DOCSLIB.ORG

Defining Orphism: the Beliefs, the Teletae and the Writings

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Defining Orphism: the Beliefs, the Teletae and the Writings Defining Orphism: the Beliefs, the teletae and the Writings Anthi Chrysanthou Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Leeds School of Languages, Cultures and Societies Department of Classics May 2017 The candidate confirms that the work submitted is his/her own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. I This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. © 2017 The University of Leeds and Anthi Chrysanthou. The right of Anthi Chrysanthou to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. II Acknowledgements This research would not have been possible without the help and support of my supervisors, family and friends. Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisors Prof. Malcolm Heath and Dr. Emma Stafford for their constant support during my research, for motivating me and for their patience in reading my drafts numerous times. It is due to their insightful comments and constructive feedback that I have managed to evolve as a researcher and a person. Our meetings were always delightful and thought provoking. I could not have imagined having better mentors for my Ph.D studies. Special thanks goes to Prof. Malcolm Heath for his help and advice on the reconstruction of the Orphic Rhapsodies. I would also like to thank the University of Leeds for giving me the opportunity to undertake this research and all the departmental and library staff for their support and guidance. I also thank my friends for all the fun we have had during our studies in Leeds; for the countless hours spent in the library and for our sleepless nights having stimulating conversations. Most of all I thank my partner Dovydas Binkauskas for his endless love and support and for always making me smile. Without his constant motivation it would not have been possible to conduct this research. My deepest gratitude goes to my family for supporting me spiritually through my life in general. My mother, Anna Chrysanthou, for always believing in me and for showing her loving support. My father, Chrysanthos Chrysanthou, for making me fall in love with the ancient Greek culture and for our philosophical conversations. My sister, Tania Chrysanthou, for her unconditional love and for always keeping my spirit up. My grandparents, Antonia Papantoniou and Michalis Papantoniou, for their faith in me and for supporting me in any way possible. III Abstract My research aims to define the Orphic beliefs and mysteries through the examination and analysis of the Orphic writings and evidence. I will be dealing with four main components which are: the Derveni Papyrus, the Orphic Rhapsodies, the Gold Tablets and the Olbian Bone Tablets. Apart from discussing these components individually, I will also inter-relate them through a narrative, conceptual and semiotic approach and comparison. Scholarship up to now has examined the aforementioned components individually, which did not allow for a substantial in depth comparison to take place. This is partly due to the fact that the Orphic Rhapsodies survive through innumerable fragments which do not offer a coherent picture of their contents. Part of my thesis, therefore, deals with this matter through attempting to reconstruct the surviving text of the Orphic Rhapsodies. Apart from these main components, I will also discuss numerous primary literary and archaeological sources referring directly or indirectly to Orphism, Orphics or Orpheus, and covering a chronological period from the 8th century B.C. up to Late Antique. This is essential in order to place Orphism in a historical and sociological context, and to enhance our observations considering the ancient attitudes towards Orphism. Through this all-encompassing approach to one of the most intriguing matters in the field of Classics, I hope to offer some useful insights as to how Orphism can be defined and gain a better understanding of the Orphic practices, texts and beliefs. IV Table of Contents Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... III Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. IV Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................... V Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................ VII List of Figures ................................................................................................................................... VIII List of Tables .................................................................................................................................... VIII Chapter 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Literature Review ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Methodology and Aims ............................................................................................................ 5 1.3 Justification and Contribution to Scholarship ......................................................................... 6 1.4 Outline of the Chapters ............................................................................................................ 8 Chapter 2: Non-Orphic material referring to Orphic practices, beliefs and writings ......................... 10 2.1. ‘Those affiliated to Orpheus…’ ................................................................................................. 10 2.2. Itinerant Priests, Sacred Books and Hieroi Logoi ..................................................................... 20 2.2.1. The use of ‘books’ and texts in religious practices ........................................................... 33 2.3. References to specific Orphic Rites, Mysteries and Practices ................................................. 42 2.3.1. Mainland Greece ................................................................................................................ 43 2.3.2. Thrace and Phrygia ............................................................................................................. 