"‘Pagan’ and Christian Idiom: An Epigraphic Case Study". In Language and Culture in Early Christianity: A Companion (Leuven: Peeters, 2017) (uncorrected proofs). (original) (raw)
A. Daróczi, E. Sepsi, M. Vassányi (eds.), Initiation into the Mysteries, Harmattan, Budapest, 65-80, 2020
This paper examines the semantic field of the term ὄργια in the works of Greek Christian writers of the 4th and 5th centuries. It aims to determine if the term was used by Christian authors for Church celebrations, as has been suggested by some scholars. The paper first discusses the origin of the word and the historical development of its meaning, including the first Christian author to use ὄργια positively, Clement of Alexandria. The second part of the paper examines 86 occurrences of the term in Greek Christian literature of the period. The occurrences are divided into four categories based on their meanings: 1) pagan cult, 2) Jewish and heretical worship, 3) metaphor for secret knowledge, and 4) disputable passages from Eusebius of Caesarea (H.E. 2.1.13 and V.C. 4.22.1). The paper concludes that, as far as the 4th and 5th centuries are concerned, the extant sources offer no support for the view according to which ὄργια was used for Church celebrations.