The following articles are contained in CJ

121.1

Abstracts of Articles

Last Tango in Ogygia: Divine and Human in Odyssey 5

by Strauss Clay, Jenny
Abstract:

With the first appearance of the Odyssey’s hero, the fifth book can in some sense be considered the beginning of the epic proper. Its narrative presents a coherent whole that takes the hero from his departure from Ogygia to his arrival on Phaeacia. In addition to its narrative unity, it possesses a significant thematic unity that centers on the issue of mortality and immortality, both the conjunction and differentiation of gods and men. The stage is set by il gran refiuto, Odysseus’ refusal of immortality and his choice to return to Ithaca. But the tension between the divine and human permeates the book in ways both obvious and subtle. It also serves to position the Odyssey at a pivotal moment in the relations of gods and mortals; their previous intimacy is waning, and apotheosis belongs to a bygone era. I argue that this central theme not only dominates Book 5 from beginning to end, but that it also offers a framework, so to speak, for the whole poem.

Divine and Human Inventors in Greek Didactic Poetry

by Vergados, Athanassios
Abstract:
In this article I examine how three didactic poems (Hesiod’s Works and Days, Aratus’ Phaenomena, Oppian’s Halieutica) envisage the role of divine intervention in equipping humans with knowledge in the field that they purport to teach. By asking what gods teach men and what kind of impact this knowledge has on human life, it will emerge that the interaction between gods and men has ramifications for the extent of the poets’ belief in progress and their conceptualization of the difference between man and god and man and animal.

A Cicada’s Life: Divine Intervention and Poetic Immortality in Apollonius’ Phineus Episode

by Winter, Kathrin
Abstract:
The initial description of Phineus’ body in Apollonius’ Phineus episode is used to make a poetological statement: by alluding to the well-known poetological image of a cicada, the narrative indicates not only Phineus’ inability to die but also the fact that his story is unable to end. As a consequence, the subsequent narrative keeps continuing despite all hints at closure or ending. That way, divine intervention is presented as happening rather than as being made by a specific agent.

Rustic Hospitality and Metamorphosis in Two Ovidian Epiphanies

by Miller, John F.
Abstract:
The extensive scholarship on Ovid’s generic experimentation via repeated tales in elegy and hexameter (e.g. Ceres and Proserpina; Daedalus and Icarus) has largely neglected the cross-referencing narrative doublet of Philemon and Baucis in Metamorphoses 8 vs. Hyrieus in Fasti 5. In this article I explore these two matching stories of divine epiphany in a rustic context, with a view to characterization of the human and divine protagonists, narrative complication and resolution, ritual etiquette, tonal variation, and stylistic register.

Aelius Aristides’ Conception of Sacred Space

by Downie, Janet
Abstract:
While Aelius Aristides maintained a close connection to the cult of Asclepius at Pergamum, he also expands the concept of sacred space beyond the bounds of the temenos, fashioning the interior of his own body as a conduit for divine intervention and situating this claim to a privileged relationship with the gods within a broader divine cosmology. Examining Aristides’ conception of sacred space in its multiple dimensions provides insight into the relationship between public cult and individual religiosity in the imperial period.

Following in the Footsteps of a God: The Transformative Power of Dionysus in Philostratus’ Life of Apollonius of Tyana

by Peterson, Anna
Abstract:
In this paper I explore the role of Euripides’ Bacchae in Philostratus’ Life of Apollonius of Tyana. Adding to existing intertextual readings of the Life, I argue that Philostratus combines the language and imagery of Dionysus’ infiltration of Pentheus’ body with a characterization of the emperor Domitian as a Pentheus figure. While this intertextual strand contributes to the text’s suggestion that Apollonius may possess a divine nature, it has the added effect of concentrating the reader’s attention on the somatic experience of Apollonius’ interlocutors.