Aviad Kleinberg
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780231174701
- eISBN:
- 9780231540247
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231174701.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
Where outraged iconoclasts and horrified philosophers are told that seeing is believing.
Where outraged iconoclasts and horrified philosophers are told that seeing is believing.
Bruce Heiden
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195341072
- eISBN:
- 9780199867066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195341072.003.0002
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter analyzes the actions of the whole Iliad to address the question of whether or in what sense the Iliad could present a “single action” as Aristotle said it did. The analysis uses Pavel's ...
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This chapter analyzes the actions of the whole Iliad to address the question of whether or in what sense the Iliad could present a “single action” as Aristotle said it did. The analysis uses Pavel's method of Move diagrams, derived from game theory, to represent and study how story events develop in trajectories from problem situations in which agents make choices. It finds that the events of the Iliad comprise seven major Moves that all intersect through a single common agent, Zeus, whose planning therefore demarcates a central orientation of all the epic's action. These major Moves include Achilles' plan to achieve compensatory honor from Zeus, Zeus's conflict with the pro-Trojan trio of Hera, Athena, and Poseidon; and Hektor's inability to heed warnings, especially from Zeus, that his successes are only temporary.Less
This chapter analyzes the actions of the whole Iliad to address the question of whether or in what sense the Iliad could present a “single action” as Aristotle said it did. The analysis uses Pavel's method of Move diagrams, derived from game theory, to represent and study how story events develop in trajectories from problem situations in which agents make choices. It finds that the events of the Iliad comprise seven major Moves that all intersect through a single common agent, Zeus, whose planning therefore demarcates a central orientation of all the epic's action. These major Moves include Achilles' plan to achieve compensatory honor from Zeus, Zeus's conflict with the pro-Trojan trio of Hera, Athena, and Poseidon; and Hektor's inability to heed warnings, especially from Zeus, that his successes are only temporary.
Bruce Heiden
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195341072
- eISBN:
- 9780199867066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195341072.003.0007
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter turns the investigation of thematic trajectories to books 8 and 15, the last segments of the first and second cycles respectively. These are the books that narrate Zeus's critical ...
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This chapter turns the investigation of thematic trajectories to books 8 and 15, the last segments of the first and second cycles respectively. These are the books that narrate Zeus's critical choices in steering events, and whose position cues attention to Zeus's consequential agency. In these books the Olympians face off in conflict, as the heroes do in other books. But analysis of the thematic trajectories shows that the Olympians prove wiser than the heroes at transforming their differences into symbolic terms that facilitate compromise.Less
This chapter turns the investigation of thematic trajectories to books 8 and 15, the last segments of the first and second cycles respectively. These are the books that narrate Zeus's critical choices in steering events, and whose position cues attention to Zeus's consequential agency. In these books the Olympians face off in conflict, as the heroes do in other books. But analysis of the thematic trajectories shows that the Olympians prove wiser than the heroes at transforming their differences into symbolic terms that facilitate compromise.
Bruce Heiden
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195341072
- eISBN:
- 9780199867066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195341072.003.0008
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter turns to the last book of the Iliad, whose analogies of theme and positioning relate it to books 1, 8, 9, 15, and 16. Apollo's speech to the Olympians in book 24 is situated in a ...
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This chapter turns to the last book of the Iliad, whose analogies of theme and positioning relate it to books 1, 8, 9, 15, and 16. Apollo's speech to the Olympians in book 24 is situated in a trajectory of thematic development reaching back to Chryses's prayer to Apollo in book 1 and including Patroklos's appeal to Achilles in book 16. Hera's reply to Apollo in book 24 is situated in a trajectory that includes Agamemnon's reply to Chryses in book 1, Achilles' replies to the embassy in book 9, and Hera's refusal to permit Zeus to save Sarpedon in book 16. Zeus's mediation in book 24 is situated in a trajectory that Nestor's attempted reconciliation in book 1 and Zeus's agreement with Hera in book 15. Concluding observations liken the effect of the thematic suggestions to that of an epiphany.Less
This chapter turns to the last book of the Iliad, whose analogies of theme and positioning relate it to books 1, 8, 9, 15, and 16. Apollo's speech to the Olympians in book 24 is situated in a trajectory of thematic development reaching back to Chryses's prayer to Apollo in book 1 and including Patroklos's appeal to Achilles in book 16. Hera's reply to Apollo in book 24 is situated in a trajectory that includes Agamemnon's reply to Chryses in book 1, Achilles' replies to the embassy in book 9, and Hera's refusal to permit Zeus to save Sarpedon in book 16. Zeus's mediation in book 24 is situated in a trajectory that Nestor's attempted reconciliation in book 1 and Zeus's agreement with Hera in book 15. Concluding observations liken the effect of the thematic suggestions to that of an epiphany.
