Damaskios’ triadische Theorie des Einen im Hinblick auf ihre Divergenz gegenüber Iamblichos’ und Proklos’ Prinzipientheorien / Damascius\u27 Triadic Theory of the One regarding its Divergence from Iamblichus\u27 and Proclus\u27 Theories of Principles: Damascius\u27 Triadic Theory of the One Regarding Its Divergence from Iamblichus\u27 and Proclus\u27 Theories of Principles

The metaphysical model developed by Plotinus, the founder of Neoplatonism, is determined by the following three principles: the One, Nous, and Soul. Later, Neoplatonists tried to differentially explain the inner constitution of all three principles without abandoning the fundamental Plotinian tripartite structure. As a result, the telescoped metaphysical model characteristic of early Neoplatonism unfolded in late Neoplatonism. The primordial hypostases of Plotinus became three different spheres of reality, which go through the necessary inner evolution (in a supertemporal sense) and accordingly contain new principles or evolutionary stages. It was also the case with the One. The present paper aims to investigate the triadic constitution of the sphere of the One in Damascius, considered as the last Neoplatonist. This could be of interest in both contexts, i.e., the ancient Neoplatonic and the Christian. On the one hand, the question about the nature and orientation of the late Neoplatonic doctrine of principles requires particular attention, especially given that compared to the Proclean doctrine, Damascius’ doctrine receives less attention. On the other hand, Damascius’ theory of the undivided triadic unity of the three principles making up the sphere of the One, namely the One-all (ἓν πάντα), the All-one (πάντα ἕν), and the United (ἡνωμένον), reveals some interesting similarities to the Christian Trinitarian doctrine. In an argument with Iamblichus and Proclus, Damascius rejects the beyondness of the One to the triad of Limit (= Monas, Father/Existence), Unlimited (= Indefinite Dyad, Power), and Mixed (= Triad, Nous), identifies the One with the first triadic member, and repeatedly emphasizes the absence of number and division in the highest realm of reality. For him, the three members of the triad represent the three undivided moments of the original causal activity of the One in itself

The Locating of Paradise in Philostorgius’s Ecclesiastical History: Greek Science and Christian Geography

One of the important questions of Christian geography was the location of Paradise on the inhabited Earth. Among the various theories provided by Christian authorities, none is as sophisticated as that of Philostorgius. Philostorgius put forward the proposition that Paradise was located in the eastern part of the inhabited world, on the equator, with a demonstration that was largely based on the classical non-Christian paideia

König Pharasmanes I. als Bumberazi (ბუმბერაზი) bei Tacitus. Erwägungen zu kaukasisch-iberischer Heldenepik, Kulturtransfer, senatorischer Selbstdarstellung und römischer Historiographie: King Pharasmanes I as Bumberazi (ბუმბერაზი) in Tacitus. Considerations on Caucasian-Iberian Heroic Epic, Cultural Transfer in Edessa, Senatorial Self-Representation and Roman Historiography

The investigation starts with peculiarities in Tacitus\u27s depiction of a battle between the Iberians and Parthians. It shall be shown that this is ultimately based on contemporary Iberian heroic epic. Furthermore, it should be clarified how this local tradition can have found its way into senatorial historiography. A version that goes back to L. Vitellius, who acted as governor for Tiberius and Caligula, is identified as Tacitus\u27s template. Ultimately, Vitellius probably made use of a tradition that was passed on via Edessa. The aim is not to check the historicity of details. Rather, it should be analysed which motives influenced the oral and written tradition

Medea the Feminist and Medea the Other in Modern Georgian Receptions

The receptions of Medea depicting her as the Other and as a feminist appear to be the main trends of her interpretation since the start of the 20th century. The article studies the Georgian receptions of Medea the Other and Medea the feminist in the context of these interpretative trends developed in her Western reworkings; namely, it focuses on three artistic productions: Medea: A World Apart, produced in 1997 by Tumanishvili Film Actors Theatre and based on Olga Taxidou’s two plays; Nino Kharatishvili’s 2007 play Mine and Your Heart (Medeia); and Madi Beriashvili’s play 2013 Medea as Medea. The conclusions suggest useful insights concerning the similarities existing between Medea’s Western and Georgian interpretations as well as the novelties her Georgian receptions present

Dividing and Multiplying the Self in the Odyssey

In Odyssey 20.1-53 we encounter two deliberation scenes and two similes, Odysseus’ barking heart and Odysseus as a sizzling paunch. This paper has two objectives. First, it offers a new reading of the similes that probes their ramifications for their immediate and broader context: the barking heart in tandem with the first deliberation “divides” Odysseus and fore-shadows the killing of the maids, while the sizzling paunch together with the second deliberation and Athena’s intervention “multiplies” Odysseus and anticipates the suitors’ doom. Second, it explains the ordering of the two deliberations in a continuous narrative by locating in the first deliberation scene the temporal and thematic material of both scenes, as well as the main narrative stages of Odyssey 13-22

