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)

The Clouds personified in Cult and Myth 71

points of Orphic doctrine1 and apt to recrudesce in popular
practice2, was naturally ridiculed as fatuous and futile3. But that was a
reproach which it shared with the highest conception of the Hebrews4.
Christianity itself has cherished, not only the recollection of 'a cloud
that overshadowed them5' and 'a cloud' that 'received him out of
their sight6,' but also the anticipation of'another mighty angel come
down from heaven, clothed with a cloud7,' and the final vision of
'a white cloud, and upon the cloud one...like unto the Son of man8.'

1 The Rhapsodic theogony spoke of the world-egg as 'the cloud' (Orph. frag. 60 Kern
ap. Damask, quaest. de primis principiis 123 (i. 317, 2 f. Ruelle) quoted supra ii. 1024,
where P. R. Schuster's cj. KeXutprjv for ve<pe\y]i> is clever, but improbable). The Justinian
recension of the Orphic AiadijKaL (Orpin frag. 245 Kern ap. pseudo-lust. Mart, de monarchia
2. 105 A—1! (i. 116 Otto) = pseudo-Iust. Mart, cohortatio ad gentiles 15. 15 E (i. 50, 52
Otto)) has the following impressive passage: 13 ff. oiot rts iaB' eVepos xuP's jueyctXov
fSaaiXrios (so Clem. Al. strom. 5. 14 p. 416, 4 Stahlin and most codd. of the cohortatio.
fxeyaXoio avanros most codd. of the de monarchia and codd. C. E. of the cohortatio). |
avrbv 5' cvx bpbw Trepi yap vt<pos eor-qpiKrai. j iraciv yap Bv-qroh Bvyral Kbpai eiaiv ev
oaaois, I aodevees 5' ib^eiv Ata rbv iravruv fxeotovra. The Aristobulian recension of the
work (Orph. frag. 247 Kern ap. Aristoboul. in Euseb. praep. ev. 13. 12. 5 = the'Theo-
sophia Tubingensis' of Aristokritos (?) (see W. Christ Geschichte dergriechischen Litteralur6
Miinchen 1924 ii. 2. 976) published by K. Buresch Klaros Leipzig 1889 p. 112 ff.) has
line 20 avrbv 5' ovx bpbw irepl yap vtipos earripiKrai in a different context. Another passage
of the Aia0?}iccu (Orph. frag. 248 a Kern ap. Clem. Al. strom. 5. 14 p. 411, 4 and 10
Stahlin = Euseb. praep. ev. 13. 13. 52) invokes the supreme deity 6 6s KiveU avifiovs,
ve<peXr}(Tt de iravra KaXvirrets, and again 12 abs xetM^ ipvxpalciv eirepxbp.evos ve(p£Xaiaiv.
The AuibeKaerripiSes (Orph. frag. 256 Kern) state that, when Iupiter is in Virgo, the year
will bring pestilence etc. Kai KepavvofibXoi ve<peXai ra airepixara KaraKaiaovai (the MSS.
read KepavvofibXai and KaraKavae 1. J. Heeg cj. i]de KepavvoSbXoi vetptXai < /card Kapirbv>
eKavaav). The same poem elsewhere, in an imitation of Hes. o.d. 504 ff., says: iroXXai
0' ovpavbdev Kai eiraprees ck ve<peXawv j rijpios iirbpvvvrat tprryoTs Kai SevSpeatv aXXois j otipeai
re aKoire'Xois re Kai av8pwirwv (Heinsius cj. dvOptiirois) epiOvncus \ TrT)yvXiSes Kai e'aovrai
dytteicieVs (Orph. frag. 270 Kern ap. Tzetz. in Hes. o.d. 502).

2 Tert. apol. 24 colat alius deum, alius lovem, alius ad caelum mantis supplices tendat,
alius ad aram Fidei, alius, si hoc putatis, nubes numerat orans, alius lacunaria, alius suam
animam deo suo voveat, alius hirci. Cp. ib. 40 caelum apud Capitolium quaeritis, nubila
de laquearibus exspectatis.

3 Hor. ars poet. 230 aut, dum vitat humum, nubes et inania captet, Pers. sat. 5; 7
grande locuturi nebulas Helicone legunto.

4 Iuv. 14. 96 f. quidam sortiti metuentem sabbata patrem | nil praeter nubes et caeli
numen adorant. J. Rendel Harris St. Paul and Greek Literature (WooJbrooke Essays,
No. 7) Cambridge 1927 p. 17 f. would correct Col. 2. 23 e8eXo8pi)aKeia Kai raireivocppoavvr)
Kai d<pei8ia aw/iaros: ' if we restore ev veipeXodprjaKela we shall have an expression capable
of explanation from Aristophanes; the worship of angels is, like the new religion in the
Greek comedy, a worship of the clouds.' Infra p. 432 n. 9. See further Ducange Gloss,
med. el inf. Grace, i. 994 s.v. vecpo/xavrela, who cites from Damask, v. Isid. ap. Phot. bibl.
p. 340b 13 ff. Bekker the queer tale of the cloud-seer Anthousa, of Aigai in Kilikia, who
saw a cloud like a Goth swallowed up by a cloud like a lion and divined that Asper
leader of the Goths would be slain by Leon.

5 Mark 9. 7. 6 Acts 1. 9.

7 Rev. 10. 1. Cp. Verg. Acn. 10. 633 f. (Iuno) caelo se protinus alto | misit agens
hiemem nimbo succincta per auras.

8 Rev. 14. 14.