2016 f casadesús the transformation of the initiation language of mystery religions into...

8/17/2019 2016 F Casadesús the Transformation of the Initiation Language of Mystery Religions Into Philosophical Terminology

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The Transformation of

the Initiation Language

of Mystery ReligionsInto Philosophical

Terminology

Francesc Casadesús Bordoy2016


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1

Introduction

Greek philosophy progressivelyincorporated the language of the GreekMystery Cults, such as Orphism,

Dionysianism, and the leusinian rites! "his use, noted in the preface of #armenides$ poem, reached its greateste%pression in some of the main #latonicdialogues, and e%tended to &toicism

and many of the 'eoplatonistphilosophers! "his chapter focuses onthe transposition of initiation languagein the philosophy of #lato and the early&toic philosophers! "he analysisillustrates that #latonic and &toic

philosophies incorporated thecharacteristic language of the MysteryCults to underscore the notion thatphilosophical kno(ledge results from aprocess similar to a religious initiation!

)n #latonic philosophy access to the


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kno(ledge of ideal *orms is seen as aninitiation that re+uires the kind of attention and concentration that onlythe philosopher, adopting the priest$srole in the initiation function, canachieve! &imilarly, early &toicphilosophers considered that they (erethe true priests and could guide other

men to the kno(ledge of the divine (illthat rules the cosmos!


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2

Divine no!ledge andPresocratic

philosophers

*rom the time of its origins, Greekphilosophy (as regarded as an elitistpath to a kind of kno(ledge availaleonly to those privileged fe( (ho (ereold enough to follo( it! Conse+uently,many of these philosophers presentedthemselves to their contemporaries ase%traordinary eings, gifted (ith asuperhuman capacity that allo(edthem to access almost divine

kno(ledge, impossile to attain for the


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immense ma-ority of mortals! )n fact,the ac+uisition of kno(ledge roughtthe philosopher closer to the divinity,eing the only one capale of itspossession! "his is (ell illustrated inthe anecdotes attriuted to some of theseven sages, (hich reveal that theyrefused to e considered as such.

o(ing to their mortal condition, theyhad to concede that only god is (ise2!&ocrates adopted this humle attitudey proclaiming his ignorance, anddeclaring that the only thing he kne((as that he kne( nothing! "hus, herefused to e descried as a (ise manecause, indeed, such a descriptioncould only e applied to the divinity/!ecause (isdom (as considered divine,many philosophers (ere associated

(ith the gods themselves, (ho in one(ay or another (ere thought to havegranted them access to theirsuperhuman (isdom!


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"his is the case, for instance, (ith#ythagoras! e presented himself as adescendant of pollo and ermes3, andclaimed that he had learned a greatdeal of kno(ledge from these deities,including one of their most astoundingand uni+ue lessons4 that the soul isimmortal, and after the death of the

ody it transmigrates to other eings!s (e kno( #ythagoras taught histheories to his disciples in southern)taly, demanding of them that they kepthis teaching secret, and that theyrevealed nothing to those (ho (ere notpart of his closed and e%clusive circle!ncient testimonies coincide inoserving the strict structure of #ythagoras$ school, and that stringentre+uirements (ere asked of his

follo(ers in order that they e allo(edto listen to his teaching! Moreover, it iskno(n that he divided his studentsaccording to hierarchies, as a functionof the degree of ac+uired kno(ledge

they had attained! #ythagoras$ school,thus, (as the 5rst in the est to liken


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the process of kno(ledge ac+uisition toa slo( initiation! "his process led theinitiate from ignorance to (isdom underthe tutelage and guidance of a master,#ythagoras, (ho (as considered divine,rather than human, y his follo(ers!

&omething similar could e said of

#armenides, (ho devoted the entireproem of his poem to an e%planation of ho( he had received all his kno(ledgefrom an unnamed goddess! "heterminology used in those 5rst versesevokes the language of initiations! erefers, for instance, to the transitionfrom the darkness of the night to thelight, accompanied y the eliades inhis voyage 7to push ack (ith theirhands the veils from their heads89, and

to the culminating moment of goingthrough the doors to enter the realm of the goddess! "his crucial moment,(hen the goddess enevolently(elcomes him and egins to instructhim (ith her didactic speech, is used y#armenides to estalish that every one


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of his statements aout /, and noteing originated from divine (isdom, to(hich he had the fortune of eing the5rst initiate!

