11 research outputs found
Porter la couronne dâun dieu : titre civique, charge religieuse, pouvoir ou fardeau ?
Lâarticle Ă©tudie les implications de lâĂ©ponymie dans les domaines religieux et politique en examinant lâidentitĂ© et le contexte des officiels Ă©ponymes. Le point central est le titre de stĂ©phanĂ©phore, qui nâest pas seulement lâun des quarante titres Ă©ponymes connus, mais qui mĂ©rite une attention particuliĂšre dans le cadre de lâĂ©ponymie. On remarque que, dans bon nombre de citĂ©s, cette charge imposait ses caractĂ©ristiques Ă ceux qui lâassumaient quels que soient leur titre ou leur fonction de dĂ©part. Ces caractĂ©ristiques Ă©taient de nature religieuse et elles Ă©taient essentielles pour la « chorĂ©graphie » religieuse et, dĂšs lors, pour lâidentitĂ© religieuse dâune polis particuliĂšre. Ătant donnĂ© que le profil des officiels Ă©ponymes (au moins Ă la pĂ©riode hellĂ©nistique) nâĂ©tait pas dessinĂ© par le titre qui sâattachait originellement Ă eux, une distinction entre officiels Ă©ponymes « sĂ©culiers » ou « religieux » nâa aucun sens. Au contraire, dans beaucoup de citĂ©s dâAsie Mineure, le titre de stĂ©phanĂ©phore â accepter et porter la couronne dâune divinitĂ© particuliĂšre â reflĂšte la rĂ©elle importance de la charge qui Ă©tait comparable Ă , modelĂ©e sur, et souvent combinĂ©e Ă la prĂȘtrise.âBearing a Godâs Crownâ : civic title, religious office, power or burden ? Thearticle examines the implications of eponymity within the realms of religion and politics by looking at the identity and context of eponymous officials. The focus is on the title âstephanephorosâ, which is not just one among 40 different eponymous titles but deserves particular attention in the context of eponymity. It is argued that in many cities this office imposed its features on its bearers regardless of what their original title or function was. These features were religious in nature, and they were essential for the choreography of religion and hence for the religious identity of any given polis. As the profiles of eponymous officials (at least in the Hellenistic period) were thus not shaped by a title originally attached to them, a distinction between âsecularâ or âreligiousâ eponymous officials is meaningless. Moreover, in many cities in Asia Minor the title âstephanephorosâ â accepting and bearing the crown of one particular deity â reflects the actual emphasis of the office, which was comparable, modeled upon and often combined with priesthood
The fine line of feminine priesthood
J. Connellyâs Portrait of a Priestess, âthe first comprehensive cultural history of priestesses in the ancient Greek worldâ (jacket-copy), is a long awaited book on a much neglected topic. Surprisingly, the character and idiosyncrasies of Greek priesthoods, male and female, have not been explored in any general study that would make use of both the textual and visual evidence at hand. As is the case so often, classical scholars working in their specific fields do not look left and right: thos..
The fine line of feminine priesthood
J. Connellyâs Portrait of a Priestess, âthe first comprehensive cultural history of priestesses in the ancient Greek worldâ (jacket-copy), is a long awaited book on a much neglected topic. Surprisingly, the character and idiosyncrasies of Greek priesthoods, male and female, have not been explored in any general study that would make use of both the textual and visual evidence at hand. As is the case so often, classical scholars working in their specific fields do not look left and right: thos..
Benefitting Benefactors: Greek Priests and Euergetism
Beate Dignas, Benefitting Benefactors : Greek Priests and Euergetism.
It is commonly accepted that Greek priesthoods were costly for their holders and that Greek priests were required to act as 'benefactors'. In consequence, only the civic elite competed for office, and its members used it as a stage for their generous activities. However, the fact that our sources frequently emphasize the financial burden of priesthood may result precisely from the fact that Greek priests as much as other members of the elite liked to present themselves as benefactors. The paper argues that priests were beneficiaries as much as Reciprocity was part of euergetism, and benefactors expected the counter-benefaction by way of 'honours' and public memory, which complemented and perpetuated each other. Rather than focusing on the actual rewards of priestly benefactors, this paper explores how priesthood featured in this reciprocal process. A number of examples illustrate that priesthood often followed benefaction, not the other way around. If we associate Greek priests with euergetism, we have to say that euergetism could entitle to priesthood, not that holding a priest-hood itself required the means of a benefactor.On pense souvent que les prĂȘtrises grecques coĂ»taient cher Ă ceux qui les exerçaient et que les prĂȘtres se devaient d'agir en « bienfaiteurs ». Par consĂ©quent, seule l'Ă©lite des citĂ©s Ă©tait candidate Ă ces charges, et les notables les utilisaient comme vitrines de leur gĂ©nĂ©rositĂ©. Toutefois, le fait mĂȘme qu'on insiste souvent dans nos sources sur le fardeau Ă©conomique des prĂȘtrises rĂ©sulte peut-ĂȘtre justement du fait que les prĂȘtres, tout comme les autres notables, aimaient Ă se prĂ©senter comme des bienfaiteurs. Or, la rĂ©ciprocitĂ© est une constituante de l'Ă©vergĂ©tisme, et les bienfaiteurs attendaient un retour de leur gĂ©nĂ©rositĂ© sous la forme et de mĂ©moire publique, qui se complĂ©taient et visaient Ă la perpĂ©tuation. PlutĂŽt que de s'attarder sur les bĂ©nĂ©fices concrets des bienfaiteurs prĂȘtres, l'Ă©tude considĂšre la façon dont les prĂȘtrises s'inscrivaient dans ce processus de rĂ©ciprocitĂ©. Un certain nombre d'exemples montrent que la prĂȘtrise Ă©tait postĂ©rieure Ă des bienfaits, plutĂŽt que l'inverse. Lorsque l'on souhaite Ă©tudier ensemble prĂȘtrise et Ă©vergĂ©tisme, il faut dire que l'Ă©vergĂ©tisme pouvait mener Ă une prĂȘtrise, et non considĂ©rer qu'exercer une prĂȘtrise nĂ©cessitait en soi des moyens d'Ă©vergĂšte.Dignas Beate. Benefitting Benefactors: Greek Priests and Euergetism. In: L'antiquitĂ© classique, Tome 75, 2006. pp. 71-84