ORPHIC FRAGMENT 247

OTTO KERN

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

SUMMARY: This fragment concerns mostly the redaction of Aristobulus, a poem attributed to Orpheus by Jews and Christians in which the great teacher is made to retract his belief in multiple Gods.

III. The Redaction of Aristóvoulos (Ἀριστόβουλος)

247. (6) Aristóvoulos in Εὑαγγελικὴ προπαρασκευὴ Εὐσεβίου XIII 12 (II 191, 11 Dind.), which is followed by the recension in the Tübingen Theosophy [T], from which the verse is on p. 263s.:

δεῖ γὰρ λαμβάνειν τὴν θείαν φωνὴν οὐ ῥητὸν λόγον, ἀλλ’ ἔργων κατασκευάς, καθὼς καὶ διὰ τῆς νομοθεσίας ἡμῖν ὅλην τὴν γένεσιν τοῦ κόσμου θεοῦ λόγους εἴρηκεν ὁ Μώσης. συνεχῶς γάρ φησιν ἐφ' ἑκάστου 'καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς, καὶ ἐγένετο’.

δο κοῦσι δέ μοι περιειργασμένοι πάντα κατηκολουθηκέναι τούτωι Πυθαγόρας τε καὶ Σωκράτης καὶ Πλάτων, λέγοντες ἀκούειν φωνῆς θεοῦ, τὴν κατασκευὴν τῶν ὅλων συνθεωροῦντες ἀκριβῶς ὑπὸ θεοῦ γεγονυῖαν καὶ συνεχομένην ἀδιαλείπτως. ἔτι δὲ καὶ Ὀρφεὺς ἐν ποιήμασι τῶν κατὰ τὸν ἱερὸν λόγον αὐτῶι λεγομένων οὕτως ἐκτίθεται περὶ τοῦ διακρατεῖσθαι θείαι δυνάμει τὰ πάντα καὶ γενητὰ ὑπάρχειν, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων εἶναι τὸν θεόν. λέγει δ’ οὕτως·

φθέγξομαι οἷς θέμις ἐστὶ· θύρας δ' ἐπίθεσθε βέβηλοι,

φεύγοντες δικαίων θεσμούς, θείοιο τεθέντος

πᾶσι νόμου· σὺ δ' ἄκουε, φαεσφόρου ἔκγονε Μήνης,

Μουσαῖ'· ἐξερέω γὰρ ἀληθέα, μηδέ σε τὰ πρὶν

ἐν στήθεσσι φανέντα φίλης αἰῶνος ἀμέρσηι, 5

εἰς δὲ λόγον θεῖον βλέψας τούτωι προσέδρευε,

ἰθύνων κραδίης νοερὸν κύτος· εὑ δ' ἐπίβαινε

ἀτραπιτοῦ, μοῦνον δ' ἐσόρα κόσμοιο τυπωτὴν

ἀθάνατον. παλαιὸς δὲ λόγος περὶ τοῦδε φαείνει,

|^{192 Dind.} εἷς ἔστ᾿ αὐτοτελής, αὐτοῦ δ᾿ ὕπο πάντα τελεῖται, 10

ἐν δ᾿ αὐτοῖς αὐτὸς περινίσσεται, οὐδέ τις αὐτὸν

εἰσοράαι ψυχῶν θνητῶν, νῶι δ᾿ εἰσοράαται.

αὐτὸς δ᾿ ἐξ ἀγαθῶν θνητοῖς κακὸν οὐκ ἐπιτέλλει

ἀνθρώποις· αὐτοῖς δὲ κ' Ἔρις καὶ Μῖσος ὀπηδεῖ,

καὶ Πόλεμος καὶ Λοιμὸς ἰδ᾿ Ἄλγεα δακρυόεντα, 15

οὐδέ τις ἐσθ᾿ ἕτερος· τῶι κεν ῥέα πάντ᾿ ἐσορῆται.

οὐ κεν ἴδοις αὐτόν, πρὶν δή ποτε δεῦρ᾿ ἐπὶ γαῖαν,

τέκνον ἐμόν, δείξω σοι, ὁπηνίκα δέρκομαι αὐτοῦ

ἴχνια καὶ χεῖρα στιβαρὴν κρατεροῖο θεοῖο.

