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Cook, Arthur B.
Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 3,1): Zeus god of the dark sky (earthquake, clouds, wind, dew, rain, meteorits): Text and notes — Cambridge, 1940

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https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14698#0064

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26 Zeus and the Earthquakes

such things happen, the priests prudently abstain from mentioning
any deity by name, lest they should indicate some god not really
responsible and so incur the guilt of sacrilege1.

While the clash of creeds was in progress, pagans of course
blamed Christians2 and Christians blamed pagans3 for all the horrors

1 Amm. Marc. 17. 7. 10 unde et in ritualibus et pontificiis observatur obtemperantibus
sacerdotiis caute, ne alio deo pro alio nominato, cum, quis eorum terram concutiat, sit in
abstruso, piacula committantur.

Libanios, who composed a special and somewhat hysterical lamentation for the down-
fall of Nikomedeia (or. 61 monodia de Nicoinedia (iv. 322 ff. Foerster}), appeals in primis
to Poseidon (3, 6), but also to Helios (16), etc.

2 Euseb. hist. eccl. 9. 7. 1 ff. cites in extenso a letter of Maximinus ii (305—313 a.d.),
copied from a stile at Tyre, in which he congratulates his eastern subjects on having
returned to the faith of their forefathers and, after a characteristic (cp. supra ii. 1194 ft.)
laudation of Zeus (hist. eccl. 9. 7. 7 imivos Toiyapovv exeicos 6 iii/'icrros Kal fj.tyi.aTos Zeus, 6
7rpoKadrjfj.€i>os rijs \a(j.irpoTa.Trfs u/juiv ir6Aett)s, 6 Totis iraTptpovs vp.(ov daobs Kal yvvaiKas Kal
TdKva Kal earlav Kal olkovs airb wao-rjs okedpiov (pBopds pvbfxevos, reus vfj.ere'pais ipvxals to
aoiTqpiov ive'irvevcre fSov\-qp.a, iinbeiKvits Kal ifMpalvwv brus e^alperbv iaTi Kal \a/j.irpbv Kal
aoiT-rtpmSes ixera rod bcpeiKofj.e'i'ov <re@do-fJ.aTOS rrj 8p-r)<TKeia Kal rats lepoBpiiaKelats twv adavaToiv
6ewv Trpoo-l-evai), explains drought, hurricane, earthquake, etc. as due to divine anger called
down by the spread of the new religion (id. 9. 7. 8 ff.).

Arnob. adv. nat. 1. 3 had recently met, and refuted, a whole string of similar charges.
So c. 252 a.d. had Cypr. ad Demetriau. 2—5 (i. 352, 7 ff. Hartel). The calumny crystallised
into a proverb (Aug. enarrat. in psalm. 80. 1 (iv. 1225 d ed.2 Bened.) non pluit deus, due
ad Christianos (variants ill' p. Hi), de civ. Dei 2. 3 pluvia defit, causa Christiani sunt). In
this connexion earthquakes played a large part (Tertull. apol. 40 si Tiberis ascendit in
moenia, si Nilus non ascendit in arva, si caelum stetit, si terra movit, si fames, si lues,
statim Christianos ad leonem ! adclamatur = tzrf nat. 1. 9, Orig. in Matth. comment, series
39 (xiii. 1654' a—b Migne) cum haec ergo contigerint mundo, consequens est quasi
derelinquentibus hominibus deorum culturam, ut propter multitudinem Christianorum
dicant fieri bella et fames et pestilentias. frequenter enim famis causa Christianos culparunt
gentes, et quicumque sapiebant quae gentium sunt; sed et pestilentiarum causas ad Christi
ecclesiam rettulerunt. scimus autem et apud nos terrae motum factum in locis quibusdam,
et factas fuisse quasdam ruinas, ita ut qui erant impii extra fidem causam terrae motus
dicerent Christianos, propter quod et persecutiones passae sunt ecclesiae, et incensae sunt,
non solum autem illi, sed et qui videbantur prudentes, talia in publico dicerent, quia
propter Christianos fiunt gravissimi terrae motus, Firmillianus in Cypr. episl. 75. 10 (ii.
816, 17 ff. Hartel: the letter is of 256 a.d. (A. Jlilicher in Pauly—Wissowa Keal-Enc.
vi. 2379)) volo autem vobis et de historia quae apud nos facta est exponere ad hoc ipsum
pertinente. ante viginti enim et duos fere annos temporibus post Alexandrum imperatorem
multae istic conflictationes et pressurae acciderunt vel in commune omnibus hominibus vel
privatim Christianis: terrae etiam motus plurimi et frequentes extiterunt, ut et per Cap-
padociam et per Pontum multa subruerent, quaedam etiam civitates in profundum recepta
(leg. receptae) dirupti soli hiatu devorarentur, ut ex hoc persecutio quoque gravis adversum
nos nominis fieret, quae post longam retro aetatis pacem repente oborta de inopinato et
insueto malo ad turbandum populum nostrum terribilior effecta est. Serenianus tunc fuit
in nostra provincia praeses, acerbus et dirus persecutor, in hac autem perturbatione con-
stitutis fidelibus et hue atque illuc persecutionis metu fugientibus et patrias suas
relinquentibus atque in alias regionum partes transeuntibus (erat enim transeundi facultas
eo quod persecutio ilia non per totum mundum sed localis fuisset), err.ersit istic subito
quaedam mulier quae in extasin constituta propheten se praeferret et quasi sancto spiritu
plena sic ageret. ita autem principalium daemoniorum impetu ferebatur ut per longum
 
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