DOCSLIB.ORG

Download Thesis

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Download Thesis This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ Henotheism in Orphic sources origins, development and reception Furlan, Anna Lucia Awarding institution: King's College London The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT Unless another licence is stated on the immediately following page this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work Under the following conditions: Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Non Commercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. No Derivative Works - You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you receive permission from the author. Your fair dealings and other rights are in no way affected by the above. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 03. Oct. 2021 Henotheism in Orphic Sources Origins, Development and Reception Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Classics at King’s College London Anna Lucia Furlan 1 Abstract The aim of this research is to examine the theme of divine uniqueness and unity within the polytheistic structures of the Ancient Greek world, focusing on what is referred to as 'Orphism', exploring the relevant sources and examining its development from the Classical period through Hellenistic Judaism and into the Christian era. In this project I have looked at different sources linked to Orphism which present a divine figure that emerges from the plurality of a polytheistic structure and appears to acquire the status of a 'one' god (separate and complete). To do so, I have also analysed the Christian reception of these sources, since many Christian authors quote them with different points of view and levels of appreciation. Key works include pseudo-Justin's De monarchia and Cohortatio ad Graecos, Clement's Protrepticus and Stromateis, Eusebius' Praeparatio Evangelica and the Theosophia Tubingensis. By investigating these sources, including variously dated fragments such as the Orphic Hymn to Zeus and Orph. Hymn. 15, 19, 20, I have traced the development of this topic in successive historical periods and environments, an example of which is to be found in the poem known as Hieros Logos composed in Alexandria in Egypt within Hellenistic Judaism around the II century BCE, which imitates an Orphic Hieros Logos. This thesis contributes a new approach to the theme of Greek henotheism and to the study of the divine figure in Orphism, drawing attention to the historical, literary and cultural relevance of the sources, making use of a comparative approach. Thanks to the contribution of the Cognitive Studies of religion this project will primarily demonstrate that it is possible to find henotheistic tendencies in Orphic sources and how these texts are intertwined with other philosophical and religious ideas. The analysis of the aforementioned selected texts will reframe and improve our understanding of part of the Orphic literary corpus, showing the reader how these literary sources can inform us about the reflection on and devotion to a ‘one god’ in Greek religion, and especially in Orphic manifestations. 2 Table Of Contents ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................................................................. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................................ 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................................................................................... 5 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 1. STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS ........................................................................................................................................ 8 2. INTUITIVE AND REFLECTIVE BELIEFS ......................................................................................................................... 11 3. MYSTERY, SOPHIA AND THE ORPHIC CORPUS ............................................................................................................ 17 1. METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS ON HENOTHEISM .................................................................................. 22 1.1 HENOTHEISM: HISTORY OF A TERM ..................................................................................................................... 23 1.2 HENOTHEISTIC TENDENCIES ................................................................................................................................. 26 1.3 HENOTHEISM IN CULTIC CONTEXTS ..................................................................................................................... 29 1.4 PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTIONS ON ‘ONENESS’ ....................................................................................................... 33 1.5 ORPHISM AND HENOTHEISM ............................................................................................................................... 39 1.6 THE DEBATE AROUND THE SO-CALLED ‘PAGAN MONOTHEISM’ ............................................................................ 51 2. ORPHIC HENOTHEISM AND CHRISTIANITY ......................................................................................................... 63 2.1 ORPHISM AND CHRISTIANITY: APOLOGETIC STRATEGIES ....................................................................................... 64 2.2 DE MONARCHIA AND COHORTATIO AD GRAECOS ....................................................................................................... 69 2.3 CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA ................................................................................................................................... 75 2.4 EUSEBIUS OF CAESAREA ...................................................................................................................................... 85 2.5 CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA ........................................................................................................................................ 94 2.6 THEODORET OF CYRUS ...................................................................................................................................... 102 2.7 THE TÜBINGEN THEOSOPHY ................................................................................................................................. 106 3. HENOTHEISM IN ORPHIC REFLECTIVE SOURCES .............................................................................................. 113 3.1 THE ORPHIC HYMN TO ZEUS ............................................................................................................................... 114 3.2 FR. 416 (298 K.) ............................................................................................................................................... 132 3.3 FR. 543 F (239 K.) ............................................................................................................................................ 143 3.4 FR. 620 F (299 K.) ............................................................................................................................................ 152 3.5 FR. 691 F (248 K.) ............................................................................................................................................ 160 4. HENOTHEISM IN ORPHIC INTUITIVE SOURCES ................................................................................................. 170 4.1 THE COLLECTION OF THE ORPHIC HYMNS ........................................................................................................... 170 4.2 ORPHIC HYMN 15 ............................................................................................................................................... 180 4.3 ORPHIC HYMN 19 ............................................................................................................................................... 191 4.4 ORPHIC HYMN 20 ............................................................................................................................................... 205 4.5 CONCLUSIONS AND NOTES ON THE ORPHIC HYMN 52 ......................................................................................... 216 5. THE ORPHIC HIEROS LOGOS .................................................................................................................................... 220 5.1 THE CONTEXT OF FORMATION: HELLENISTIC JUDAISM ....................................................................................... 221 5.2 ARISTOBULUS OF ALEXANDRIA .........................................................................................................................