)n a similar ut more radical vein6,mpedocles, in the :atharmoi,legitimi;ed his condition of master

efore the citi;ens of grigento! eclaimed to e 7an immortal God, nolonger mortal8, therefore placinghimself aove all other menike(ise, inthe #eri physeos mpedocles presentshimself to his disciple #ausanias assomeone inspired y the immortal

Muse Calliope, (ho permits him, as if he (ere a supplicant, 7to reveal anaccount of the lessed gods8?! )n this(ay, mpedocles counsels all (holisten to him that, having attained hisdivine condition, he is ready to initiate


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other mortals into such supernatural(isdom!

*inally, eraclitus claimed to e ine%clusive possession of the kno(ledgeof a divine >ogos, (hich most men areunale to learn and understand,regardless of ho( much e@ort he made

in trying to e%plain it to them10! isarrogant attitude is reminiscent of thatof an oracle, like the Delphic &iyl, (hoconveys the (ords of the god pollo inan oscure and enigmatic manner,such that the attendants are incapaleof understanding them11! )n fact,eraclitus himself seems to haveadopted the role of a prophetannouncing the (ord of god efore theastounded listeners, (ho are unale to

comprehend them! *or this reason, healso estalished a clear divisionet(een those fe( fortunate ones (ho,like himself, kno( the divine >ogos, andthe mass of ignorant men (ho do not!

"his proud attitude, as (e (ill see later,inspired the 5rst &toic philosophers to


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consider themselves as priests, and topresent themselves as the only onescapale of deciphering divine design!

/

Plato and the Initiationinto Divine "isdom #y

Means of the Languagesof Mystery Religions

#lato incorporated into his philosophical

system this sharp and radicalseparation et(een divine (isdom andthe ignorance of humans (ho struggleto attain it, characteristic of some of the most reno(ned #resocraticphilosophers, making it the pillar of one

of the main a%es of his thought!)ndeed, he continued the line initiatedy the #resocratic philosophers ypostulating the e%istence of divine andeternal truths, the ideal *orms, (hich

the souls of men, notaly the souls of philosophers, aspire to ehold and


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comprehend! "o e%plain theepistemological process that leads tothem, #lato postulated the immortalityof the soul, inspired y notions that hadOrphicA#ythagorean origins! "hus, inthe #haedrus, he tells of ho( souls(ere originally part of the divineentourage that had the opportunity of

Beetingly eholding the *orms, in aplace even aove the heavens of theOlympic gods! e referred to thisplace, (hich even the gods visit onlyrarely, as 7supracelestial8, a toposhyperouranios! )n this very conte%t,#lato descried ho( human souls 5nallylost the privilege of living among thegods, resulting in their fall into humanodies, and hence initiating a long andarduous terrestrial pilgrimage far from

the (orld (here they had d(elled so -oyfully! "o illustrate this, #latopresented the (ellAkno(n myth of thecharioteer governing a chariot pulled ya good, docile and eautiful horse, and

another unresponsive, evil and uglyone! "his striking image is used to


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illustrate that men$s souls, of divineand immortal nature, (ere forced tolive in this (orld, uried in a ody thattyranni;es them and prevents themfrom returning to the yearned paradise(here they once lived -oyfully andlessedly in the company of the gods!

#lato devoted a considerale part of his(ork to e%plaining ho( souls couldreturn to the sacred and divine place(hence they came! Moreover, he (asa(are that postulating such a divinespace had religious connotations, andtherefore resorted to the language of the Orphic, Dionysian, and leusianMystery religions to descrie a processthat could hardly e e%pressed through

philosophy$s more conventAionalterminology! )n fact, #lato admitted theimpossiility of e%pressing the notion of 7immortality8 (ith (ords, given that itlies eyond the ounds of humanunderstanding! nd thus, 7aout itsform (e must say the follo(ing4 that


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(hat kind of thing is elongs to acompletely and utterly superhumane%position, and a long one. to say (hatit resemles re+uires a lesser one, one(ithin human capacities8! *or thisreason, the immortal 7cannot ee%pressed y any reasoned (ord, ut(e, though (e have never seen or

rightly conceived a god, imagine animmortal eing (hich has oth a souland a ody (hich are united for alltime8! 'ote ho( #lato (as a(are of the limits of the rational logos, thelogos lelogismenos, (hen descriingand e%pressing a reality that eludeshuman kno(ledge! &imilarly, #lato alsohad to accept that the description of such supradivine places could not eachieved (ith poetic language either,

even though it (as speciali;ed indescriing the Olympic gods and thesacred places they inhait, for thehyperouranios topos, 7(as never(orthily sung y any earthly poet, nor

(ill it ever e8!


