see that the text uses the word 'Archetriklinios' to describe the person who is a head of the domestic servants, what we would call a majordomo. I'm wondering if that is a later Hellenistic phrase that borrowed the Latin word 'Triclinium' or if the word has always been used even before the advent of Rome in the eastern Mediterranean. Thanks in advance for any input.
Cry \'\'\'\'Havoc\'\'\'\', and let slip the dogs of war
Imad
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Dear old Liddell and Scott translates "architriklinos" (slightly different spelling?) as New Testament as a source with (triclinium) after it (in the book version) but translate it as president of a banquet, secondary meaning a waiter (in the on line version)
see the link:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text...i%2Fklinos
Almost certainly taken from the Latin (but not in my Latin dictionaries)
As a matter of interest, the Jerusalem Bible translates the word as steward, the usual translation of which can be seen here
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/defi...rget=greek
where architriklinos does not appear.
Hope that helps, but I admit my later Greek isn't brilliant and I am sure someone else will have a better answer.
Moi Watson
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Merlot in one hand, Cigar in the other; body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!
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It is Greek. The term "triclinon" means "three beds/couches" and crops up multiple times not only in Roman and Byzantine Greek texts but also in ancient Greek texts (like in Lycophron, Anaxandrtides, Antiphanes, Theopompus, Menander etc) too. It is the Romans who adopted the word from the Greeks... It seems they liked to dine and have fun in rooms with three couches. And of course the prefix "archi-" means "chief/leader" The verb "klinein" means lay down. Even today, in Greece a "triklinon" is a 3-bed hotel room ("diklinon" and "monoklinon" being with two and one bed respectively).
P.S.... Pleaaaaaaaase some Admin making it possible for me to log in with my normal account??? (Macedon) The system simply does not reply when I prompt it to send me a new code...