55 2.3.3. Asia Minor – Cyzicus ........................................................................................................... 63 2.4. Orphic writings and their authors ............................................................................................ 65 2.5. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 76 Chapter 3: The Myth of Dionysos’ Dismemberment .......................................................................... 78 3.1. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 101 Chapter 4: The Gold Tablets – Practical and Eschatological Aspects ............................................... 103 4.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 103 4.2. Archaeological and Geographical Information ...................................................................... 103 4.3. New Discoveries: New Theories ............................................................................................. 110 4.4. Textual Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 114 4.4.1. Instructions for an underworld journey .......................................................................... 117 4.4.2. Purity and divine lineage ................................................................................................. 121 4.4.3. Epic Formulas ................................................................................................................... 128 4.4.4. Stemmatological Approach – In search of an Archetype ................................................ 133 4.5. Ritualistic Analysis ................................................................................................................... 140 4.5.1. Performative Aspects of the Gold Tablets ...................................................................... 140 V 4.5.2. ‘A ram/bull/kid you fell into milk’ ................................................................................... 144 4.5.3. Similarities between the gold tablets and the Eighth Book of Moses ........................... 154 4.5.4. A katabatic mystery? ....................................................................................................... 159 4.6. Mnemosyne – Memory ........................................................................................................... 171 4.7. The Olbian Bone Tablets ......................................................................................................... 177 4.8. Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Demeter and Dionysos: Connections in Literature, Cult and Iconography Kathryn Cook April 2011
    Demeter and Dionysos: Connections in Literature, Cult and Iconography Kathryn Cook April 2011 Demeter and Dionysos are two gods among the Greek pantheon who are not often paired up by modern scholars; however, evidence from a number of sources alluding to myth, cult and iconography shows that there are similarities and connections observable from our present point of view, that were commented upon by contemporary authors. This paper attempts to examine the similarities and connections between Demeter and Dionysos up through the Classical period. These two deities were not always entwined in myth. Early evidence of gods in the Linear B tablets mention Dionysos as the name of a deity, but Demeter’s name does not appear in the records until later. Over the centuries (up to approximately the 6th century as mentioned in this paper), Demeter and Dionysos seem to have been depicted together in cult and in literature more and more often. In particular, the figure of Iacchos in the Eleusinian cult seems to form a bridging element between the two which grew from being a personification of the procession for Demeter, into being a Dionysos figure who participated in her cult. Literature: Demeter and Dionysos have some interesting parallels in literature. To begin with, they are both rarely mentioned in the Homeric poems, compared to other gods like Hera or Athena. In the Iliad, neither Demeter nor Dionysos plays a role as a main character. Instead they are mentioned in passing, as an example or as an element of an epic simile.1 These two divine figures are present even less often in the Odyssey, though this is perhaps a reflection of the fewer appearances of the gods overall, they are 1 Demeter: 2.696.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hellenic Saga Gaia (Earth)
    The Hellenic Saga Gaia (Earth) Uranus (Heaven) Oceanus = Tethys Iapetus (Titan) = Clymene Themis Atlas Menoetius Prometheus Epimetheus = Pandora Prometheus • “Prometheus made humans out of earth and water, and he also gave them fire…” (Apollodorus Library 1.7.1) • … “and scatter-brained Epimetheus from the first was a mischief to men who eat bread; for it was he who first took of Zeus the woman, the maiden whom he had formed” (Hesiod Theogony ca. 509) Prometheus and Zeus • Zeus concealed the secret of life • Trick of the meat and fat • Zeus concealed fire • Prometheus stole it and gave it to man • Freidrich H. Fuger, 1751 - 1818 • Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora • Zeus chained Prometheus to a mountain • The accounts here are many and confused Maxfield Parish Prometheus 1919 Prometheus Chained Dirck van Baburen 1594 - 1624 Prometheus Nicolas-Sébastien Adam 1705 - 1778 Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus • Novel by Mary Shelly • First published in 1818. • The first true Science Fiction novel • Victor Frankenstein is Prometheus • As with the story of Prometheus, the novel asks about cause and effect, and about responsibility. • Is man accountable for his creations? • Is God? • Are there moral, ethical constraints on man’s creative urges? Mary Shelly • “I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half vital motion. Frightful must it be; for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavour to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world” (Introduction to the 1831 edition) Did I request thee, from my clay To mould me man? Did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me? John Milton, Paradise Lost 10.