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"hus, after accepting the limitations of the rational language of philosophy,and the 5gurative and 5ctitiouslanguage of poetry, #lato chose tointroduce into his dialogues thelanguage of Mystery religions toattempt to descrie a reality thatresisted e%planation (ith other sorts of

language! Conditioned y the use of Mystery terminology, he thereforedeveloped his philosophy in the imageof the initiation process thatcharacteri;ed those religions!Conse+uently, he regarded theinitiation into philosophy as a similarprocess to a religious initiation in (hichthe puri5cation of the soul, ycomplying (ith speci5c precepts andrites, is a strict re+uirement! #lato

vie(ed the process of puri5cation of the soul as a progressive relin+uishingof ignorance leading to the attainment,in life, of the greatest degree of (isdom. once completely initiated, this

allo(ed the soul to free itself from thecycle of reincarnations and return to


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the divine (orld from (hich itoriginated! passage from the Phaedo(ell illustrates the analogy that he usedto e%press these ideas4

I fancy that those men who established the

initiations in the mysteries were not unenlight-

ened, but in reality had a hidden meaning

when they said long ago that whoever goesuninitiated and unsanctified to the other world

will lie in the mire, but he who arrives there

initiated and purified will dwell with the gods.

For as the initiated say, ‘many bear the

thyrsus, few are the bacchi’; and these

initiated are, I believe, those who have rightly philosophized.

"he te%t distinguishes et(een theinitiated and the uninitiated, (hose

souls, upon arriving in ades afterseparating from their odies, (ill ere(arded or punished as a function of their degree of puri5cation! "hepunishment of lying in the mire of ades has a distinctive Orphic origin,

(hereas the reference to the earers of


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the thyrsus is evocative of theDionysian rites! 'evertheless, the moststriking aspect of this passage is that#lato stated that those (ho institutedthe initiations 7are those (ho haverightly philosophi;ed8 EFHIJIFKLNEPQRST! "hus he suggested that thedoctrinal principles of Mystery Cults

(ere philosophically valid! &uchprinciples, conveniently transformed,constitute the ideal (ay for the soul toreclaim its divine condition! Moreover,(e elieve that the e%pression 7rightlyphilosophi;e8 o@ers an interApretativeclue to (hat #lato intended to e%presshere! )t is no coincidence that herepeats it t(ice again in the Phaedo asa means of insisting that only the puresoul, uncontaminated y the ody and

concentrated on itself, (ill d(ell in thecompany of divinity ecause it 7hasrightly philosophi;ed8 PQRSFHIJIFIUJVT! )ndeed, only 7those (horightly philosophi;e8 PQRS FHJIFIT

aandon odily passions! Only they,


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therefore, are apt to gain access to thelineage of the gods!

3

Memory and $#livionThe Model of $rphic

doctrine

#lato made masterful use of thepossiilities a@orded y the

terminology of initiations, (hich he did(hen introducing the notions of memory and reminiscence to e%plainho( the souls could recover theirkno(ledge of divine truth, forgotten(hen uried in a mortal ody!

)n the Gorgias, he (rote these ideas asthe (ords of &ocrates, in a conte%t of initiation, to (arn Callicles aout the

punishments he (ould receive in the


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afterlife for his arrogance andunfairness! "hus, after citing uripides,and asking himself 7(ho kno(s if to liveis to e dead, and to e dead, to liveW8,&ocrates resorts to the notion of thesomaAsema, of a strongly OrphicBavour, (hen claiming that 7) onceheard sages say that (e are no( dead,

and the ody somaT is our tomsemaT8! e thereafter refers to 7somesmart fello(, a &icilian or )talian8, adescription that might allude to some#ythagorean familiar (ith Orphicdoctrine, (ho, e%pressing himself in amythical manner, referred to thethoughtless anoetousT as 7uninitiate8amuetousT! "hus, #lato likened theignorant men (ho lack understandingand sense to the uninitiated amuetoiT

in a Mystery religion! "his leads to anassociation of those (ho do havekno(ledge (ith the initiated or mystai.ultimately, (ith those (ho, according tothe aove e%pression from the #haedo,

7rightly philosophi;e8!


