From my diary

Posted on by Roger Pearse

Up early and to the laptop to work on QuickGreek, my tool for working with ancient Greek.  It really has suffered from being worked on in bits and pieces.  Moving bits of code around to simplify things, so I can build on top of it.

While doing so, downloading more of the RealEncyclopadie in PDF form from the web.  The download site places obstacles in your way.  For each PDF you have to click on a link, then “request a download ticket” (just an excuse for another click), wait while the advertising downloads, then click on “Download”, then wait as IE blocks the download, then click on the “if it didn’t download click here”.  If you download more than one or two, it adds an extra step and demands you type in a “captcha”.  All very wasteful of time and energy, but the RE is worth it, even in so many, many PDF’s.  How else would someone like me ever even see a copy?

Rainy and dull and cool, which is all to the good.  If the sun was shining I’d feel morally obliged to go out and do something summery.  But as it is, the pressure is off!

UPDATE:  One of the nicest days I’ve had for a long time, in fact.  I spent most of the day working on QuickGreek, untangling some code that had given me pain for years.  It is strange, tho, how long it all takes!  Also I got my upgrade to Office 2010 downloaded and installed, and I finished getting hold of the RE at long last.  I didn’t really post online much — my alternative to working! — but I stuck to the job.  I also went out early and got a haircut, which mysteriously made me feel more cheerful as well — I don’t know why.  Did all the hippies take drugs to get away from the fact that they all felt so unkempt?!?  I walked down to Sainsburys at lunchtime to get a baked potato and a scone and some very necessary diet coke, or liquid caffeine as I think of it.  There’s always a queue, but somehow I timed it right and didn’t have to wait long. It rained on and off all day, just a cool, quiet, grey, and comfortable day. 

Today was one of the good ones, in other words.  As ever, tomorrow is Sunday and the PC goes into the cupboard in a few moments.  First to run my backup software!

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Greek and Latin books at Google

Posted on by Roger Pearse

An extremely useful list (thanks to George Kiraz):

http://www.google.com/googlebooks/ancient-greek-and-latin.html

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From my diary

Posted on by Roger Pearse

I’ve pulled QuickGreek out of the drawer and I’ve been working on it again. 

It’s always hard to remember where I was with the code.  Software development is definitely NOT something best undertaken in short bursts with weeks in between.

This time I’m trying to include some matching for Greek words by stripping off the accents.  Quite a lot of words are unique, even without an accent.  It should improve the hit rate.

Reading about software is tedious.  My apologies!

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The manuscripts of Socrates Scholasticus

Posted on by Roger Pearse

I have Gunther Christian Hansen’s evidently excellent new critical text in the Berlin GCS series of Socrates Scholasticus before me.  So I have placed online a summary of what he says about the extant manuscripts of that work, plus their translations into Armenian, Syriac, etc.  The notes are here.

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Translation of Chrysostom “In Kalendas” has arrived

Posted on by Roger Pearse

The translation that I commissioned of John Chrysostom’s sermon In Kalendas, on the kalends of January — i.e. on New Year — has arrived and looks good.  It will be released into the public domain and placed online this evening.

There may be a bit of a hiatus with various projects over the summer.  I imagine that translators will want to get a break — to run barefoot in the meadows and bathe in the mountain streams, frisking with … with whatever is frisking at this season.  I find my own urge to sit before a keyboard is diminishing too!

UPDATE (June 19th).  After writing which, I promptly forgot all about it!  Oops!

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Working on QuickAccents and other things

Posted on by Roger Pearse

A few years ago I wrote a little tool called QuickAccents.  What it did was add the correct accents to a Greek word as you typed it, using the accentuation in the New Testament.  Hardly anyone ever bought a copy, and it languished until I finally withdrew it a year back.

Over the weekend I had an email from one of the few, asking me if it would run on Windows 7.  The answer was that it would not.  But in response to pleas, I located the source and tried to port it to the current version of Visual Studio.

I wasn’t very hopeful, but the port more or less worked.  Well, Microsoft to Microsoft… it ought to!  But certainly earlier versions did not.  So I have the new version.  This I will package up, and the gentleman will be able to run it.

In those days I tended to list the date in the files.  I notice, ruefully, that I wrote QuickAccents in 2002.  It didn’t seem so long ago… And where did the time go?

I’ve been feeling really incredibly tired over the last couple of days, with lots of headaches and toothache in the upper jaw.  I started to feel better last night, and suddenly realised that it must have been a virus!  The virus gets into the sinuses, and thus the other symptoms.  I mention this only in case others are afflicted, and have not realised what is happening.

Last night I started to look at the preface to Hansen’s edition of the Church History of Socrates Scholasticus.  We’re so accustomed to having this in English that it was a shock to learn that no German translation had ever been made!  Interestingly there is evidence that a complete Syriac version exists.

If the virus will let up, I will digest down the manuscript tradition and place it online.

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How do we get people to photograph stuff overseas?

