Journal Phasis - Greek and Roman Studies
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Motivations for the Beheading of John the Baptist in Byzantine and Old Georgian Writings
Get PDFThis paper discusses Georgian translations of the homilies on the beheading of John the Baptist as well as Georgian original writings, specifically, Ioane Bolneli’s and Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani’s sermons and teachings. All of them rely on the story of the Gospel (Mat., 14,3; Mark., 6, 26). There are five surviving Georgian versions of Byzantine homilies dealing with the beheading of John the Baptist. They were composed by Pseudo-Chrysostom (two texts), Andrew of Crete, Theodore of Studion and John Xiphillinus, and date from the 9th to the 16th centuries. The authors foreground different aims and motivations of Herod’s crime: the king’s reluctance to break the oath and offend Herodias before his fellow dinners; the king’s feigned sorrow and malignant joy fostered by his exasperation at John the Baptist’s recurrent statement: ‚It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife‛ (Mark., 17, 18); Herodias’ guilt of marrying her husband’s brother. The medieval fathers also point out that: women are the source of evil; one must not bind oneself by oath; Herod inherited sinfulness from his father, King Herod I, who massacred infants; one sin generates another; the king was driven by voluptuousness, as he was ‚possessed by bestial lust‛ that darkened his mind. In this paper, I only dwelt on Georgian translations of Byzantine homilies. However, it should be noted that the 7th-century Georgian homilist, Ioane Bolneli and a well-known 17th-18th-century Georgian clergyman and writer, Sulkhan Saba Orbeliani considers inebriety as the main cause for beheading John the Baptist
Mad Dance: From Bacchus to Rock
Get PDFBacchic dance, a remarkable element of ancient culture, held an important place in the Dionysiac cult from early times. It frequently attracted poets, artists, sculptors and even historians. Though the Bacchantes sank into oblivion over centuries, the practice of mad dance used to rebound in powerful bursts at different times and in different cultures. In this regard, in the paper, the attention was attracted by medieval Europe, occasionally inundated by strange mad dance, and by modern-day rock festivals. What happens in medieval Europe and in our contemporary world? What is the repercussion of the Bacchic dance in the 13th-17th and in the 20th-21st centuries? What do they look like? And what is the difference among these dances? There are the questions examined in the paper. The behavioural ‘symptoms’ of the Dionysian, as well as their triggers, have persisted over centuries. Whether in antiquity, in the Middle Ages or in the 20th-21st century, mad dance outbreaks are invariably associated with social frustration and spontaneity and occur as the awaking of something latent but constantly present in humans. The only difference lies in the intention of these mad behaviours: in ancient Greece, the Bacchic dance was seen as a path towards divine communion, in the Middle Ages it was a treatment against dance itself, while now it marks defiance and revolt against reality
On the Structure of Apologetic Works
Get PDFThe encounter of Greek culture and Christian faith was the most significant phenomenon at the beginning of the Christian era. The main aspects of apologetics – defense, polemics, propaganda – were not strange for either Hellenic or Judaic traditions. Indeed, some common themes can be singled out, of which three are the most important: anti-polytheistic and anti-idolatrous polemics – in respond to the accusation of atheism; rendition and praise of Christian moral and critique of pagan customs and traditions – in respond to incest and hatred towards mankind; in respond to the accusation of novelty – call for examples from antiquity. The responses of the apologists or the first Christian intellectuals to these accusations determine the structure, genre peculiarities, language, vocabulary, style and intonation of apologetic texts. The dialogue develops Christian theology and at the same time forms a new literary genre. It is logical to consider as classical apologetic texts (classics of the genre) those works (and authors) where the following structural model is preserved: Addressees (to sovereigns, pagan society, the Jews); Criticism of paganism (anti-polytheistic and anti-idolatrous polemics;) Jewish faith; Transference of the Christian faith
Lexicographical Studies Based on Euthymius the Athonite’s Translations of Gregory of Nazianzus’s 30th and 31st Orations and Gregory of Nyssa\u27s The Life of Moses
Get PDFThe present paper is an attempt to analyze the development of the Georgian theological terminology at its early-stage based on Euthymius the Athonite’s translations of two works pertaining to two different genres. Notably, our research will focus on the analysis of the interrelation between Greek Gnoseological terms and Euthymius’s corresponding versions based on Gregory of Nazianzus’s dogmatic writings – 30th and 31st Orations – and Gregory of Nyssa’s exegetical work entitled The Life of Moses. A comprehensive study of a particular translation involves an assessment of the original version in terms of the concepts and world-view it conveys, on the one hand, and a textual and philological analysis of the translated version, on the other, lexicological studies constituting one of the most important aspects of the latter. The early-stage translation of the above works into Georgian provides interesting material for observing the formation of the Georgian theological terminology as well as understanding the polysemy of relevant Greek terms
Temporal Adjectives in Ancient Greek