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]
  • A Note on the Thrax of Euphorion: Sh 15.Ii.1Ff
    ANUARI DE FILOLOGIA. ANTIQVA ET MEDIAEVALIA (Anu.Filol.Antiq.Mediaeualia) 4/2014, pp. 17-26, ISSN: 2014-1386 A NOTE ON THE THRAX OF EUPHORION: SH 15.II.1FF. JOSEP ANTONI CLUA SERENA Universitat de Lleida [email protected] ABSTRACT This paper tries to consider the Archaic or Classical origins of Dike or dike, starting by Hesiod and Aeschylus or some indexes which show its religious meaning, and its evolution from the “religious” treatment to the “exemplum” by Euphorion in his “curse poem” the Thrax. Although the probable ironical nature of the Thrax would suggest that Dike is a literary rather than religious figure, it is difficult to support so, because the poem may well be something of a mock- complaint on either a dog or another pet animal, but this does not imply that Dike, as a figure, is not serious. The relevant lines of the poem (SH 415.ii.1ff.) are quite serious in themselves: Dike and Themis are introduced as powerful divine entities regulating human life. But references to the possible “dog” in the Thrax may involve “l´énigme par fragmentation” and this shows the importance attached to “enigma” in Greek texts, as well as in the Thrax, according to Hurst´s proposal. KEY WORDS: Euphorion; Thrax; Dike; ”enigma”; exemplum. SOBRE EL TRACIO DE EUFORIÓN: SH 415.II.1FF. RESUMEN Este artículo trata de considerar los orígenes arcaicos de Dike o dike, comenzando por Hesíodo y Esquilo, así como por algunos índices que muestran su significado religioso. También se analiza su evolución desde la consideración “religiosa” de dicha diosa hasta el exemplum citado por Euforión en su Tracio.
    [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]
  • 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]
  • Classical Tradition and Judeo-Christian Revelation in Clement of Alexandria
    Graeco-Latina Brunensia 25 / 2020 / 1 https://doi.org/10.5817/GLB2020-1-4 Classical tradition and Judeo-Christian revelation in Clement of Alexandria Claudio Calabrese – Nassim Bravo (Panamerican University, México) Abstract Clement of Alexandria is one of the most iconic intellectuals of primitive Christianity. His at- ČLÁNKY / ARTICLES titude towards Classical Greek culture had a decisive role in its acceptance as an appropriate instrument for the interpretation of biblical revelation. In the context of the present article, we follow the Clementine account of the Orphic texts, an interpretation distinguished by its man- ner of tackling the issue. This meant not only that he ignored the context in which the “Orphic tradition” developed, but also that he set aside the immanent quality of Greek culture. Clem- ent’s approach would have a deep impact on the way in which Late Antiquity Christianity would understand divine nature and the limits of the act of faith. Keywords Clement of Alexandria; Hellenistic culture; Orphism; Late Antiquity; primitive Christianity 47 Claudio Calabrese – Nassim Bravo Classical tradition and Judeo-Christian revelation in Clement of Alexandria Introduction In the present article we would like to discuss the formation of Christian philosophy focusing on the integration of Greek culture as a resource to interpret revelation. It is within this context that we approach the manner in which Clement of Alexandria incor- porated texts from Orphic tradition into his Stromata V; we are alluding here to a group of quotations, including a few comments and references to the Old Testament, particu- larly to the Book of Isaiah, used by Clement as an argument to help us understand God.