    [Show full text]
  • Macedonian Kings, Egyptian Pharaohs the Ptolemaic Family In
    Department of World Cultures University of Helsinki Helsinki Macedonian Kings, Egyptian Pharaohs The Ptolemaic Family in the Encomiastic Poems of Callimachus Iiro Laukola ACADEMIC DISSERTATION To be publicly discussed, by due permission of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Helsinki in auditorium XV, University Main Building, on the 23rd of September, 2016 at 12 o’clock. Helsinki 2016 © Iiro Laukola 2016 ISBN 978-951-51-2383-1 (paperback.) ISBN 978-951-51-2384-8 (PDF) Unigrafia Helsinki 2016 Abstract The interaction between Greek and Egyptian cultural concepts has been an intense yet controversial topic in studies about Ptolemaic Egypt. The present study partakes in this discussion with an analysis of the encomiastic poems of Callimachus of Cyrene (c. 305 – c. 240 BC). The success of the Ptolemaic Dynasty is crystallized in the juxtaposing of the different roles of a Greek ǴdzȅǻǽǷȏȄ and of an Egyptian Pharaoh, and this study gives a glimpse of this political and ideological endeavour through the poetry of Callimachus. The contribution of the present work is to situate Callimachus in the core of the Ptolemaic court. Callimachus was a proponent of the Ptolemaic rule. By reappraising the traditional Greek beliefs, he examined the bicultural rule of the Ptolemies in his encomiastic poems. This work critically examines six Callimachean hymns, namely to Zeus, to Apollo, to Artemis, to Delos, to Athena and to Demeter together with the Victory of Berenice, the Lock of Berenice and the Ektheosis of Arsinoe. Characterized by ambiguous imagery, the hymns inspect the ruptures in Greek thought during the Hellenistic age.
    [Show full text]
  • The Herodotos Project (OSU-Ugent): Studies in Ancient Ethnography
    Faculty of Literature and Philosophy Julie Boeten The Herodotos Project (OSU-UGent): Studies in Ancient Ethnography Barbarians in Strabo’s ‘Geography’ (Abii-Ionians) With a case-study: the Cappadocians Master thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Linguistics and Literature, Greek and Latin. 2015 Promotor: Prof. Dr. Mark Janse UGent Department of Greek Linguistics Co-Promotores: Prof. Brian Joseph Ohio State University Dr. Christopher Brown Ohio State University ACKNOWLEDGMENT In this acknowledgment I would like to thank everybody who has in some way been a part of this master thesis. First and foremost I want to thank my promotor Prof. Janse for giving me the opportunity to write my thesis in the context of the Herodotos Project, and for giving me suggestions and answering my questions. I am also grateful to Prof. Joseph and Dr. Brown, who have given Anke and me the chance to be a part of the Herodotos Project and who have consented into being our co- promotores. On a whole other level I wish to express my thanks to my parents, without whom I would not have been able to study at all. They have also supported me throughout the writing process and have read parts of the draft. Finally, I would also like to thank Kenneth, for being there for me and for correcting some passages of the thesis. Julie Boeten NEDERLANDSE SAMENVATTING Deze scriptie is geschreven in het kader van het Herodotos Project, een onderneming van de Ohio State University in samenwerking met UGent. De doelstelling van het project is het aanleggen van een databank met alle volkeren die gekend waren in de oudheid.