αὐτὸν δ᾿ οὐχ ὁρόω· περὶ γὰρ νέφος ἐστήρικται 20

λοιπὸν ἐμοί καὶ πᾶσι δεκάπτυχον ἀνθρώποισιν·

οὐ γάρ κέν τις ἴδοι θνητῶν μερόπων κρείνοντα,

εἰ μὴ μουνογενής τις ἀπορρὼξ φύλου ἄνωθεν

Χαλδαίων· ἴδρις γὰρ ἔην ἄστροιο πορείης,

καὶ σφαίρης ἥτ' ἀμφὶς ὀχῆος ἀεὶ περιτέλλει, 25

κυκλοτερὴς ἴση τε κατὰ σφέτερον κνώδακα.

πνεύματα δ᾿ ἡνιοχεῖ περί τ᾿ ἠέρα καὶ περὶ χεῦμα

νάματος· ἐκφαίνει δὲ πυρὸς σέλας ἰφιγενήτου.

αὐτὸς δὴ μέγαν αὖθις ἐπ᾿ οὐρανὸν ἐστήρικται

χρυσέωι εἰνὶ θρόνωι· γαίη δ᾿ ὑπὸ ποσσὶ βέβηκε· 30

χεῖρα δὲ δεξιτερὴν ἐπὶ τέρμασιν Ὠκεανοῖο

ἐκτέτακεν· ὀρέων δὲ τρέμει βάσις ἔνδοθι θυμῶι,

οὐδὲ φέρειν δύναται κρατερὸν μένος. ἔστι δὲ πάντηι

αὐτὸς ἐπουράνιος, καὶ ἐπὶ χθονὶ πάντα τελευτῆι,

ἀρχὴν αὐτὸς ἔχων καὶ μέσσην ἠδὲ τελευτὴν, 35

ὡς λόγος ἀρχαίων, ὡς ὑλογενὴς διέταξεν,

ἐκ θεόθεν γνώμαισι λαβὼν κατὰ δίπλακα θεσμόν.

ἄλλως οὐ θεμιτὸν δὲ λέγειν· τρομέω δέ τε λίην

ἐν νόωι. ἐξ ὑπάτου κραίνει περὶ πάντ' ἐνὶ τάξει.

ὦ τέκνον, σὺ δὲ τοῖσι νόοισι πελάζεο, γλώσσης

εὖ μάλ᾿ ἐπικρατέων, στέρνοισι δὲ ἔνθεο φήμην.

“For we must understand the voice of God not as words spoken, but as construction of works, just as Moses in the Law has spoken of the whole creation of the world as words of God. For he constantly says of each work, ‘And God said, and it was so.’

“Now it seems to me that he has been very carefully followed in all by Pythagoras, and Socrates, and Plato, who said that they heard the voice of God, when they were contemplating the arrangement of the universe so accurately made and indissolubly combined by God. Moreover, Orpheus, in verses taken from his writings in the Sacred Legend, thus sets forth the doctrine that all things are governed by divine power, and that they have had a beginning, and that God is over all. And this is what he says:

‘I speak to those who lawfully may hear:

Depart, and close the doors, all ye profane,

Who hate the ordinances of the just,

The law divine announced to all mankind.

But thou, Musaeus, child of the bright Moon,

Lend me thine ear; for I have truths to tell.

Let not the former fancies of thy mind

Amerce thee of the dear and blessed life.

Look to the word divine, keep close to that,

And guide thereby the deep thoughts of thine heart.

Walk wisely in the way, and look to none,

Save to the immortal Framer of the world:

For thus of Him an ancient story speaks:

One, perfect in Himself, all else by Him

Made perfect: ever present in His works,

By mortal eyes unseen, by mind alone

Discerned. It is not He that out of good

Makes evil to spring up for mortal men.

Both love and hatred wait upon His steps,

And war and pestilence, and sorrow and tears:

For there is none but He. All other things

'Twere easy to behold, could'st thou but first

Behold Himself here present upon earth.

The footsteps and the mighty hand of God

Whene'er I see, I'll show them thee, my son:

But Him I cannot see, so dense a cloud

In tenfold darkness wraps our feeble sight.

