DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14697#0333
n68
Appendix N
of Absolute Beauty, timeless, changeless, formless,—the beatific vision which
shall
make amends
For all our toil while on the road.
Embracing this, he will at last beget no phantom forms of virtue, for it is no
phantom that he clasps, but virtues true to type, for he has the very truth. And
here he will live for ever as one that is indeed 'loved of God' and a sharer in
immortality. That is the hope of which Sokrates, persuaded himself, is fain to
persuade others also1. To summarise or paraphrase such a passage is, of course,
to ruin its effect, and is little short of blasphemy to boot. 1 can but call attention
to the one word theophiles, 'loved of God2.' Platon had it from the mystics.
And Theon of Smyrna (s. ii. A.D.) informs us that the initiate passed upwards
through five stages, viz. purification, the tradition of the rite, the eyewitnessing
of it, the binding and putting on of the garlands in order to communicate it to
others, and finally the resultant felicity of dwelling in the 'love of God'
(theofthiles) and sharing in the life divine3.
These beliefs formed a point of contact between paganism and Christianity.
The hero-feast is an antecedent of the celestial banquet, a favourite theme in the
art of the catacombs4. And if the Greeks looked forward to 'the good fare of
the blest5' in the bridal chamber of Hades or Persephone, John can say ' Blessed
are they which are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb0.' The conception,
cherished by the Church7, has inspired not a few modern mystics :
1 Plat. symp. 209 E—212 B. Faith, Hope, and Charity unite in this triumphant
climax.
2 The relevant words are: reicdvTi 5e dperrjv dXr/dfj /cat Qpeipapevcp virdpxec 6eo(piXel
yevecdai /cat etirep tcc aXXcp dvOpdnrwv, a8ava.ru) /cat eKelvip. On the later Platonic concep-
tion of ddavacria I have said my say in The Metaphysical Basis of Plato's Ethics Cambridge
1895 p. 96 ff. See also R. K. Gaye The Platonic Conception of Immortality and its
Connexion zvith the Theory of Ideas (Hare Prize Essay 1903) London 1904.
3 Theon Smyrn. mat hem. p. 14, 18 ff. Hiller /cat yap av tt]v <fiiko<jo<plav fxiirjaiv (pair/ rts
dv dXr/dovs reXerrjs /cat twv 6vtwv los dXrjdQs p.vo~TripLwv irapd5o<riv. p,vr)o~ews 8e p.iprj irevTe.
to p.ev Trpor/yovpevov KO.6app.6s' ovre yap diraai rots j3ovXop.ivoLS [xerovoia p.va't'qpiwv icrriv,
dXX' eialv ovs avrwv etpyeo~Bai wpoayopeveTai., olov tovs xetpas p.y} naOapas /cat (pwvriv d^vverov
'ixovras, /cat avrovs 5e tovs p-rj eipyopevovs dvdyxrj Kadappov tlvos TTporepov Tvxetv. p.erd 5e
7-771/ Kadapcriv devrepa eo~Tiv 7/ rrjs TeXerrjs napddoais' Tphrj Se < 7/ ins. C. A. Lobeck>
eirovop.a'£op.evri iiroTTTeia4 rerdpT-r] 5e, 8 5t? /cat TeXos tt}s eiroirTeias, dvddeais /cat are/j-pdrcov
eir'tOtais, ware /cat eripois, as rts rrapeXafie TeXerds, Trapadovvai Svvaadai, 5a5oi>xtas rvxovra
7) iepo<pavTias 77 tlvos aXKr/s lepcoo-vvr/s' ■wep.-KTi] de rj e| avriov Tcepi.yevop.ev7) /caret to 6eo<piXes
/cat deols avvdiaiTov ev5aip.ovia (so I. Bouillaud for evb'a.ifj.oviav cod. A.). See Lobeck
Aglaophamus i. 38 ff.
4 W. Lowrie Christian Art and Archeology New York 1901 pp. 221—223, L. von
Sybel Christliche Antike Marburg 1906 i. 181—209 (the best account), C. M. Kaufmann
Handbiuh der christlichen Archdologie Paderborn 1913 pp. 269—274, 358.
5 Aristoph. ran. 85 es p.andpwv euojxiav, cp. Plat. Phaid. 115 d. Notice the schol.
Aristoph. loc. cit. rj ibs 77-ept Tere\evT7]K6ros Xeyei, ibaavel elire ras p-aicdpcov vrjaovs' 77 6tc
'ApxeXdu Tip j3acrtXei p-exp1 TVS TeXevrrjs p.tTa dXXwv ttoXXQv o-vvrjv ev Ma/ceSop/a, /cat
/j.aKapwv evwxiav 'i<pr\ tt]v ev rots /SautXetots b~iaTpif3r)v. If Hades was known as 'Ayr/crlXaos,
IloXuapxos, and the like {supra p. 1113 n. o no. (2)), it is at least possible that he bore
the title Ap%eXaos. Aristophanes' sous-entendu would thus gain in point.
