ORPHIC FRAGMENT 239

OTTO KERN

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

SUMMARY: This fragment basically consists of two quotations, one which calls Dionysus the Sun, the other reads: “one Zeus, one Hades, on Sun, one Dionysus.”

239. (169) Macrobii Ambrosii Theodosii Saturnaliorum Libri Septem (Cornelius Labeo?) I 18, 17:

idem versus Orphici Εὐβουλῆα (v. fragment 237 vs. 4) vocantes boni consilii hunc deum praestitem monstrant. nam si conceptu mentis consilia nascuntur, mundi autem mentem solem esse opinantur auctores, a quo in homines manat intellegendi principium: merito boni consilii Solem antistitem crediderunt. Solem Liberum esse manifeste pronuntiat Orpheus hoc versu:

a Ἥλιος ὃν Διόνυσον ἐπίκλησιν καλέουσιν.

Et is quidem versus absolutior, ille vero eiusdem vatis operosior

b εἷς Ζεὺς, εἷς Ἅιδης, εἷς Ἥλιος, εἷς Διόνυσος.

“The same verses of Orpheus calling him Εὐβουλεύς (v. fragment 237 vs. 4) indicate that he is the God of good counsel. For if deliberations are born in a conception of the mind, and the authorities suppose that the mind of the world is the sun, from whom the beginning of understanding flows to men, they justly believed the Sun to be the overseer of good counsel. Orpheus clearly proclaims that the Sun is Liber (Διόνυσος) in this verse:

a “The Sun, who they call with the surname Diónysos (Διόνυσος).”

And that verse is certainly clear, it is, in fact, more difficult to understand this one from the same poet:

b “one Zefs (Ζεὺς), one Áïdîs (Ἅιδης), one Ílios (Ἥλιος), one Diónysos.”

(trans. by the author)

Herm. IV; Lobeck I 460; Schuster 43 n. 1.

Compare b to (Pseudo-Justin) Λόγος παραινέτικος πρὸς Ἕλληνας Ἰουστίνου μάρτυρος c. 15 (III 62 Otto):

καὶ αὖθις ἀλλαχοῦ που (v. infra s. ΔΙΑΘΗΚΑΙ fr. 245 p. 257) οὕτως λέγει·

εἷς Ζεύς, εἷς Ἀΐδης, εἷς Ἥλιος, εἷς Διόνυσος,

εἷς θεὸς ἐν πάντεσσι. τί σοι δίχα ταῦτ’ ἀγορεύω;

“And again elsewhere he says in this way:

“one Zefs, one Aídîs (Ἀΐδης), one Ílios, one Diónysos,

one God in all things. Why do I speak these to you in two ways?”

(trans. by the author)

And a verse alleged in λόγος Ἰουλιανοὺ Αὐτοκράτορος IV 175, 23 Hertl.:

εἷς Ζεύς, εἷς Ἀΐδης, εἷς Ἥλιός ἐστι Σάραπις,

“one Zefs, one Aídîs, one Ílios is Sárapis”

See W. Kroll Rhein. Mus. LXXI 1916, 315; Geffcken Ausgang des griech.–röm. Heidentums 285; Weinreich Neue Urkunden zur Sarapis – Religion 24. 28. εἷς θεὸς in an aretalogy (a poetic biography of a deity in the 1st person) Christiana E. Peterson Εἷς Θεὸς Diss. Gottingae 1920, 17. εἷς Διόνυσος v. also in a ritual booklet, fragment 31 vs. 23.

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.