DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14697#0043
The Mountain-cults of Zeus 889
Hypsistos, however, was obviously susceptible of a less material interpreta-
tion. Accordingly, in Hellenistic times, the name of Zeus Hypsistos became
attached to the supreme deity of more than one non-Hellenic area. In Syria it
meant Bctal-samin. In Samaria it meant Jehovah. Further denationalised, but
still recognisable by his eagle (Athens, Thyateira, Mytilene, Tanais), the Thebs
Hypsistos—often called Hypsistos and nothing more—was worshipped through-
out the Greek-speaking world in early imperial days. The propagation of his
cult was due, partly perhaps to a general trend towards monotheism, but mainly
to definite Jewish influence. The Jews of the Dispersion, accustomed to use the
term Hypsistos of their own august Godhead, carried it with them into Gentile
lands, where they formed small and—truth to tell—somewhat accommodating
circles of worshippers (Moesia, Bosporos Kimmerios, Kappadokia). Here and
there they continued to light their ceremonial lamps (Pisidia, Lydia) ; but they
could hardly be described as whole-hearted devotees of the Mosaic law. Thus
Gecj /cct#' eKdarrju r\p.epav, Ioseph. ant. Iud. 16. 6. 2 dpxLepeios Qeov 'T\}/i<TTov, Celsus ap.
Orig. c. Cels. I. 24 pLerd raOra (pr\o~lv 6tl ol aiwoXoL Kal iroLpLeves %va evb/xiaav Oebv, eire
"T\pio~Tov elr ' A8uval elr OvpdvLOv etre 2a/3aw#, elre Kal orrrj Kal owus xa'LPovaLV bvop.d^ovres
rovde tov k6it/j.ov, 5. 41 ovSev ovv otfxai bLaepepeLv Aia"T\piaTov KaXeiv i) Tiijva rj ' ASuvaiov fj
2a/3aw# 17 'A/uovv, us Alyinrrioi, i) HaTrcuov, us 1<Kv8ai, 45 KeXcros oierai p.r/8ev 8ia<pipei.v Ala
'"TtpWTOv KaXeXv 7} Zrjva rj 'ASuvaiov r] 2a/3aw# rj, us AiyviTTLOL, 'ApLovv fj, us "ZKvOaL, IlaTratoj',
Lyd. de mens. 4. 53 p. 110, 4 ff. Wiinsch koX 'lovXiavbs 8e 6 {3acri\evs, ore wpbs Uipaas
icTTparevero, ypdcpuv 'lovSaioLS ovtu (prjalv ' dveyelpu yap fxera Trdcrr/s irpodvp-ias tov vabv tov
'TxpLarov Beou,' A. Dieterich 'Papyrus magica musei Lugdunensis Batavi' in the Jahrb.f.
class. Philol. Suppl. 1888 xvi. 797 verse 23 ff. /car' e-KLTa\yr)v tov'TiJ/lo-tov Qeov Taw 'Abuuat
afi[Xa]vadavaX(Ba (cp. A. Audollent Defixionwn tabellae Luteciae Parisiorum 1904
p. 500 f.), I cri> p Trepi^xuv ras xa/Hras [ [e]v rrj Kopv(pri XapLwpy, C. Wessely Griechische
Zauberpapyrus von Paris mid London Wien 1888 p. 47 pap. Par. 1068 KaXbv Kal lepbv
<pus rov'TxpLixTov Qeov, ib. p. 104 Brit. Mus. pap. 46. 45 ff. =F. G. Kenyon Greek Papyri
in the British Museum London 1893 i. 66 no. 46, 44 ff. Kal 8LaTrjpr\trbv p.e Kal tov Tralba \
tovtov awripAvTovs iv bvbuaTi \ tov 'Txpicrrov Qeov, oracl. Sib. 2. 245 Geffcken rj%ei Kal
Mwcttjs 6 fxeyas <pl\os 'T\pLoToio. Aisch. frag. 464. 12 Nauck2 ap. lust. Mart, de monarch.
2 Sbi^a 8' 'TxpivTov Qeov (8' om. Clem. Al. strom. 5. 14 p. 415, 15 Stahlin = Euseb. pracp.
ev. 13. 13. 60) is a Jewish forgery.
