Comprehensive Guide to Pliny's Selected Epistles (Unit 3)

Idola

Ghosts or apparitions, as discussed in Pliny's letters.

Infamis

Having a bad reputation; associated with the haunted house in Athens.

Strepitus vinculorum

The noise of chains rattling, heard in the haunted house.

Athenodorus

The philosopher who encounters the ghost in the haunted house in Athens.

Rite conditis

Properly buried; refers to the necessity of burial rites.

Cognitio

The trial process, particularly in the context of Christians.

Obstinatio

Stubbornness; a term used by Pliny to describe Christians' refusal to recant.

Nomen ipsum

The name itself; refers to whether merely being labeled a Christian is punishable.

Superstitio

Excessive superstition; what Pliny observed among Christians.

Amor

Love or affection; a key theme in Pliny's letters to Calpurnia.

Frugalitas

Frugality or modesty; a trait praised by Pliny in Calpurnia.

Acumen

Sharpness or intelligence; another trait praised in Calpurnia.

Tricolon

A rhetorical device employing a series of three parallel elements.

Asyndeton

Omission of conjunctions to create a rapid sequence.

Litotes

A figure of speech that employs understatement by using double negatives.

Hendiadys

Using two nouns connected by 'and' to express a single idea.

Oratio Obliqua

Indirect Statement; commonly used in Pliny’s letters.

Libellus sine auctore

Anonymous accusations; must be ignored according to Trajan.

Certam formam

A fixed rule; Trajan states that this cannot be applied universally.

Stubbornness against a Roman governor's order

The grounds for executing Christians, according to Pliny.

Athenian ghost story

The central narrative used by Pliny to discuss the theme of ghosts.

Letters to Trajan

Pliny's correspondence addressing early Christian practices and legal responses.

Civic duty

The social and legal obligation to maintain order, as emphasized by Pliny.

Provincial administration

The system of governance in Bithynia-Pontus during Pliny’s time.

Companionate marriage

A marriage based on mutual affection and compatibility, as seen in Pliny's letters.

Christian worship practices

Early rituals, including hymns and oaths observed by Pliny.

Proper burial rites

The Roman religious necessity emphasized in Pliny's discussion of ghosts.

Roman legal precedent

Trajan’s legal instructions that set a long-lasting framework for handling Christians.

Personal relationships in letters

The contrast between Pliny's political and personal correspondence, humanizing him.