Δευτέρα 7 Ιανουαρίου 2013

The Commandments of the Seven Sages of Greece

In Greek mythology Delphi was the site where the two eagles met, sent by Zeus from opposite locations to discover the center of the universe, the navel of the earth. Αmid the majestic landscape of Delphi, the most magnificent and most renowned temple was founded, the temple of Apollo, god of light, which became the spiritual center of the ancient world. There, a number of commandments were inscribed by the seven sages of ancient Greece, which formed a code of conduct, an enduring moral guide to last throughout the centuries. These sayings were accessible to all visitors of Delphi, and formed the legacy of the seven sages for future generations, showing them how to live a life in wisdom, succinctly expressed through the three prime commandments carved on the pediment of the temple of Apollo: “In Delphi you exist,” “Know thyself,” and “Nothing in excess.”

The Commandments of the Seven Sages of Greece from the copy of Sosiades preserved by Stobaeus are

  1. Follow God
  2. Obey the law 
  3. Worship the Gods
  4. Respect your parents 
  5. Be overcome by justice 
  6. Know what you have learned
  7. Perceive what you have heard 
  8. Know Yourself 
  9. Intend to get married 
  10. Know your opportunity 
  11. Think as a mortal
  12. If you are a stranger act like one
  13. Honor the hearth/Hestia
  14. Control yourself 
  15. Help your friends
  16. Control anger
  17. Exercise prudence
  18. Honor providence
  19. Do not use an oath 
  20. Love friendship 
  21. Cling to discipline 
  22. Pursue honor
  23. Long for wisdom
  24. Praise the Good
  25. Find fault with no one
  26. Praise those having grace
  27. Practice what is just 
  28. Be kind to friends 
  29. Watch out for your enemies 
  30. Exercise nobility of character 
  31. Shun evil 
  32. Be impartial 
  33. Guard what is yours
  34. Shun what belongs to others 
  35. Listen to everyone
  36. Be  religiously silent
  37. Do a favor for a friend
  38. Nothing to excess
  39. Use time sparingly
  40. Foresee the future
  41. Despise insolence
  42. Have respect for suppliants 
  43. Be accommodating in everything 
  44. Educate your sons
  45. Give what you have 
  46. Fear deceit 
  47. Speak well of everyone
  48. Be a seeker of wisdom 
  49. Choose what is divine 
  50. Act when you know 
  51. Shun murder 
  52. Pray for things possible
  53. Consult the wise
  54. Test the character
  55. Give back what you have received
  56. Down-look no one
  57. Use your skill
  58. Do what you mean to do 
  59. Honor a benefaction 
  60. Be jealous of no one 
  61. Be on your guard
  62. Praise hope
  63. Despise a slanderer 
  64. Gain possessions justly
  65. Honor good men
  66. Know the judge
  67. Master wedding-feasts 
  68. Recognize fortune
  69. Flee a pledge
  70. Choose wise 
  71. Associate with your peers
  72. Govern your expenses
  73. Be happy with what you have
  74. Rever a sense of shame
  75. Fulfill a favor
  1. Pray for happiness
  2. Be fond of fortune 
  3. Observe what you have heard
  4. Work for what you can own
  5. Despise strife
  6. Detest disgrace
  7. Restrain the tongue
  8. Keep yourself from insolence
  9. Make just judgements 
  10. Use what you have 
  11. Judge incorruptibly 
  12. Accuse one who is present 
  13. Tell when you know
  14. Do not depend on strength
  15. Live without sorrow
  16. Speak with calmness 
  17. Finish the race without shrinking back
  18. Deal kindly with everyone 
  19. Do not curse your sons
  20. Rule your wife
  21. Benefit yourself 
  22. Be courteous
  23. Give a timely response
  24. Struggle with glory
  25. Act without repenting 
  26. Regret falling short of the mark 
  27. Control the eye 
  28. Give a timely counsel 
  29. Act quickly
  30. Guard friendship 
  31. Be grateful
  32. Pursue harmony
  33. Keep deeply the top secret
  34. Fear ruling 
  35. Pursue what is profitable
  36. Accept due measure
  37. Do away with enmities
  38. Accept old age
  39. Do not boast in might
  40. Exercise  silence
  41. Flee enmity
  42. Acquire wealth justly
  43. Do not abandon honor 
  44. Despise evil
  45. Venture into danger prudently
  46. Do not tire of learning 
  47. Do not stop to be thrifty
  48. Admire oracles
  49. Love whom you rear
  50. Do not oppose someone absent
  51. Respect the elder
  52. Teach the young
  53. Do not trust wealth 
  54. Respect yourself 
  55. Do not begin to be insolent
  56. Crown your ancestors
  57. Die for your country
  58. Do not be discontented by life 
  59. Do not make fun of the dead 
  60. Share the load of the unfortunate 
  61. Gratify without harming 
  62. Greave for no one 
  63. Beget rom noble routes 
  64. Make promises to no one 
  65. Do not wrong the dead
  66. Be well off as a mortal 
  67. Do not trust fortune
  68. As a child be well-behaved 
  69. As a youth - self-disciplined
  70. As of middle-age - just
  71. As an old man - sensible
  72. On reaching the end - without sorrow 

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