Bruce Heiden
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195341072
- eISBN:
- 9780199867066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195341072.003.0009
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter focuses upon the ubiquitous theme of design and fabrication. Particular attention is devoted to the shield that Hephaistos designs for Achilles in book 18. Analysis explores the design ...
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This chapter focuses upon the ubiquitous theme of design and fabrication. Particular attention is devoted to the shield that Hephaistos designs for Achilles in book 18. Analysis explores the design of the shield description as well as the shield, and the shield's thematization of design in the cosmos. A concluding section relates the mythology of Troy in the Iliad to a wider body of myth in which Zeus's continuous planning, including the inspiration of poetry through the Muses, enables human beings to better their lives.Less
This chapter focuses upon the ubiquitous theme of design and fabrication. Particular attention is devoted to the shield that Hephaistos designs for Achilles in book 18. Analysis explores the design of the shield description as well as the shield, and the shield's thematization of design in the cosmos. A concluding section relates the mythology of Troy in the Iliad to a wider body of myth in which Zeus's continuous planning, including the inspiration of poetry through the Muses, enables human beings to better their lives.
Barbara Kowalzig
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199546510
- eISBN:
- 9780191594922
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199546510.003.0005
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Taking as its starting-point the image of song as cargo from the opening of Pindar's Nemean 5, this chapter discusses the political and economic identity of the archaic and classical Aeginetans ...
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Taking as its starting-point the image of song as cargo from the opening of Pindar's Nemean 5, this chapter discusses the political and economic identity of the archaic and classical Aeginetans through detailed exploration of myths and religious practices, on Aegina itself, as well as in the Saronic Gulf and the wider Greek Mediterranean, in particular with regard to Aiakos and the Aeginetan cult of Zeus. The Aeginetan mythic self is profoundly linked to the island's commercial activities; a set of interconnected myths and cults embeds the island in patterns of local and regional economic activity in the Saronic Gulf; and Aeginetans also form part of a wider elite-born network of commercial and maritime enterprise in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. Stereotypical Aeginetan characteristics such as ‘strength at sea’ and ‘justice’ or ‘hospitality’ towards strangers are reflections of the island's role as a cosmopolitan hub in the Saronic Gulf.Less
Taking as its starting-point the image of song as cargo from the opening of Pindar's Nemean 5, this chapter discusses the political and economic identity of the archaic and classical Aeginetans through detailed exploration of myths and religious practices, on Aegina itself, as well as in the Saronic Gulf and the wider Greek Mediterranean, in particular with regard to Aiakos and the Aeginetan cult of Zeus. The Aeginetan mythic self is profoundly linked to the island's commercial activities; a set of interconnected myths and cults embeds the island in patterns of local and regional economic activity in the Saronic Gulf; and Aeginetans also form part of a wider elite-born network of commercial and maritime enterprise in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. Stereotypical Aeginetan characteristics such as ‘strength at sea’ and ‘justice’ or ‘hospitality’ towards strangers are reflections of the island's role as a cosmopolitan hub in the Saronic Gulf.
Alan H. Sommerstein
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199568314
- eISBN:
- 9780191723018
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199568314.003.0010
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter examines the presentation of Zeus in Aeschylus' Agamemnon. He desires that Agamemnon should lead the Greek army to punish the Trojans for Paris's abduction of Helen, yet sends an omen ...
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This chapter examines the presentation of Zeus in Aeschylus' Agamemnon. He desires that Agamemnon should lead the Greek army to punish the Trojans for Paris's abduction of Helen, yet sends an omen which angers Artemis into forcing Agamemnon to choose between sacrificing his daughter Iphigeneia and abandoning the expedition. It is argued that Zeus is not to be regarded in this play as a wise and foresighted god, but as the ruler and organizer of a ‘rotten, stupid world’. However, modern spectators should remember that Agamemnon is only one-third of the complete drama, and that its end is not the last word.Less
This chapter examines the presentation of Zeus in Aeschylus' Agamemnon. He desires that Agamemnon should lead the Greek army to punish the Trojans for Paris's abduction of Helen, yet sends an omen which angers Artemis into forcing Agamemnon to choose between sacrificing his daughter Iphigeneia and abandoning the expedition. It is argued that Zeus is not to be regarded in this play as a wise and foresighted god, but as the ruler and organizer of a ‘rotten, stupid world’. However, modern spectators should remember that Agamemnon is only one-third of the complete drama, and that its end is not the last word.