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)n fact, the passage from the Gorgiasconcludes (ith the reminder of thepunishment that a(aits the uninitiatedin ades4 to carry (ater in a sieve to aleaky -ar, another of the Orphic punishAments, esides lying in the mire!o(ever, the passage is remarkaleecause of the interApretation it o@ers

of this punishment, (hen &ocratese%plains that, according to theanonymous character that told himaout it, the (ater leaking through thesieve$s holes symoli;es the lack of memory and forgetfulness of theignorant and uninitiated4

"hese uninitiates (ill e most(retched, and (ill carry (ater into theirleaky -ar (ith a sieve (hich is no less

leaky! nd then y the sieve as mystoryAteller said, he means the soul4and the soul of the thoughtless helikened to a sieve, as eing perforated,since it is unale to hold anything yreason of its unelief and forgetfulness!


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&ocrates, a(are of the surprise thatmight e caused y this transpositionof Mystery terminology to the domainof his o(n philosophical postulates,conceded thereafter that 7all this,indeed, is ordering pretty (ell on theasurd atopaT, ut still it sets forth(hat ) (ish to impress upon you8!

On the same lines, in the Meno heassociated the notion of the soul$simmortality to the domain of religion yattriuting it to priests and priestesses,in addition to #indar, (hose verses hecites, and to other poets he regarded as7divine8 theioiT4

hey were certain priests and priestesses who have

studied so as to be able to give a reasoned account of

their ministry; and !indar also "#$. hey say that the

soul of man is immortal, and at one time comes to anend, which is called dying, and at another is born

again, but never perishes.

%onse&uently one ought to live all one’s life in the

utmost holiness' For from whomsoever !ersephone

shall accept re&uital for ancient wrong, the souls of these she restores in the ninth year to the upper sun


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again; from them arise glorious (ings and men of

splendid might and surpassing wisdom, and for all

remaining time are they called holy heroes amongst

man(ind.

fter citing #indar$s verses, #latostresses the notion that the soul isimmortal, and that it is su-ected to acycle that leads it from here to ades

and vice versa! Moreover, in a ne(demonstration of his tendency to makethe most of the possiilities o@ered ythe terminology orro(ed from theMystery religions, he again directly

relates the notion of immortality (ithmemory and reminiscence, to concludethat the soul, in its comings and goingsfrom the afterlife, has learned it all4

)eeing then that the soul is immortal and has been

born many times, and has beheld all things both in thisworld and in the nether realms, she has ac&uired

(nowledge of all and everything; so that it is no

wonder that she should be able to recollect all that she

(new before about virtue and other things "#$ since, it

would seem, research and learning are wholly

recollection.


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y associating the notion of immortality(ith the process of retrieving (hatsouls already kno( ut have forgotten,#lato paved the (ay to transform theprocess of initiation of a Mysteryreligion into a philosophical kind of learning! "hrough this process, thereminiscence of that (hich has een

learned ut forgotten leadsprogressively to the ma%imal level of kno(ledge, the moment of ecstasy(hen the soul reaches the highestdegree of philosophical initiation!

9

The Myth of %r and thePlain of $#livion


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)n the eschatological myths of thePhaedo, Gorgias, and Republic, #latodescried (hat ecomes of souls inades efore they reincarnate! )n the7myth of r8 he used strongly Orphicterminology to e%plain that souls arere+uired to drink (ater from the Xiverof *orgetfulness and, after choosing

their ne( life, they march to(ards the#lain of Olivion NY NZ [\RK E]^I_T!

"here, they camp ne%t to the Xiver of *orgetfulness NY_ `bHKNV INV_T7(hose (aters no vessel can contain8,and from (hich they are re+uired todrink! "his is the reason (hy, eforereincarnating, they forget all that theyhave (itnessed in ades!

