Metamorphoses of Myth. A Study of the Orphic Gold Tablets and the Derveni Papyrus (original) (raw)
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The Perception of Orphics from I BC to III AD
Classica Cracoviensia
In my article I examined rare mentions about Orphics in texts of Christian (i.e. Athenagoras, Origen, Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius of Ceasarea, Theophilus of Antioch, Pseudo-Justin) and non-Christian authors (i.e. Diodorus of Sicily, Strabo, Plutarchus). I established that Christian authors as well as non-Christian authors in I BC – III AD had the worst possible opinion about Orphics and their practices.
The Perception of Orphics from I BC to III AD, Classica Cracoviensia (19) 2016, pp. 145-162
In my article I examined rare mentions about Orphics in texts of Christian (i.e. Athenagoras, Origen, Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius of Ceasarea, Theophilus of Antioch, Pseudo-Justin) and non-Christian authors (i.e. Diodorus of Sicily, Strabo, Plutarchus). I established that Christian au-thors as well as non-Christian authors in I BC – III AD had the worst possible opinion about Orphics and their practices.
Presocratics and Papyrological Tradition. A Philosophical Reappraisal of the Sources. Proceedings of the International Workshop held at the University of Trier, 22-24 September 2016 (= Studia Praesocratica), 2019
Even though the Derveni Papyrus is a very important document, it is not the only papyrus relevant to the study of Orphism. There are others, although not very many, that are interesting, each one disclosing a different perspective. In this occasion, we refer to the Gurob Papyrus 1 and some Magical Papyri. Other papyri could be cited, like PSI 850 (OF 310), PBerol. 44 (OF 383, 387–389, 392–393, 396–397), and the Bologna Papyrus (PBonon. 4)
Two Orphic Images in Euripides Hippolytus 952 957 and Cretans 472 Kannicht
This article examines two Euripidean references to the presence of Orphics in classical Athens: the one is a negative view, where Orphics are seen as false and dangerous (Hippolytus 948–957), and the other is a positive view, where Cretan priests are presented as pure and saintly men (Cretans 472). Both views give an idea of the contradictory reactions (admiration and rejection) that adherents to this form of religion inspired in the Athenians. The purpose of this paper is to examine two important Euripidean references to the presence of Orphics in classical Athens: Hippolytus 952–957 and Cretans 472 Kannicht. These Orphic echoes present polar opposite views, one negative, and the other positive, something which makes them particularly interesting. They seem to offer different perspectives of a complex phenomenon, while mirroring its contradictory reception by the Athenian society of the fifth century BCE, the theatre of which is a clear reflection of the Athenian polis. Before arriving to some conclusions both references will be first analysed, taking into consideration the special context within which each passage is framed, who presents the testimony, to whom it is addressed, the contents of the texts, and their positive or negative character.
The Derveni papyrus is arguably the most extraordinary new text on Greek religion to emerge since the Renaissance. This carbonized book-roll, dating I believe from as early as 350 BC, was found in the remains of a funeral pyre at Derveni in Greece in January 1962; it is thus the oldest surviving European book. Its fi nal columns were brought out by S. G. Kapsomenos in 1964. However, K. Tsantsanoglou fi rst published its opening columns in 1997, announcing that there were 26 columns rather than 22 as has previously been thought, 2 and the editio princeps of the whole papyrus was produced by T. Kouremenos, G. M. Parássoglou and K. Tsantsanoglou in October 2006. 3 This latter edition included a set of photographs of all the fragments, a benefi t of inestimable value. It also revealed the surprising fact that a total of 113 pieces, some of them as large as a third of a column in width, were still unplaced. While waiting for the papyrus to be fully published, I had produced an interim text and a translation, based on the information that was then in the public domain. 4 The photographs in the editio princeps have now made it possible to apply to the reconstruction of this roll techniques which have been developed for putting together the dismembered volumina from Herculaneum. In the course of completing a review of the editors' publication, 5 I constructed a physical model of the entire volumen from the published images in order to test their results and to see if further progress could be made. This article presents the results. Our understanding of these columns is at an early stage, but progress can still be made.