Posted on by Roger Pearse

Under the church of Santa Prisca in Rome is a crypt which was once a Mithraeum.  It was excavated in the 1960’s by Martin Vermaseren and G. Van Essen, and contains some striking frescos. 

But it is probably best known for a series of inscriptions which I think are scratched in plaster.  One of these, in particular, is a favourite of the “Mithras=Jesus” headbangers, because it contains the word “And you have saved us by the shedding of the eternal blood”.  At least… it might do.

Last week someone raised the question of whether the inscription in the Santa Prisca Mithraeum in Rome really does refer to nos servasti — “you have saved us” — or not.  Apparently there is some doubt in the scholarly literature.

The obvious thing to do is to get some photographs.  But how? 

I find that you can visit the Mithraeum, but only as part of a guided tour.  I do not think that would probably make photography possible.

But there must be people who can do this.  People based in Italy, firms of photographers, people with the contacts to get access, who could do this — for money.

Does anyone have any ideas?

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Update on Philip of Side

Posted on by Roger Pearse

The project to translate all the remaining or supposed fragments of Philip of Side’s 24-book Christian History is going well.  Regular readers will remain that the fragments were classified into seven groups.  Nos 1, 2, 5 and 6 are done, and 7 is in progress.  The translator is doing is very good job, and the results are pretty spectacular, and will be definitive, I think.  I still find myself amazed that no-one has done this earlier.

We’re also going to include the testimonia, since these are few.  The critical edition of Socrates Scholasticus Church History arrived at my local library today, and I have copied the relevant pages and will send them across.  How we get the Photius text I’m not sure, tho.

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The Hilaria and the resurrection of Attis

Posted on by Roger Pearse

I read somewhere that the festival of the Hilaria in Rome on March 25th marked the celebration in the cult of Cybele of the resurrection of Attis. This evening I consulted a PDF of the relevant volume of the old Realencyclopadie, which stated the following:

Hilaria. Ἱλάρια war der Name verschiedener in der griechischen Welt (z. B. in Kreta) gefeierten Feste, welche auch bei glücklichen Ereignissen, wie der Thronbesteigung eines Prinzen, offiziell befohlen wurden: Niemand durfte an diesen Tagen Trauerkleider tragen und nach verschiedenen Dankopfern gaben sich alle der Freude hin (Dionys. Areop. Epist. 8 § 6, P. G. III 604, mit Maximi scholia, P. G. IV 420). Auch in dem Isiskult gab es einen Hilarientag am 3. November (Philocalus, CIL I2 p. 334). Aber in Rom wurden besonders mit diesem Namen die H. der Magna mater bezeichnet, die am 25. März begangen wurden (CIL 12 p. 313). In Kleinasien (z. B. in Hierapolis, Damascius Vit. Isid. bei Phot. bibl. 345 a Bekker) wie in Rom waren sie eines der Hauptfeste des Jahres (Hist. aug. Alex. Sever. 37, 6; Aurel. 1). Mit Kränzen geschmückt (Sallust. phil. de diis 4) versammelten sich Gäste zu fröhlichen Mahlen, und es fand eine große Prozession statt, wo neben feierlichen Speerträgern (αἰχμοφόροι, hastiferi, vgl. Hepding a. a. O.) auch lustige Masken erschienen, die allerlei Spässe spielten (Herodian. 110, 5). Der religiöse Hintergrund dieses antiken Karnevals war nicht nur ein altes Frühlingsfest, das nach der Nachtgleiche, quo primum tempore Sol diem longiorem nocte protendit, die Wiederbelebung der Natur ankündigte oder hervorrief (Macrob. Sat. I 21, 11. Iulian. or. V 168 D. 169D. 175 A: vgl. Frazer Adonis, Attis, Osiris 1907), sondern die H. standen auch in der engsten Verbindung mit dem Attismythos. Der Gott, dessen Tod man beweint hatte (s. Attis o. Bd. II S. 2250), war an diesem Tage auferstanden, was als ein Versprechen einer glücklichen Unsterblichkeit für seine Mysten betrachtet wurde (Damascius a. a. O.: Ὅπερ ἐδήλου τὴν Ἅιδου γε-γονυῖαν ἡμῖν σωτηρίαν). Marquardt-Wissowa St.-V. III2 872. Hepding Attis 1908, 167ff. 197. 215. [Cumont.]

