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Article CLASSICAL THEOLOGY.—XVII. ← Page 2 of 3 Article CLASSICAL THEOLOGY.—XVII. Page 2 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Classical Theology.—Xvii.
are to be weeded : and Occator ( cum occanlur agrl ) , when the fields are to be harrowed . There were many other deities of the like description . Nodosus or Nodotus was tho «* od who took charge of the knots and joints of the reeds or stalks . Nor are we to forget , not tho least among the rest , the goddess Volusia , whose curious office was to take care
to fold the blade , which comes by the young ear , round the corn before the beard breaks out ; whose folding within , contains and protects both the beard and the seed . On or about the kalends of May there was celebrated a festival called liobigalia , in honour of the god Eobigus , to avert the blasting of the com .
But to return to Flora , and what was said of her games . We find in Plutarch , that her image was exposed in the temple of Castor and Pollux , dressed in a close coat-like gown or habit , holding in her right hand the flowers of beans and peas ; for whilst the sports in her honour were in progressthe iEdiles strewed pulse and beans amongst the
, people . All these unseemly games were proclaimed and begun by the voice of trumpets , ancl Juvenal too vividly describes the public shame of the women who strijijied themselves naked , and in honour of the occasion revelled in impurity which was thought to bo something astonishing even among the lust ancl depravity for ivhich the Ilomans were
fated to become celebrated in ancient as well as in modern times . Strange then , indeed , it may be thought , that beauteous and innocent flowers should give their name to this infamy , and that Floralkt , should be the name of these lascivious sports . The explanation is this—Flora , so honoured , was really a notorious prostitute , who had worn
the " Tunica Attica , ' or flowered garment , of which Artemidorus speaks , ( II . xiii . ) , and which Suidas tells us was by law enforced , as a badge to distinguish women of the class , which modern cant , too delicate for truth bufc not for sin , affectedly calls " the social evil , " as if , forsooth , envy , hatred , malice and all uncharitableness were not "social evils " also ; oras though the " social evils" of crime , poverty
, and starvation were not in existence now . This daughter of mighty . Rome having amassed by her filth y profession enormous wealth , made the whole populace of the city her heirs . True to her instincts and her art , a certain sum of money was by her will ordered to be invested , out of whose yearly proceeds were to be paid the expenses of annual
games in the celebration of her birthday , called Floralia , or Ludi Florales . The peculiar nature of the sports at length appeared indecorous to the senate , not on account of their immorality—that shocked no one ' s feelings—but ifc was not thought quite correct , even at Pome , to pay national honours to a deceased strumpet—merely because she was such . Therefore they covered the design , ancl had Flora ( the scandalous lady ) worshipped under the appellation of the " Goddess of
Flowers ; " at the same time pretending , as wc have mentioned , that they so offered sacrifice , that tho "plants and trees" might flourish . Cybele , whether as the mother or sister of Ceres , is usually represented emblematically of cities ancl garrisons , Mater Deum tarrita Cybele . The mysteries of the Sabazia , in honour of Proserpine , and the Thesmophoriathat is tlie mystical and solemn
, rites of Ceres , were involved iu the JIIKCIU / . iv < r- > ipia , or greater mysteries of the Eleusinia . This solemnity was observed by the Lacedemonians , Parrhasians , Celeans , Phliasians , and some others , but more especially by the Athenians , every fifth year , from whom ifc was translated by Adrian into "Rome , and preserved until the reign of the first Thcodosius .
This , ifc is well known , was the most renowned and secret of all the rites of ancient Greece , ancl any person divul ging any part of its mysteries was thought to have called down divine excommunication upon himself ; he was made obnoxious ; his habitation was accounted accursed ; as a malefactor he was apprehended , and was heard of no more , or as a public offender he forfeited his life . Ceres herself' to whom , with her daughter , the queen of the fitferi- ( the
Classical Theology.—Xvii.