    [Show full text]
  • Music and Ritual in Primitive Eleusis
    APOSTOLUS Ν. ATHANASSAKIS University of California at Santa Barbara MUSIC AND RITUAL IN PRIMITIVE ELEUSIS To Benjamin Schwartz, my teacher, on his seventieth birthday. The story of Persephone's rape and of Demeter* s arrival in Eleusis is told primarily in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. Interestingly enough, once Demeter finds herself inside the palace of Keleos, it is not Metaneira, the queen, but wise old Iambê who knows how to entertain her ( 184—211). Demeter turns down the queen's throne for a humbler seat covered with a sheepskin offered by Iambê. It is Iambê's jests (χλεΰαι) which restore smile and laughter to the grief- stricken guest ( 200—204). Demeter also turns down the customary wine offered by the queen and bids her make a κυκεών, a mixed drink consisting of barley groats (άλφι), water (ΰδωρ), and pennyroyal (γλήχων). The version given in the Orphicorum Fragmenta (Kern 46—53) is rather different.The most articulate ac­ count is the one given by Clement of Alexandria in Protr. II 20,1—21,2 (Kern 52). According to this account when Demeter reached Eleusis the most important local ruler was Dysaules, and his wife's name was Baubô. The lesser kings or barons were Triptolemos, the cowherd, Eumolpos the shepherd, and Euboulos, the swineherd. Baubô offered Demeter the kykeôn, but the goddess demurred because she was in mourning. Then Baubô resorted to an unusual means of persuasion : ώς ειπούσα πέπλους άνεσύρετο δείξε δε πάντα σώματος ουδέ πρέποντα τύπον παις δ' ήεν "Ιακχος χειρί τέ μιν ρίπτασκε γελών Βαυβοΰς ύπο κόλποις· ή δ' έπεί οδν μείδησε θεά, μείδησ' ένΐ θυμω δέξατο δ* αίόλον άγγος, εν φ κυκεών ενέκειτο.
    [Show full text]
  • The Religious Prehistory of Demeter's Eleusinian Mysteries
    BERNARD DIETRICH THE RELIGIOUS PREHISTORY OF DEMETER'S ELEUSINIAN MYSTERIES It has often been said that the Greek Mystery cults were unique and that their innermost secrets were well kept and buried with the long suc­ cession of initiates over a millennium and more I. This was certainly true of the myth and ritual and of points of detail in ceremony and belief, but in general Greek Mystery cults shared some basic features with other religions and therefore belonged to an exceedingly old tradition which antedated the development of new religious concepts in the archaic Greek world. Behind the sophisticated Mysteries of the classical age there lay ideas which had been fundamental to religious thought from prehistoric times concerning the fertility of vegetation and nature in general under the protective guidance of a Nature or Mother goddess. Within that framework great variety could exist from region to region, because, although the most successful cults like those of Samothrace and the Eleusinian Demeter spread their influence to other centres, in essence Mystery cults tended to be localised. In other words, despite common features between all these cults, each major centre had, as it were, something special to offer to ensure the loyalty of generations of worshippers. Also it is easy to overlook the important point that, shared origins apart, the sense of promise and otherworldliness which came to be incorporated in the fully developed Greek Mysteries could only flourish in an age that was receptive to their particular religious message. This meant the archaic age and especially the sixth century, for it provided the most fertile ground on which the Mystery cults could grow to their full potential and which laid the foundation of their tremendous influence in Hellenistic and Roman times.
