From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Community and communion
κοινωνία
koinōniaKoinōnia is a relationship of sharing or participation.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordKoinōnia is a relationship of sharing or participation.
- In StobaeusThe account of the soul’s parts argues that their community must be fitted together through appropriate shares of power and standing.
- In this edition“Community” makes the political analogy audible; “sharing” or “communion” suits the relationship emphasized in other contexts.
- A place to beginThe soul’s parts require an allocation suited to their different functions.
- English renderings
- community; sharing; communion
Meaning
Koinōnia is a relationship of sharing or participation. It can describe a community of functions within one being as well as association among separate beings.
Use in the book
The account of the soul’s parts argues that their community must be fitted together through appropriate shares of power and standing. Equal allocations to unlike functions would fail, but unequal allocations would also fail if inferior powers governed superior ones. The decisive issue is ordered cooperation, not equality alone.
Places to read
- I.49.27.5The soul’s parts require an allocation suited to their different functions.
Translation in this edition
“Community” makes the political analogy audible; “sharing” or “communion” suits the relationship emphasized in other contexts.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 356. The argument concerns internal psychic powers; its comparison should not be detached into a direct prescription for a human political constitution.
From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Communion
communion; union and communion; participation; shared enjoyment
Communion is a participation held with another, especially fellowship in a shared good.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordCommunion is a participation held with another, especially fellowship in a shared good.
- In TraherneThe stated end of redemption is communion with God in His glory.
- In this editionDo not assume that every “communion” is a Eucharistic reference.
- A place to beginRedemption aims at communion with God in eternal glory.
Meaning
Communion is a participation held with another, especially fellowship in a shared good. It is more than proximity or casual company and need not refer specifically to the sacramental meal.
Use in the book
The stated end of redemption is communion with God in His glory. To enjoy the world as God does is to participate in His wisdom, goodness, and love, rather than stand outside the gift as a detached observer. The same movement joins the reader to saints across ages: delight in their worship and happiness makes their joys inwardly present. Communion thus preserves distinct persons while multiplying what each enjoys.
Human conversation can provide its everyday setting, but the two are not interchangeable. Friendships are vulnerable to change, whereas communion with God supplies the firm ground of happiness. This qualification does not cancel human fellowship. It protects it from the impossible demand that a finite companion be the sole and unchanging foundation of life. Communion is fullest where receiving another's good deepens love of both that person and the divine giver.
Places to read
- I.5Redemption aims at communion with God in eternal glory.
- I.85Shared adoration creates participation in saints’ joys across places and ages.
- II.18Enjoying as God enjoys establishes communion and knowledge of Him.
- IV.19Changing human friendship is distinguished from the secure foundation of divine communion.
In this edition
Do not assume that every “communion” is a Eucharistic reference. These passages mainly concern participation in love, knowledge, glory, and enjoyment.
Source note
Primary text: I.5, I.85, II.18, IV.19. The article follows the explicit objects of communion in each selected place rather than imposing one institutional sense.