ABSTRACT
Exposition, exposé, exposure: the English language doesn't really offer a word that adequately covers the three issues this book is bringing together, but classical Greek does. The Greek verb apo-deik-numai is one of those productive, inspiring verbs in the middle voice whose ambiguity shows connections which the separate words that cover the same meanings would obscure. As Gregory Nagy points out in his fine analysis of the opening statement of Herodotus' Histonae, this verb refers to the action of “making a public presentation” or “publicly demonstrating.” It can be combined with a noun meaning opinions or judgments and refer to the public presentation of someone's views; or it can refer to the performing of those deeds that deserve to be made public (Pindar's Homer: 217–220).