    [Show full text]
  • The Common Wine Cult of Christ and the Orphic Dionysos: the Wine and Vegetation Saviour Deity Dionysos As Model for the Dying and Rising Christ
    REL 4990, MA thesis. Culture and Ideas, History of Religion. Autumn 2010. Maritha E. Gebhardt. Page: 1 The common wine cult of Christ and the Orphic Dionysos: the wine and vegetation saviour deity Dionysos as model for the dying and rising Christ. MA Thesis, Master's Programme in Culture and Ideas, History of Religion, Department of Culture and Oriental Languages, Autumn 2010, by Maritha Elin Gebhardt. Synopsis: In 2005 the Hebrew University Excavation Project unearthed a small incense burner from the fourth century C.E. in the Jewish capital of the Galilee, Sepphoris, depicting a crucified figure, Bacchic satyrs and maenads, and the Christian representation of the sacrifice of Isaac in symbolic form as a ram caught in the thicket of a bush. Five years later the book Orphism and Christianity in Late Antiquity, by Herrero de Jáuregui, refers to two large funerary cloths, one depicts a Dionysiac scene similar to the murals from the Villa dei Misteri and the other one show scenes from the life of Jesus and Mary, both found in the same tomb in Egypt. Both of these depictions testify to the continued syncretism of the Orphic and the Christian symbols and that people in the Hellenistic era found the figure of Christ similar to the Bacchic Orpheus. In my thesis I claim that the dying and rising saviour deity of Dionysos is the forerunner to the dying and rising saviour deity of Christ. I claim that I will prove this by showing that the cult of Christ is a wine cult. The epiphany of Jesus was as a human guest at a party, turning water into wine at the wedding-feast at Cana in John 2:1-11, likewise the epiphany of the wine-god Dionysos is in a similar scene as the Cana-miracle, where he turns water into wine (Achilleus Tatius' De Leucippes et Clitophontis amoribus 2.2:1-2.3:1).
    [Show full text]
  • Persephone: Symbol of Rebirth
    SECTION II CHAPTER 7 PERSEPHONE: SYMBOL OF REBIRTH PAPER CONTENTS INTRODUCTION MYTHIC TALE: SYNOPSIS LORD HADES: ARCHETYPE OF THE DEATH FORCE DEMETER: ARCHETYPE OF THE LIFE FORCE THE UNDERWORLD: WORLD OF SHADOWS AND SOULS PERSEPHONE: THE WAY OF THE FEMININE Name and Origins Daughterhood Abduction and Marriage Pomegranate Judgment of Seasons Motherhood Queenhood Deep Feminine Caretaker of Souls RETURN AND REBIRTH FEMININE INDIVIDUATION CLOSING COMENTS 1 INTRODUCTION The mythic tale of Persephone’s abduction by Hades, the personification of the Death Force, and the unremitting search by her mother, Demeter, Goddess exemplar of the Life Force, relates a fascinating account of how Death and Life Forces interact with each other. In the tale, Persephone holds the tension between Life and Death Forces and in doing so produces a new alterative, Rebirth. As maiden she is ever ready to birth, to give Life. Although Persephone's name means 'Bringer of Destruction', as Queen of the Underworld she regenerates the Souls that come to her realm. The mythic tale suggests that the resolution of the tension between Life and Death leads to the transcendent third. The prior two chapters focus on transformation that is needed for the feminine to carry out the “return” from its suppressed state. The chapter on Pele and Hi’iaka brought attention to feminine transformation that occurred when relationship based on fertility gave way to relationship based on personal encounter. The chapter on The Goose Girl addresses the transformation that leads to feminine personhood when daughter separates from the mother. In this chapter attention is given to the transformation that rebirth brings about, namely, enabling and revitalizing the Individuation Process.
