Re: hilosthrion and eleos

Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Fri, 14 Mar 1997 15:10:33 -0600

At 3:24 PM -0600 3/14/97, nikeo@juno.com wrote:
>What is the relation between these two terms. I see what looks to be a
>semantic connection. Mercy and mercy seat...more than a coincidence.
>Is there a connection between hilos- and eleos.

Not in the Greek there isn't. The adjective is hILASTHRIOS, meaning
"propitiatory," used in the neuter, apparently to govern an implicit noun
EPIQEMA. The noun ELEOS/ELEES- means "mercy, compassion." There's no
relationship between a root hILA- and a root )ELE- beyond the purely
accidental fact that there's a lambda between vowels in each.

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University
One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, USA 63130
(314) 935-4018
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cwc@oui.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/