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Chapter 10 - ‘For Thy Kingdom Is Past Not Away, / Nor Thy Power from the Place Thereof Hurled’

Martianus Capella and a Prophylactic Oracle of Apollo

from Part III - Divine Transcendence and Pragmatic Purposes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2023

By
Chiara O. Tommasi
Edited by
Elsa Giovanna Simonetti  and
Claire Hall
Elsa Giovanna Simonetti
Affiliation:
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Claire Hall
Affiliation:
University of Durham
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Summary

The chapter provides a reconsideration of a section in Martianus Capella’s Book 1, dedicated to the ‘failure of the oracles’ and culminating in a quotation of a prophylactic Apollinean oracle, attributed to Alexander of Abonouteichos. The author tries to reconstruct some possible lines of transmission of this oracle, at the same time highlighting how its allegorical framework helps to shed light on some aspects of the ongoing controversy between pagans and Christians, which took into account the thaumaturgical and therapeutic capabilities of the gods.

Keywords

Martianus CapellaLucianprophylactic oraclesApolloplague
Type
Chapter
Information
Divination and Revelation in Later Antiquity , pp. 191 - 207
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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