From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordStēthos is the chest or breast.
- In StobaeusThe Homeric quotation portrays Odysseus striking his breast and rebuking his heart.
- In this edition“Breast” suits the verse; “chest” is clear in anatomical prose.
- A place to beginStriking the breast accompanies an address commanding the heart to endure.
- English renderings
- chest; breast
Meaning
Stēthos is the chest or breast. It can be the physical site addressed or struck when emotion is represented bodily.
Use in the book
The Homeric quotation portrays Odysseus striking his breast and rebuking his heart. In the Phaedo discussion, the act of self-address serves as evidence for a soul capable of governing and resisting affections. The chest is the bodily location in the example, while the argument concerns psychic agency.
Places to read
- I.49.13.15Striking the breast accompanies an address commanding the heart to endure.
Translation in this edition
“Breast” suits the verse; “chest” is clear in anatomical prose.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 338. The quoted lines are used by Socrates within an argument; the use should be distinguished from the original Homeric narrative setting.