From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Return and turning back
ἐπιστροφή
epistrophēEpistrophē is a turning or orientation toward something.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordEpistrophē is a turning or orientation toward something.
- In StobaeusThe maxim says that soul is bound to body by turning toward bodily affections and released through freedom from them.
- In this edition“Turning toward” is more accurate here than an unexplained “return.”
- A place to beginTurning toward bodily affections binds soul to body.
- English renderings
- turning toward; return; reorientation
Meaning
Epistrophē is a turning or orientation toward something. Its direction is not inherently upward or liberating.
Use in the book
The maxim says that soul is bound to body by turning toward bodily affections and released through freedom from them. Here the turn creates attachment rather than ascent. The object of the preposition is therefore essential: a general doctrine of return to the divine cannot replace this local sense.
Places to read
- I.49.18Turning toward bodily affections binds soul to body.
Translation in this edition
“Turning toward” is more accurate here than an unexplained “return.”
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 343. Apatheia in the second clause means freedom from these affections, not ordinary modern apathy or lack of care.
From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Return
return; returning; render — giving back or responding to what is received
Return can mean movement back to a source or a responsive offering.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordReturn can mean movement back to a source or a responsive offering.
- In TraherneThe created world reaches a further fulfillment when it is knowingly received and offered back in love.
- In this editionRender in prayers asks what response can be made to benefits.
- A place to beginThe mentally apprehended world is offered back to its giver.
Meaning
Return can mean movement back to a source or a responsive offering. Traherne’s theology of gifts makes these senses especially close.
Use in the book
The created world reaches a further fulfillment when it is knowingly received and offered back in love. The world in the soul is a returning offering: its material existence becomes an act of understanding, gratitude, and obedience. Praise likewise transforms benefits into a response appropriate to their giver.
This is not the cancellation of the original gift. The creature’s answer has its own reality and freedom, which is why a merely mechanical reflection is inadequate. God’s generosity makes possible a response that he delights to receive, and the soul is enriched by giving it. Return therefore unites reception and communication, but does not reduce charity to the repayment of a financial debt.
Places to read
In this edition
Render in prayers asks what response can be made to benefits. Its fiscal overtones matter, but praise and love are not represented as settling an account after which obligation ends.
Source note
Primary text: II.90, II.94, III.82, IV.85. No 2026 editorial notes used.