(33) Aigyptos. The Jews of Athribis (Bencha) in Lower Egypt dedicated a house of
prayer to the Qebs"T\pLffTos (S- Reinach in the Bull. Corr. Hell. 1889 xiii. 178 ff. no. 1,
cp. id. Chroniques d''Orient Paris 1891 p. 579, Dittenberger Orient. Gr. inscr. sel. no. 96
vTvep fiao-iXius UroXepLaLov (sc. Ptolemy v Epiphanes (205 —181 B.C.) or Ptolemy vi Philo-
metor (181 —146 B.C.)) | Kal (3ao~LXio~o-rjs KXeoiraTpas J UroXe/xaLOS ' EttlkvSov \ b eTriaTaTrjs
ruv cpvXaKLTuv I Kal ol ev 'A6pi(3ei 'IovSa?ot | tt)v Trpoaevxrjv \ Qeut 'Txpiffrui). A woman of
Alexandreia invokes his aid (Bulletin de PInstitut Egyptien 1872—1873 no. 12 p. ii6f.
cited by E. Schiirer in the Sitzungsber. d. Akad. d. IViss. Berlin 1897 p. 213 and by
J. G. C. Anderson—F. Cumont—H. Gregoire Recueil des Inscriptions grecques et latines
du Pont et de VArminie (Studia Pontica iii) Bruxelles 1910 i. 17 Qeu 'T\[/io-ru Kal wdvruv
FiTrb7TTr] Kal 'HXlu Kal Ne/mecreai a'ipei 'ApcreLvbr) aupos tcls xetpas" fj (= ei) tls avTy (pdpp.aKa
e-Troi-qae rj Kal eirexaP£ tls avrrjs tuj davdru rj eirixo-pel, p-treXdere avTovs. For the raised
hands cp. supra no. (19) Rheneia).
(34) Africa. At Hadrumetum in Byzacium several curse-tablets invoke the Deus
Pelagicus Aerius Altissimus'ldu (A. Audollent Defixionum tabellae Luteciae Parisiorum
1904 p. 403 ff. no. 290 ff., e.g. no. 293, B adiuro te demon | quicunque es et de|mando tibi
ex hanc | die ex hanc ora ex oc | momento ut crucieltur; adiuro te per eum | qui te
resolvit ex vite | temporibus deum pela'gicum aerium altissimu[m] | law ol ov tataa
twtwe j 0 opLvu arjia \ Lynceus (sc. the name of the horse to be cursed)). Altissimus="YipLcr-
tos (F. Cumont in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc. ix. 449).
Hypsistos, however, was obviously susceptible of a less material interpreta-
tion. Accordingly, in Hellenistic times, the name of Zeus Hypsistos became
attached to the supreme deity of more than one non-Hellenic area. In Syria it
meant Bctal-samin. In Samaria it meant Jehovah. Further denationalised, but
still recognisable by his eagle (Athens, Thyateira, Mytilene, Tanais), the Thebs
Hypsistos—often called Hypsistos and nothing more—was worshipped through-
out the Greek-speaking world in early imperial days. The propagation of his
cult was due, partly perhaps to a general trend towards monotheism, but mainly
to definite Jewish influence. The Jews of the Dispersion, accustomed to use the
term Hypsistos of their own august Godhead, carried it with them into Gentile
lands, where they formed small and—truth to tell—somewhat accommodating
circles of worshippers (Moesia, Bosporos Kimmerios, Kappadokia). Here and
there they continued to light their ceremonial lamps (Pisidia, Lydia) ; but they
could hardly be described as whole-hearted devotees of the Mosaic law. Thus
Gecj /cct#' eKdarrju r\p.epav, Ioseph. ant. Iud. 16. 6. 2 dpxLepeios Qeov 'T\}/i<TTov, Celsus ap.
Orig. c. Cels. I. 24 pLerd raOra (pr\o~lv 6tl ol aiwoXoL Kal iroLpLeves %va evb/xiaav Oebv, eire
"T\pio~Tov elr ' A8uval elr OvpdvLOv etre 2a/3aw#, elre Kal orrrj Kal owus xa'LPovaLV bvop.d^ovres
rovde tov k6it/j.ov, 5. 41 ovSev ovv otfxai bLaepepeLv Aia"T\piaTov KaXeiv i) Tiijva rj ' ASuvaiov fj
2a/3aw# 17 'A/uovv, us Alyinrrioi, i) HaTrcuov, us 1<Kv8ai, 45 KeXcros oierai p.r/8ev 8ia<pipei.v Ala
'"TtpWTOv KaXeXv 7} Zrjva rj 'ASuvaiov r] 2a/3aw# rj, us AiyviTTLOL, 'ApLovv fj, us "ZKvOaL, IlaTratoj',
Lyd. de mens. 4. 53 p. 110, 4 ff. Wiinsch koX 'lovXiavbs 8e 6 {3acri\evs, ore wpbs Uipaas
icTTparevero, ypdcpuv 'lovSaioLS ovtu (prjalv ' dveyelpu yap fxera Trdcrr/s irpodvp-ias tov vabv tov
'TxpLarov Beou,' A. Dieterich 'Papyrus magica musei Lugdunensis Batavi' in the Jahrb.f.
