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ArchivesRe: The Etymology of the Name Laodice
in reply to a message by Eugene Shubert
Eugene,
All your observations are right; but keep in mind that we are talking about translation from Ancient Greek language to English here. So, in response to your questions, I’ll just have to repeat what I said in my previous post:
The translation of Ancient Greek "DIKE" as "justice" in English is false, since there is the perfect word for "justice" in Ancient Greek and that is "DIKAIOSYNE". The word "DIKE" must be translated in English as "judgement", which is correct; "judgement" does not have the same meaning as "justice".
However I can justify "DIKE" as "justice" in English, only if the translators tried to include all the different meanings of the Ancient Greek word "DIKE" in one word understandable by most people in our days; yet, still it would not be correct.
Pavlos has a point here: "It is fascinating to note that the Hellenic notion of justice -- to bring to light-- is semantically different from the Latin/Christian notion of justice".
"Until the day that an ancient inscription is found with the name "Alexandrovski" (or "Alexandrev" or "Alexandrov") written on it instead of "Alexander", true Macedonia and true Macedonians will remain Greek, as they always were."
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Replies
Kassios,
Let's forget (for the moment) the task of translating the meaning of LAODIKE into a short, cryptic phrase. Can we now negotiate and reach an agreement for an excellent English translation of LAODIKE in terms of a single, comprehensive and authoritative statement?
Personally, I could easily accept translating LAODIKE literally as "people judgment" (which I think of as "human judgment") if we could agree on how to qualify that further. Translating LAODIKE as the "judgment of the people" is clearly misleading. The ambiguity of that translation would suggest the possibility that people are being judged. I see no chance of that being a possible meaning. Hopefully you agree with my basic understanding that LAODIKE means that people are expressing a human judgment. How would you like to qualify this translation further?
I propose this sentence:
LAODIKE (literally, "people judgment") means "the way of the people", specifically, the way that people judge—by traditions, according to the most popular view of order and what the majority think is right.
Let's forget (for the moment) the task of translating the meaning of LAODIKE into a short, cryptic phrase. Can we now negotiate and reach an agreement for an excellent English translation of LAODIKE in terms of a single, comprehensive and authoritative statement?
Personally, I could easily accept translating LAODIKE literally as "people judgment" (which I think of as "human judgment") if we could agree on how to qualify that further. Translating LAODIKE as the "judgment of the people" is clearly misleading. The ambiguity of that translation would suggest the possibility that people are being judged. I see no chance of that being a possible meaning. Hopefully you agree with my basic understanding that LAODIKE means that people are expressing a human judgment. How would you like to qualify this translation further?
I propose this sentence:
LAODIKE (literally, "people judgment") means "the way of the people", specifically, the way that people judge—by traditions, according to the most popular view of order and what the majority think is right.
1
Eugene,
You 've made a very good observation here, I agree with you and I like your chosen definition.
Personally I can't think of anything further to add to it.
"Until the day that an ancient inscription is found with the name "Alexandrovski" (or "Alexandrev" or "Alexandrov") written on it instead of "Alexander", true Macedonia and true Macedonians will remain Greek, as they always were."
You 've made a very good observation here, I agree with you and I like your chosen definition.
Personally I can't think of anything further to add to it.
"Until the day that an ancient inscription is found with the name "Alexandrovski" (or "Alexandrev" or "Alexandrov") written on it instead of "Alexander", true Macedonia and true Macedonians will remain Greek, as they always were."
1