Alan H. Sommerstein
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199568314
- eISBN:
- 9780191723018
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199568314.003.0012
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter seeks to interpret the statement in Aeschylus, Agamemnon 176–8 that Zeus laid down the law pathei mathos (‘learning through suffering’), asking in particular whether we are meant to ...
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This chapter seeks to interpret the statement in Aeschylus, Agamemnon 176–8 that Zeus laid down the law pathei mathos (‘learning through suffering’), asking in particular whether we are meant to assume that learning and/or suffering existed before Zeus laid down this law, and, if we are, what the relationship was between them. It argues that the only answer consistent with Aeschylus' text, and with current popular beliefs about primeval times, is that before Zeus there was no suffering (all man's needs were produced spontaneously by the earth) and no learning (because it was unnecessary). Zeus deprived man of happiness, so that he could survive only by acquiring wisdom — which, at the end of the Oresteia, the Athenians at least have succeeded in doing.Less
This chapter seeks to interpret the statement in Aeschylus, Agamemnon 176–8 that Zeus laid down the law pathei mathos (‘learning through suffering’), asking in particular whether we are meant to assume that learning and/or suffering existed before Zeus laid down this law, and, if we are, what the relationship was between them. It argues that the only answer consistent with Aeschylus' text, and with current popular beliefs about primeval times, is that before Zeus there was no suffering (all man's needs were produced spontaneously by the earth) and no learning (because it was unnecessary). Zeus deprived man of happiness, so that he could survive only by acquiring wisdom — which, at the end of the Oresteia, the Athenians at least have succeeded in doing.
Benjamin Sammons
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195375688
- eISBN:
- 9780199871599
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195375688.003.0002
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter examines two passages in which characters catalogue women or heroines (Iliad 14.315–28, Odyssey 11.225–329). In the first (Zeus recounts his past erotic conquests), the discussion ...
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This chapter examines two passages in which characters catalogue women or heroines (Iliad 14.315–28, Odyssey 11.225–329). In the first (Zeus recounts his past erotic conquests), the discussion continues to focus on the divine perspective implied in the catalogue form and how it is undermined, in this case through the humor of the whole episode (Dios apate). In the second case (Odysseus’s catalogue of the famous women he saw in Hades) the emphasis is on how the catalogue reflects the hero’s limitations both as a viewer and as a speaker or poet. These catalogues also have a kind of paradigmatic tendency and threaten to impose a pattern or interpretation on the narrative in which they appear; yet in each case, formal or rhetorical properties of the catalogue distort or undermine that tendency. In both cases, the discussion considers whether Homer interacts directly with a Hesiodic tradition of catalogue poetry.Less
This chapter examines two passages in which characters catalogue women or heroines (Iliad 14.315–28, Odyssey 11.225–329). In the first (Zeus recounts his past erotic conquests), the discussion continues to focus on the divine perspective implied in the catalogue form and how it is undermined, in this case through the humor of the whole episode (Dios apate). In the second case (Odysseus’s catalogue of the famous women he saw in Hades) the emphasis is on how the catalogue reflects the hero’s limitations both as a viewer and as a speaker or poet. These catalogues also have a kind of paradigmatic tendency and threaten to impose a pattern or interpretation on the narrative in which they appear; yet in each case, formal or rhetorical properties of the catalogue distort or undermine that tendency. In both cases, the discussion considers whether Homer interacts directly with a Hesiodic tradition of catalogue poetry.
Ory Amitay
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520266360
- eISBN:
- 9780520948174
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520266360.003.0010
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical
This book has shown how Alexander the Great framed his life after the venerable precedents of Greek Myth, which were often, at the same time, his family traditions. Emulating Dionysus, Perseus, ...