Him in His power no mortal could behold,

Save one, a scion of Chaldaean race:

For he was skilled to mark the sun's bright path,

And how in even circle round the earth

The starry sphere on its own axis turns,

And winds their chariot guide o'er sea and sky;

And showed where fire's bright flame its strength displayed.

But God Himself, high above heaven unmoved,

Sits on His golden throne, and plants His feet

On the broad earth; His right hand He extends

O'er Ocean's farthest bound; the eternal hills

Tremble in their deep heart, nor can endure

His mighty power. And still above the heavens

Alone He sits, and governs all on earth,

Himself first cause, and means, and end of all.

So men of old, so tells the Nile-born sage,

Taught by the twofold tablet of God's law;

Nor otherwise dare I of Him to speak:

In heart and limbs I tremble at the thought,

How He from heaven all things in order rules.

Draw near in thought, my son; but guard thy tongue

With care, and store this doctrine in thine heart.’ ”

(trans. E. H. Gifford, 1903)

Compare to Εὑαγγελικὴ προπαρασκευὴ Εὐσεβίου 1. 1. III 7 p. 97 d (I 118, 16 Dind.[in at least one other manuscript this quotation begins at the end of 3.6 and extends into 3.7):

ἄκουε δ’ οὖν καὶ τῆς τούτων φυσιολογίας, μεθ’ οἴας ἐξενήνεκται τωι Πορφυρίωι ἀλαζονείας·

φθέγξομαι οἶς θέμις ἐστί,

θύρας δ’ ἐπίθεσθε βέβηλοι

σοφίας θεολόγου νοήματα δεικνύς, οἶς τὸν θεὸν καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ τὰς δυνάμεις διὰ εἰκόνων συμφύλων αἰσθήσει ἐμήνυσαν ἄνδρες τὰ ἀφανῆ φανεροῖς (v. fragment 109) ὑποτυπώσαντες πλάσμασι, τοῖς καθάπερ ἐκ βίβλων τῶν ἀγαλμάτων ἀναλέγειν τὰ περὶ θεῶν μεμαθηκόσι γράμματα

“Listen then to their physiology also, and observe with what boastfulness it has been published by Porphyry.

‘I speak to those who lawfully may hear:

Depart all ye profane, and close the doors.’

“The thoughts of a wise theology, wherein men indicated God and God’s powers by images akin to sense, and sketched invisible things in visible forms, I will show to those who have learned to read from the statues as from books the things there written concerning the Gods.”

(trans. E. H. Gifford, 1903)

And Εὑαγγελικὴ προπαρασκευὴ Εὐσεβίου III 13 p. 118 a (I 142, 10 Dind.):

οὐ γὰρ με ἡ ἀλαζὼν ἐκπήξει φωνή.

‘φθέγξομαι οἶς θέμις ἐστί,

θύρας δ’ ἐπίθεσθε βέβηλοι’

φήσασα.

“For I am not going to be frightened by the arrogant voice which said,

‘I speak to those who lawfully may hear:

Depart, all ye profane, and close the doors.’ ”

(trans. E. H. Gifford, 1903)

Αριστόκριτος Μανιχαίος in Tübingen Theosophy c. 55 p. 112, 5 Bur.:

ὅτι Ὀρφεὺς, ὁ Οἰάγρου τοῦ Φραικός, πρότερον μὲν ὕμνους τινὰς εἰς τοὺς ἐξαγίστους θεοὺς ἐξυφάνας καὶ τὰς μιαρὰς γενέσεις αὐτῶν διηγησάμενος, εἶτα, συνεὶς ὥσπερ τὸ δυσσεβὲς τοῦ πράγματος, μετέθηκεν ἑαυτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ μόνον καλόν καὶ τὸν ὄντως ὑμνῶν θεὸν καὶ τὴν τῶν πάλαι Χαλδαίων σοφίαν, δηλαδὴ τὴν τοῦ Ἀβραάμ, ἐπαινῶν παραινεῖ τῶι ἰδίωι παιδὶ Μουσαίωι τοῖς μὲν φθάσασι μυθευθῆναι μὴ πείθεσθαι, τοῖς δὲ ῥηθήσεσθαι μέλλουσι προσέχειν τὸν νοῦν. ἔστι δὲ τὰ ἔπη ταῦτα·

