Re: A room with three couches?

From: Steven Cox (scox@ns1.chinaonline.com.cn.net)
Date: Wed Jun 03 1998 - 07:13:01 EDT


        Dear William
        I bet Big Kittel has the full story.

        You are reading it right; TRIKLINOS = set of three couches
        as per Amphis Comicus ivBC, Polybius iiBC, Plutarch iAD
        or a room with three couches, or what takes place in a room
        with three couches. Maybe they left one side open for the
        servants to approach and serve food? ARXITRIKLINOS was
        presumably formed without too much difficulty on the Jewish
        model of ARCISUNAGWGOS, ARCIFEREKITHS (cf. Pirke Aboth!) etc.

        Interesting that two centuries after John (BAGD cites
        Heliodorus Eroticus) the ARCITRIKLINOS who held the
        TRIKLINIARCIA was a slave.

        Someone with Glare can presumably say what the earliest
        Latin reference for architriclinus is. (does the baby
        Oxford Latin provide this kind of information too??)
        Regards
        Steven

At 22:12 98/06/02 EDT, WmHBoyd@aol.com wrote:
>John 2:8 - ARXITRIKLINOS - Am I reading this right? Is this a "the ruler of
>three couches?" Why three couches? There must be a story about ancient
>customs here.
>
>William Boyd
>



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