    [Show full text]
  • General Index
    GENERAL INDEX A.GILIM, and n. Aesopic tradition, , and abstractions, n. nn. –, Acarnania, Aetna, , Acastus, Aetna, n. Accius, and n. Agamemnon, n. , , , accusative, , n. , –, , –, , – Agdistis, Achelous, Agenor, Achilles, , , , , , , , ages, myth of, see races, myth of –, , , , , Agias of Troezen, , Acontius, , n. , , agriculture, , , , , , – and n. , , , , , –, Actaeon, n. , , , , n. , –, ; Actor, agriculture section in Works and Acusilaus of Argos, and n. , Days, , , –, and n. Agrius, Adad, aidos, n. , ; personified, , adamant, adjective(s), , , Aietes, Admonitions of Ipuwar,andn. Aigipan, Adodos, ainos, , –, Adrasteia, Aither, and n. Adriatic (sea), Aithon, , n. Aegean (sea), , , aitiology, , , nn. –, Aegimius, – and n. , , , and Aegle, , n. , , , , Aelian Ajax son of Oileus, Historical miscellany, , Ajax son of Telamon, , , – and n. Aeolic dialect, , –, , Akkadian, n. , n. , , , , –; East Al Mina, , or Asiatic Aeolic, –, Alalu, , n. , , Alcaeus, , , n. Aeolids, , , Alcidamas, , , , , , Aeolis, Eastern, , , –, , n. Aeolism, , , , Alcinous, , n. , n. , Aeolus, –, , , , Aeschines, Alcmaeonidae, Aeschylus, , , , and Alcmaeonis, n. , Alcman, n. , and n. , Prometheus Bound, n. , and n. n. Alcmaon, – general index Alcmene, –, –, Antoninus Liberalis, , , n. , , , Anu, –, , –, –, aoidos see singer Alcyone, , , , aorist, , –, Alexander Aetolus, , n. apate, ; personified, Alexander the Great, n. , Aphrodite, , , n. , and n. , n. , and n. ,
    [Show full text]
  • The Protrepticus of Clement of Alexandria: a Commentary
    Miguel Herrero de Jáuregui THE PROTREPTICUS OF CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA: A COMMENTARY to; ga;r yeu'do" ouj yilh'/ th'/ paraqevsei tajlhqou'" diaskedavnnutai, th'/ de; crhvsei th'" ajlhqeiva" ejkbiazovmenon fugadeuvetai. La falsedad no se dispersa por la simple comparación con la verdad, sino que la práctica de la verdad la fuerza a huir. Protréptico 8.77.3 PREFACIO Una tesis doctoral debe tratar de contribuir al avance del conocimiento humano en su disciplina, y la pretensión de que este comentario al Protréptico tenga la máxima utilidad posible me obliga a escribirla en inglés porque es la única lengua que hoy casi todos los interesados pueden leer. Pero no deja de ser extraño que en la casa de Nebrija se deje de lado la lengua castellana. La deuda que contraigo ahora con el español sólo se paliará si en el futuro puedo, en compensación, “dar a los hombres de mi lengua obras en que mejor puedan emplear su ocio”. Empiezo ahora a saldarla, empleándola para estos agradecimientos, breves en extensión pero no en sinceridad. Mi gratitud va, en primer lugar, al Cardenal Don Gil Álvarez de Albornoz, fundador del Real Colegio de España, a cuya generosidad y previsión debo dos años provechosos y felices en Bolonia. Al Rector, José Guillermo García-Valdecasas, que administra la herencia de Albornoz con ejemplar dedicación, eficacia y amor a la casa. A todas las personas que trabajan en el Colegio y hacen que cumpla con creces los objetivos para los que se fundó. Y a mis compañeros bolonios durante estos dos años. Ha sido un honor muy grato disfrutar con todos ellos de la herencia albornociana.
    [Show full text]
  • Archaic Eretria
    ARCHAIC ERETRIA This book presents for the first time a history of Eretria during the Archaic Era, the city’s most notable period of political importance. Keith Walker examines all the major elements of the city’s success. One of the key factors explored is Eretria’s role as a pioneer coloniser in both the Levant and the West— its early Aegean ‘island empire’ anticipates that of Athens by more than a century, and Eretrian shipping and trade was similarly widespread. We are shown how the strength of the navy conferred thalassocratic status on the city between 506 and 490 BC, and that the importance of its rowers (Eretria means ‘the rowing city’) probably explains the appearance of its democratic constitution. Walker dates this to the last decade of the sixth century; given the presence of Athenian political exiles there, this may well have provided a model for the later reforms of Kleisthenes in Athens. Eretria’s major, indeed dominant, role in the events of central Greece in the last half of the sixth century, and in the events of the Ionian Revolt to 490, is clearly demonstrated, and the tyranny of Diagoras (c. 538–509), perhaps the golden age of the city, is fully examined. Full documentation of literary, epigraphic and archaeological sources (most of which have previously been inaccessible to an English-speaking audience) is provided, creating a fascinating history and a valuable resource for the Greek historian. Keith Walker is a Research Associate in the Department of Classics, History and Religion at the University of New England, Armidale, Australia.