Pyrrhus’ Miraculous Toe

 Pyrrhus, the king of Epirus, was an extremely charismatic figure who was always striving to match the prestige of Achilles and of Alexander the Great. He thus established a cult of himself, and was also reputed to exercise thaumaturgical powers. In particular, there was a belief that Pyrrhus’ right big toe could cure diseases of the spleen. According to Plutarch, Pyrrhus exercised this power during his lifetime, and the big toe was preserved even after his death because of the miraculous powers attributed to it. The cult of Pyrrhus’ big toe was linked to the world of myth, in which healing heroes, such as Pyrrhus’ presumed ancestor Achilles, also appear. Although this striking aspect of the cult of Pyrrhus is perhaps the only case of a thaumaturgic kingship in Antiquity, it never led to a systematic royal ideology centred on the figure of Pyrrhus. This failure to develop Pyrrhus’ kingship into a programmatic “Hellenistic” kingship is, of course, due to the failure of Pyrrhus’ military plans in the Balkans, and to his abrupt death. Moreover, Pyrrhus never exploited Alexander’s legacy to legitimize his own existence as a charismatic king and as a living institution. Instead he focused on the legacy of the warring Alexander, since he wanted to appear unstoppable in his conquests, as Alexander had been

Where is Io Rushing to? Why and for What? On the Function of οἶστρος in Prometheus Bound

The article analyses the semantic field, the etymology and the function of οἶστρος in depth, including the psychic condition it causes, manifested by a sudden mind alteration, the abrupt urge to travel, jerking movements and rushing aimlessly about. Although οἶστρος does not act on its own, but instead as an executor, it nevertheless determines Io’s state in her adventure. Its touch is perceived to be a god’s punishment, but in fact, οἶστρος appears to be a tool enabling the fulfilment of a god’s intent. Through the intervention of οἶστρος Io becomes an unconscious seeker in quest of a place to “meet” Zeus. Being attuned to a god’s intent, understanding the impulse behind the action, and constantly moving forward are steps proposed by the tragedian towards restoring balance in one’s inner world when a person is permanently anxious, restless, and totally obsessed with seeking something. The psychic condition caused by οἶστρος is compared to the psychic epidemic, dromomania, that occurred in France at the end of the 19th century

Anatomical Ex-Votos as a Reflection of "Religious Romanization"? Reappraising a Central Italian Practice

This article seeks to provide a new analysis for the phenomenon of anatomical votive offerings in Central Italy. Traditionally, these items’ distribution was examined in relation to Roman colonization. Simply put, the extension of Rome’s power into Central Italy and the consequent establishment of colonial settlements were thought to be the foundational causes behind the popularity of these votives. This paper debunks such a view, examining the evidence in light of production, distribution and consumption. By doing so, the failures and unsuitability of Romanocentric explanations will become apparent: namely, Rome’s centrality played a limited role at all three aforementioned levels. What the evidence highlights, instead, is a more dynamic interplay among various Central Italian settlements, further emphasizing the importance of localized decision-making. The final result is the formation of a Central Italian koine in which these localized strands took part

The Cities of the Greek East after the First Mithridatic War. Aspects of Sulla’s Financial Policy

The military results of Sulla’s war against Mithridates were inconclusive. Appian overlooked this fact, probably because his narrative of this war very much relied on the memoirs of Sulla himself or on a source that emphasized Sulla’s point of view. For the same reason, Appian did not really stress the harsh effects of the fines that Sulla imposed on many cities of the Greek East after the war. On the other hand, the end of the First Mithridatic War did contribute to the establishment of good relations among the Romans and notables from the Greek East, as has recently been claimed. By analyzing these facts, this paper reconstructs the aftermath of the First Mithridatic War and thus contributes to the reflections on the interaction between Rome and the Greek East

Pygmalionismus. Über Narzissmus, Gender und Kunst

On the basis of Ovid’s story of Pygmalion in the tenth book of the Metamorphoses, the contribution at hand aims to demonstrate that the production of art cannot be traced back to a pure, ideal or august source: to a divine inspiration, for example, as postulated since Homer’s Iliad by the motif of the invocations of the muses; or to the autonomous creative subject of the modern aesthetics of the genius and aestheticism. Ovid, with his figure of the paradigmatic and tradition forming artist, illustrates that, on the contrary, art is based on something inferior and abject, namely on a narcissist misalliance of the artist towards his work, which, in the case of Pygmalion, grows into an incestuous structure of desire. Since Pygmalion’s narcissism is related to a, or rather his, simulacrum of the ideal woman, it is furthermore important to reconstruct the distortions pertaining to gender policies that can be connected to the creation of art