From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Emptying
κένωσις
kenōsisKenōsis means emptying; the process of making empty.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordKenōsis means emptying; the process of making empty.
- In LysisThe genitive κενώσεως names what the full is said to desire in the account of attraction between opposites.
- Reading contextThe dialogue does not attach a separate ethical or theological meaning to emptying.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “And the full desires emptying.”
- English renderings
- Emptying; the process of making empty
Meaning
Emptying; the process of making empty.
Grammatical category: feminine noun.
Use in the book
The genitive κενώσεως names what the full is said to desire in the account of attraction between opposites. Its form and sense answer πλήρωσις, filling.
The word should be read in this concrete sequence of changing bodily or natural conditions. The dialogue does not attach a separate ethical or theological meaning to emptying.
Places to read
- 215eτὸ πλῆρες δὲ κενώσεως — And the full desires emptying.
From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Emptying and depletion
κένωσις
kenōsisKenōsis is emptying or depletion.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordKenōsis is emptying or depletion.
- In StobaeusPorphyry describes soul’s inclination toward matter as emptying its own power, while ascent to intellect restores fullness.
- In this edition“Depletion” clarifies the loss of power; “emptying” preserves the image.
- A place to beginInclination toward matter depletes the soul’s power.
- English renderings
- emptying; depletion
Meaning
Kenōsis is emptying or depletion. Its object determines whether the loss is material or, as here, a diminution of power.
Use in the book
Porphyry describes soul’s inclination toward matter as emptying its own power, while ascent to intellect restores fullness. The paired images of poverty and fullness explain different orientations of soul. The passage does not describe a measurable volume being drained from a physical container.
Places to read
- I.49.23.7Inclination toward matter depletes the soul’s power.
Translation in this edition
“Depletion” clarifies the loss of power; “emptying” preserves the image.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 347. The earlier thinkers alluded to at the close are unnamed in the excerpt; an apparatus association does not make the passage a direct named quotation.