    [Show full text]
  • Epigraphic Bulletin for Greek Religion 1996
    Kernos Revue internationale et pluridisciplinaire de religion grecque antique 12 | 1999 Varia Epigraphic Bulletin for Greek Religion 1996 Angelos Chaniotis, Joannis Mylonopoulos and Eftychia Stavrianopoulou Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/kernos/724 DOI: 10.4000/kernos.724 ISSN: 2034-7871 Publisher Centre international d'étude de la religion grecque antique Printed version Date of publication: 1 January 1999 Number of pages: 207-292 ISSN: 0776-3824 Electronic reference Angelos Chaniotis, Joannis Mylonopoulos and Eftychia Stavrianopoulou, « Epigraphic Bulletin for Greek Religion 1996 », Kernos [Online], 12 | 1999, Online since 13 April 2011, connection on 15 September 2020. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/kernos/724 Kernos Kemos, 12 (1999), p. 207-292. Epigtoaphic Bulletin for Greek Religion 1996 (EBGR 1996) The ninth issue of the BEGR contains only part of the epigraphie harvest of 1996; unforeseen circumstances have prevented me and my collaborators from covering all the publications of 1996, but we hope to close the gaps next year. We have also made several additions to previous issues. In the past years the BEGR had often summarized publications which were not primarily of epigraphie nature, thus tending to expand into an unavoidably incomplete bibliography of Greek religion. From this issue on we return to the original scope of this bulletin, whieh is to provide information on new epigraphie finds, new interpretations of inscriptions, epigraphieal corpora, and studies based p;imarily on the epigraphie material. Only if we focus on these types of books and articles, will we be able to present the newpublications without delays and, hopefully, without too many omissions.
    [Show full text]
  • Epigraphic Bulletin for Greek Religion 2011 (EBGR 2011)
    Kernos Revue internationale et pluridisciplinaire de religion grecque antique 27 | 2014 Varia Epigraphic Bulletin for Greek Religion 2011 (EBGR 2011) Angelos Chaniotis Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/kernos/2266 DOI: 10.4000/kernos.2266 ISSN: 2034-7871 Publisher Centre international d'étude de la religion grecque antique Printed version Date of publication: 1 November 2014 Number of pages: 321-378 ISBN: 978-2-87562-055-2 ISSN: 0776-3824 Electronic reference Angelos Chaniotis, « Epigraphic Bulletin for Greek Religion 2011 (EBGR 2011) », Kernos [Online], 27 | 2014, Online since 01 October 2016, connection on 15 September 2020. URL : http:// journals.openedition.org/kernos/2266 This text was automatically generated on 15 September 2020. Kernos Epigraphic Bulletin for Greek Religion 2011 (EBGR 2011) 1 Epigraphic Bulletin for Greek Religion 2011 (EBGR 2011) Angelos Chaniotis 1 The 24th issue of the Epigraphic Bulletin for Greek Religion presents epigraphic publications of 2011 and additions to earlier issues (publications of 2006–2010). Publications that could not be considered here, for reasons of space, will be presented in EBGR 2012. They include two of the most important books of 2011: N. PAPAZARKADAS’ Sacred and Public Land in Ancient Athens, Oxford 2011 and H.S. VERSNEL’s Coping with the Gods: Wayward Readings in Greek Theology, Leiden 2011. 2 A series of new important corpora is included in this issue. Two new IG volumes present the inscriptions of Eastern Lokris (119) and the first part of the inscriptions of Kos (21); the latter corpus is of great significance for the study of Greek religion, as it contains a large number of cult regulations; among the new texts, we single out the ‘sacred law of the tribe of the Elpanoridai’ in Halasarna.