"he reference to forgetting isreminiscent of the te%t contained in theOrphic talets (hich tells of a path tothe left that leads to a spring, ne%t to a(hite cypress! "he talets recommendavoiding this path, and mention insteadthe lake of memory, Mnemosyne! On


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its shores there are some guardians(ho ask the thirsty souls (hy theyroam the darkness of ades, to (hichthe souls must ans(er4

) am the son of arth and starryeaven, ut my race is heavenly4 kno(this you too! ) am dry (ith thirst and

dying! Give me +uickly then (ater fromthat (hich Bo(s fresh from the lake of Mnemosyne!

lthough there are certain di@erenceset(een the description in the talets

and the one given y #lato, the mainnotions A salvation or condemnationdepending on the chosen path, and thepossiility of drinking from the (atersof memory or forgetfulness,

respectively A relate the #latoniceschatological myths (ith these Orphicte%ts! nd it is precisely this oppositionet(een memory and olivion thatseems to have interested #lato, and(hich he freely adapted to his o(nsystem!


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)ndeed, the talets stress that thethirsty soul yearns to drink (ater fromthe spring of memory! "he spring of forgetfulness is not mentioned yname, ut it is easy to gather that it isthe one on the left, recogni;ale y itspro%imity to the (hite cypress! "hedirective is clear4 avoid drinking (ater

from that spring, ecause it leads to(hat the soul of the initiated most(ants to avoid, that is, to lose itsmemory and reincarnate once more!

"he other spring, of memory, is muchmore inaccessile, given that it isprotected y guardians that +uestionthe soul, (hich must ans(er (ith theaforementioned formula, as a sort of pass phrase!

#lato, ho(ever, proceeds in theopposite manner! e focuses on themoment at (hich the souls havealready een -udged! Condemned toreincarnation, the souls must gather atthe #lain of Olivion NY NZ [\RKE]^I_T and drink (ater from the Xiver


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of *orgetfulness! *or the souls, this acthas the opposite conse+uence fromthat of the initiated in the taletsdrinking (ater from the spring of memory4 the return to a ody, and therecommencement of the cycle of reincarnations once more! )t is veryillustrative that #lato de5ned the

(aters of that river as 7(aters (hich novessel can contain8, ecause they areevocative of the punishment for thesoul of the senseless mentioned in theGorgias, (hich 7y reason of itsunelief and forgetfulness8, is forced tocarry (ater in a sieve to a leaky -ar! snoted aove, the impossiility of retaining the (ater, according to the#latonic interpretation, symoli;es theinaility of the uninitiated and ignorant

to keep their memory!

o(ever, #lato did not simply o@er thisnegative vision! )n the Phaedrus hedescries a converse geography to thatof the #lain of Olivion NY NZ [\RKE]^I_T (hen e%plaining that the


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philosopher aspires to return to the#lain of "ruth NY HKRE^V E]^I_T, of (hich the souls managed to catch ut aglimpse in their celestial entourageduring their 5rst voyage in the (ingedchariot, efore returning to the cycle of reincarnations! "he #lain of "ruth is,thus, geographically and conceptually

opposed to the #lain of Olivion!'otaly, this contrast is implicit in theetymological meaning of the Greek(ord H\REV, 7truth8, (hich ise%plained as AH\REV, literally, 7nonAolivion8! )t is thus highly meanAingfulthat in the #harsalos talet, the soul of the initiated is ordered to

ell them the whole truth " *++/$ straight ἀ

out

(henmeeting the guardAians that (atch overthe spring of memory _KIJ_KT!

"his seems to e a veiled etymoAlogical(ord game in (hich truth, H\REV, isunderstood as 7nonAolivion8, at a


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crucial moment for the initiated, -ustefore stating the pass phrase to theguardians that (ill grant it access tothe spring of Memory! >ike(ise, #latoalso sho(s that he is very a(are of theetymological meaning of truth as nonAolivion AH\REVT, (hen emphasi;ingthat the proper nourishment for the

souls is to e found in the 5eld of the#lain of "ruth NY HKRE^V E]^I_T!