souls iii hell ) these rites appertained , was not called by her usual name , but a secret appellation , A ^ Oeta . Horace assigns two genii , to every person from their cradles to their graves ( as do Plutarch , Arrian , and Prudentius ) , and speaks of them as " Genii Albus et Niger , " a white ( or bonus ) , and a black ( or malm ) , genius . Of these two , they
thought , the good one constantl y incites to the practice of benevolence ancl virtue , ancl the bad one continually prompts to all manner of vice and wickedness . Others assign , iu the same way , of each kind , many to each human individual . They thought the first class , or angelic white genii , carried to thc gods the prayers of menand communicated their
, answers through their oracles . And thus those men , illustrious for their good actions in this life , were believed to become after death , genii boni . Once , we are tolcl , when the Athenians were celebrating the pvm-ripia jxeyctka , Hercules , happening to arrive , requested to be initiated ; but this was a privilege unlawful to
confer upon any stranger , yet the demigod was too renowned a personage to be discourteously denied . Eumolpus , a poet , more ancient than Homer ( the chief of the Euinol p idaj or priesthood he had organized ) , hit upon an expedient whereby to sanction the hero ' s admission ; he constructed a new solemnity , to be sacred to Proserpine , and denominated
fiiKpa jivcmipta , or lesser mysteries . To these very ancient and great solemnities all persons of reputable conduct of both sexes , when of fit age , were admitted ; the neglect of this duty was considered a crime , and it constituted one part of the accusation against Socrates . Such as were convicted of succubism ( treating with demons ) or NeqwaavTEia , of ivhich sorcery Nazianzenus
says : — " Virgins aud boys were Murdered at the evocation of ghosts , " or of any other criminal offence—were debarred from these sublime festivals . All who were initiated , it was believed , enjoyed a state of greater security and happiness than others , both hero and hereafter ; they were honoured by the gods , and obtained admission to the Elysian fields . Since the advantages of this initiation were so extensiveit
, is no wonder that in the primitive ages caution was exercised as to who should be accepted ; afterwards these benefits were more wisely thrown open to the whole commonwealth . The king , who was one of the arehons , was obliged at these solemnities to offer prayers and sacrifices , to see that there was no infringement on sacred propriety ; and that no
irregularity was committed ; he also assembled the senate to take cognizance in these particulars of any irreverence . Besides the royal archon , there were four IL-ipsXi ' i-at , or hi « h curators , one of them out of tlie sacred family of the Eumolpida 3 , _ another taken from the Ceryces , aud " two elected by the citizens : there wore also ten others who assisted , named iepoiroiiH , ivhose office was to attend to the ofl ' erin <' 's . In later times , no person was initiated in the greater
mysteries before being purified at the lesser consecration ; the manner of which lustration was as follows : —the probationers having kept themselves in chastity , pure , and uncorruptud for nine days , came , wearing crowns ( jpepat ) and chaplets of flowers , with the AUxj k-woior , or skin of a victim ottered to Jupiter , under their feet , and rendered sacrifices and prayers unto Ceres in the templeThe who
. person assisted them' was named vopavoc , that is water-bearer , because water was used in purifications ; they themselves were called , as initiated , Mdarcu ( mystics ) . Having about a year after , in the maimer we have mentioned , sacrificed a sow to the goddess , they were advanced to the privileges of the higher Kleusinia and all its secrets , excepting a few which none save
the priests were made participators in . The candidates for initiation now crowned with bands of twisted myrtle , were admitted near midni ght , into the "Temple of Mysteries , " a vast hall , in some respects like an amphitheatre . On their entrance they purified themselves by dipping their hands and foreheads in the holy water in whicli a torch hacl been extinguished , being afc the same instant , admonished emblema-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Classical Theology.—Xvii.
are to be weeded : and Occator ( cum occanlur agrl ) , when the fields are to be harrowed . There were many other deities of the like description . Nodosus or Nodotus was tho «* od who took charge of the knots and joints of the reeds or stalks . Nor are we to forget , not tho least among the rest , the goddess Volusia , whose curious office was to take care
to fold the blade , which comes by the young ear , round the corn before the beard breaks out ; whose folding within , contains and protects both the beard and the seed . On or about the kalends of May there was celebrated a festival called liobigalia , in honour of the god Eobigus , to avert the blasting of the com .
But to return to Flora , and what was said of her games . We find in Plutarch , that her image was exposed in the temple of Castor and Pollux , dressed in a close coat-like gown or habit , holding in her right hand the flowers of beans and peas ; for whilst the sports in her honour were in progressthe iEdiles strewed pulse and beans amongst the
, people . All these unseemly games were proclaimed and begun by the voice of trumpets , ancl Juvenal too vividly describes the public shame of the women who strijijied themselves naked , and in honour of the occasion revelled in impurity which was thought to bo something astonishing even among the lust ancl depravity for ivhich the Ilomans were
fated to become celebrated in ancient as well as in modern times . Strange then , indeed , it may be thought , that beauteous and innocent flowers should give their name to this infamy , and that Floralkt , should be the name of these lascivious sports . The explanation is this—Flora , so honoured , was really a notorious prostitute , who had worn
the " Tunica Attica , ' or flowered garment , of which Artemidorus speaks , ( II . xiii . ) , and which Suidas tells us was by law enforced , as a badge to distinguish women of the class , which modern cant , too delicate for truth bufc not for sin , affectedly calls " the social evil , " as if , forsooth , envy , hatred , malice and all uncharitableness were not "social evils " also ; oras though the " social evils" of crime , poverty
, and starvation were not in existence now . This daughter of mighty . Rome having amassed by her filth y profession enormous wealth , made the whole populace of the city her heirs . True to her instincts and her art , a certain sum of money was by her will ordered to be invested , out of whose yearly proceeds were to be paid the expenses of annual
games in the celebration of her birthday , called Floralia , or Ludi Florales . The peculiar nature of the sports at length appeared indecorous to the senate , not on account of their immorality—that shocked no one ' s feelings—but ifc was not thought quite correct , even at Pome , to pay national honours to a deceased strumpet—merely because she was such . Therefore they covered the design , ancl had Flora ( the scandalous lady ) worshipped under the appellation of the " Goddess of
Flowers ; " at the same time pretending , as wc have mentioned , that they so offered sacrifice , that tho "plants and trees" might flourish . Cybele , whether as the mother or sister of Ceres , is usually represented emblematically of cities ancl garrisons , Mater Deum tarrita Cybele . The mysteries of the Sabazia , in honour of Proserpine , and the Thesmophoriathat is tlie mystical and solemn
, rites of Ceres , were involved iu the JIIKCIU / . iv < r- > ipia , or greater mysteries of the Eleusinia . This solemnity was observed by the Lacedemonians , Parrhasians , Celeans , Phliasians , and some others , but more especially by the Athenians , every fifth year , from whom ifc was translated by Adrian into "Rome , and preserved until the reign of the first Thcodosius .
