The Concept of Evil in the Chaldean Oracles, Rev. Roum. Philosophie, 63, 1, p. 87–99, Bucureşti, 2019 (original) (raw)
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Theurgy: Cosmology, Theology, and the role of Eros in The Chaldean Oracles
Theurgy (god work) is the practical mysticism of the Neo-platonists. It is practical because it is based upon the idea that a complex ritual practice and purification takes precedence over philosophical or theological understanding with respect to the salvation of the soul. The most important central texts of the Neo-Platonists were the Timaeus of Plato and an obscure and fragmentary text known as The Chaldean Oracles. Theologically, it is Hecate that takes precedence as the most ubiquitous of the gods in the oracles. But the entity of Eros plays important roles in the cosmology, theology, and ritual practice of theurgy, being an allencompassing cosmic force that leaps forth from god. Despite this fact, Majerkic asserts that it is unclear from the extant oracles to what extent Eros functioned as a true god in the Chaldean system. 1 What she must mean by this is to what extent he was honored with ritual activity, statuary, and all of the trappings of cult. In any event, the importance of Eros cannot be overlooked, as the Chaldean Oracles lay out for Eros a role that is crucial in the creation, maintenance, and regulation of the universe, and the most fundamental power in the salvation of the human soul, which was the central purpose of the practice of theurgy. The Chaldean Oracles are a collection of esoteric verses written in hexameter that were said to be handed down by the gods (θεοπαράδοτα) to a certain Julian the Chaldean and his son, Julian the Theurgist, sometime late in the second century CE. The designation of "Chaldean" assigned to Julian the father is generally understood to refer to his affinity with sacred knowledge of the east, but it is equally likely that Chaldea, or possibly Syria, was his homeland prior to immigrating to Rome after the campaigns of Trajan. 2 In any case, the term "Chaldean" came to have the special meaning in antiquity of one who is adept in magic, and Julian the father has been described as both χαλδα ος and φιλόσοφος, meaning both a magician and a philosopher, ῖ as opposed to simply a philosopher from Chaldea. 3 But the authorship of the oracles is attributed to Julian the son, who has other works on theurgy and magic attributed to him. 4 The Oracles were likely written by means of a theurgic technique of "calling" and "receiving," wherein Julian the son acted as the medium through which the father extracted the verses from the soul of Plato and/or certain divinities. Whether the verses were written strictly through this mediumship, or older texts were collected and added to by the Juliani, it is clear that subsequent additions have been made. Nevertheless, the Neo-Platonists of antiquity held the oracles to be authoritative revelatory material equal only to Plato's Timaeus, which is why Cumont has called them "the bible of the Neo-Platonists. 5
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This first volume of The History of Evil covers Graeco-Roman, Indian, Near Eastern, and Eastern philosophy and religion from 2000 BCE to 450 CE. This book charts the foundations of the history of evil among the major philosophical traditions and world religions, beginning with the oldest recorded traditions: the Vedas and Upaniṣads, Confucianism and Daoism, and Buddhism, and continuing through Graeco-Roman and Judaeo-Christian schools of thought. This cutting-edge treatment of the history of evil at its crucial and determinative inception will appeal to those with particular interests in the ancient period and early theories and ideas of evil and good, as well as those seeking an understanding of how later philosophical and religious developments were conditioned and shaped.
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In monistic metaphysics like that of Dionysius, in which the absolute One/Good is conceived as the sole principle, "evil" (κακόν/kakon) does not seem to fit in. Hence, there have been numerous attempts to locate evil within the Dionysian ontology. To research it is obvious that evil cannot be an ontological category at all. Rather, it is a purely ethical concept that points to the existential philosophical orientation of Dionysian thought. Dionysius emphasizes our own responsibility: we as human beings are the reason for the realization of evil. But how does the Good as the sole principle fit into this scheme? If the Good is nothing other than omnipotence, how can the genesis of evil be explained? In this paper, I wish to demonstrate that Dionysius answers these questions through a concept adapted from Proclus: the concept of πρόνοια.
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This essay aims to bring out the differences between the approaches to the problem of evil in antiquity and our time. By design, the essay sketches out a picture of a large-scale transformation. Any painting with broad brushstrokes is bound to dissatisfy at the level of details. As someone who appreciates fine-grained historical contextualization of complex theological ideas—of the kind afforded by other papers at this symposium—I would be the first to acknowledge that the task of providing a master narrative is a very precarious affair. Admittedly, master narratives are not a popular sport nowadays. For some (presently audience excluded), such narratives are inherently " oppressive. " In other words, master narratives are a part of the problem of evil rather than its solution, and as such should be consigned to deconstruction. While such demolition work might in some cases be necessary, a dirge for all master narratives is not merely premature, but inevitably self-defeating. Aside from the general skepticism about the master narratives, one might doubt whether any narrative that assumes a shift in premodern and modern sensibilities is on the right track. I think that the transition needs to be handled with care and that this question cannot be answered in the abstract. The argument of this PAGE 4
The Concept of Evil in the Anthropology of Origen and Basil the Great
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In the writings of the early Fathers, especially the apologists, the questions of theodicy were highlighted sphere of theological reflection, given the fact that evil as a phenomenon in the world was one of the elements that non-Christian or heretical writers willingly included in their critiques and disputes of the Christian concept of God. From a simplified point of view, there seemed to be an objective logical incompatibility, on the one hand of the notion of a good and omnipotent God, the Creator of everything, and, on the other hand, of the evil that accompanies creation. The principled effort of non-Christian writers was to attribute the notion of evil to the Christian notion of God and thus show the Christian ontology, then still in its infancy, as contradictory. Certainly, the issue of evil in the world was not the only topic of controversy among these writers. Evangelical events, and most of all the birth, suffering and resurrection of the Lord, were the target of analytical, but often ill-intentioned re-examination by pagan philosophers. Perhaps the broadest catalogue of these controversial questions can be reconstructed based on Celsus' critique of Christianity, of which we gain insight from Origen's answer to Celsus 1. On the basis of Origen's
Attempts to answer to this question usually fall into three broad categories: evil does not exist, and it is only subjective perception that makes something good or bad; evil does exist, but God is not the cause of it (this approach can lead to a dualistic approach of having two gods); or evil exists and God is the cause of it. First this paper, will discuss the viewpoints of three pre-Augustinian philosophical traditions, namely, Platonic (Plato), Neo Platonic (Plotinus), and Manichean. These will provide us a background to Augustine's philosophy. Next, the paper will show how Augustine baptizes the philosophy of his predecessors and enriches the Christian heritage with Greco-Roman heritage. Plato Plato was the student of Socrates and one of the fathers of classical philosophy. He lived during the 5 th and 4 th century B.C.E. He was born in Athens, Greece, and was the founder of the first philosophical school in the western world, called the Academy.