The Use of the Figure and the Myth of Asclepius in the Greek anti-pagan Controversy
In this article we analyse how the figure and the myth of Asclepius were used in the controversy against the “pagans” and their divinities by Christian apologetics – specifically, the First Apology of Justin, the Legatio of Athenagoras, the Exhortation to the Greeks of Clement of Alexandria and the...
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| Μορφή: | Online |
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Centre for the Study of Myth and Religion in Greek and Roman Antiquity
2020
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| Διαθέσιμο Online: | https://pasithee.library.upatras.gr/electra/article/view/3534 |
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oai:ojs.pasithee.library.upatras.gr:article-35342021-10-10T01:00:14Z The Use of the Figure and the Myth of Asclepius in the Greek anti-pagan Controversy Spampinato, Gaetano Asclepius, Justin martyr, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Contra Celsum, euhemerism In this article we analyse how the figure and the myth of Asclepius were used in the controversy against the “pagans” and their divinities by Christian apologetics – specifically, the First Apology of Justin, the Legatio of Athenagoras, the Exhortation to the Greeks of Clement of Alexandria and the Contra Celsum of Origen. Asclepius, in fact, as well as other (semi)divine figures – Heracles, the Dioscuri, Dionysus –, presents some characteristics that, in the eyes of pagan polemicists like Celsus, make him similar to Christ: the fact of being the son of a god, the resurrection or divinization after death, the saving and healing activity. The will of the apologists is therefore to “unmask” the lying nature of Asclepius, and to show, by contrast, what are the true powers and the nature of Christ. To do so, these authors adopts two perspectives, that are not mutually exclusive: Asclepius as a demon who tried to imitate the life and actions of Christ; Asclepius as a man, divinised after death for his healing activities (euhemerism). Moreover, the apologists, in their polemical work, use, in addition to the Scriptures, the same “instruments” of the adversaries to show how their own works presented Asclepius as a negative, evil, and sometimes ridiculous figure: poets, like Pindar and Euripides, but also historians, such as Herodotus. The use of these works – naturally, an instrumental use – appears to be, in the eyes of the apologists, particularly efficacious for their polemical purposes, because it allows to attack the divine figure remaining “on the same level” of the adversaries, revealing all the immoralities and the ambiguities of Asclepius. Centre for the Study of Myth and Religion in Greek and Roman Antiquity 2020-12-16 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://pasithee.library.upatras.gr/electra/article/view/3534 10.26220/ele.3534 Electra; No 5 (2020): Asclepius (Figure, Therapies, Cult); 79-101 Electra; No 5 (2020): Asclepius (Figure, Therapies, Cult); 79-101 1792-605X 1792-605X eng https://pasithee.library.upatras.gr/electra/article/view/3534/3618 Copyright (c) 2020 Electra |
| institution |
UPatras |
| collection |
Pasithee |
| language |
English |
| topic |
Medicine, Plants, Vegetables, Fruits, Disease, Magic, Religion Greek mythology Greek mythology Oresteia, Agamemnon, Clytemnestra disbelief, iamata, epigraphic evidence, literary evidence, divine punishment, incubation Greek mythology Greek mythology Iphigénie, Iphigénie en Tauride, sacrifice, protéleia, prémices Asclepius, Justin martyr, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Contra Celsum, euhemerism Hercules; Steve Moore; comics myth;counterfeit;origami; repetition Agamemnon, hero, Kassandra, Amyklai, Zeus Asclepius, testimonials, medical treatment, Aristides Heracles’ private life; Love; Family; Man /woman; Mythic parallels greek mythology Agamemnon, history, rhetoric, politics Ηρακλής; Γέλα; Ακράγας; Ρόδος; Κρήτη Snake, ambiguity, health in antiquity, healing cult, symbolism, ancient medicine, snake imagery, manipulation Greek mythology |
| spellingShingle |
