Archons and Angles: A Talmudic Sugya on Greek Words (Bava Batra 164b)
Greek words for shapes; Greek words for “ruler” in a contract; Re Laws of Nazirite; Re Laws of ritual impurity
Outline
Greek words for “ruler” in a contract
Re Laws of Nazirite
Re Laws of ritual impurity
Greek words for shapes
The Talmud discusses the usage of Greek terms for shapes, by number of angles. While these are words for shapes, it appears that these words are also used in the Talmudic literature more broadly as basic numerals (cardinal numbers), when counting set periods of time.
Here are the Greek shape terms which are used in this sugya, by number of angles (based on List of polygons - Wikipedia > “List of n-gons by Greek numerical prefixes”):1
Henagon (1-sided figure)
Digon (2-sided figure)
Trigon (triangle, 3-sided figure)
Tetragon (quadrilateral, 4-sided figure)
Pentagon (5-sided figure)
The passage
Bava_Batra.164b.7-11 (all numbering of lists is mine)
Greek words for “ruler” in a contract
The term "Archon," which translates to "ruler" from Greek, was apparently sometimes used in halachic legal contracts (shtar - שטר). “Archon” denotes a specific public office and is related to other hierarchical terms like monarch. In the Talmudic passage, a discussion arises about a contract dated merely by the title "Archon," without specifying the year of reign. Rabbi Ḥanina suggests verifying the year when the Archon assumed power to validate the document. The discussion considers complications like multiple terms or reinstatements of power, concluding that the title "Archon Digon" (=“Two-termed Leader”) would indicate a second term.
ההוא שטרא דהוה כתב ביה: ״בשנת פלוני ארכן״.
אמר רבי חנינא: יבדק אימתי עמד ארכן בארכנותיה.
ודלמא דאריך מלכותיה!
אמר רב הושעיא: כך מנהגה של אומה זו:
שנה ראשונה – קורין לו ״ארכן״,
שניה – קורין לו דיגון.
ודלמא עבורי עברוהו, והדר אוקמוהו!
אמר רבי ירמיה: ההוא ״ארכן דיגון״ קראו ליה.
There was a certain document on which was written, as its date: In the year of so-and-so, Archon [Arkhan], a title for a ruler, without stating any particular year of his reign.
Rabbi Ḥanina said: Let it be investigated when it was that this Archon rose to his position of archon, i.e., find out the year he came to power, and the validity of the document is established from that year.
The Gemara suggests: But perhaps the writer of the document was using an Aramaic or Hebrew term, and intended to say that the reign of so-and-so had already extended [arikh] for several years.
Rav Hoshaya says: Such is the custom of this nation where the document was written:
In the first year of the king’s reign they refer to him with the title archon;
in his second year they refer to him with the title digon.
The Gemara suggests: But perhaps the people deposed the ruler and then reinstated him, and the document was written in the first year of his second reign!
Rabbi Yirmeya said: In that case, they would refer to him with the title archon digon.
Re Laws of Nazirite
The Talmud cites a bereita, which states that Greek shape terms specify the length of Nazirite vows. For instance, the term "heina" indicates a single term of Naziriteship (30 days), while "digon" and "trigon" imply 2x and 3x periods of consecration.
תנו רבנן:
״הריני נזיר הינא״ –
סומכוס אמר:
״הינא״ – אחת.
״דיגון״ – שתים.
״טריגון״ – שלש.
״טטריגון״ – ארבע.
״פנטיגון״ – חמש.
Apropos these Greek terms, the Gemara cites two baraitot that mention them.
The Sages taught (Tosefta, Nazir 1:2):
if one said: I am hereby a nazirite hena, or stated a similar expression with other comparable Greek terms,
Sumakhos said that his status depends on which term he used.
If he used the word hena, he is a nazirite for one term of naziriteship, i.e., thirty days;
if he said digon, he is a nazirite for two terms of thirty days each;
if he said trigon, he is a nazirite for three terms;
tetragon, for four terms;
pentagon, for five terms.
Re Laws of ritual impurity
The Talmud cites another baraita, which uses these same Greek geometric terms in the context of the halachic laws of ritual purity. According to a teaching in Tosefta (Nega’im 6:3), houses with shapes like digons or trigons are not susceptible to impurity from leprous spots, while tetragons are susceptible.
תנו רבנן:
בית עגול;
דיגון;
טריגון;
פנטיגון –
אינו מטמא בנגעים.
טטריגון – מטמא בנגעים.
The Sages taught in another baraita (Tosefta, Nega’im 6:3):
A round house,
or one that is shaped like a digon, i.e., it has two walls, one straight and one curved,
or one that is shaped like a trigon, i.e., a triangle,
or one that is shaped like a pentagon,
does not become susceptible to the ritual impurity of leprous spots.
If it is shaped like a tetrigon, i.e., a quadrilateral, it becomes susceptible to the ritual impurity of leprous spots.
On the English suffix “-gon”, see -gon - Wiktionary:
From Ancient Greek γωνία (gōnía, “corner, angle”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu (“knee”)”.
The word is cognate with English knee, stemming from the same Indo-European root.
Compare also the English word trigonometry: “From 1610s, from New Latin trigōnometria, from Ancient Greek τρίγωνον (trígōnon, “triangle”) + μέτρον (métron, “measure”), equivalent to trigono- + -metry."
As an aside, another common English suffix used for geometric shapes, -hedron, is also found in talmudic literature. See Hebrew Wikipedia, entry “Lishkat Parhedrin” (לשכת פרהדרין ), my translation, with added hyperlink:
In the Talmud, a Baraita is mentioned where R’ Yehudah explains the origin of the name of the chamber and describes the history of the name: Initially, it was called "Lishkat Bulwetei (בלווטי)" (in Greek: βουλευτηζ [bouleutḗs]), meaning: a chamber of nobles and dignitaries. During the Second Temple period, when the High Priesthood was purchased with money, and the High Priests changed almost every year and they would renovate the chamber according to their honor—they changed its name to "Lishkat Parahedron". Parahedron (in Greek: παρεδρήι) means royal officials, and just as the king's officials are changed by the king every year, so the chamber was changed every year as the High Priests were replaced.
Πάρεδρος (páredros): “From παρά (pará, “by, near”) + ἕδρα (hédra, “chair”), literally "sitting beside.”
See also my piece on the sugya of the synagogue of Alexandria, on the word cathedra, which the English word chair descends from.