Source edition
Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol 3. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1891.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a philosophical and theological dialogue concerning the true meaning of the mysterious letter "E" (Epsilon) dedicated at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. The interlocutors, including Plutarch and his companions, present a variety of interpretations of the letter from numerological, astronomical, and logical perspectives. In the first half of the discussion, they propose that the letter represents the number "five," leading to Pythagorean mathematical theories, cosmology of the five elements, and the logical particle "if" (ei) favored by the god of prophecy. In the latter part, however, the philosopher Ammonius dismisses these mathematical explanations to offer a profound metaphysical interpretation: that the "E" stands for the greeting "Thou art" (ei). This view contrasts the fleeting, changing nature of human existence with the eternal, unchanging "now" of the divine, concluding with the harmonious relationship between "Thou art" and the famous Delphic maxim "Know thyself."