Durham E-Theses The concept of the ΘEIOΣ `ANHP in the Greco-Roman world with special reference to the rst two centuries A.D. Jones, Elwyn How to cite: Jones, Elwyn (1973) The concept of the ΘEIOΣ `ANHP in the Greco-Roman world with special reference to the rst two centuries A.D., Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/7937/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 The origin of the concept of "godlike man" in Graeco-Roman civilization may be traced back to mythological accounts of sons of gods. Later the shaman-like figures of archaic Greece possess an other-worldliness which was clearly perceptible in an age of superstition and intense religiosity. Earliest representatives of the type for which sufficiently detailed evidence can be pieced together are Pythagoras and Empedocles. Socrates, whose enigmatic life has to be seen against the background of a more rational age, also possessed a "daemonic" personality. A variation of the concept occurs in ruler-cult. Alexander the Great, who emulated demi-gods, was worshipped by virtue of his own omnipotence. His controversial personality was open to the double interpretation of megalomania and the pursuit of a divine mission. There was. little religious significance in the worship of later rulers except possibly for Augustus. The divine king is discussed in philosophical thought from Xenophon and Plato down to the Stoics and Cynics of the imperial age. But it is in the light of the revival of religious Pythagorism that the later category, as portrayed by - Philostratus, may best be viewed. Hence the thesis is chiefly concerned with Apollonius of Tyana and the literary and historical context of the age in which both he and his biographer lived. Striking parallels are afforded by Lucian, and a similar literary category may be seen in Dewish and popular Christian writings. A detailed study of the Graeco— Roman concept, it is hoped, may provide a background for current Christological discussion as well as throw light on the history of religious ideas in the ancient world. THE CONCEPT OF THE OEiOl 'AHHP IN THE GRAECO-ROMAN WORLD WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE FIRST TWO CENTURIES A.D. ELWYN JONES PH.D. THESIS 1973 The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and 3esus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be mis- understoodo R. W. Emerson (1803-1882) Essays, ii. Self-Reliance iv PREFACE It is often assGrted that the researcher in the humanities can hope to do one of two things: he can travel unattended along a sequestered path in pursuit of knowledge hitherto but dimly known to others, or he can follow a distinguished company of scholars along the crowded highways of his own particular branch of learning and seek to provide a fresh interpretation or a new approach to a perhaps well-loved and much-studied theme. It is the aim of this work to combine the two processes in an analysis and interpretation of the classical concept of the 9eZor <kvr)/> . Some of the person• alities discussed may well be obscure and seldom brought under review. But the religious or charismatic life is a universally attested ideal with parallels extending from the Graeco—Roman d«rcor i<M^p to the twentieth-century holy man of Tibet. A concept so far-reaching, however, requires a rigid delimitation of its scope. I have confined the main discussion to the Graeco-Roman world down to the beginning of the third century A.D. The often arbitrary distinction between classical and Christian studies as two separate areas of investigation has for the purposes of this thesis been removed. Christian and Jewish communities of the first two centuries A.D., while preserving their individual identities on the periphery of the Empire, could not avoid sharing to some extent the common intellectual developments, if not perhaps the moral culture, of the Romanized world. It is hoped that this study will shed light on parallel religious ideas which came to a head in the important centuries when Christianity was beginning to assert its influence in the world. Moreover, the biographies of Graeco-Roman OGZOL Zivfyir were antecedents to the hagiographic literature of the Middle Ages. And today the modern saint or godlike man, though often a political rather than a religious champion, is no less real an object of worship for his followers. A detailed examination of the ancient prototype may contribute to a wider understanding of this long-lived conception of men as gods. V However obscure one's theme, it is virtually impossible not to build one's material and views upon the scholarship of others. Few would choose positively not to do so. Ply indebtedness to writers past and present will appear in the footnotes and their publications are listed in the bibliography. A more personal debt I must gratefully acknowledge to Professors 3. B. Skemp and C. K. Barrett of the University of Durham. Professor Barrett suggested the work in the first place and always maintained an active interest in its progress. Professor Skemp encouraged, directed and bore with every stage of the research. Both enriched it with scholarly acumen, patient criticism and kind advice. Many of their suggestions formed a major contribution to the scope of this thesis, though I must take full responsibility for the conclusions and for all errors of fact or judgement that they may contain. On the subject of ruler-cult I was supplied with bibliographic information together with many useful suggestions by dr. R. P. Wright and Dr. P. 3. Rhodes. Drs. K. Werner and R. U. 3. Austin talked to me about Indian and Islamic parallels. After two years'full-time research in Durham I was appointetf to a Temporary Lectureship in Classics at the University of Keele (1970-71). It is no understatement that my work would not have been completed even at this late stage without the generosity and sympathy of Professor 3. M. T. Charlton. To him and to former colleagues at Keele my grateful thanks are due for the full consideration of my needs in the planning of a year's teaching programme, and in particular to Mr. G. B. Nussbaum for his friendship and his willingness to discuss and tirelessly listen to various aspects of the thesis. Finally I wish to thank Miss A. Pearson for typing the manuscript with great alacrity and efficiency, my wife for cheerfully enduring many long periods of solitude, and my mother and father, for whom no words of gratitude will suffice and to whom I dedicate this imperfect offering. E. 3. Batley, March, 1973. Abbreviations where not self-evident are those adopted in the Oxford Classical Dictionary. CONTENTS page Preface iu Introductory Note 1 PART ONE: GDD-FIAN IN EARLIER GRAECO-ROMAN LITERATURE I Diuine Identification for Exceptional Human Beings 9 Mythology 9 Psychic personalities in archaic age 13 Empedocles of Acragas 18 II Pythagorean and Socratic Traditions; A Comparison 25 in Source Criticism Difficulties with sources for Pythagoras 26 ©efos- U^t^p in Pythagorean legend 2B Problem of Socrates and history of legend 44 iDeCos- c&tjp in Socratic tradition 47 III Diuine Honours for Conquerors and Kings 56 Alexander the Great 57 Hellenistic Kings 66 Roman Emperors 73 IU Divine Clan and Diuine King in Philosophical Thought 83 Statesman and King 83 Wise nan 91 Diuine spark in euery man 94 PART TWO: GOD-MAN IN LATER GRAECO-ROMAN LITERATURE V Philostratus (1) Portrait of a Diuine Man 100 Claim and recognition 100 Superhuman powers and knowledge 106 Close relationship with god 115 Contributory features 121 page VI Philostratus (II) Sources for the Historical 127 Apollonius Traditions other than Philostratus 127 Sources of Philostratus 139 The historicity of Apollonius 158 VII Philostratus (ill) Motivation and Interpretation 167 Rhetoric and ostentation 167 Romantic elements 170 Political aspects 175 Apologetic; the charge of sorcery 181 Pythagorism 191 Polemic against Christianity 197 VIII Near and Later Contemporaries of Philostratus 206 Lucian 207 Philo and Dosephus 225 The later biographical tradition 235 IX Early Christian Literature 239 New Testament Apocrypha 240 Canonical New Testament 254 Christology and the Hellenistic divine man 262 Conclusion 277 Appendixes 1. The Collection of Apollonius's Letters 286 2. The Authenticity of Damis 290 3. A Probable Chronology for Apollonius 295 4. Rhetoric and Ostentation in Philostratus 297 Bibliography 300 Indexes A. Index of Proper Names 309 B. Index (selected) of Subjects 313 1 INTRODUCTORY NOTE The charismatic leader or reformer operates in political, religious, social or other spheres."'" His superhuman proportions are sometimes clear to all men; more frequently they are discernible only to his devoted followers.