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This book has shown how Alexander the Great framed his life after the venerable precedents of Greek Myth, which were often, at the same time, his family traditions. Emulating Dionysus, Perseus, Achilles and, not least, Herakles, Alexander lived his life as a character of myth. In hindsight, the mythologization of Alexander, by himself and by others, appears a natural response to changing circumstances, rather than the result of a well-executed master plan. Alexander may perhaps have suborned the priests of Siwah to acknowledge his status as the Divine Son, but he cannot have planned in advance such circumstances as the discovery of Prometheus's cave, the strange yet familiar legends told at Aornos, or his special reception as the third Son of Zeus by the Indian kings. Through his myth, Alexander also provided Christianity with a theological framework, including Divine Sonship, dual paternity, and deification, which helped to strike a delicate balance between the polytheistic and monotheistic worlds. But the inherent difficulties posed by the Jesus Christ myth to any true-hearted monotheist are obvious.Less
This book has shown how Alexander the Great framed his life after the venerable precedents of Greek Myth, which were often, at the same time, his family traditions. Emulating Dionysus, Perseus, Achilles and, not least, Herakles, Alexander lived his life as a character of myth. In hindsight, the mythologization of Alexander, by himself and by others, appears a natural response to changing circumstances, rather than the result of a well-executed master plan. Alexander may perhaps have suborned the priests of Siwah to acknowledge his status as the Divine Son, but he cannot have planned in advance such circumstances as the discovery of Prometheus's cave, the strange yet familiar legends told at Aornos, or his special reception as the third Son of Zeus by the Indian kings. Through his myth, Alexander also provided Christianity with a theological framework, including Divine Sonship, dual paternity, and deification, which helped to strike a delicate balance between the polytheistic and monotheistic worlds. But the inherent difficulties posed by the Jesus Christ myth to any true-hearted monotheist are obvious.
Elton T.E. Barker
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199542710
- eISBN:
- 9780191715365
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199542710.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter examines representations of debate in the Odyssey, with the suggestion that its less prominent role has implications for the standard view of this poem as playfully dialogic. Reduced to ...
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This chapter examines representations of debate in the Odyssey, with the suggestion that its less prominent role has implications for the standard view of this poem as playfully dialogic. Reduced to only two events, debate comes across not only as marginal to its narrative dynamics but also as socially divisive: these two Ithacan assembly scenes split down partisan lines, with neither group, those with Odysseus and those against him (the suitors), interested in the institution. Indeed, while the suitors' language frequently evokes an Iliadic world of strife and open contest, the Odyssey shows much more interest in deceit than in debate. The clearest example of the suppression of dissenting voices finds its substantiation in Odysseus' own narration of events; but the divine meeting between Zeus and Athena that frames the epic in books 1 and 24 equally reveals, and revels in, the narrative's control over events and their interpretation.Less
This chapter examines representations of debate in the Odyssey, with the suggestion that its less prominent role has implications for the standard view of this poem as playfully dialogic. Reduced to only two events, debate comes across not only as marginal to its narrative dynamics but also as socially divisive: these two Ithacan assembly scenes split down partisan lines, with neither group, those with Odysseus and those against him (the suitors), interested in the institution. Indeed, while the suitors' language frequently evokes an Iliadic world of strife and open contest, the Odyssey shows much more interest in deceit than in debate. The clearest example of the suppression of dissenting voices finds its substantiation in Odysseus' own narration of events; but the divine meeting between Zeus and Athena that frames the epic in books 1 and 24 equally reveals, and revels in, the narrative's control over events and their interpretation.
Jan Bremmer and Andrew Erskine (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748637980
- eISBN:
- 9780748670758
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748637980.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions
This book explores the Greek gods from Homer to Late Antiquity. The Greek gods are still very much present in modern consciousness. Yet even though Apollo and Dionysos, Artemis and Aphrodite, Zeus ...