    [Show full text]
  • HYPERBOREANS Myth and History in Celtic-Hellenic Contacts Timothy P.Bridgman HYPERBOREANS MYTH and HISTORY in CELTIC-HELLENIC CONTACTS Timothy P.Bridgman
    STUDIES IN CLASSICS Edited by Dirk Obbink & Andrew Dyck Oxford University/The University of California, Los Angeles A ROUTLEDGE SERIES STUDIES IN CLASSICS DIRK OBBINK & ANDREW DYCK, General Editors SINGULAR DEDICATIONS Founders and Innovators of Private Cults in Classical Greece Andrea Purvis EMPEDOCLES An Interpretation Simon Trépanier FOR SALVATION’S SAKE Provincial Loyalty, Personal Religion, and Epigraphic Production in the Roman and Late Antique Near East Jason Moralee APHRODITE AND EROS The Development of Greek Erotic Mythology Barbara Breitenberger A LINGUISTIC COMMENTARY ON LIVIUS ANDRONICUS Ivy Livingston RHETORIC IN CICERO’S PRO BALBO Kimberly Anne Barber AMBITIOSA MORS Suicide and the Self in Roman Thought and Literature Timothy Hill ARISTOXENUS OF TARENTUM AND THE BIRTH OF MUSICOLOGY Sophie Gibson HYPERBOREANS Myth and History in Celtic-Hellenic Contacts Timothy P.Bridgman HYPERBOREANS MYTH AND HISTORY IN CELTIC-HELLENIC CONTACTS Timothy P.Bridgman Routledge New York & London Published in 2005 by Routledge 270 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016 http://www.routledge-ny.com/ Published in Great Britain by Routledge 2 Park Square Milton Park, Abingdon Oxon OX14 4RN http://www.routledge.co.uk/ Copyright © 2005 by Taylor & Francis Group, a Division of T&F Informa. Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group. This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to http://www.ebookstore.tandf.co.uk/.” All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photo copying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
    [Show full text]
  • Collins Magic in the Ancient Greek World.Pdf
    9781405132381_1_pre.qxd 30/10/2007 12:09 Page i Magic in the Ancient Greek World 9781405132381_1_pre.qxd 30/10/2007 12:09 Page ii Blackwell Ancient Religions Ancient religious practice and belief are at once fascinating and alien for twenty-first-century readers. There was no Bible, no creed, no fixed set of beliefs. Rather, ancient religion was characterized by extraordinary diversity in belief and ritual. This distance means that modern readers need a guide to ancient religious experience. Written by experts, the books in this series provide accessible introductions to this central aspect of the ancient world. Published Magic in the Ancient Greek World Derek Collins Religion in the Roman Empire James B. Rives Ancient Greek Religion Jon D. Mikalson Forthcoming Religion of the Roman Republic Christopher McDonough and Lora Holland Death, Burial and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt Steven Snape Ancient Greek Divination Sarah Iles Johnston 9781405132381_1_pre.qxd 30/10/2007 12:09 Page iii Magic in the Ancient Greek World Derek Collins 9781405132381_1_pre.qxd 30/10/2007 12:09 Page iv © 2008 by Derek Collins blackwell publishing 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Derek Collins to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.
    [Show full text]
  • One God Three Greek Experiments in Oneness* 1
    CHAPTER THREE ONE GOD THREE GREEK EXPERIMENTS IN ONENESS* Ik hou niet van ‘één.’ ‘Eén’ is zo’n eenzaam woord (I do not like ‘one’. ‘One’ is such a lonesome word). Liselot (5 year) ὅθεν καὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον οἱ μὲν ἕνα φασὶν εἶναι θεόν, οἱ δὲ πολλοὺς καὶ διαφόρους ταῖς μορφαῖς (Hence ordinary people differ also, some saying that there is one god, others that there are many gods and of various shapes). Sext. Emp. Pyr. 3.219 1. Introduction Ancient Greek religion was, as we have seen in our first chapter, unashamedly polytheistic. Hence the subject of the present chapter, that of ‘oneness’ in Greek religion Archaic, Classical and Hellenis- tic, may come as a surprise. I will discuss three Greek modes of by- passing, negotiating, reconciling, in short of coping with the alarming complexity of divine manifestations. The three relevant sections are entitled: “One and many,” “Many is one,” and “One is the god.” The first concerns the Archaic, the last the Hellenistic period, the second discusses a phenomenon that can be found throughout Greek history. All three are ‘experiments in oneness’, which, on the face of it, attempt to redefine a diversity of phenomena as being basically a unity. I hope to show, however, that none of these theologies aims at fusing the poly- theistic plurality itself into one unifying system or structure. Rather, in each of them, though in singularly different ways, the plurality and * This title is both an indication of what this chapter is about and an allusion to my book TER UNUS (1990), on which the third section of the present chapter leans heavily and to which in this chapter I shall refer by its title in order to avoid an irritat- ing repetition of ‘Versnel 1990’.
    [Show full text]