Orphism and Christianity in Late Antiquity

Orphism and Christianity in Late Antiquity
Author: Miguel Herrero de Jáuregui
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Total Pages: 457
Release: 2010
Genre: History
ISBN: 3110206331

Many recent discoveries have confirmed the importance of Orphism for ancient Greek religion, philosophy, and literature. However, its nature and role are still very controversial. The key problem of its relationship to Christianity has been discussed by ancient and modern authors from many different viewpoints, albeit too often tainted with apologetic interests and unconscious projections. This free and thorough study of the ancient sources sheds light on these questions and illuminates the complexity of the encounter between Classical culture and Jewish-Christian tradition. New perspectives on the relationship between Classical and Jewish-Christian culture On the avowed subject of Orphism Author is specialist within the field.

Redefining Ancient Orphism

Redefining Ancient Orphism
Author: Radcliffe G. Edmonds III
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 465
Release: 2013-11-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 1107038219

In a paradigm shift, this book redefines Orphism as a polemical label for extra-ordinary religion, good or bad.

Pagan Monotheism in Late Antiquity

Pagan Monotheism in Late Antiquity
Author: Polymnia Athanassiadi
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 221
Release: 1999-07-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0191541451

In this book distinguished experts from a range of disciplines (Orientalists, philologists, philosophers, theologians and historians) address a central problem which lies at the heart of the religious and philosophical debate of late antiquity. Paganism was not a unified tradition and consequently the papers cover a wide social and intellectual spectrum. Particular emphasis is given to several aspects of the topic: first, monotheistic belief in late antique philosophical ideals and its roots in classical antiquity and the Near East; second, monistic Gnosticism; third, the revelatory tradition as expressed in oracular literature; and finally, the monotheistic trend in popular religion.

The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life

The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life
Author: Gordon Lindsay Campbell
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 657
Release: 2014-08-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 0191035157

The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life is the first comprehensive guide to animals in the ancient world, encompassing all aspects of the topic by featuring authoritative chapters on 33 topics by leading scholars in their fields. As well as an introduction to, and a survey of, each topic, it provides guidance on further reading for those who wish to study a particular area in greater depth. Both the realities and the more theoretical aspects of the treatment of animals in ancient times are covered in chapters which explore the domestication of animals, animal husbandry, animals as pets, Aesop's Fables, and animals in classical art and comedy, all of which closely examine the nature of human-animal interaction. More abstract and philosophical topics are also addressed, including animal communication, early ideas on the origin of species, and philosophical vegetarianism and the notion of animal rights.

Myths, Martyrs, and Modernity

Myths, Martyrs, and Modernity
Author: Jitse Dijkstra
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 762
Release: 2010-01-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004193650

This volume in honour of Jan N. Bremmer contains the contributions of numerous students, colleagues, and friends offered to him on the occasion of his 65th birthday. Throughout his career, Bremmer has distinguished himself as an internationally renowned scholar of religion both past and present, including first and foremost Greek and Roman religion, but also early Christianity and post-classical developments in religion and spirituality. In line with these three main areas of Bremmer’s research, the volume is divided into three parts, bringing together contributions from distinguished scholars in many fields. The result is a diverse book which provides a broad spectrum of original ideas and innovative approaches in the history of religions, thus reflecting the nature of the scholarship of Bremmer himself.

Orpheus and Greek Religion

Orpheus and Greek Religion
Author: William Keith Guthrie
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 354
Release: 1993-10-10
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9780691024998

The tales told of Orpheus are legion. He is said to have been an Argonaut--and to have saved Jason's life. Rivers are reported to have stopped their flow to listen to the sounds of his lyre and his voice. Plato cites his poetry and Herodotus refers to "practices that are called Orphic." Did Orpheus, in fact, exist? His influence on Greek thought is undeniable, but his disciples left little of substance behind them. Indeed, their Orphic precepts have been lost to time. W.K.C. Guthrie attempts to uncover and define Orphism by following its circuitous path through ancient history. He tackles this daunting task with the determination of a detective and the analytical rigor of a classical scholar. He ferries his readers with him on a singular voyage of discovery.

Ritual Texts for the Afterlife

Ritual Texts for the Afterlife
Author: Fritz Graf
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2007-06-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 1134119674

Fascinating texts written on small gold tablets that were deposited in graves provide a unique source of information about what some Greeks and Romans believed regarding the fate that awaited them after death, and how they could influence it. These texts, dating from the late fifth century BCE to the second century CE, have been part of the scholarly debate on ancient afterlife beliefs since the end of the nineteenth century. Recent finds and analysis of the texts have reshaped our understanding of their purpose and of the perceived afterlife. The tablets belonged to those who had been initiated into the mysteries of Dionysus Bacchius and relied heavily upon myths narrated in poems ascribed to the mythical singer Orpheus. After providing the Greek text and a translation of all the available tablets, the authors analyze their role in the mysteries of Dionysus, and present an outline of the myths concerning the origins of humanity and of the sacred texts that the Greeks ascribed to Orpheus. Related ancient texts are also appended in English translations. Providing the first book-length edition and discussion of these enigmatic texts in English, and their first English translation, this book is essential to the study of ancient Greek religion.

Instructions for the Netherworld

Instructions for the Netherworld
Author: Alberto Bernabé
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 391
Release: 2008-01-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 9047423747

Orphic gold tables are key documents for the knowledge of rites and beliefs of Orphics, an atypical group that configured a highly original creed and that influenced powerfully over other Greek writers and thinkers. The recent discovery of some tablets has forced a noteworthy modification of some points of view and a review ofthe different hypothesis proposed about them. The book presents a complete edition of the texts, their translation and some fundamental keys for their interpretation, in an attempt at updating our current knowledge on Orphic ideas about the soul and the Afterlife stated in those texts. The work is improved with an appendix of iconographic annotations in which some plastic representations in drawings are reproduced related to the universe of tablets, selected and commented on by Ricardo Olmos.