Echthroi (ἐχθροί) is a Greek plural meaning "the enemy" (literally "enemies"). The singular form of the word, echthros (ἐχθρός), is used in many versions and translations of the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

for "enemy". The words echthros and echthroi occur mainly in connection with biblical studies and in

literary criticism A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature's ...

of classical literature, specifically Greek tragedy.

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

and others classified people encountered by characters in tragedy into "

philoi (; ) is a word that roughly translates to 'friends'. This type of friendship is based on the characteristically Greek value for reciprocity as opposed to a friendship that exists as an end to itself. Characteristics Reciprocity There is ...

" (friends and loved ones), "echthroi" (enemies), and "medetoeroi" (neithers), with the characters and their audience seeking a positive outcome for the first group and the downfall of the second.{{cite book , last = Lowe , first = N. J. , author2=S , title = The Classical Plot and the Invention of Western Narrative , publisher = Cambridge University Press , year = 2000 , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=pzhS0wQNvNoC&q=Echthroi&pg=RA1-PA178 , isbn = 0-521-60445-1 , page = 178 The term also appears in Canto XII of the little-known epic ''The Purple Island'' by seventeenth-century poet and rector Phineas Fletcher, apparently in the general meaning of enemies.The Poems of Phineas Fletcher
Google Books. Retrieved 2008-03-01.

References

Greek words and phrases

See also

References