Medicine, Plants, Vegetables, Fruits, Disease, Magic, Religion Greek mythology Greek mythology Oresteia, Agamemnon, Clytemnestra disbelief, iamata, epigraphic evidence, literary evidence, divine punishment, incubation Greek mythology Greek mythology Iphigénie, Iphigénie en Tauride, sacrifice, protéleia, prémices Asclepius, Justin martyr, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Contra Celsum, euhemerism Hercules; Steve Moore; comics myth;counterfeit;origami; repetition Agamemnon, hero, Kassandra, Amyklai, Zeus Asclepius, testimonials, medical treatment, Aristides Heracles’ private life; Love; Family; Man /woman; Mythic parallels greek mythology Agamemnon, history, rhetoric, politics Ηρακλής; Γέλα; Ακράγας; Ρόδος; Κρήτη Snake, ambiguity, health in antiquity, healing cult, symbolism, ancient medicine, snake imagery, manipulation Greek mythology Spampinato, Gaetano The Use of the Figure and the Myth of Asclepius in the Greek anti-pagan Controversy |
| topic_facet |
Medicine, Plants, Vegetables, Fruits, Disease, Magic, Religion Greek mythology Greek mythology Oresteia, Agamemnon, Clytemnestra disbelief, iamata, epigraphic evidence, literary evidence, divine punishment, incubation Greek mythology Greek mythology Iphigénie, Iphigénie en Tauride, sacrifice, protéleia, prémices Asclepius, Justin martyr, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Contra Celsum, euhemerism Hercules; Steve Moore; comics myth;counterfeit;origami; repetition Agamemnon, hero, Kassandra, Amyklai, Zeus Asclepius, testimonials, medical treatment, Aristides Heracles’ private life; Love; Family; Man /woman; Mythic parallels greek mythology Agamemnon, history, rhetoric, politics Ηρακλής; Γέλα; Ακράγας; Ρόδος; Κρήτη Snake, ambiguity, health in antiquity, healing cult, symbolism, ancient medicine, snake imagery, manipulation Greek mythology |
| format |
Online |
| author |
Spampinato, Gaetano |
| author_facet |
Spampinato, Gaetano |
| author_sort |
Spampinato, Gaetano |
| title |
The Use of the Figure and the Myth of Asclepius in the Greek anti-pagan Controversy |
| title_short |
The Use of the Figure and the Myth of Asclepius in the Greek anti-pagan Controversy |
| title_full |
The Use of the Figure and the Myth of Asclepius in the Greek anti-pagan Controversy |
| title_fullStr |
The Use of the Figure and the Myth of Asclepius in the Greek anti-pagan Controversy |
| title_full_unstemmed |
The Use of the Figure and the Myth of Asclepius in the Greek anti-pagan Controversy |
| title_sort |
use of the figure and the myth of asclepius in the greek anti-pagan controversy |
| description |
In this article we analyse how the figure and the myth of Asclepius were used in the controversy against the “pagans” and their divinities by Christian apologetics – specifically, the First Apology of Justin, the Legatio of Athenagoras, the Exhortation to the Greeks of Clement of Alexandria and the Contra Celsum of Origen. Asclepius, in fact, as well as other (semi)divine figures – Heracles, the Dioscuri, Dionysus –, presents some characteristics that, in the eyes of pagan polemicists like Celsus, make him similar to Christ: the fact of being the son of a god, the resurrection or divinization after death, the saving and healing activity. The will of the apologists is therefore to “unmask” the lying nature of Asclepius, and to show, by contrast, what are the true powers and the nature of Christ. To do so, these authors adopts two perspectives, that are not mutually exclusive: Asclepius as a demon who tried to imitate the life and actions of Christ; Asclepius as a man, divinised after death for his healing activities (euhemerism). Moreover, the apologists, in their polemical work, use, in addition to the Scriptures, the same “instruments” of the adversaries to show how their own works presented Asclepius as a negative, evil, and sometimes ridiculous figure: poets, like Pindar and Euripides, but also historians, such as Herodotus. The use of these works – naturally, an instrumental use – appears to be, in the eyes of the apologists, particularly efficacious for their polemical purposes, because it allows to attack the divine figure remaining “on the same level” of the adversaries, revealing all the immoralities and the ambiguities of Asclepius. |
| publisher |
Centre for the Study of Myth and Religion in Greek and Roman Antiquity |
| publishDate |
2020 |
| url |
https://pasithee.library.upatras.gr/electra/article/view/3534 |
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AT spampinatogaetano theuseofthefigureandthemythofasclepiusinthegreekantipagancontroversy AT spampinatogaetano useofthefigureandthemythofasclepiusinthegreekantipagancontroversy |
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1771298468046831616 |
