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Headword: Aidesia
Adler number: alphaiota,79
Translated headword: Aidesia, Aedesia
Vetting Status: high
Translation:
Wife of Hermeias.[1] She was related by birth to the great Syrianos,[2] and was the fairest and finest of all the women in Alexandria. In her character she was similar to her husband: simple, noble, and a devotee of justice no less than of propriety through her whole life. But her outstanding quality was her piety and her philanthropy. Because of this she tried to benefit those in need even beyond her means, to the extent that even when Hermeias died and she was left behind with orphan children she continued in her good works. In fact, she spent her life in debt to her sons, upon which basis some even tried to find fault with her. But she, thinking there to be but one storehouse of hope for the better -- for whoever might wish to lighten the burdens of holy and virtuous men -- spared nothing, out of her pity for the fortunes that befall humankind. Therefore even the most wretched of the citizens loved her. She especially took care for her sons in the area of philosophy, desiring to bequeath to them the wisdom of their father as though it were a sort of inheritence of paternal property. She saved for the children the public allowance given to their father when they were still young, so they studied philosophy.[3] This is something that we know of no other man doing, much less any other woman. There was no small amount of honor and respect for Aidesia in the eyes of all. But when she even sailed together with her sons to Athens, who were sent there to learn philosophy, it was not only the common crowd of philosophers who marvelled at her virtue, but even their chief, Proklos.[4] It is this Aidesia whom Syrianos would have betrothed to Proklos had not one of the gods prevented Proklos from entering upon marriage. In regard to divine matters she was so pious and holy and, to put it in a single word, god-loving, that she was deemed worthy of many epiphanies. Such was Aidesia, and she lived her whole life beloved and praised by god and by men. I met her when she was an old woman, and at her death, while I was still young, a mere lad in fact, I recited at her tomb the customary eulogy adorned with heroic verses. Of her sons by Hermeias, Heliodoros was the younger and Ammonios[5] the older. The latter was more talented and more studious, the former simpler and more ordinary in his habits and in his speech. Both studied philosophy under Proklos, with their mother acting as pedagogue when they came to him. Proklos paid special attention to them as children of Hermeias, a man who was his friend and companion, and as children of Aidesia, who was related by birth to Syrianos and was there together with them at that time. In fact Hierax the brother of Synesios came to Athens with them also.
Greek Original:
Aidesia, Hermeiou gunê. hautê ên men prosêkousa genei tôi megalôi Surianôi, kallistê kai aristê gunaikôn tôn en Alexandreiai: ta men êthê tôi andri paraplêsia, haplê kai gennaia kai dikaiosunês ouden hêtton ê sôphrosunês epimelêtheisa dia biou pantos: to de exaireton autês philotheon kai philanthrôpon. dia touto kai para dunamin eu poiein epecheirei tous deomenous, hôste kai tou Hermeiou teleutêsantos epi paisin orphanois apoleiphtheisa tôn autôn eicheto dapanêmatôn eis tas eupoiïas. toigartoi kai hupochreôn tois huiesi ton bion epoiêsen, eph' hôi kai mempsasthai tines autên epecheiroun. hê de hena thêsauron hêgoumenê tês ameinonos elpidos, ei tis etheloi tois hierois kai epieikesin anthrôpois epikouphizein ta achthê tês chrêsmosunês, oudenos epheideto dia ton eleon tês kata ta anthrôpeia tuchês: toigaroun êgapôn autên kai tôn politôn hoi ponêrotatoi. malista de tôn huieôn epemeleito ta peri philosophian, oregomenê tên tou patros epistêmên autois paradounai kathaper klêron tina patrôias ousias. hê ge kai tên dêmosian tôi patri sitêsin didomenên tois paisi diephulaxe neois eti ousin, hôs ephilosophêsan: hoper ouk ismen oude andrôn heteron pepoiêkota, mêti ge dê gunaikôn. ên gar para pasi timê kai aidôs ouk oligê tês Aidesias. all' epei kai sunepleuse tois huiesin Athênaze stellomenois epi philosophian, ethaumasen autês tên aretên ho te allos choros tôn philosophôn kai ho koruphaios Proklos. hautê estin Aidesia, hên korên ousan eti tôi Proklôi katenguêsein emellen ho Surianos, ei mê theôn tis apekôlusen epi gamon hormêsai ton Proklon. ta de pros theon eusebês houtô kai hiera, kai to holon phanai theophilês, hôste pollôn epiphaneiôn axiousthai. hê de Aidesia toiautê ên kai diebiô panta ton bion hupo theou te kai anthrôpôn agapômenê kai epainoumenê. kai tautên epistamai graun gunaika, kai ep' autêi tethneôsêi ton epi tôi taphôi legesthai nomizomenon epainon epedeixamên hêrôikois epesi kekosmêmenon eti neos ôn tote kai komidê meirakion. tautês de paides apo tou Hermeiou neôteros men Hêliodôros, presbutês de Ammônios. houtos men oun euphuesteros ên kai philomathesteros, ho de haplousteros kai epipolaioteros en te tois êthesin en te tois logois. amphô men gar ephilosophêsatên hupo Proklôi meta tês mêtros hôs auton aphikomenô paidagôgousês. kai ho Proklos autois proseiche ton noun epimelesteron hôs paisin Hermeiou, philou te kai hetairou andros, paisi de Aidesias, tês genei Surianôi prosêkousês kai hama sphisi to tênikauta parousês. aphiketo men dê sun autois Athênaze kai Hierax ho Sunesiou adelphos.
Notes:
Damascius, Life of Isidore fr. 124 Zintzen (75 Asmus).
[1] epsilon 3035, epsilon 3036 (cf. also pi 2251, pi 137, alpha 4497, gamma 453).
[2] sigma 1662.
[3] Or following Bekker in reading e(/ws for w(s, "until they began to study philosophy".
[4] pi 2473.
[5] alpha 1639.
Keywords: biography; children; daily life; definition; economics; ethics; gender and sexuality; geography; history; law; philosophy; religion; women
Translated by: William Hutton on 29 October 2002@13:57:40.
Vetted by:
Catharine Roth on 29 October 2002@23:50:19.
David Whitehead (updated core reference; restorative cosmetics) on 30 October 2002@03:14:23.
David Whitehead (another keyword) on 16 November 2005@08:05:35.
David Whitehead (more keywords) on 22 November 2005@09:57:15.
David Whitehead (cosmetics) on 11 May 2012@06:55:14.

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