Studies In Hellenistic Religions

This selection of essays by Luther Martin brings together studies from throughout his career—both early as well as more recent—in the various areas of Graeco-Roman religions, including mystery cults, Judaism, Christianity, and Gnosticism. It is hoped that these studies, which represent spatial, communal, and cognitive approaches to the study of ancient religions might be of interest to those concerned with the structures and dynamics of religions past in general, as well as to scholars who might, with more recent historical research, confirm, evaluate, extend, or refute the hypotheses offered here, for that is the way scholars work and by which scholarship proceeds.

Preliminary material /M. J. Vermaseren -- THE HELLENISTIC CONCEPT OF THE ENVIOUSNESS OF FATE /G. J. D. Aalders H. Wzn -- THE LEGEND OF CYBELE'S ARRIVAL IN ROME /JAN BREMMER -- THE CISTA MYSTICA IN THE CULT AND MYSTERIES OF ISIS /M. S. H. G. HEERMA VAN VOSS -- DER SCHATTEN IM HELLENISTISCHEN VOLKSGLAUBEN /P. W. VAN DER HORST -- BOTPYC BOHCEI. The Age of Kronos and the Millennium in Papias of Hierapolis /H. J. DE JONGE -- THE REALITY OF THE INVISIBLE. Some Remarks on St John XIV 8 and Greek Philosophic Tradition /TH. KORTEWEG -- JERUSALEM, WOHNSITZ DER WEISHEIT /J. C. H. LEBRAM -- PROVIDENCE AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE UNIVERSE IN EARLY STOIC THOUGHT. With Some Remarks on the “Mysteries of Philosophy” /J. MANSFELD -- THE INTERPRETATIO JUDAICA OF SARAPIS /GERARD MUSSIES -- ILLNESS AND SIN, FORGIVING AND HEALING. The Connection of Medical Treatment and Religious Beliefs in Ben Sira 38, 1-15 /SIJBOLT NOORDA -- THE CULT OF THE IBIS IN THE GRAECO-ROMAN PERIOD. With Special Attention to the Data from the Papyri /K. A. D. SMELIK -- FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS AND THE MYSTERIES /W. C. VAN UNNIK -- SOME REMARKS ON THE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF MONICA, MOTHER OF SAINT AUGUSTINE /CORNELIA W. WOLFSKEEL.

The origin of this dossier of studies is a symposium, held in April 1984 by the Institute for the History of Religions at the University of Copenhagen, on the occasion of Professor Ugo Bianchi's visit. The intention to publish the symposium ripened during the rest of 1984, and to the original presentations were added the contribution by Per Bilde on Roman Mithraism and the editor's Attis or Osiris'.

Preliminary material /R. Van Den Broek and M. J. Vermaseren -- LIST OF PROFESSOR QUISPEL'S PUBLICATIONS /R. Van Den Broek and M. J. Vermaseren -- TRACES OF AN ALEXANDRIAN ORPHIC THEOGONY IN THE PSEUDO-CLEMENTINES /J. VAN AMERSFOORT -- THE RELIGIO-HISTORICAL RELEVANCE OF LK 20:34-36 /UGO BIANCHI -- THE CREATION OF ADAM'S PSYCHIC BODY IN THE APOCRYPHON OF JOHN /R. VAN DEN BROEK -- DAĒNĀ, LICHTJUNGFRAU, ZWEITE GESTALT /CARSTEN COLPE -- THE ANGELS OF THE NATIONS AND THE ORIGINS OF GNOSTIC DUALISM /IOAN P. CULIANU -- GNOSTISCHE SPUREN BEI PLUTARCH /H. DÖRRIE -- ODES OF SOLOMON AND PSALMS OF MANI /H. J. W. DRIJVERS -- ELEMENTS GNOSTIQUES DANS L'ŒUVRE DE MACROBE /JACQUES FLAMANT -- SAMARITAN DEMIURGICAL TRADITIONS AND THE ALLEGED DOVE CULT OF THE SAMARITANS /JARL FOSSUM -- CHARGES OF “IMMORALITY” AGAINST VARIOUS RELIGIOUS GROUPS IN ANTIQUITY /ROBERT M. GRANT -- THE PROBLEM OF THE ANTI-GNOSTIC POLEMIC IN RABBINIC LITERATURE /ITHAMAR GRUENWALD -- LES SÉMITISMES DANS L'ÉVANGILE SELON THOMAS ESSAI DE CLASSEMENT /ANTOINE GUILLAUMONT -- POINTES ANTIGNOSTIQUES D'ORIGÈNE: LE QUESTIONNEMENT IMPIE DES ÉCRITURES /MARGUERITE HARL -- AN ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF THE STORY OF THE FLOOD IN THE APOCALYPSE OF ADAM /A. F. J. KLIJN -- LE LIVRE D'ADAM GEORGIEN /JEAN-PIERRE MAHÉ -- BAD WORLD AND DEMIURGE: A 'GNOSTIC' MOTIF FROM PARMENIDES AND EMPEDOCLES TO LUCRETIUS AND PHILO /JAAP MANSFELD -- CATALOGUES OF SINS AND VIRTUES PERSONIFIED (NHC 11,5) /GERARD MUSSIES -- JEWISH ELEMENTS IN CORPUS HERMETICUM I (POIMANDRES) /BIRGER A. PEARSON -- HELLENISTIC MAGIC: SOME QUESTIONS OF DEFINITION /ALAN F. SEGAL -- INTERPRETAZIONI GNOSTICHE E MISTERIOSOFICHE DEL MITO DI ATTIS /GIULIA SFAMENI GASPARRO -- ABERAMENTHŌ /MICHEL TARDIEU -- L'ICONOGRAPHIE D'ATTIS MOURANT /MAARTEN J. VERMASEREN -- UNE ANAPHORE INCOMPLÈTE? /H.A.J. WEGMAN -- GNOSIS AND THE MYSTERIES /R. MeL. WILSON -- “TERRA AUTEMSTUPIDA QUADAM ERAT ADMIRATIONE” /J.C.M. VAN WINDEN -- JEWISH GNOSTICISM? /EDWIN M. YAMAUCHI -- “THE TEACHINGS OF SILVANUS” (NHC VII,4) AND JEWISH CHRISTIANITY /J. ZANDEE -- INDEX OF SOURCES /Roel B. Van Den Broek and M. J. Vermaseren -- INDEX OF NAMES AND SUBJECTS /Roel B. Van Den Broek and M. J. Vermaseren.

The unifying theme of this volume of collected essays is the interrelation between Hellenic culture, Judaism and Christianity. A key focus is the different genres of historiography of the Hellenistic world, from the rationalistic historiography of Polybius through the 'creative' history of Manetho to the very special genre of the book of Acts. Another focus lies on some current challenging issues-Hellenism and Judaism, Hellenistic Sparta, the Essenes, Hellenistic utopias, Roman imperialism in the East, Hellenistic kingship, political and socio-economic relations in Greece, Hellenistic Egypt, and Hellenistic and Christian mission. This book makes an important contribution to the issue of the identities of Greeks, Jews and Christians in the Hellenistic age.

Articles in this volume, orginally presented at the 1998 Symposium Hellenisticum in Lille, discuss theological questions that were central to the doctrines of the dominant schools in the Hellenistic age, such as the existence of the gods, their nature, and their concern for humankind.