Plutarch, Quaestiones Graecae, Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator), 9

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[9] Who is the Consecrator ( hosioter) among the Delphians and why do they call one of the months Bysios?

They call the victim that is sacrificed Consecrator whenever an Holy One¹ is appointed. There are five Holy Ones, who hold office for life; they do a great many things with the co-operation of the oracle-interpreters and with them take part in the holy rites, since they are thought to have descended from Deucalion.

The month Bysios, as many think, is the month of growth ( physios); for it begins the spring and during it many plants spring up and come into bloom. But this is not the truth of the matter, for Delphians do not use b in place of ph (as Macedonians do who say Bilip and balacros and Beronicê), but in place of p; thus they naturally say broceed for proceed and bainful for painful. Accordingly Bysios is pysios, the month of oracular inquiry, in which men ask questions and obtain responses from the god; for this is the legitimate and traditional procedure. In this month, then, oracles used to be given and the seventh day of this month they consider the birthday of the god.² They call this day the day of Many Utterances ( Polyphthoös) not because they then bake cakes ( phthoïs),³ but because it is a day when many inquire of the god and receive many oracles. For only recently have monthly oracles been given out to inquirers; formerly the prophetic priestess was wont to give responses but once a year on this day, as Callisthenes⁴ and Anaxandrides have recorded.

Quaestiones Graecae. Plutarch. Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator). Cambridge, MA. 1936.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

The Greek Questions (English) (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. IV. Babbitt, Frank Cole, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).)

Editions (2)

Αἴτια Ἑλληνικά Perseus (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. IV. Babbitt, Frank Cole, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).) — 9 focus

[9] τίς ὁ παρὰ Δελφοῖς ὁσιωτὴρ καὶ διὰ τί βύσιον ἕνα τῶν μηνῶν καλοῦσιν;

ὁσιωτῆρα μὲν καλοῦσι τὸ θυόμενον ἱερεῖον, ὅταν ὅσιος ἀποδειχθῇ. πέντε δʼ εἰσὶν ὅσιοι διὰ βίου, καὶ τὰ πολλὰ μετὰ τῶν προφητῶν δρῶσιν οὗτοι καὶ συνιερουργοῦσιν, ἅτε¹ γεγονέναι δοκοῦντες ἀπὸ Δευκαλίωνος.

292e ὁ δὲ βύσιος μήν, ὡς μὲν οἱ πολλοὶ νομίζουσι, φύσιός ἐστιν ἔαρος γὰρ ἄρχει καὶ τὰ πολλὰ φύεται τηνικαῦτα καὶ διαβλαστάνει. τὸ δʼ ἀληθὲς οὐκ ἔχει οὕτως· οὐ γὰρ ἀντὶ τοῦ τῷ β χρῶνται Δελφοί, καθάπερ Μακεδόνες Βίλιππον² καὶ βαλακρὸν καὶ Βερονίκην λέγοντες, ἀλλʼ ἀντὶ τοῦ π· καὶ γὰρ τὸ πατεῖν βατεῖν καὶ τὸ πικρὸν βικρὸν ἐπιεικῶς καλοῦσιν. ἔστιν οὖν πύσιος ὁ βύσιος, ἐν ᾧ πυστιῶνται καὶ πυνθάνονται τοῦ θεοῦ· τοῦτο³ γὰρ ἒννομον⁴ καὶ πάτριον. ἐν τῷ μηνὶ γὰρ τούτῳ χρηστήριον ἐγίγνετο καὶ ἑβδόμην ταύτην νομίζουσι τοῦ θεοῦ γενέθλιον, 292f καὶ πολύφθοον⁵ ὀνομάζουσιν οὐ διὰ τὸ πέττεσθαι φθόις, ἀλλὰ πολυπευθῆ καὶ πολυμάντευτον οὖσαν. ὁτὲ γὰρ ἀνείθησαν αἱ κατὰ μῆνα μαντεῖαι τοῖς δεομένοις, πρότερον δʼ ἅπαξ ἐθεμίστευεν ἡ Πυθία τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ κατὰ ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν, ὡς Καλλισθένης 293a καὶ Ἀναξανδρίδης ἱστορήκασι.