6 Rev. 19. 9 with the context.
7 A. Dieterich Eine Mithrasliturgie2 Leipzig and Berlin 1910 pp. 129—134.
Appendix N
of Absolute Beauty, timeless, changeless, formless,—the beatific vision which
shall
make amends
For all our toil while on the road.
Embracing this, he will at last beget no phantom forms of virtue, for it is no
phantom that he clasps, but virtues true to type, for he has the very truth. And
here he will live for ever as one that is indeed 'loved of God' and a sharer in
immortality. That is the hope of which Sokrates, persuaded himself, is fain to
persuade others also1. To summarise or paraphrase such a passage is, of course,
to ruin its effect, and is little short of blasphemy to boot. 1 can but call attention
to the one word theophiles, 'loved of God2.' Platon had it from the mystics.
And Theon of Smyrna (s. ii. A.D.) informs us that the initiate passed upwards
through five stages, viz. purification, the tradition of the rite, the eyewitnessing
of it, the binding and putting on of the garlands in order to communicate it to
others, and finally the resultant felicity of dwelling in the 'love of God'
(theofthiles) and sharing in the life divine3.
These beliefs formed a point of contact between paganism and Christianity.
The hero-feast is an antecedent of the celestial banquet, a favourite theme in the
art of the catacombs4. And if the Greeks looked forward to 'the good fare of
the blest5' in the bridal chamber of Hades or Persephone, John can say ' Blessed
are they which are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb0.' The conception,
cherished by the Church7, has inspired not a few modern mystics :
1 Plat. symp. 209 E—212 B. Faith, Hope, and Charity unite in this triumphant
climax.
2 The relevant words are: reicdvTi 5e dperrjv dXr/dfj /cat Qpeipapevcp virdpxec 6eo(piXel
yevecdai /cat etirep tcc aXXcp dvOpdnrwv, a8ava.ru) /cat eKelvip. On the later Platonic concep-
tion of ddavacria I have said my say in The Metaphysical Basis of Plato's Ethics Cambridge
1895 p. 96 ff. See also R. K. Gaye The Platonic Conception of Immortality and its
Connexion zvith the Theory of Ideas (Hare Prize Essay 1903) London 1904.
3 Theon Smyrn. mat hem. p. 14, 18 ff. Hiller /cat yap av tt]v <fiiko<jo<plav fxiirjaiv (pair/ rts
dv dXr/dovs reXerrjs /cat twv 6vtwv los dXrjdQs p.vo~TripLwv irapd5o<riv. p,vr)o~ews 8e p.iprj irevTe.
to p.ev Trpor/yovpevov KO.6app.6s' ovre yap diraai rots j3ovXop.ivoLS [xerovoia p.va't'qpiwv icrriv,
dXX' eialv ovs avrwv etpyeo~Bai wpoayopeveTai., olov tovs xetpas p.y} naOapas /cat (pwvriv d^vverov
'ixovras, /cat avrovs 5e tovs p-rj eipyopevovs dvdyxrj Kadappov tlvos TTporepov Tvxetv. p.erd 5e
7-771/ Kadapcriv devrepa eo~Tiv 7/ rrjs TeXerrjs napddoais' Tphrj Se < 7/ ins. C. A. Lobeck>
eirovop.a'£op.evri iiroTTTeia4 rerdpT-r] 5e, 8 5t? /cat TeXos tt}s eiroirTeias, dvddeais /cat are/j-pdrcov
eir'tOtais, ware /cat eripois, as rts rrapeXafie TeXerds, Trapadovvai Svvaadai, 5a5oi>xtas rvxovra
7) iepo<pavTias 77 tlvos aXKr/s lepcoo-vvr/s' ■wep.-KTi] de rj e| avriov Tcepi.yevop.ev7) /caret to 6eo<piXes
/cat deols avvdiaiTov ev5aip.ovia (so I. Bouillaud for evb'a.ifj.oviav cod. A.). See Lobeck
Aglaophamus i. 38 ff.
4 W. Lowrie Christian Art and Archeology New York 1901 pp. 221—223, L. von
Sybel Christliche Antike Marburg 1906 i. 181—209 (the best account), C. M. Kaufmann
Handbiuh der christlichen Archdologie Paderborn 1913 pp. 269—274, 358.
5 Aristoph. ran. 85 es p.andpwv euojxiav, cp. Plat. Phaid. 115 d. Notice the schol.
Aristoph. loc. cit. rj ibs 77-ept Tere\evT7]K6ros Xeyei, ibaavel elire ras p-aicdpcov vrjaovs' 77 6tc
'ApxeXdu Tip j3acrtXei p-exp1 TVS TeXevrrjs p.tTa dXXwv ttoXXQv o-vvrjv ev Ma/ceSop/a, /cat
/j.aKapwv evwxiav 'i<pr\ tt]v ev rots /SautXetots b~iaTpif3r)v. If Hades was known as 'Ayr/crlXaos,
IloXuapxos, and the like {supra p. 1113 n. o no. (2)), it is at least possible that he bore
the title Ap%eXaos. Aristophanes' sous-entendu would thus gain in point.
6 Rev. 19. 9 with the context.
7 A. Dieterich Eine Mithrasliturgie2 Leipzig and Berlin 1910 pp. 129—134.