Soter derives from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

(''Sōtḗr''), meaning a saviour, a deliverer. The feminine form is Soteira (Σώτειρα, ''Sṓteira'') or sometimes Soteria (Σωτηρία, ''Sōtería''). Soter was used as: * A title of gods:

Poseidon Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...

Soter,

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

Soter,

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ...

Soter,

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

Soter,

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...

Soter,

Helios In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Helios (; ; Homeric Greek: ) is the god who personification, personifies the Sun. His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyperion ("the one above") an ...

Soter,

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

Soteira,

Asclepius Asclepius (; ''Asklēpiós'' ; ) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Religion in ancient Greece, Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis (lover of Apollo), Coronis, or Arsinoe (Greek myth), Ars ...

Soter, and

Hecate Hecate ( ; ) is a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding a pair of torches, a key, or snakes, or accompanied by dogs, and in later periods depicted as three-formed or triple-bodied. She is variously associat ...

Soteira. * The name of a distinct mythical figure, Soter (daimon) * An epithet of several

Hellenistic In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

rulers: **

Antigonus Monophthalmus Antigonus I Monophthalmus ( , "Antigonus the One-Eyed"; 382 – 301 BC) was a Macedonian Greek general and successor of Alexander the Great. A prominent military leader in Alexander's army, he went on to control large parts of Alexander's form ...

(382–301 BCE), awarded the title for liberating Athens from Cassander **

Ptolemy I Soter Ptolemy I Soter (; , ''Ptolemaîos Sōtḗr'', "Ptolemy the Savior"; 367 BC – January 282 BC) was a Macedonian Greek general, historian, and successor of Alexander the Great who went on to found the Ptolemaic Kingdom centered on Egypt. Pto ...

, ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt (reigned 323 –283 BCE) ** Attalus I Soter, the ruler of the Kingdom of Pergamon (reigned 241–197 BCE) **

Antiochus I Soter Antiochus I Soter (, ''Antíochos Sōtér''; "Antiochus Soter, the Savior"; 2 June 261 BC) was a Ancient Greece, Greek king of the Seleucid Empire. Antiochus succeeded his father Seleucus I Nicator in 281 BC and reigned during a period of instabi ...

, ruler of the Seleucid Empire (reigned 281 –261 BCE) **

Demetrius I Soter Demetrius I Soter (, ''Dēmḗtrios ho Sōtḗr,'' "Demetrius the Saviour"; 185 – June 150 BC) reigned as king of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire from November 162 to June 150 BC. Demetrius grew up in Rome as a hostage, but returned to Greek S ...

, ruler of the Seleucid Empire (reigned 161–150 BCE) ** Menander I Soter, ruler of the Indo-Greek kingdom (reigned c. 165/155 –130 BCE) ** Hermaeus Soter, a western Indo-Greek king (reigned 90–70 BCE) **

Diomedes Soter Diomedes Soter (Greek: , ''Diomḗdēs Sōtḗr'', "Diomedes the Saviour") was an Indo-Greek king and possible claimant Greco-Bactrian king who may have attempted to reconquer the lands north of the Hindu Kush. He was likely a member of the Eucr ...

Dionysios Soter Dionysius Soter (; epithet means "the Saviour") was an Indo-Greek king in the area of eastern Punjab. Reign According to Osmund Bopearachchi, he reigned c. 65–55 BCE and inherited the eastern parts of the kingdom of the important late ruler ...

Polyxenos Epiphanes Soter Polyxenus Epiphanes Soter (, "Polyxenus the Illustrious Saviour") was an Indo-Greek king who ruled briefly in western Punjab or Gandhara. Date Osmund Bopearachchi places Polyxenus c. 100 BCEBopearachchi (1998) and R. C. Senior c. 85–80 BCE. ...

Rabbel II Soter Rabbel II Soter ( Nabataean Aramaic: ''Rabʾēl dī ʾaḥyēy wa-šēzīb ʿammeh'', "Rabbel, who gave life and deliverance to his people") was the last ruler of the Nabataean Kingdom, ruling from 70 to 106. His name as transcribed in Arabic ...

Seleucus III Ceraunus Seleucus III Ceraunus (Ancient Greek: Σέλευκος Κεραυνός, ''Séleukos Keraunós''), later also known as Soter (Ancient Greek: Σωτήρ, ''Sōtḗr''; born 244 or 243 BCE; died 223 BCE in Phrygia), was the eldest son of Seleucus ...

Ptolemy IX Ptolemy IX Soter II Ptolemy IX also took the same title 'Soter' as Ptolemy I. In older references and in more recent references by the German historian Huss, Ptolemy IX may be numbered VIII. (, ''Ptolemaĩos Sōtḗr'' 'Ptolem ...

(died 81 BCE), twice king of Ptolemaic Egypt **

Diodotus I Diodotus I Soter (Greek language, Greek: , ''Diódotos Sōtḗr''; c. 300 BC – c. 235 BC) was the first Hellenistic period, Hellenistic king of Bactria. Diodotus was initially satrap of Bactria, but became independent of the Seleucid Empire, Se ...

Strato II Strato II Soter (, ''Strátōn B΄ ho Sotḗr''; epithet means "the Saviour") also known as Stratha, was an Indo-Greek king. He ruled to 10 CE according to Bopearachchi. R. C. Senior suggests that his reign ended perhaps a decade earlier. He ma ...

Strato I Strato I Dikaios (Greek: ''Strátо̄n Díkaios,'' “Strato the Just”) also known as Stratha in Sanskrit, was a Yavana King (reigned 125/120-110 BCE), the son and successor of Menander, Strato’s mother, Agathoclea ruled as Queen Mother ...

* a title of liberators (see also

eleutherios (disambiguation) Eleutherios or Lefteris (, "the liberator") is an epithet and formal attribution in the Greek pantheon, including: * Dionysus * Eros * Zeus From Eleuther, son of Apollo and Aethusa. # He is renowned for having an excellent singing voice, which ea ...

*a title of

Jesus of Nazareth Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religi ...

, which came into use some time after the death of

Paul the Apostle Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...

, most particularly in the fish acronym *the term "God our Saviour" (, dative) occurs several times in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

, in the

Epistle of Jude The Epistle of Jude is the penultimate book of the New Testament and of the Christianity, Christian Bible. The Epistle of Jude claims authorship by Jude the Apostle, Jude, identified as a servant of Jesus and brother of James (and possibly Jesu ...

New Revised Standard Version The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is a translation of the Bible in American English. It was first published in 1989 by the National Council of Churches, the NRSV was created by an ecumenical committee of scholars "comprising about thirt ...

1 Timothy The First Epistle to Timothy is one of three letters in the New Testament of the Bible often grouped together as the pastoral epistles, along with Second Timothy and Titus. The letter, traditionally attributed to the Apostle Paul, consists m ...

and

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September AD 81) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, becoming the first Roman emperor ever to succeed h ...

. *

Pope Soter Pope Soter (, ) was the bishop of Rome from 167 to his death in 174.Chapman, John (1908). "Caius and Soter, Saints and Popes" in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company. According to the ''Annuario Pontificio'', ...

, .

References

Ancient Greek titles

Soter Soter derives from the Ancient Greek epithet (''Sōtḗr''), meaning a saviour, a deliverer. The feminine form is Soteira (Σώτειρα, ''Sṓteira'') or sometimes Soteria (Σωτηρία, ''Sōtería''). Soter was used as: * A title of gods ...

Epithets of Poseidon Epithets of Zeus Epithets of Asclepius New Testament Greek words and phrases Epithets of Helios Greek epithets {{AncientGreek-lang-stub

See also

References