From the book
Empedocles’ Complete Fragments, Volume I
Empedocles of Acragas · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordHomestioi denotes sharing a hearth; autotrapezoi sharing the same table.
- In EmpedoclesB147 describes fellowship with the other immortals through hearth and table, followed by having no share in human sorrows.
- In this editionThe beginning of B147's second Greek line is marked corrupt.
- A place to readThe released share hearth and table with immortals and are free of human grief.
Meaning
Homestioi denotes sharing a hearth; autotrapezoi sharing the same table. These domestic and commensal words picture inclusion in a common life. Ateireis adds the condition of being unwearied or unbroken.
Use in the book
B147 describes fellowship with the other immortals through hearth and table, followed by having no share in human sorrows. The scene presents release positively as belonging, not only as escape from a hostile place. It contrasts naturally with the daimon whom every region rejects in B1152: reception by a stable company answers endless expulsion.
The fragment does not name foods served at the table, locate the hearth, or describe an actual banquet ritual for living worshippers. Its ethical resonance with the evil family feast of B137 is strong, but the words do not explicitly stage the two meals as consecutive episodes. The surviving expression should remain an image of divine fellowship rather than a source for a menu or sacramental procedure.
Places to read
- B 147The released share hearth and table with immortals and are free of human grief.
- B 115.9–14Repeated rejection of the exile provides a contrasting condition of non-belonging.
- B 137.4–6An evil feast supplies a contrasting image of destructive commensality.
Translation in this edition
The beginning of B147's second Greek line is marked corrupt. The edition prints an intelligible English sense, but the transmitted wording cannot be treated as wholly secure.