“Because Orphéfs (Ὀρφεὺς), (the son) of Íagros (Οἴαγρος) of Thrákî (Θράκη), first wove hymns to the evil gods and described their abominable origins, then, even as he had understood the ungodliness of the act, he corrected himself toward the sole good, and, singing about the real god and the wisdom of the ancient Chaldeans---without a doubt of Abraham---and applauding this, he exhorts his own son Mousaios, not to be persuaded by the previous myths, but to turn his mind to that which will soon be told. And these are his words:”

(trans. by the author)

They are followed by the recension of Aristóvoulos vs. 1-20 with the sole addition of verse 13:

αὐτὸν δ’ οὐχ ὁρόωσι· περὶ γὰρ νέφος ἐστήρικται

“And they do not see it; for a cloud has set around it”

...having been badly fashioned from:

αὐτὸν δ’ οὐχ ὁρόω· περὶ γὰρ νέφος ἐστήρικται.

“And I do not see it; for a cloud has set around it.”

Then they are added from the recension of (pseudo-)Justin but very corrupted:

πᾶσι γὰρ θνητοῖς (θνηταὶ add.; absent in T) κόραι εἰσὶν ἐν ὄσσοις (ὅσσοις T Weinr.)

μικραί, ἐπεὶ σάρκες (τε add.; absent in T) καὶ ὀστέα ἐμπεφύαι (ἐμπεφύασιν T Weinr. v. Bur.),

ἀσθενέες τ’ ἰδέειν τὸν δὴ πάντα (l. πάντων) μεδέοντα

“For all mortals have pupils in their two eyes

(which are) small, since flesh and bones are thus fastened,

and they are too weak to see the guardian of all.”

(trans. by the author)

...of them, only the second verse is read in Περί Μοναρχίας τοῦ ψευδούς Ἰουστίνου μάρτυρος cod. F, the third having been distorted out of verse 16 (Justin):

ἀσθενέες δ’ ἰδέειν Δία τὸν πάντων μεδέοντα.

“And (their eyes?) without strength to see Zefs (Ζεύς) the guardian of all.”

They are followed by the redaction of Aristóvoulos verses 21-41 with the sole addition between verse 32, which is delivered here:

παντόθεν ἐκτέτακεν, ὀρέων δὲ τρέμει βάσις αὐτὸν

“He extends through all quarters, and seeing him, the foundation trembles”

(trans. by the author)

and verse 33 of the last verse of the redaction of (pseudo-)Justin:

καὶ ποταμοὶ πολιὴς τε βάθος χαροποῖο θαλάσσης

“And the rivers and the depth of the bright blue sea.”

which, however, begins here:

ἐν θυμῶι πολιῆς.

“in the soul of the grey-haired.”

De codice Tubingensi vide W. Schmid Verzeichn. griech. Handschr. der kgl. Univ.-Bibl. Tuebingen 1902, 51 n. M b 27.

Concerning the separate verses which differ, refer above for the critical provision, for whom Otto Weinreich deserves credit, who carefully examined the lectures of Buresch for my use. Concerning the codex of Tübingen see W. Schmid Verzeichn. griech. Handschr. der kgl. Univ.-Bibl. Tuebingen 1902, 51 n. M b 27.

Theodoretus Cyrrhi Episcopus - Graecarum affectionum curatio II 30 p. 44, 25 Raed.:

ὁ δὲ Ὀδρύσης Ὀρφεὺς καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἀφι- |^{45 Raed.}κόμενος τὰ περὶ τοῦ ὄντος οὕτω πως μεμάθηκε καὶ βοᾶι.

“And Odrysian Orphéfs also, having gone to Egypt, thus learned in this way (teachings) on being and proclaimed them loudly.”

(trans. by the author)

These are followed in the redaction of Aristóvoulos verse 10 (beginning εἷς ἔστ᾿ αὐτοτελής) through verse 12 (ending νῶι δ᾿ εἰσοράαται), where it continues with pseudo-Justin (fragment 245, verse beginning at the end of 9 and extending through line 10):

(οὐδέ τις αὐτὸν εἰσοράαι) θνητῶν, αὐτὸς δέ γε πάντας ὁρᾶται

“(none) of the mortals see him, but he sees all.”

