ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 245

OTTO KERN

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

SUMMARY: In this testimony, from the Heroicus (On Heroes), the sophist Philostratus says that Homer excelled Orpheus in several ways, and that Homer depicted battles between Gods in a philosophical way, in the manner of Orpheus.

ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 245

Φιλοστάτου Ἡρωϊκὸς· Ὅμηρος 301 [olpage 692] (Flavii Philostrati Opera vol. II p. 161, 19 C. L. Kayser):

(τὸν Ὅμηρον) μεγαλορρημοσύνην τε γὰρ ὑπὲρ τὸν Ὀρφέα ἀσκῆσαι ἡδονῆι τε ὑπερβαλέσθαι τὸν Ἡσίοδον καὶ ἄλλωι ἄλλον . . .

“For he (Ὅμηρος = Homer) exercised great eloquence beyond that of Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς), and he excelled Isíodos (Ἡσίοδος = Hesiod) in enjoyment, and other poets in other ways . . .”

(trans. by the author)

Φιλοστάτου Ἡρωϊκὸς· Ὅμηρος [olpage 693] (Flavii Philostrati Opera vol. II p. 162, 12 C. L. Kayser):

Ὀρφέα δὲ ἐν πολλοῖς τῶν κατὰ θεολογίαν ὑπερῆρε, Μουσαῖον δ᾽ ἐν ὠιδαῖς χρησμῶν, καὶ μὴν καὶ Παμφὼ σοφῶς μὲν ἐνθυμηθέντος, ὅτι Ζεὺς εἴη τὸ ζωιογονοῦν καὶ δι᾽ οὗ ἀνίσταται τὰ ἐκ τῆς γῆς πάντα, εὐηθέστερον δὲ χρησαμένου τῶι λόγωι καὶ καταβεβλημένα ἔπη ἐς τὸν Δία ἄισαντος· ἔστι γὰρ τὰ τοῦ Παμφὼ ἔπη·

‘Ζεῦ κύδιστε. μέγιστε θεῶν, εἰλυμένε κόπρωι

μηλείηι τε καὶ ἱππείηι καὶ ἡμιονείηι.’

“And in many things concerning theology he (Ὅμηρος = Homer) surpassed Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς), and (he surpassed) Mousaios in oracular songs, and indeed also Pámphôs (Πάμφως), who wisely considered Zefs (Ζεὺς) to be the producer of living beings and the one who makes all things arise from the earth, but by using absurd reasoning and singing profane verses to Zefs; in fact, here are some verses of Pámphôs:

‘Most honored Zefs, greatest of the Gods, enwrapped in

sheep, horse, and mule dung.’ ”

(trans. by the author)

(Gregory Nazianzen [ed. the Christian church-father] attributes the same verses to Orpheus in Oration 4 141 [the first oration against Julian] [Migne 35, 653] v. Nonnus Abbas Migne 36, 1028; Christian Lobeck Aglaophamus I 745 II; Ab. fr. 289)

A little further down in the same text:

. . . καὶ τὰς μάχας δέ, ὁπόσαι Ποσειδῶνι μὲν πρὸς Ἀπόλλω, Λητοῖ δὲ πρὸς Ἑρμῆν ἐγένοντο, καὶ ὡς ἐμάχοντο ἡ Ἀθηνᾶ τῶι Ἄρει καὶ ὁ Ἥφαιστος τῶι ὕδατι, ταῦτα τὸν Ὀρφέως τρόπον πεφιλοσοφῆσθαι τῶι Ὁμήρωι φησὶ καὶ οὐ μεμπτὰ εἶναι πρὸς ἔκπληξιν καὶ θεῖα, ὥσπερ τὸ |^Kayser163

‘ἀμφὶ δὲ σάλπιγξε μέγας οὐρανος’

καὶ <ὡς add. Kayser>

‘ἀνεπήδησεν Ἀιδωνεὺς τοῦ θρόνου τινασσομένης τῆς γῆς ἐκ Ποσειδῶνος’.

“. . . and he says that the battles, such as that of Poseidón (Ποσειδῶν) against Apóllôn (Ἀπόλλων), Lîtóh (Λητώ) against Ærmís (Ἑρμῆς), Athîná (Ἀθηνᾶ) fighting against Árîs (Ἄρης), and Íphaistos (Ἥφαιστος) against the river (Σκάμανδρος; Ἰλιὰς Ὁμήρου 21.330), these were presented by Ómîros (Ὅμηρος = Homer) in the philosophical way of Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς), and are not blameworthy in regard to their terror and are divine, as for instance:

‘And great heaven trumpeted on all sides’

and

‘Áïdîs (Ἅιδης = Hades) leapt up from his throne, the earth shaken by Poseidón (Ποσειδῶν).’ ”

(trans. by the author)

Gottfried Hermann Orphica p. 477* collected the verses of Orpheus, which to the ancient critics were seen to have been borrowed from Homer, v. Geffcken N. Jahrb. XXIX 1912, 596.

*ed. Gottfried Hermann on p. 477 quotes from the Stromata (book 6, chapter 2) of Clement of Alexandria, the Christian church father, who must be one of these critics, for Clement claims, in the quotation, that Orpheus borrowed from Homer; this comes from a lengthy passage in which Clement tries to prove that the Greeks were shameless, stealing ideas not only from one another, but that whatever truth they possessed had been stolen from Judaism and Christianity.

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.