Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Potoooooooo · 04-02-2010, 06:29 PM

http://www.forteantimes.com/features...y_to_hell.html
Is one of Berlin's most prized antiquities - the Pergamon Altar - actually Satan's throne on Earth?

Toto · 04-02-2010, 07:28 PM

This is about the only part relevant to this forum:

Quote:

The Altar’s notoriety in Christian circles stems from the aforementioned possible reference in the Book of Revelation 2:12–13:

And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Dr Volker Kästner is a leading archæo*logist specialising in the city of Pergamon. He has worked at the Pergamon Museum since 1982 and has been heavily involved in its continuing restoration. For him, the idea that Pergamon is “where Satan’s seat is” can be explained: “Pergamon was seen by Byzantine sources as a particularly pagan place where unchristian cults thrived, and with some imagination the Altar could resemble a throne. Secondly, the Altar’s frieze encompasses many sculpted snakes, which since Antiquity have been viewed as a symbol connected to the underworld, representing something inhuman – but it’s all speculation.”

mountainman · 04-02-2010, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toto

Quote:

..... the Altar’s frieze encompasses many sculpted snakes, which since Antiquity have been viewed as a symbol connected to the underworld, representing something inhuman – but it’s all speculation.”

Not much speculation is required to consider that the Snakes traditionally belong to Asclepius.
Pergamon was an ancient and highly revered center for Asclepius.
It received special "attention" when Constantine became "The Boss".

The Christian Soldiers of Constantine secured the major temples and libraries related to the "Snake Motifed" Asclepius, the Graeco-Roman divinity and knowledge of healing - son of Apollo. It boasted a library only rivalled by Alexandria and it was the focus of "medical knowledge". Between the years of 324 and 325 CE this Hellenist cuture - architecture and traditions were destroyed by the Roman emperor who published the Bible.

Pergamon: City of Science ... and Satan?

Quote:

During the second century A.D., Pergamon’s fame as a center of healing and medical science eclipsed its reputation for anything else. Its most celebrated citizen during this period was the physician Galen, whose work and research was largely responsible for providing the foundation from which modern western medicine was to spring. The asclepion at Pergamon was one of the most famous in the ancient world, and this ancient version of a medical spa attracted pilgrims from all over the Mediterranean region who came seeking the restorative powers of its thermal waters and medical treatments for various ailments and injuries.

Given the fact that the city represented the epitome of Hellenistic culture, traditions and religion in both its pursuits and its very architecture, it is perhaps not surprising that early Christians viewed it as a bastion of all that was anathematic to Christian beliefs.

04-02-2010, 06:29 PM	#1
Potoooooooo Contributor Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: USA Posts: 13,541	Gateway to Hell http://www.forteantimes.com/features...y_to_hell.html Is one of Berlin's most prized antiquities - the Pergamon Altar - actually Satan's throne on Earth?

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