This , ifc is well known , was the most renowned and secret of all the rites of ancient Greece , ancl any person divul ging any part of its mysteries was thought to have called down divine excommunication upon himself ; he was made obnoxious ; his habitation was accounted accursed ; as a malefactor he was apprehended , and was heard of no more , or as a public offender he forfeited his life . Ceres herself' to whom , with her daughter , the queen of the fitferi- ( the
Classical Theology.—Xvii.
souls iii hell ) these rites appertained , was not called by her usual name , but a secret appellation , A ^ Oeta . Horace assigns two genii , to every person from their cradles to their graves ( as do Plutarch , Arrian , and Prudentius ) , and speaks of them as " Genii Albus et Niger , " a white ( or bonus ) , and a black ( or malm ) , genius . Of these two , they
thought , the good one constantl y incites to the practice of benevolence ancl virtue , ancl the bad one continually prompts to all manner of vice and wickedness . Others assign , iu the same way , of each kind , many to each human individual . They thought the first class , or angelic white genii , carried to thc gods the prayers of menand communicated their
, answers through their oracles . And thus those men , illustrious for their good actions in this life , were believed to become after death , genii boni . Once , we are tolcl , when the Athenians were celebrating the pvm-ripia jxeyctka , Hercules , happening to arrive , requested to be initiated ; but this was a privilege unlawful to
confer upon any stranger , yet the demigod was too renowned a personage to be discourteously denied . Eumolpus , a poet , more ancient than Homer ( the chief of the Euinol p idaj or priesthood he had organized ) , hit upon an expedient whereby to sanction the hero ' s admission ; he constructed a new solemnity , to be sacred to Proserpine , and denominated
fiiKpa jivcmipta , or lesser mysteries . To these very ancient and great solemnities all persons of reputable conduct of both sexes , when of fit age , were admitted ; the neglect of this duty was considered a crime , and it constituted one part of the accusation against Socrates . Such as were convicted of succubism ( treating with demons ) or NeqwaavTEia , of ivhich sorcery Nazianzenus
says : — " Virgins aud boys were Murdered at the evocation of ghosts , " or of any other criminal offence—were debarred from these sublime festivals . All who were initiated , it was believed , enjoyed a state of greater security and happiness than others , both hero and hereafter ; they were honoured by the gods , and obtained admission to the Elysian fields . Since the advantages of this initiation were so extensiveit
, is no wonder that in the primitive ages caution was exercised as to who should be accepted ; afterwards these benefits were more wisely thrown open to the whole commonwealth . The king , who was one of the arehons , was obliged at these solemnities to offer prayers and sacrifices , to see that there was no infringement on sacred propriety ; and that no
irregularity was committed ; he also assembled the senate to take cognizance in these particulars of any irreverence . Besides the royal archon , there were four IL-ipsXi ' i-at , or hi « h curators , one of them out of tlie sacred family of the Eumolpida 3 , _ another taken from the Ceryces , aud " two elected by the citizens : there wore also ten others who assisted , named iepoiroiiH , ivhose office was to attend to the ofl ' erin <' 's . In later times , no person was initiated in the greater
mysteries before being purified at the lesser consecration ; the manner of which lustration was as follows : —the probationers having kept themselves in chastity , pure , and uncorruptud for nine days , came , wearing crowns ( jpepat ) and chaplets of flowers , with the AUxj k-woior , or skin of a victim ottered to Jupiter , under their feet , and rendered sacrifices and prayers unto Ceres in the templeThe who
. person assisted them' was named vopavoc , that is water-bearer , because water was used in purifications ; they themselves were called , as initiated , Mdarcu ( mystics ) . Having about a year after , in the maimer we have mentioned , sacrificed a sow to the goddess , they were advanced to the privileges of the higher Kleusinia and all its secrets , excepting a few which none save
the priests were made participators in . The candidates for initiation now crowned with bands of twisted myrtle , were admitted near midni ght , into the "Temple of Mysteries , " a vast hall , in some respects like an amphitheatre . On their entrance they purified themselves by dipping their hands and foreheads in the holy water in whicli a torch hacl been extinguished , being afc the same instant , admonished emblema-