[B-Greek] CORHGOS = "

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at ioa.com
Fri Oct 14 17:41:53 EDT 2005


On Oct 14, 2005, at 4:31 PM, Eric Weiss wrote:

> Langenscheidt's Greek-English dictionary defines CORHGOS as "One  
> who defrays the costs
> for bringing out a chorus."
>
> LSJ online says:
> A. chorus-leader
> II. at Athens and elsewhere, one who defrays the costs for  
> producing a chorus
> 2. metaph., one who defrays the costs for any purpose
> 3. Astrol., of planets, patron of a profession or trade, Paul.Al.P.2.
> 4. Medic., supply-veins, Orib.45.18.23.
>
> My question has to do with its use in the ancient Orthodox prayer/ 
> song "O Heavenly
> King" (BASILEU OURANIE), where the Holy Spirit is referred to  
> (among other things) as hO
> QHSAUROS TWN AGAQWN KAI ZWHS CORHGOS. Here ZWHS CORHGOS is usually
> translated as "giver of life."
>
> Why is CORHGOS used, as opposed to, say, DOTHS (as in the icon of  
> Christ as "The
> Lifegiver" hO ZWODOTHS)? Does CORHGOS retain a distinctly different  
> meaning from DOTHS
> that is still connected to its "chorus" derivation but which we in  
> English must still translate as
> "giver" because we have no better equivalent word?

Eric, I'm not sure I can provide the whole answer, but I think  
historical usage has something to
do with this sense of CORHGOS. Civic services in ancient Greek  
municipalities were payed for
by wealthy citizens who volunteered or who were induced to pay for  
them: battleships, public
buildings, etc. In Athens the production of the plays at the annual  
festivals of Dionysus involved
competitions between dramatists and selection from among the plays  
written so that the poets
were awarded a "chorus" -- that is to say, the wherewithal to put on  
the play; the expenses of
production of the play were paid by a CORHGOS. So the CORHGOS was  
something of what
in drama today is called an "angel" or "producer." I think that the  
idea of a wealthy benefactor
who enables something good for a broad public developed into the a  
richer sense of "enabler" or
"dispenser." I rather think that the notion of gracious beneficence  
enters into the connotation
of the CORHGOS.


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad2 at mac.com
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/




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