Freethought & Rationalism Archive

GakuseiDon · 07-06-2005, 03:52 AM

On the concept of Middle-Platonism and a timeless world, when did the writers of Paul's time believe the gods lived?

I found this by Tacitus:
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/...y/tacitus.html

Quote:

Some say that the Jews were fugitives from the island of Crete, who settled on the nearest coast of Africa about the time when Saturn was driven from his throne by the power of Jupiter. Evidence of this is sought in the name. There is a famous mountain in Crete called Ida; the neighboring tribe, the Idaei, came to be called Judaei by a barbarous lengthening of the national name. Others assert that in the reign of Isis the overflowing population of Egypt, led by Hierosolymus and Judas, discharged itself into the neighboring countries.

Is there any evidence that the writers of the time didn't place their gods in a historical setting in the past?

andrewcriddle · 07-07-2005, 10:36 AM

You might find Veyne's 'Did the Greeks believe their myths ?' helpful.

Drastically simplifying, Veyne would say that the Greeks did generally place their myths in a past historical setting, but usually one disconnected from the normal everyday past.

(One should distinguish what one means by myths here. The Greeks appear to have believed in a quite literal historical Trojan war for example, but although the abduction of Persephone by Hades is also put in a past historical setting it was not typically seen as continuous with the normal everyday past in the way that the Trojan war was perceived.)

Andrew Criddle

GakuseiDon · 07-08-2005, 08:19 PM

Thanks for the reference, Andrew, it's sounds like what I'm after.

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07-07-2005, 10:36 AM	#2
andrewcriddle Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Birmingham UK Posts: 4,876	You might find Veyne's 'Did the Greeks believe their myths ?' helpful. Drastically simplifying, Veyne would say that the Greeks did generally place their myths in a past historical setting, but usually one disconnected from the normal everyday past. (One should distinguish what one means by myths here. The Greeks appear to have believed in a quite literal historical Trojan war for example, but although the abduction of Persephone by Hades is also put in a past historical setting it was not typically seen as continuous with the normal everyday past in the way that the Trojan war was perceived.) Andrew Criddle

07-08-2005, 08:19 PM	#3
GakuseiDon Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Australia Posts: 5,714	Thanks for the reference, Andrew, it's sounds like what I'm after.

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