class. Philol. Suppl. 1888 xvi. 797 verse 23 ff. /car' e-KLTa\yr)v tov'TiJ/lo-tov Qeov Taw 'Abuuat
afi[Xa]vadavaX(Ba (cp. A. Audollent Defixionwn tabellae Luteciae Parisiorum 1904
p. 500 f.), I cri> p Trepi^xuv ras xa/Hras [ [e]v rrj Kopv(pri XapLwpy, C. Wessely Griechische
Zauberpapyrus von Paris mid London Wien 1888 p. 47 pap. Par. 1068 KaXbv Kal lepbv
<pus rov'TxpLixTov Qeov, ib. p. 104 Brit. Mus. pap. 46. 45 ff. =F. G. Kenyon Greek Papyri
in the British Museum London 1893 i. 66 no. 46, 44 ff. Kal 8LaTrjpr\trbv p.e Kal tov Tralba \
tovtov awripAvTovs iv bvbuaTi \ tov 'Txpicrrov Qeov, oracl. Sib. 2. 245 Geffcken rj%ei Kal
Mwcttjs 6 fxeyas <pl\os 'T\pLoToio. Aisch. frag. 464. 12 Nauck2 ap. lust. Mart, de monarch.
2 Sbi^a 8' 'TxpivTov Qeov (8' om. Clem. Al. strom. 5. 14 p. 415, 15 Stahlin = Euseb. pracp.
ev. 13. 13. 60) is a Jewish forgery.
(33) Aigyptos. The Jews of Athribis (Bencha) in Lower Egypt dedicated a house of
prayer to the Qebs"T\pLffTos (S- Reinach in the Bull. Corr. Hell. 1889 xiii. 178 ff. no. 1,
cp. id. Chroniques d''Orient Paris 1891 p. 579, Dittenberger Orient. Gr. inscr. sel. no. 96
vTvep fiao-iXius UroXepLaLov (sc. Ptolemy v Epiphanes (205 —181 B.C.) or Ptolemy vi Philo-
metor (181 —146 B.C.)) | Kal (3ao~LXio~o-rjs KXeoiraTpas J UroXe/xaLOS ' EttlkvSov \ b eTriaTaTrjs
ruv cpvXaKLTuv I Kal ol ev 'A6pi(3ei 'IovSa?ot | tt)v Trpoaevxrjv \ Qeut 'Txpiffrui). A woman of
Alexandreia invokes his aid (Bulletin de PInstitut Egyptien 1872—1873 no. 12 p. ii6f.
cited by E. Schiirer in the Sitzungsber. d. Akad. d. IViss. Berlin 1897 p. 213 and by
J. G. C. Anderson—F. Cumont—H. Gregoire Recueil des Inscriptions grecques et latines
du Pont et de VArminie (Studia Pontica iii) Bruxelles 1910 i. 17 Qeu 'T\[/io-ru Kal wdvruv
FiTrb7TTr] Kal 'HXlu Kal Ne/mecreai a'ipei 'ApcreLvbr) aupos tcls xetpas" fj (= ei) tls avTy (pdpp.aKa
e-Troi-qae rj Kal eirexaP£ tls avrrjs tuj davdru rj eirixo-pel, p-treXdere avTovs. For the raised
hands cp. supra no. (19) Rheneia).
(34) Africa. At Hadrumetum in Byzacium several curse-tablets invoke the Deus
Pelagicus Aerius Altissimus'ldu (A. Audollent Defixionum tabellae Luteciae Parisiorum
1904 p. 403 ff. no. 290 ff., e.g. no. 293, B adiuro te demon | quicunque es et de|mando tibi
ex hanc | die ex hanc ora ex oc | momento ut crucieltur; adiuro te per eum | qui te
resolvit ex vite | temporibus deum pela'gicum aerium altissimu[m] | law ol ov tataa
twtwe j 0 opLvu arjia \ Lynceus (sc. the name of the horse to be cursed)). Altissimus="YipLcr-
tos (F. Cumont in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc. ix. 449).