Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Reconsidering Clement of Alexandria’s Protrepticus Book 2 as evidence for Dionysiac Mystery Ritual
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Published: |
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613944147869696 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Etsebeth, Nuraan |
| author2 | Bosman, Philip R. |
| author_browse | Bosman, Philip R. Etsebeth, Nuraan |
| author_facet | Bosman, Philip R. Etsebeth, Nuraan |
| author_sort | Etsebeth, Nuraan |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132218 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:10.803Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132218 Reconsidering Clement of Alexandria’s Protrepticus Book 2 as evidence for Dionysiac Mystery Ritual Etsebeth, Nuraan Bosman, Philip R. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Ancient Studies. Christian literature, Early -- Greek authors Mysteries, Religious Clemens, Alexandrinus, Saint, approximately 150-approximately 215 Mystagogy Christianity and other religions Initiation rites -- Mythology Philosophy, Ancient Clement, of Alexandria, Saint, approximately 150-approximately 215 Philosophy -- Early works to 1800 Bacchanalia Neoplatonism -- Early works to 1800 UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Etsebeth, N. 2025. Reconsidering Clement of Alexandria’s Protrepticus Book 2 as evidence for Dionysiac Mystery Ritual. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/85c33cf5-41fc-4f7e-b679-1cbde6939af8 This study presents a historical and philological analysis of Clement of Alexandria’s Protrepticus Book 2 in order to evaluate the reliability of the work’s information on Dionysiac mystery ritual. Due to a lack of other evidence offering practical explanations for Dionysiac mystery ritual, scholars have become accustomed to using Protrepticus Book 2 as primary evidence to supplement the study of Dionysiac mysteries as found in Attica between the seventh and fourth centuries BCE. Specifically, the work has been used to justify reading poetic texts such as Euripides’ Bacchae as mimetic representations of Dionysiac mystery ritual. However, few scholars of Greek mystery religion have devoted much attention to the rhetorical nature of the text. The Protrepticus would have been written at the turn of the third century BCE by a Christian apologist at the so-called Catechetical School in Alexandria. Therefore, this study presents an analysis of Clement’s intellectual background and his philosophical and rhetorical approach, and consider the information on Dionysiac mystery ritual in the Protrepticus Book 2 against a survey of literature concerning Dionysiac mythology and cult. Although the title Protrepticus suggests that Clement’s intention is to convert pagans to Christianity, as stated in his initial exhortation, a survey of its contents suggests that the rhetorical purpose is to present the Christian Logos in terms of Greek philosophy and to deliver an exposition of the depravity of the Greek pagan gods. Therefore, his choice of information is subject to his polemical program. Clement’s presentation of the Dionysiac mysteries is Orphic in nature: the Hieros Logos commemorates the death of Dionysus at the hands of the Titans, while the toys used to lure Dionysus from safety become the symbola. Clement does not describe the rituals attached to the Hieros Logos and symbola of the Dionysiac mysteries, and his description of Dionysiac worship is consistent with mythological depictions of maenadic ritual in resistance narratives, in which maenads perform the sparagmos and omophagia of victims during the oreibasia. However, Clement omits important aspects of the Dionysiac cult present in primary evidence from at least the eighth century BCE until the Hellenistic period, including Euripides’ Bacchae, despite the convergence of the Dionysiac cult and Orphism in the sixth century. Dionysus is consistently invoked as the son of a mortal mother, Semele, and as a result of his late entrance to the Olympian pantheon, the Dionysiac cult faces mortal resistance. However, the Protrepticus shows an indirect awareness of these ignored aspects, indicating that Clement was willing to exploit his sources in favour of his polemic. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar nie. Masters 2025-05-30T07:50:21Z 2025-05-30T07:50:21Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132218 Stellenbosch University 120 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Christian literature, Early -- Greek authors Mysteries, Religious Clemens, Alexandrinus, Saint, approximately 150-approximately 215 Mystagogy Christianity and other religions Initiation rites -- Mythology Philosophy, Ancient Clement, of Alexandria, Saint, approximately 150-approximately 215 Philosophy -- Early works to 1800 Bacchanalia Neoplatonism -- Early works to 1800 UCTD Etsebeth, Nuraan Reconsidering Clement of Alexandria’s Protrepticus Book 2 as evidence for Dionysiac Mystery Ritual |
| title | Reconsidering Clement of Alexandria’s Protrepticus Book 2 as evidence for Dionysiac Mystery Ritual |
| title_full | Reconsidering Clement of Alexandria’s Protrepticus Book 2 as evidence for Dionysiac Mystery Ritual |
| title_fullStr | Reconsidering Clement of Alexandria’s Protrepticus Book 2 as evidence for Dionysiac Mystery Ritual |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reconsidering Clement of Alexandria’s Protrepticus Book 2 as evidence for Dionysiac Mystery Ritual |
| title_short | Reconsidering Clement of Alexandria’s Protrepticus Book 2 as evidence for Dionysiac Mystery Ritual |
| title_sort | reconsidering clement of alexandria s protrepticus book 2 as evidence for dionysiac mystery ritual |
| topic | Christian literature, Early -- Greek authors Mysteries, Religious Clemens, Alexandrinus, Saint, approximately 150-approximately 215 Mystagogy Christianity and other religions Initiation rites -- Mythology Philosophy, Ancient Clement, of Alexandria, Saint, approximately 150-approximately 215 Philosophy -- Early works to 1800 Bacchanalia Neoplatonism -- Early works to 1800 UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132218 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT etsebethnuraan reconsideringclementofalexandriasprotrepticusbook2asevidencefordionysiacmysteryritual |