Hilariana basilica der dendrophori matris deum magnae Ideae et Attis, benannt nach ihrem Gründer M’. Publicius Hilarus (Inschrift des 2. Jhdts. n. Chr.; CIL VI 30973. Vgl. Gatti Not. degli scavi 1889, 398 und Hülsen Röm. Mitt. VI 1891, 109f), lag im Bereiche der ehemaligen Villa Casali (jetzt Militärhospital) am Caelius nördlich von S. Stefano Rotondo. Die Reste einer Treppenanlage und des Vorraumes mit Mosaik und Inschrift intrantibus hic deos propitios et basilicae Hilarianae (vgl. C. L. Visconti Bull. com. 1890 Tav. I. II) fanden sich 1889. Vgl. auch Not. degli scavi 1890, 79. 113 und Bull. com. 1889, 483. 1890, 18ff. 78. [Gall ]

I have translated this as follows, although a couple of words don’t make sense:

Hilaria. Ἱλάρια was the name of different festivals celebrated in the Greek world (e.g. in Crete), which were officially ordered also at happy events such as the accession of a prince: No one was allowed to wear mourning clothes on these days and after various peace offerings, all gave themselves up to rejoicing (Dionys. Areop. Epist. 8 § 6, P. G. III 604, with the scholia of Maximus, P. G. IV 420). Also in the cult of Isis, there was a Hilaria day on 3 November (Philocalus, CIL I2 p. 334).

But in Rome this name was used mainly for the H. of the Magna Mater, which took place on 25 March (CIL 12 p. 313). In Asia Minor (e.g. in Hierapolis, Damascius Vit. Isid. in Phot. bibl. 345 a Bekker), as in Rome, they were one of the principal feasts of the year (Hist. aug. Alex. Sever. 37, 6; Aurel. 1). Wearing wreaths (Sallust. phil. de diis 4), guests gathered for happy grinding [Mahlen?], and there was a large procession, where in addition to ceremonial spear carriers (αἰχμοφόροι, hastiferi, see Hepding above) also comedy masks appeared, playing all kinds of jokes (Herodian. 110, 5).

The religious background of this ancient carnival was not only an ancient spring festival, which after the equinoxes, quo primum tempore Sol diem longiorem nocte protendit, announced the revival of nature or caused (Macrob. Sat. I 21, 11. Iulian. or. V 168 D. 169D. 175 A: see Frazer, Adonis, Attis, Osiris, 1907), but the H. were also in the closest connection with the Attis-mythos.

The god, whose death had been mourned (see Attis above, II p. 2250), was resurrected on that day, which was regarded as a promise of a happy immortality for his mystic [ Mysten?] (Damascius above): Ὅπερ ἐδήλου τὴν Ἅιδου γεγονυῖαν ἡμῖν σωτηρίαν). Marquardt-Wissowa St.-V. III2 872. Hepding Attis 1908, 167ff. 197. 215. [Cumont.]

This is an interesting article. However I have become wary of comments of this sort by Cumont. Too often his remarks are an extravagant extrapolation from some tiny piece of data.

So… it’s time to verify the references. This I will start to do. At least there are references!

UPDATE: I’ve also been looking at the Attis article in the RE, also by Cumont. This discusses the very divergent forms of the Attis myth, and then adds:

Eine stark abweichende euhemeristische Umbildung der Legende findet man bei Diodor (III 58. 59) und ausserdem bei Firmicus Maternus (de err. pr. relig. 3), der ausdrücklich sagt, dass A. nach seinem Tode auferstanden sei — ein Zug, der nirgends so klar ausgesprochen wird (vgl. doch Plut. de Is. et Osir. 69), obwohl das Frühlingsfest des Gottes ihn voraussetzt.

A highly divergent euhemeteristic transformation of the legend is found in Diodorus (III 58. 59.) and also at Firmicus Maternus (de err. pr. relig. 3), which expressly says that A. was resurrected after his death – an idea that is nowhere expressed so clearly (but see Plut. de Osir. et Is. 69), although the spring festival of the god presupposes it.

A further note reads:

Ganz bekleidet, trauernd, das Kinn auf die Hand gestützt, gewöhnlich auf Grabdenkmälern (die Auferstehung des A. wurde wohl als eine Versprechung der Unsterblichkeit angesehen, vgl. CIL III 6384).

In clothed, mourning, his chin resting on his hand, usually on grave monuments (the resurrection of A. have been regarded as a promise of immortality, see CIL III 6384).

And that, it seems, is all that Cumont has on the resurrection of Attis. We have just a single reference, in Firmicus Maternus. There is a reference to a monument which I will investigate.

Can it be, is it possible that the idea that the Roman celebration of the Hilaria celebrates the resurrection of Attis is just speculation?

Certainly it was associated with the Magna Mater. But… where in the ancient texts is the connection to Attis? Where is the detail that he is resurrected on that day?

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Mister, do my homework for me, huh?

Posted on by Roger Pearse

This morning I received an email, sent through the feedback form on the Tertullian Project website, from someone calling himself “Dan”, sent from an AOL address.  It was untitled, and the entire text was as follows:

What does Tertullian identify as the cause of heresy?

How does Tertullian respond to the quoting of “Seek and Ye Shall Find?”

What is the conclusion of Tertullian’s argument?

What is his prescription against heretics?

The message lacks something,  spiritually.  It lacks a “Dear Mr. Pearse”, and a “Please would you tell me”.  It lacks a “Thank you for your valuable time”.  It lacks, indeed, any personal content at all. 

Somehow I didn’t feel that I ought to give an answer to these “questions”!

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