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πίστις , ἡ, gen. εως, Ion. ιος Parm.8.12, Emp.114; dat. πίστει, Ion.
A.“πίστι_” Hdt.3.74, 9.106 : Ion. nom. and acc. pl. πίστι_ς v.l. in Id.3.8 ; dat. “πίστισι” Id.4.172: (πείθομαι):—trust in others, faith, first in Hes., “πίστιες καὶ ἀπιστίαι ὤλεσαν ἄνδρας” Op.372; “πίστει χρήματ᾽ ὄλεσσα, ἀπιστίῃ δ᾽ ἐσάωσα” Thgn.831 ; “π. ἴσχειν τινί” S.OC950 ; “τῷ θεῷ πίστιν φέροις” Id.OT1445, etc.: generally, persuasion of a thing, confidence, assurance, Pi.N.8.44 (πιστόν Sch.), etc.; ἡ βεβαιοτάτη π., ἀταραξία καὶ π. βέβαιος, Epicur.Ep.1p.19, 2p.36U.; σωφροσύνης π. ἔχειν περί τινος to be persuaded of his probity, D.18.215 ; “π. περὶ θεῶν ἔχειν” Plu.2.1101c.
2. in subjective sense, good faith, trustworthiness, honesty, Thgn.1137, A.Pers.443, Hdt.8.105 ; “θνῄσκει δὲ π., βλαστάνει δ᾽ ἀπιστία” S.OC611.
b. of things, credence, credit, “τὰν π. σμικρὰν παρ᾽ ἔμοιγ᾽ ἔχει” E.El.737 (lyr.); “πίστιν τὰ τοιαῦτα ἔχει τινά” Arist.EN1179a17; “π. λαβεῖν” Plb.1.35.4.
c. καλῇ π., = Lat.bona fide, PGnom.180 (ii A.D.), etc.; αἱ κατὰ πίστιν γεινόμεναι κληρονομίαι, = Lat. hereditates fideicommissariae, ib.56.
3. in a commercial sense, credit, π. τοσούτων χρημάτων ἐστί τινι παρά τισι he has credit for so much money with them, D.36.57, cf. 44; εἰς πίστιν διδόναι [τί τινι] Id.32.16; “εἰ ἕξω ἐλπίδα πίστεως” Astramps.Orac.68p.6H.
b. position of trust or trusteeship, ἐν πίστει κληρονόμος ἀπολειφθείς left in trust, as guardian, Plu.Cic.41, cf. 2c supr.; “ἐν πίστει ὤν τῷ βασιλεῖ” IG22.646.11.
4. Theol., faith, opp. sight and knowledge, 1 Ep.Cor.13.13, etc.
II. that which gives confidence : hence,
1. assurance, pledge of good faith, guarantee, “οὐκ ἀνδρὸς ὅρκοι π. ἀλλ᾽ ὅρκων ἀνήρ” A.Fr.394, cf. S.El.887, E.Hipp. 1055; “ὅρκοις καὶ πίστεσιν ἀναγκάξειν” Antipho 6.25 : distd. from ὅρκοι and δεξιαί, Arist.Rh.1375a10, cf. E.Med.22; “ἔμβαλλε χειρὸς πίστιν” S. Ph.813 ; δός μοι χερὸς σῆς π. Id.OC1632 ; “ὅρκους παρασχών, πίστιν οὐ σμικράν, θεῶν” E.Hipp.1037, cf. Med.414 (lyr.); πίστιν καὶ ὅρκια ποιέεσθαι make a treaty by exchange of assurances and oaths, Hdt.9.92, cf. And.1.107; “οἷσιν . . οὔτε π. ὄθ᾽ ὅρκος μένει” Ar.Ach.308 ; ποιέεσθαι τὰς πίστι_ς (Ion. for πίστεις) Hdt.3.8 ; “πίστεις ποιήσασθαι πρός τινας” Th.4.51 ; “ἀλλήλοις” X.HG1.3.12 ; πίστιν δοῦναι to give assurances, Hdt.9.91, cf. Th.4.86, 5.45 ; “ὅρκους καὶ πίστιν ἀλλήλοις δότε” Ar.Lys. 1185; ἔδοσαν πίστιν καὶ ἔλαβον interchanged them, X.Cyr.7.1.44; “πίστεις ἀλλήλοιν δεδωκέναι τε καὶ δεδέχθαι” Pl.Phdr.256d ; “π. παρά τινος λαβεῖν” Lys.12.9 ; π. πρός τινας δοῦναι c. inf., Id.19.32 ; πίστι τε λαβεῖν (or καταλαβεῖν） καὶ ὁρκίοισί τινα bind by assurances and oaths, Hdt.3.74, 9.106; “θεῶν πίστεις ὀμόσαι” Th.5.30; πίστιν ἐπιθεῖναι or προσθεῖναι, D.29.26, 49.42, 54.42 : c. gen. objecti, φόβων π. an assurance against . . , E.Supp.627 (lyr.).
2. means of persuasion, argument, proof, φρὴν παρ᾽ ἡμέων (sc. τῶν αἰσθήσεων）“ λαβοῦσα τὰς πίστεις” Democr.125; “τοὺς δεομένους πίστεως αἰσθήσει κεκραμένης” Plot. 4.7.15 ; esp. of proofs used by orators, Antipho 5.84, 6.28, Pl.Phd. 70b, Isoc.3.8, etc.: in Arist., opp. a demonstrative proof (ἀπόδειξις）, π. ἔντεχνοι, ἄτεχνοι, Rh.1355b35, 1375a22: also, generally, “π. ἐκ τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς” APo.90b14, al.; “π. ἡ διὰ συλλογισμοῦ” Top.103b7 ; ἡ τῶν λόγων π. (cf. λόγος IV. 1) Pol.1326a29; “ὁ ἀναιρῶν ταύτην τὴν π. οὐ πολὺ πιστότερα ἐρεῖ” EN1173a1.
III. that which is entrusted, a trust, “πίστιν ἐγχειρίζειν τινί” Plb.5.41.2, cf. 16.22.2, IG7.21.12 (Megara, ii B.C.), 5 (1).26.6 (Amyclae, ii/i B.C.), BMus.Inscr.422.7 (Priene, ii B.C.); σὴ π. given in trust to thee, IG14.2012A23 (Sulp.Max.).
IV. political protection or suzerainty, Lat. fides, “Αἰτωλοὶ . . δόντες αὑτοὺς εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων π. . . τῷ τῆς π. ὀνόματι πλανηθέντες” Plb.20.9.10, cf. 3.30.1 ; “πάντες εἰς τὴν [τῆς συγκλήτου] π. ἐνδεδεμένοι” Id.6.17.8.
2. in Egypt, safe-conduct, safeguard, UPZ119.32 (pl., ii B.C.); δοῦναί μοι ἔγγραπτον π. ib.124.30 (ii B.C.).
V. Pythag. name for ten, Theol.Ar.59, 60.
VI. personified, = Lat.Fides, Plu.Num.16, App. BC1.16, D.C.45.17 ; π. δημοσία, = Fides publica, D.H.2.75.
Henry George Liddell. Robert Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by. Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1940.

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  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (56):
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