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This book explores the Greek gods from Homer to Late Antiquity. The Greek gods are still very much present in modern consciousness. Yet even though Apollo and Dionysos, Artemis and Aphrodite, Zeus and Hermes are household names, it is much less clear what these divinities stood for in Ancient Greece. In fact they have been rather neglected in modern scholarship which has tended to focus on other aspects of Greek religion such as ritual and myth. The book brings together a term of international scholars with the aim of remedying the situation and generating new approaches to the study of the nature and development of the Greek gods. It looks at the individual gods but it also asks to what extent cult, myth and literary genre determine the nature of a divinity. How do the Greek gods function in a polytheistic pantheon and what is their connection to heroes? What is the influence of philosophy? What does archaeology tell us about the gods? In what ways do the gods of late antiquity differ from those of classical Greece? The aim of this book is to present a comprehensive view of the gods as they functioned in Greek culture until the triumph of Christianity.Less
This book explores the Greek gods from Homer to Late Antiquity. The Greek gods are still very much present in modern consciousness. Yet even though Apollo and Dionysos, Artemis and Aphrodite, Zeus and Hermes are household names, it is much less clear what these divinities stood for in Ancient Greece. In fact they have been rather neglected in modern scholarship which has tended to focus on other aspects of Greek religion such as ritual and myth. The book brings together a term of international scholars with the aim of remedying the situation and generating new approaches to the study of the nature and development of the Greek gods. It looks at the individual gods but it also asks to what extent cult, myth and literary genre determine the nature of a divinity. How do the Greek gods function in a polytheistic pantheon and what is their connection to heroes? What is the influence of philosophy? What does archaeology tell us about the gods? In what ways do the gods of late antiquity differ from those of classical Greece? The aim of this book is to present a comprehensive view of the gods as they functioned in Greek culture until the triumph of Christianity.
Chester G. Starr
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195074581
- eISBN:
- 9780199854363
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195074581.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
This chapter holds that the upper classes essentially established the way the Greeks visualized their gods and also the structure of worship. The nature of the heavenly pantheon, as Xenophanes ...
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This chapter holds that the upper classes essentially established the way the Greeks visualized their gods and also the structure of worship. The nature of the heavenly pantheon, as Xenophanes angrily observed, had been firmly set by Homer and Hesiod. By the eighth century, the aristocrats were erecting temples to house statues that eventually attained canonical form so that a modern student of Greek art can easily identify Athena with her helmet or Zeus with his thunderbolt, both like the other gods essentially visualized in aristocratic shape. Ultimately, the figures of the great gods stood magnificently, visualized largely in aristocratic mien and attended by the rich mythological dress spun by Greek imagination, worshipped in formal procedures conducted by priests and priestesses of upper-class origins.Less
This chapter holds that the upper classes essentially established the way the Greeks visualized their gods and also the structure of worship. The nature of the heavenly pantheon, as Xenophanes angrily observed, had been firmly set by Homer and Hesiod. By the eighth century, the aristocrats were erecting temples to house statues that eventually attained canonical form so that a modern student of Greek art can easily identify Athena with her helmet or Zeus with his thunderbolt, both like the other gods essentially visualized in aristocratic shape. Ultimately, the figures of the great gods stood magnificently, visualized largely in aristocratic mien and attended by the rich mythological dress spun by Greek imagination, worshipped in formal procedures conducted by priests and priestesses of upper-class origins.
Jan N. Bremmer and Andrew Erskine
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748637980
- eISBN:
- 9780748670758
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748637980.003.0010
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions
This chapter offers a new interpretation of the opening of the famous Hymn to Zeus in Aeschylus’ tragedy the Agamemnon (160-6) with its reference to weighing in the divine scales. Zeus is imagined as ...
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This chapter offers a new interpretation of the opening of the famous Hymn to Zeus in Aeschylus’ tragedy the Agamemnon (160-6) with its reference to weighing in the divine scales. Zeus is imagined as beyond equivalence with all the commodities that can be put on the (cosmic) balance. The Greek polis was the first thoroughly monetised society in history, and Aeschylus’ conception of Zeus has been influenced (here and in other passages) by the all-pervasive omnipotence of abstract (monetary) value. Aeschulus sees the world as pervaded by the unity of opposites, an idea also associated with Heraclitus and Pythagoreanism.Less
This chapter offers a new interpretation of the opening of the famous Hymn to Zeus in Aeschylus’ tragedy the Agamemnon (160-6) with its reference to weighing in the divine scales. Zeus is imagined as beyond equivalence with all the commodities that can be put on the (cosmic) balance. The Greek polis was the first thoroughly monetised society in history, and Aeschylus’ conception of Zeus has been influenced (here and in other passages) by the all-pervasive omnipotence of abstract (monetary) value. Aeschulus sees the world as pervaded by the unity of opposites, an idea also associated with Heraclitus and Pythagoreanism.
Jan N. Bremmer and Andrew Erskine
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748637980
- eISBN:
- 9780748670758
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748637980.003.0019
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions
If we look, in the ‘ideal novel’, at the frequency of mention of significant named divinities (such as Aphrodite, Dionysos, Artemis, Zeus, Isis), as well as of theos and theoi in general, we find ...