(trans. by the author)

Then they are followed by verses 14 through15 of the redaction of pseudo-Justin, having added the verse:

μικραί, ἐπεὶ σάρκες τε καὶ ὀστέα ἐμπεφύκασιν (v. fragment 246)

“[mortal eyes are] small, in as much as flesh and bones grow there” (v. fragment 246)

(trans. by the author)

And again verse 29 αὐτὸς δ’ αὐ through verse 35 ἀρχὴν αὐτὸς ἔχων καὶ μέσσον of the redaction of Aristóvoulos. He adds these (words):

ἀλλ’ ὅμως καὶ ταῦτα παρ’ Αἰγυπτίων μεμαθηκώς, οἳ παρ’ Ἑβραίων μαθήματά τινα τῆς ἀληθείας παρέλαβον, παρέμιξε τοῦ πλάνου τῆι θεολογίαι τινὰ καὶ τῶν Διονυσίων καὶ Θεσμοφορίων τὰ δυσαγῆ παραδέδωκεν ὄργια, καὶ οἷόν τινι μέλιτι περιχρίσας τὴν κύλικα τὸ δηλητήριον πόμα τοῖς ἐξαπατωμένοις προσφέρει.

“But, all the same, having learned these things from the Egyptians, who received instructions of the truth from the Hebrews, he mixed things of deception with his theology and transmitted the impious orgies of the Dionýsia and the Thæzmophória (Θεσμοφόρια), and, as it were, smearing the rim of the cup with honey, he presents the mischievous drink to the deceived.”

(trans. by the author)

He makes use of verse 1 of the Testament:

φθέγξομαι οἷς θέμις ἐστὶ,

θύρας δ’ ἐπίθεσθε βέβηλοι

“I speak to those who lawfully may hear:

Depart, and close the doors, all ye profane”

(trans. E. H. Gifford, 1903)

l. l. I 86 p. 25, 9 and 115 p. 32, 15 Raed.; Compare Lobeck I 439.

For verse 13, compare M. Heinze Lehre vom Logos Oldenburg 1872, 188, which also on p. 187 talks about the voice περινίσσεται in verse 11.

With verse 22 ss. compare to John the Evangelist I 18:

θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε, ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς, ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον (the mystical voice v. Dieterich Mithrasliturgie 123. 136) τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο.

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”

(trans. King James)

For verse 25 s. v. Μααβ Aratea 131; to verse 29 compare to Μααβ Aratea 254 Φαινόμενα Ἀράτου του Σολέως verse 10:

αὐτὸς (sc. Ζεύς) γὰρ τά γε σήματ᾽ ἐν οὐρανῶι ἐστήριξεν ἄστρα διακρίνας

“For himself (sc. Ζεύς) it was who set the signs in heaven, and marked out the constellations.”

(trans. G. R. Mair, 1921)

The verses brought by Macrobii Ambrosii Theodosii Saturnaliorum Libri Septem certainly know of Orphic poems I 20, 16:

nam Sarapis, quem Aegyptii deum maximum prodiderunt, oratus a Nicocreonte Cypriorum rege quis deorum haberetur, his versibus sollicitam religionem regis instruxit

εἰμὶ θεὸς τοιόσδε μαθεῖν, οἷόν κ’ ἐγὼ εἴπω·

οὐράνιος κόσμος κεφαλὴ, γαστὴρ δὲ θάλασσα,

γαῖα δέ μοι πόδες εἰσί, τὰ δ’ ουἄτ’ ἐν αἰθέρι κεῖται,

ὄμμα τε τηλαυγὲς λαμπρὸν φάος ἠελίοιο.

ex his apparet, Sarapis et solis unam et individuum esse naturam.

“For Sarapis, whom the Egyptians proclaimed as the greatest God, having been entreated by king Nicocreon of Cyprus as to which of the Gods he was considered, furnished the king’s anxious piety with these verses:

‘What such God I am, learn from what I say:

the heavenly world is my head, and my belly is the sea,

and the earth is my feet, and my ears lie in the aithír (αἰθέρι),

and my far-seeing eye is the radiant light of the sun.’

“From these verses it is apparent, Sarapis and the sun are by nature one and indivisible.”

(trans. by the author)

See also Ἱερῶν λόγων fragments 167, 168, and169.

Herm. II; Lobeck I 441; Elter 154. 180; Wobbermin 125. 138.

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.

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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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