)n this manner, #lato modi5ed theOrphic initiation and soteriologicalscheme to transfer it to his o(n ethicaland epistemological system! hereashere it is the philosopher$s soul that hasthe chance, y virtue of its memory and(isdom, to return to the divineentourage mentioned in the Phaedrus,

the soul of the Orphic initiate yearns torecover its divine condition, (hich A asdeduced from the myth of the "itans Aentails recovering Dionysian purity! )nsum, the soul, a(are of its condition,longs to return to its heavenly


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condition, as can e read in some of theOrphic talets4

I am the son of 0arth and starry 1eaven, but my raceis heavenly. 2ou have been born a god, from the man

that you were.

1appy and fortunate, you will be god, from mortal

that you were.

)n order to reali;e such longing, it iscrucial that it drinks (ater from thespring of Memory, distancing itself fromthe spring of *orgetfulness! "hissulime moment cro(ns the initiation

process, as suggested y the 5nalinvocation of the Orphic hymndedicated to Mnemosyne4

3lessed 4oddess, awa(en for the initiates "56789:$ the

memory of the sacred rite "8*8$, and ward off

forgetfulness from them.


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6

The Philosophical

Retrieval of Truth andDivine !isdom


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#lato invested a great e@ort ine%plaining ho( the soul canprogressively retrieve the memory andunderstanding of (hat it already kne(ut has forgotten (hen returning to the(orld in a ne( ody! Xesorting in thiscase to terms taken from Mystery rites,in the Phaedrus he e%plained (hat is

entailed y this process of philosophicalinitiation, (hich, identi5ed (ith theprocess of learning and reminiscence,must conclude (ith the freeing of thesoul (hen, in full ecstasy andenthusiasm, it regains the plenitude of its divine condition4

For a human being must understand a general

conception formed by collecting into a unity by means

of reason the many perceptions of the senses; and this

is a recollection of those things which our soul once

beheld, when it nd therefore it is


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such memories rightly is always being initiated into

perfect mysteries and he alone becomes truly perfect;

but since he separates himself from human interests

and turns his attention toward the divine, he isrebu(ed by the vulgar, who consider him mad and

do not (now that he is inspired " /@A7:BCD/$.ἐ

'ote ho(, indeed, #lato linked memoryto the initiation process, to the point of

forcing the etymological (ord game(ith the term 7initiatAion8 teleteT4 7aman (ho employs such memAoriesrightly is al(ays eing initiated intoperfect mysteries and he aloneecomes truly perfect8, NI ] ]NIINI _Q I_\VJ_ PQRSjQE_I, NEHbI E NEHENNEHIE_I, NbHEI _N _Iq^q_ENV! "hus, (hen noting therelation et(een the (ords NEHEN\,

7initiation8, and NbHEI, 7finished8,7perfect8, #lato is suggesting thatphilosophical initiation consists of usingrightly orthosT A y means of thedialectic method A the memories that

the soul keeps y virtue of its divinecondition, ut has nevertheless


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forgotten (hen reincarnating again! )nfact, the e%pression I_\VJ_PQRS jQE_I, evokes the action of philosophi;ing 7rightly8 IEFHIJIFKLNE PQRS, mentioned onthree occasions in the Phaedo, (hichrefers to regaining the soul$s conditiony means of the practice of

reminiscence, presented as the mostcomplete of initiations! )n this conte%tit is most illustrative that #latoconsidered that he (ho A like thephilosopher A attains this degree of initiation is in a state of 7enthusiasm8,_RIJ_, that is to say, in the mostliteral and etymological sense, ispossessed y the divinity! #latodescried the reencounter et(een thesoul and the divine using terminology

that evokes the ecstasy of the acchicrites and the follo(ers of the god of (ine, possessed y their euviums andy Dionysian fren;y or mania! )n fact,in the Symposium, #lato had lciiades,

in his defence of &ocrates, de5ne thephilosopher as someone (ho is


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possessed 7y the acchic fren;y8, NZFHIJFI V_^V NE LV wVLjE^V! "oclarify that (ith this e%pression he (asalluding to the Mystery cults thatadored Dionysus, he added that thoseintimacies of &ocrates that lciiades(as aout to descrie should not eheard y domestic servants or the

profane, (ho 7must clap the heaviest of doors upon their ears8 to avoid hearingthem! "his is a clear allusion to the(ellAkno(n Orphic ma%im 7close thedoors to the profane8, used to dra( thelimits et(een the initiated anduninitiated in his doctrine!