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If we look, in the ‘ideal novel’, at the frequency of mention of significant named divinities (such as Aphrodite, Dionysos, Artemis, Zeus, Isis), as well as of theos and theoi in general, we find that novels are characteristically interested in only one or two of them – and for specific reasons. At an extreme, Heliodorus is not really interested in any god specifically. Yet there is a real sense of piety supported by the novel, even in the unlikely hands of Achilles Tatius, and the reader is, in some novels at least, meant to raise questions about the ‘hand of god’ in the action. The acid test is the efficacy of prayer in the text, where the divinity can sometimes respond in delayed and mysterious ways. The novel is a useful document for getting inside ancient piety.Less
If we look, in the ‘ideal novel’, at the frequency of mention of significant named divinities (such as Aphrodite, Dionysos, Artemis, Zeus, Isis), as well as of theos and theoi in general, we find that novels are characteristically interested in only one or two of them – and for specific reasons. At an extreme, Heliodorus is not really interested in any god specifically. Yet there is a real sense of piety supported by the novel, even in the unlikely hands of Achilles Tatius, and the reader is, in some novels at least, meant to raise questions about the ‘hand of god’ in the action. The acid test is the efficacy of prayer in the text, where the divinity can sometimes respond in delayed and mysterious ways. The novel is a useful document for getting inside ancient piety.
Jan N. Bremmer and Andrew Erskine
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748637980
- eISBN:
- 9780748670758
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748637980.003.0023
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions
The chapter analyzes the main features of Orphic gods. Most Orphic gods are the same as those of the Olympian religion. Yet there is a tendency in Orphism to identify gods with each other through ...
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The chapter analyzes the main features of Orphic gods. Most Orphic gods are the same as those of the Olympian religion. Yet there is a tendency in Orphism to identify gods with each other through various mechanisms, e.g. a god may be born more than once or reappears in another god. The Orphic tendency to unity may lead to an image of Zeus as supreme god who oscillates between creator god and a deity identified with the universe. The most un-Olympic of the features of the Orphic gods is the idea that human beings are of divine origin and can be re-integrated into their primitive condition. An important source for these themes is the Neoplatonic philosopher Damascius who gives evidence for the existence of three distinct Orphic theogonies.Less
The chapter analyzes the main features of Orphic gods. Most Orphic gods are the same as those of the Olympian religion. Yet there is a tendency in Orphism to identify gods with each other through various mechanisms, e.g. a god may be born more than once or reappears in another god. The Orphic tendency to unity may lead to an image of Zeus as supreme god who oscillates between creator god and a deity identified with the universe. The most un-Olympic of the features of the Orphic gods is the idea that human beings are of divine origin and can be re-integrated into their primitive condition. An important source for these themes is the Neoplatonic philosopher Damascius who gives evidence for the existence of three distinct Orphic theogonies.
Jan N. Bremmer and Andrew Erskine
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748637980
- eISBN:
- 9780748670758
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748637980.003.0025
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions
The issue is the representation of the invisible and immaterial god in the mode of a material image. In the new movement of Christian religion there is besides the polemic against cult-images also ...
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The issue is the representation of the invisible and immaterial god in the mode of a material image. In the new movement of Christian religion there is besides the polemic against cult-images also continuity in the framework of ancient religion. In regard to the relation between god (“father”) and man-god (“son”) the ancient theory on the relation between god and image is used as an argument for the Christology. But also in Christian ritual practice there is some continuity with the cult of the Greek gods. The chapter looks in particular at the influence of Pheidias’ statue of Zeus.Less
The issue is the representation of the invisible and immaterial god in the mode of a material image. In the new movement of Christian religion there is besides the polemic against cult-images also continuity in the framework of ancient religion. In regard to the relation between god (“father”) and man-god (“son”) the ancient theory on the relation between god and image is used as an argument for the Christology. But also in Christian ritual practice there is some continuity with the cult of the Greek gods. The chapter looks in particular at the influence of Pheidias’ statue of Zeus.
Barbara Charlesworth Gelpi
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195073843
- eISBN:
- 9780199855179
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195073843.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism
The chapter begins with an accounting of the three versions of Prometheus’ story from Hesiod, Aeschylus, and finally, Shelley. Shelley’s play, “Prometheus Unbound” is contrasted with Aeschylus own ...
