Orgies of Words: Mystery Terminology in the "Paraphrase of St. John’s Gospel" by Nonnus of Panopolis

220 Pages·2022·2.042 MB·English

by  Doroszewski, Filip

FilipDoroszewski
OrgiesofWords
Arbeiten zur
Kirchengeschichte
Founded by
Karl Holl † and Hans Lietzmann †
Edited by
Christian Albrecht, Christoph Markschies
and Christopher Ocker
Volume 154
Filip Doroszewski
Orgies of Words
Mystery Terminology in the
“Paraphrase of St. John’s Gospel”
by Nonnus of Panopolis
Translated from Polish by Damian Jasiński
Thistranslationhasbeenco-fundedbytheFoundationforPolishScience
ISBN978-3-11-079085-6
e-ISBN(PDF)978-3-11-079090-0
e-ISBN(EPUB)978-3-11-079097-9
ISSN1861-5996
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2022935336
BibliographicinformationpublishedbytheDeutscheNationalbibliothek
TheDeutscheNationalbibliothekliststhispublicationintheDeutscheNationalbibliografie;
detailedbibliographicdataareavailableontheInternetathttp://dnb.dnb.de.
©2022WalterdeGruyterGmbH,Berlin/Boston
TranslatedfromthePolishOriginalTitleOrgiesłów.TerminologiamisteriówwParafrazie
Ewangeliiwgśw.JanaNonnosazPanopolis.MonographsoftheFoundationforPolishScience
©2016WydawnictwoNaukoweUniwersytetuMikołajaKopernika,Toruń
Typesetting:IntegraSoftwareServicesPvt.Ltd.
Printingandbinding:CPIbooksGmbH,Leck
www.degruyter.com
InmemoryofHenrykWójtowicz
(1928‒2012)

Acknowledgements
Thisbookwouldnothaveassumeditspresentshapehaditnotbeenforthehelp
of PawełJaniszewski,whomIwould like tothank for his unflagging support at
variousstagesofmyworkonthetext.IwouldalsoliketothankJanKozłowski,
whounfailingly providedmewithencouragement tocontinue myresearch;our
innumerable discussions have especially contributed to bringing the object of
thisstudyintosharpfocus.Ialsowishtoextendmygratitudetotheanonymous
reviewersappointedbytheFoundationforPolishSciencefortheirinsightfulcrit-
icism.I wouldalsoliketo thank my wife, Julia Doroszewska, for her daily sup-
port,withoutwhichnocreativeworkispossible.
Finally, I would like to thank the HardtFoundation in Vandoeuvres, Swit-
zerland(www.fondationhardt.ch), forthebursaryandmostpleasurablehospi-
talitythathelpedmeworkonthisbook.
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110790900-202

Contents
Acknowledgements VII
Foreword XIII
ForewordtotheEnglishtranslation XVII
Abbreviations XIX
Part 1:Introduction
1.1 Ancientmysteries 3
1.2 Mysteryterminology 11
1.3 NonnusofPanopolis 31
1.4 Thescopeofinquiry 39
1.5 MysteryterminologyintheParaphrase 45
1.5.1 ἀβάκχευτος 45
1.5.2 βακχεύω 46
1.5.3 θιασώδης 47
1.5.4 μύστης 48
1.5.5 μυστιπολεύω 49
1.5.6 μυστιπόλος 49
1.5.7 μύστις 50
1.5.8 ὄργια 52
1.5.9 τελετή 54
1.5.10 Conclusion 56
Part 2:JesusandDionysus
2.1 TheweddingatCanaofGalilee 59
2.1.1 Preliminaryremarks 59
2.1.2 AnalysisofPar.2.12–20(=John2:3) 61
2.1.2.1 Adimmedjoy 61
2.1.2.2 AweddingwithoutDionysus 62
X Contents
2.1.2.3 Incompleteintoxication 67
2.1.2.4 Bacchiccries.AnanalysisofPar.2.35–38 73
2.1.3 Finalremarks 75
2.1.3.1 Thewinegivers.ParallelsbetweenPar.2.1–60andthe
Dionysiaca 75
2.1.3.2 TheAlexandriantradition 78
2.2 Thefailedarrestattempt 81
2.2.1 Preliminaryremarks 81
2.2.2 TheBacchiccrowd.AnanalysisofPar.7.172–182
(=John7:45–49) 83
2.2.3 Par.7.172–182andEuripides’Bacchae 85
2.2.4 Finalremarks 88
2.3 Jesus’HighPriestlyPrayer 91
2.3.1 Preliminaryremarks 91
2.3.2 AnalysisofPar.17.88–92(=John17:25–26a) 91
2.3.2.1 Orgiesofwords 91
2.3.2.2 ADionysiacchorus.Par.17.88–92versusProtrepticus
12.119.1 94
2.3.2.3 OrgiesofwordsinPar.16.111 96
2.3.3 Finalremarks 98
Part 3:Mysterium andmysteries
3.1 ThethreePassoverfeasts 103
3.1.1 Preliminaryremarks 103
3.1.2 ThefirstPassover.AnalysisofPar.2.70–72,110–115
andPar.4.204–205 104
3.1.2.1 AJewishPassover?Par.2.70–72(=John2:13) 104
3.1.2.2 Thenoise-lovingorgies.Par.2.110–115(=John2:23) 109
3.1.2.3 ABacchicprocession.Par.4.204–205(=ἐντῇἑορτῇ,John
4:45) 120
3.1.3 ThesecondPassover.AnanalysisofPar.6.9–10
(=John6:4) 123
3.1.3.1 Anorgy-lovingfeast 123