The "Sacred history" of Euhemerus of Messene [[electronic resource] /] / Marek Winiarczyk ; translated from Polish by Witold Zbirohowski-Kościa

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910809777303321
• Autore: Winiarczyk Marek
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Berlin, : De Gruyter, 2013
• ISBN: 3-11-029488-5
• Edizione: [1st ed.]
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (296 p.)
• Collana: Beiträge zur Altertumskunde ; ; 312
• Altri autori (Persone): Zbirohowski-KościaWitold
• Disciplina: 883/.01
• Soggetti: LITERARY CRITICISM / Ancient & Classical
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Description based upon print version of record.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
• Nota di contenuto: Front matter -- Preface -- Contents -- Abbreviations -- I. The life of Euhemerus -- II. Euhemerus’ Ἱερὰ Ἀναγραφή -- III. The theological views of Euhemerus of Messene -- IV. Society and economy in the Ἱερὰ Ἀναγραφή -- V. The Zeus Sanctuary on the Island of Panchaea -- VI. An attempt to interpret the Ἱερὰ Ἀναγραφή -- VII. Ennius’ Euhemerus sive sacra historia -- VIII. Euhemerism in the ancient world -- IX. Conclusions -- Appendix I: Homines pro diis culti -- Appendix II: Deos homines fuisse -- Appendix III: The tombs of the gods -- Bibliography -- Indexes
• Sommario/riassunto: In his utopian novel Hiera Anagraphe (Sacred History) Euhemerus of Messene (ca. 300 B.C.) describes his travel to the island Panchaia in the Indian Ocean where he discovered an inscribed stele in the temple of Zeus Triphylius. It turned out that the Olympian gods (Uranos, Kronos, Zeus) were deified kings. The travels of Zeus allowed to describe peoples and places all over the world. Winiarczyk investigates the sources of the theological views of Euhemerus. He proves that Euhemerus’ religious views were rooted in old Greek tradition (the worship of heroes, gods as founders of their own cult, tombs of gods, euergetism, rationalistic interpretation of myths, the explanations of the origin of religion by the sophists, the ruler cult). The description of the Panchaian society is intended to suggest an archaic and closed culture, in which the stele recording res gestae of the deified kings might have been preserved. The translation of Ennius’ Euhemerus sive Sacra historia (ca. 200 - ca. 194) is a free prose rendering, which ; Lactantius knew only indirectly. The book is concluded by a short history of Euhemerism in the pagan, Christian and Jewish literature.