Κεφαλαίων καταγραφή Ἑλληνικά Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol IΙ. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1889.) — 9 focus

[9] τίς ὁ παρὰ Δελφοῖς ὁσιωτὴρ καὶ διὰ τί βύσιον ἕνα τῶν μηνῶν καλοῦσιν; ὁσιωτῆρα μὲν καλοῦσι τὸ θυόμενον ἱερεῖον, ὅταν ὅσιος ἀποδειχθῇ. πέντε δʼ εἰσὶν ὅσιοι διὰ βίου, καὶ τὰ πολλὰ μετὰ τῶν προφητῶν δρῶσιν οὗτοι καὶ συνιερουργοῦσιν, ἅτε ¹ 20 γεγονέναι δοκοῦντες ἀπὸ Δευκαλίωνος. ὁ δὲ βύσιος 292e μήν, ὡς μὲν οἱ πολλοὶ νομίζουσι, φύσιός ἐστιν· ἔαρος γὰρ ἄρχει καὶ τὰ πολλὰ φύεται τηνικαῦτα καὶ διαβλαστάνει. τὸ δʼ ἀληθὲς οὐκ ἔχει οὕτως· οὐ γὰρ ἀντὶ τοῦ φ τῷ β χρῶνται Δελφοί, καθάπερ Μακεδόνες 25 Βίλιππον² καὶ βαλακρόν καὶ Βερονίκην λέγοντες, ἀλλʼ ἀντὶ τοῦ π· καὶ γὰρ τὸ πατεῖν βατεῖν καὶ τὸ πικρὸν βικρόν ἐπιεικῶς καλοῦσιν. ἔστιν οὖν πύσιος ὁ βύσιος, ἐν ᾧ πυστιῶνται καὶ πυνθάνονται τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ γὰρ ³ ἐννοεῖν καὶ πάτριον. ἐν τῷ μηνὶ γὰρ τούτῳ χρηστήριον ἐγίγνετο καὶ ἑβδόμην 5 ταύτην νομίζουσι τοῦ θεοῦ γενέθλιον, καὶ 292f πολύφθοον ὀνομάζουσιν οὐ διὰ τὸ πέττεσθαι φθοῖς, ⁴ ἀλλὰ πολυπευθῆ καὶ πολυμάντευτον οὖσαν. ὀψὲ γὰρ ἀνείθησαν αἱ κατὰ μῆνα μαντεῖαι τοῖς δεομένοις, πρότερον δʼ ἅπαξ ἐθεμίστευεν ἡ Πυθία τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ 10 κατὰ ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν, ὡς Καλλισθένης καὶ Ἀναξανδρίδης ⁵ ἱστορήκασι. 293a

Translations (1)

Greek Questions Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. II. Goodwin, William W., editor; Chauncy, Isaac translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.) — 9 focus

[9]

Question 9.

Who is he among the people of Delphi who is called Ὁσιωτήρ? And why do they call one of the months Bysius?

Solution.

They call the slain sacrifice Ὁσιωτήρ when the ὅσιος ( the holy one) is declared. There are five of these holy ones for life, and these transact many things with the prophets, and sacrifice together with them, supposing that they are descended from Deucalion. The month Bysius, as many think, is the same as Φύσιος ( natural), for it is in the beginning of the spring, when most things do sprout and put forth buds. But this is not the true reason. For the Delphians do not use b for ph (as the Macedonians, who say Bilippus, Balacrus, and Beronica, for Philippus, Phalacrus, and Pheronica), but instead of p; they for the most part saying βατεῖν for πατεῖν, and βικρόν for πικρόν. Therefore they say Bysius for Pysius, because in that month they enquire of and consult their God Apollo. This is their genuine and country way of speaking. For in that month an oracle is given forth, and they call that week the nativity of Apollo, and the name is Polythous, not because of their baking a sort of cakes called Pthides, but because then their oracle is full of answers and prophecies. For it is but of late that oraculous answers were given to the enquirers every month. In former times Pythia gave answers only once a year, which was on this day, as Callisthenes and Anaxandridas have told us.

Notes on the current edition

The Greek Questions

1. Cf. Moralia, 365 a, 437 a.

2. Ibid. 717 d; for the connexion of the number seven with the birth of Apollo see Callimachus, Hymn iv. 251 ff.

3. cf. Athenaeus, 647 d, 502 b.

4. cf. Jacoby, Frag. der griech. Hist. 124 f 49.

Plutarch Quaestiones Graecae 9

Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator)

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Question 9.

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