Get PDFThe concept of time is an important component of any individual’s picture of the world, as it is an absolute attribute of matter. The forming in the conscious of definite views of time and these views’ representation on the different levels of language on the different stage of its development depends on the kind and the way of perception, as well as on objective features of the language. In the works, devoted to the category of time, it is the semantic interaction of tense forms of the verb and the other means of time relation’s expressing that are more often analyzed. The question of differentiation of two language paradigms of ‚grammar tense‛ and ‚lexical time‛ is rather topical. The concept of time on the logical level was realized in different groups of lexemes, particularly in the system of adjectives. The features of adjectives according to their vocabulary, world-building structure and semantics are peculiar for every single language and reflect, in particular, the character of cognitive activity and fixation of its results by a human. Copious vocabulary of Ancient Greek contains valuable information about the way of world perception as a whole and time in peculiar. To understand such encoded information the deep analysis of lexeme from the point of view of their semantics, quantitative indexes, filling of single lexical-semantic groups and worldbuilding structures is necessary. Generalization of findings will allow understanding of what and how exactly was named by Ancient Greek speakers, in what quantity of elements important information of environment was fixed. The analysis of the semantic and world-building structure of temporal adjectives, studying of particular components of these structures in their correlation gives an opportunity to reconstruct the temporal picture of the world of Ancient Greeks, to identify its dominants and priorities
Pater Aeneas, errans et oboediens
Get PDFAeneas incorporates the images of Achilles and Odysseus. His destiny and character, however, distinguish him from both heroes. Achilles is a brave warrior of incomparable power fighting for honor; the purpose of his perilous voyage is to return home. Aeneas is a hero who is entrusted with a special mission and who leaves Burning Troy by the gods’ will in order to "return" to his new homeland. So, how does the shaping of Aeneas’s character take place after leaving Troy and how does this courageous warrior from a defender of his land turn into a hero implementing the gods’ will? Aeneas, who implements the divine will, yields to human desires prior to arriving in Latium although he understands that it is impossible to follow the will of the gods being preoccupied with human pleasures. He gradually disposes himself of the human weaknesses, forsaking his love in Carthage, relinquishing the desire to relish peaceful life (expressed in the construction of cities) on different islands, and parting with his intimate link with the past together with Anchises’s death. Thus, deprived of human weaknesses, he arrives in Italy. "The just, pious, and militarily skilled Aeneas" (I 544-545; VIII 235) becomes vigilant, perceptive of and obedient to the will of the gods. He is convinced that being the chosen man of the gods is an honorable but cumbersome task that requires forgoing personal pleasures. This realization must explain the absence of Aeneas’s joy for his victory at the end of the poem when he gives his son instructions to take lessons of gallantry and valor from his father but learn how to be happy from others
Από τον “Πολυθεϊσμό” στον “Μονοθεϊσμό” και στην κυριαρχία στου Κράτους
Get PDFThe presence of religion in Greek history was determined by both the ancient Greek political thought, and the modern policy options for the creation of the modern Greek state. The "polytheism" of the ancient Greeks and the religious freedom wasn\u27t only a personal choice, but it involved into a political commitment in established ceremonies for the cult of the city. On the other hand in modern Greece, the presence of the Christian "monotheism" strengthened its functional structures of the newly established Greek State in the name of an official "monotheistic" religion. This does not prevent the modern Greeks following this religion with the criterion of its adaptation to their specific impulses and needs. At the same time, they continued to see through this religion their politic and national identity, even its ancient Greek version
Greek State in the 19th Century Print Media
Get PDFThe 19th century Georgian print media present unique, so far unexamined materials and may be of remarkable interest for researchers thanks to the following: a.Georgian print journalism originated shortly after the European; b. It was distinguished by broad coverage, readability and relevance of issues covered; c. It provides interesting evidence for the history of journalism as well as for world history; d. It cites reputed foreign periodicals, thereby reflecting the perspectives of its contemporary international print media. This paper aims to reveal how and to what extent the 19th century Greece was reflected in the Georgian print media. The question deserves close attention as even against the marvelous millennial history, 19th century Greek political life attracts attention by its dynamic character: The Greek uprising and the liberation from a four hundred year yoke, the accompanying struggle for territories and the related processes, attempts to address problems, formation of a new national discourse, national self-identification and so on. It is interesting to find out how print media in Russian Tsarism-dominated Georgia responded to it, to what extent the Georgian reader was informed about the events unfolding on the territory of its historical partner and how the Georgian population evaluated these events, whether Georgian journalists were biased or objective and how they obtained material. No less important is to scrutinize the 19th century coverage of events from modern journalistic and historical perspectives