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The chapter begins with an accounting of the three versions of Prometheus’ story from Hesiod, Aeschylus, and finally, Shelley. Shelley’s play, “Prometheus Unbound” is contrasted with Aeschylus own drama, “Prometheus Bound.” The two plays differ in the resolution of the conflict. In the former, Shelley does not allow reconciliation between Prometheus and Zeus, unlike Aeschylus’ version, with its recurring themes of female subjugation and male aggression and seduction. The chapter covers the first act of “Prometheus Unbound” and analyzes the significance of the major and minor characters and their actions, in light of Shelley’s unique philosophy in life. In Shelley’s play, the feminine aspect—represented by Earth and Prometheus’ own mother—plays a major role in the denouement, and parallels are seen with Shelley’s own home life. In Shelley’s mind, goals of self-knowledge and self-respect could only be achieved through “mirroring,” and this is illustrated in his play.Less
The chapter begins with an accounting of the three versions of Prometheus’ story from Hesiod, Aeschylus, and finally, Shelley. Shelley’s play, “Prometheus Unbound” is contrasted with Aeschylus own drama, “Prometheus Bound.” The two plays differ in the resolution of the conflict. In the former, Shelley does not allow reconciliation between Prometheus and Zeus, unlike Aeschylus’ version, with its recurring themes of female subjugation and male aggression and seduction. The chapter covers the first act of “Prometheus Unbound” and analyzes the significance of the major and minor characters and their actions, in light of Shelley’s unique philosophy in life. In Shelley’s play, the feminine aspect—represented by Earth and Prometheus’ own mother—plays a major role in the denouement, and parallels are seen with Shelley’s own home life. In Shelley’s mind, goals of self-knowledge and self-respect could only be achieved through “mirroring,” and this is illustrated in his play.
Jan N. Bremmer and Andrew Erskine
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748637980
- eISBN:
- 9780748670758
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748637980.003.0005
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions
Richard Buxton discuss five examples of narratives which relate in some way to divine metamorphosis, whether as animals or humans, for the purpose of presenting themselves to mortals. The narratives ...
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Richard Buxton discuss five examples of narratives which relate in some way to divine metamorphosis, whether as animals or humans, for the purpose of presenting themselves to mortals. The narratives studied are the following: Athena’s encounter with Telemachos in the Odyssey, Apollo in the Hymn to Apollo, Thetis’ relationship with Achilles, Dionysos in the Bacchae and Zeus’ serial metamorphoses in pursuit of his erotic ambitions. After drawing conclusions about each of these metamorphoses and epiphanies, Buxton concludes by considering what light this material might shed on the old problem of how far Greek religion was essentially anthropomorphic.Less
Richard Buxton discuss five examples of narratives which relate in some way to divine metamorphosis, whether as animals or humans, for the purpose of presenting themselves to mortals. The narratives studied are the following: Athena’s encounter with Telemachos in the Odyssey, Apollo in the Hymn to Apollo, Thetis’ relationship with Achilles, Dionysos in the Bacchae and Zeus’ serial metamorphoses in pursuit of his erotic ambitions. After drawing conclusions about each of these metamorphoses and epiphanies, Buxton concludes by considering what light this material might shed on the old problem of how far Greek religion was essentially anthropomorphic.
Jan N. Bremmer and Andrew Erskine
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748637980
- eISBN:
- 9780748670758
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748637980.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions
This chapter examines the nature of ancient Greek sacrifice. After reviewing some of the theses defended by scholars about Greek sacrifice, it re-examines particularly: a) the theory that Greek ...
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This chapter examines the nature of ancient Greek sacrifice. After reviewing some of the theses defended by scholars about Greek sacrifice, it re-examines particularly: a) the theory that Greek sacrifice was based on the motif of the “non-violence”, in order to disclaim any “guilt of murder”; and b) the statement that the consent of the victim (by a sign of the head) was a very essential modality of the sacrificial ritual. It then discusses the relations between gods and sacrificial animals, taking as example the association between Zeus and the piglet. Finally, it reconsiders the problem of Greek gods as “receivers” of “human victims”.Less
This chapter examines the nature of ancient Greek sacrifice. After reviewing some of the theses defended by scholars about Greek sacrifice, it re-examines particularly: a) the theory that Greek sacrifice was based on the motif of the “non-violence”, in order to disclaim any “guilt of murder”; and b) the statement that the consent of the victim (by a sign of the head) was a very essential modality of the sacrificial ritual. It then discusses the relations between gods and sacrificial animals, taking as example the association between Zeus and the piglet. Finally, it reconsiders the problem of Greek gods as “receivers” of “human victims”.