    [Show full text]
  • Hermes, Ecopsychology, and Complexity Theory
    PSYCHOLOGY / JUNGIAN / ECOPSYCHOLOGY “Man today is painfully aware of the fact that neither his great religions nor his various philosophies seem to provide him with those powerful ideas that would give him the certainty and security he needs in face of the present condition of the world.” —C.G. Jung An exegesis of the myth of Hermes stealing Apollo’s cattle and the story of Hephaestus trapping Aphrodite and Ares in the act are used in The Dairy Farmer’s Guide to the Universe Volume III to set a mythic foundation for Jungian ecopsychology. Hermes, Ecopsychology, and Complexity Theory HERMES, ECOPSYCHOLOGY, AND illustrates Hermes as the archetypal link to our bodies, sexuality, the phallus, the feminine, and the earth. Hermes’ wand is presented as a symbol for COMPLEXITY THEORY ecopsychology. The appendices of this volume develop the argument for the application of complexity theory to key Jungian concepts, displacing classical Jungian constructs problematic to the scientific and academic community. Hermes is described as the god of complexity theory. The front cover is taken from an original photograph by the author of an ancient vase painting depicting Hermes and his wand. DENNIS L. MERRITT, Ph.D., is a Jungian psychoanalyst and ecopsychologist in private practice in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A Diplomate of the C.G. Jung Institute of Analytical Psychology, Zurich, Switzerland, he also holds the following degrees: M.A. Humanistic Psychology-Clinical, Sonoma State University, California, Ph.D. Insect Pathology, University of California- Berkeley, M.S. and B.S. in Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has participated in Lakota Sioux ceremonies for over twenty-five years which have strongly influenced his worldview.
    [Show full text]
  • By Winifred Milius Lubell, Vanderbilt University Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 37235, 1994
    BOOK REVIEWS The Metamorphosis of Baubo ■ '' Alehwjorphusisof \ Myths of Woman's Sexual Energy by Winifred Milius Lubell, Vanderbilt University Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 37235, 1994. I X ■ ■ ' Reviewed By Luz Martinez ; ^ ■ oon Blood She bled and would not die and Ml. Olympus, and sets out to Ritual' a if she Slopped bleeding for 10 search for her, She lives among 'Miceremony consecutive lunar months, a humans hoping to leant L U BEL'' of women squatting new life sprang forth from the something of her daughter's over land allowing magical vulva. Palaeolithic man whereabouts. Disguised as an their menstrual was in awe of her powers. old poor woman, she is hired blood to flow in Women were so closely linked by a wealthy family to take order to bring life to to the almighty heavens, the care of their infant son. A the harvest, is one heavens which could bring rain, servant girl known as lambc is of the book's 74 black and ice, sunlight, thunder and part of this household and takes white drawings. Several are lightning were aligned with it upon herself to cheer up this original pieces by the author woman! No wonder early man and others are her drawings of old woman. She eventually realized that the female was accomplishes this by lifting her ancient art depicting the magic sacred. skirts and dancing for the of the vulva. goddess. The goddess is so Baubo has been called many The Meeamornhnt^.; pf charmed by her that even after things and has been associated she finds her daughter and l^tiubo is a complex historical with good, evil, mythical and journey through time when returns to Ml Olympus, she comical aspects of woman but women's sexuality was takes lambc with her and lambe she is always powerful.
    [Show full text]
  • Memory and Performance: Strategies of Identity in the Orphic-Bacchic Lamellae by Mark Frederick Mcclay
    Memory and Performance: Strategies of Identity in the Orphic-Bacchic Lamellae By Mark Frederick McClay A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Classics in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Mark Griffith, Chair Professor Nikolaos Papazarkadas Professor James I. Porter Fall 2018 Copyright 2018, Mark Frederick McClay Abstract Memory and Performance: Strategies of Identity in the Orphic-Bacchic Lamellae by Mark Frederick McClay Doctor of Philosophy in Classics University of California, Berkeley Professor Mark Griffith, Chair This dissertation is a treatment of the Orphic-Bacchic lamellae, a collection of small gold tablets that were deposited in the graves of Dionysiac mystery initiates, mostly during the 4th/3rd c. BCE. So far, thirty-eight of these have been discovered, from various sites in Sicily, Magna Graecia, Northern Greece, Crete, and the Peloponnese. The tablets were deposited in the graves of both men and women, and they are inscribed with short poetic texts, mostly in hexameters, that offer promises of postmortem happiness. Scholarship on these objects has traditionally focused on the sacral and eschatological language of the texts and their underlying doctrinal structure. Past interpretations, and discussions of “Orphism” more generally, have relied on propositional definitions of “religion” that are centered on belief and on the scriptural authority of sacred texts rather than ritual or sensory experience. Following recent critiques of these models in general (and of their application to Orphic phenomena in particular), I consider the gold leaves in their social context as objects produced, handled, and disseminated by ritual performers.
    [Show full text]