Sons of … (1)

Text
In the realm of craftsmen and of seers, of healers and physicians, the expression “sons of … “ designates the collective group. The expression appears in Akkadian, in the West Semitic languages and in Greek. “Sons of Asclepius”, but also “sons of painters” in Plato (in Rep. 408b and Laws 769b); “sons of philosophers” became a common, slightly ironic expression later on. The agreement between the Semitic and the Greek idiomatic expression is significant. The expression such as “the children of Israel” is still recognizable as a Semitism, but we also find “sons of the Achaeans” in Homer, hence also “sons of the Lydians” and similar terms in Herodotus (1.27) and later to designate nations. This too is equivalent to eastern practice. The Christian Gnostics borrowed a corresponding expression afresh from the Semitic side. We have much less direct evidence for the earlier periods; but the general situation strengthens the hypothesis of cultural transfer even at that time.

Sources (list of abbreviations) (source links will open in a new browser window)
Herodotus 1.27
Plato, Laws 769b
Plato, Republic 408b

Bibliography

Amar Annus

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