| Keywords [eng] |
Diodorus Siculus, Quellenforschung, Crete, Epimenides, Kretika, Theogony, Theology Diodoras Sicilietis, Quellenforschung, Kreta, Epimenidas, Kretika, Teogonija, Teologija |
| Abstract [eng] |
Diododorus Siculus’ Universal History is one of the longest surviving historical texts from Ancient Greece, written around the first century B.C. The work aims to present the history of the entire world, including mythological times and the history of the barbarian people. The first six books of this massive work present the mythological era up to the Trojan War. In describing this period, Diodorus often relies on ancient sources, most of which are now lost. The analysis presented in this Master’s thesis focuses on a passage in Book 5, which describes the island of Crete (5.64–80). Here Diodorus presents a lengthy account that combines mythological, historical and ethnographic material. Most curious is the fact that, at the very end of the passage, Diodorus states to have used four sources. One of them is called ‘Epimenides the Theologian’ (5.80.4). What is more, the specific linguistic formula of μὲν […] δὲ signifies that Epimenides is distinguished from the other three authors; this is very likely because Epimenides was a ‘theologian’, whereas the remaining authors were simply ‘historians’. Thus, this study aims to use these and similar clues to extract the Epimenidean source from the Cretan Passage. This is achieved in two stages. First, the narratological flow of the passage is analysed. Relying on narrative breaks, linguistic clues, and possible intertextual references, the text is divided into broad sections consistent in style. From this, it emerges that a clear theogonic narrative is present within the passage, though it is framed by ethnographic and historical sections at the beginning (5.64–5) and end (5.76.3–80) of the chapter. What is more, there are numerous interpolations that most likely derive from stylistically different sources than the Epimenidean source under investigation. The second stage analyses concepts and opinions, allowing for the reconstruction of a consistent narrative line that reflects a distinctive theological position. According to this view, gods should not be represented as violent beings, but rather as peaceful and just, as shown in the differing myth–versions presented. First, neither Cronus nor Zeus seizes power by force; instead, both attain rule in a peaceful and just manner. Second, the only major outbreak of violence occurs within the Gigantomachy, whose central purpose is the restoration of concord, rather than the destruction of political enemies, as is more typical in other Greek contexts. For these reasons, the Theogony is situated within the intellectual context of Xenophanes rather than that of Euhemerus, with whom it has more commonly been associated. We attribute this narrative to Epimenides because it accords both with the clues provided by Diodorus and the broader context of Epimenides in Greek tradition. |
