ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 243

OTTO KERN

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For links to many more fragments: The Orphic Fragments of Otto Kern.

SUMMARY: This testimony, from the Bibliotheca of Photios I patriarch of Constantinople, discusses a book containing numerous quotations from various writers (presumably pagan); the author of this book claims that these quotations are in agreement with the Christian religion.

ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 243

Βιβλιοθήκη τοῦ Πατριάρχου Φωτίου Α´ cod. 170 p. 117a Photii Bibliotheca August Emmanuel Bekker:

ἀνεγνώσθη βιβλίον πολύστιχον, μᾶλλον δὲ πολύβιβλον, ἐν λόγοις μὲν ιεʹ, τεύχεσι δὲ εʹ, ἐν οἷς μαρτυρίαι δῆθεν καὶ χρήσεις ὁλοκλήρων λόγων, οὐχ Ἑλληνικαὶ μόναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ Περσικαὶ καὶ θράικιοι καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι καὶ Βαβυλωνιακαὶ καὶ Χαλδαϊκαὶ καὶ δὴ καὶ Ἰταλοὶ ἐκ τῶν παρ’ ἑκάστοις δοκούντων λογίων κατεστρώθησαν, ἃς ὁ συγγραφεὺς συμφερομένας πειρᾶται δεικνύειν τῆι τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἀχράντωι καὶ ὑπερφυεῖ καὶ θειοτάτηι θρησκείαι κτλ. . . .

“A book of many verses was read, quite voluminous, in fifteen books and five volumes, in which there are, to be sure, testimonies and the employment of entire quotations, not only Greek authors, but also Persian, Thracian, Egyptian, Babylonian, Chaldaean, and even Italian, from those (authors), strewn across the nations, considered learned by all and everyone; the author attempts to point out their agreement with the immaculate, preternatural and divine religion of the Christians.”

(trans. by the author)

And just a little further from the same passage:

περὶ τούτων Ἕλλησί τε καὶ Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ Χαλδαίοις καὶ τοῖς προειρημένοις πεφιλοσοφῆσθαί τε καὶ διακεκηρύχθαι ἐν ἰδίοις αὐτῶν πειρᾶται δεικνύναι συγγράμμασιν. . . .

“He endeavors to point out that the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Chaldaeans, and those mentioned before, have deliberated on these ideas and proclaimed them everywhere in their own writings.”

(trans. by the author)

And further still:

τὸ μέντοι ὄνομα τοῦ συντεταχότος τὰ τεύχη μέχρι νῦν οὐκ ἔχομεν εἰδέναι· οὐ γὰρ ἐνεφέρετο τοῖς βιβλίοις, ὅσα εἴδομεν, πλην γε δὴ ὅτι Κωνσταντινούπολιν ὤικει, γυναικί τε νόμωι γάμου συνώικει καὶ τοῖς ἐξ αὐτῆς αὑτοῦ παισί, καὶ ὅτι μετὰ τοὺς Ἡρακλείου χρόνους (a. 610-641) τὸν βίον διήνυσεν.

“In truth, as far as the name of who put together the volumes, at present we have no knowledge; for it was not contained in the books so far as we saw, except at least that he was living in Constantinople, together with a wife of lawful marriage and his children from her, and who lived after the time of Îrákleios (Ἡράκλειος; Byzantine Emperor 610-641 C. E.).”

(trans. by the author)

Christian Lobeck Aglaophamus I 346.

Translator’s note: I am unclear why Kern included these quotations in this testimony; perhaps it is because of the apparent similarity between Orphic and Christian theology, and that Kern may have suspected that some of the passages which Photios discussed in the above-mentioned book may have been Orphic. If you read this entire section of the Bibliotheca, you will discover that while Photios recognizes the author’s virtue and piety, he did not actually agree with him and he felt that his arguments were not convincing and that he attempted to force what are essentially dissimilar ideas into agreement.

The story of the birth of the Gods: Orphic Theogony.

We know the various qualities and characteristics of the Gods based on metaphorical stories: Mythology.

Dictionary of terms related to ancient Greek mythology: Glossary of Hellenic Mythology.

Introduction to the Thæí (the Gods): The Nature of the Gods.

How do we know there are Gods? Experiencing Gods.

PLEASE NOTE: Throughout the pages of this website, you will find fascinating stories about our Gods. These narratives are known as mythology, the traditional stories of the Gods and Heroes. While these tales are great mystical vehicles containing transcendent truth, they are symbolic and should not be taken literally. A literal reading will frequently yield an erroneous result. The meaning of the myths is concealed in code. To understand them requires a key. For instance, when a God kills someone, this usually means a transformation of the soul to a higher level. Similarly, sexual union with a God is a transformation.

We know the various qualities and characteristics of the Gods based on metaphorical stories: Mythology.

Dictionary of terms related to ancient Greek mythology: Glossary of Hellenic Mythology.

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