)n any case, after descriing the stateof 7enthusiasm8, #lato goes on in thePhaedrus to tell of that moment of

greatest splendour for the fe( souls(ho, ecause they had kept suxcientmemory, are ale to overcome theolivion of (hat they had seen (henliving amongst the gods, and y meansof the use of reminiscence can regaintheir divine condition! ere he used


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terminology that originated in theMysteries of leusis, in addition toOrphic and Dionysian language4

hey saw beauty shining in brightness, when, with a

blessed company - we following in the train of Eeus,

and others in that of some other god - they saw the

blessed sight and vision and were initiated into that

which is rightly called the most blessed of mysteries,

which we celebrated in a state of perfection, when wewere without e=perience of the evils which awaited us

in the time to come, being permitted as initiates to the

sight of perfect and simple and calm and happy

apparitions, which we saw in the pure light, being

ourselves pure and not entombed in this which we

carry about with us and call the body, in which we are

imprisoned li(e an oyster in its shell.

)n this passage, the e%pressionE]V^I_ jIQz is evocative of a festivegathering or a dance celerated in a

religious ceremony, such as in theDionysian or leusinian rites! >ike(ise,it conveys the idea that the divinevision attained at that moment is aresult of having eing initiated into themysteries, NEHIU_NI NS_ NEHENS_,and having taken part in the


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corresponding celerations,{QqIE_! "he te%t insists,moreover, that eholding such alissful vision, |_ NE LV RbV_ }TVLVQNNK_, in its purest rightness,_ Vq~ LVRVQ•, is only possile for theinitiates and epoptai, IE_I^ NE LVINEI_NE, after the souls have

een puri5ed and freed from the urialkno(n as 7ody8, LVRVQI _NE LVJ\V_NI NINI € _U_ ] JSVEQFbQI_NE P_IIE_! )n thisfashion, #lato inter(ove theculminating moment of the leusinianrites, the contemplation of sacredo-ects, epopteia, and the Orphictheory that the ody is the soul$s tom,somaAsema! e contrasted here themost arduous and harshest moment for

the soul A eing locked in the darknessof a ody tom A (ith the moment of itslieration and the sight of the rightestand purest light!


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<

The &radual Transitionfrom $#scurity to the

'udden Contemplationof Light( Diotima)s

'peech and the Myth of the Cave

)t is in the Symposium, during the soAcalled Diotima$s &peech A (hich


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includes the description of the path thatleads to the vision of ideal *orms A that#lato resorted most evidently andmanifestly to the model a@orded y theMystery initiations! )n fact, the (holepassage in (hich &ocrates narrates hise%perience (ith Diotima is structuredas an initiation session, in (hich a

priestess or diviner initiates herdisciple, as if she (ere a mystagogos!Moreover, it seems that #latointroduced this 5ctitious character inthe dialogue for literary andphilosophical reasons! ith the prete%tof instructing &ocrates on the po(er of ros, he presented his o(n thoughtsframed as a Mystery initiation,speci5cally an leusinian one!

#lato did not hide his inspiration forputting these (ords in Diotima$s mouthat the eginning of the speech, (hichmust gradually lead &ocrates from theearthly (orld to the contemplation of ideal *orms4


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hese are aspects of the mystery of love that perhaps

you too, )ocrates, might be initiated into. 3ut for the

final initiation and revelation, to which all this has

been merely preliminary for someone on the right trac(, I am not sure if you have the capability.

s noted y several scholars, Diotima$s(arning e%hiits the typical gradationof the Mysteries of leusis4 the initiation

itself, KRE^K, having reached it,NbHEV, and the resulting access to theculminating moment, the vision orrevelation, INL! "hat is to say, afirst phase, the KJ, leads to the

NEHEN\, (hich in turn leads to theculminating moment of vision orINE^V! *inally, the adver PQRS,used y #lato in the Phaedo toguarantee the correct use of thephilosophical method, as noted aove,

is also repeated on several occasionsthroughout Diotima$s speech to stressthat these steps must e taken in agradual fashion, in the speci5ed order!

fter reminding &ocrates again that theculmination of the process is only


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possile if follo(ed correctly, _PQRS qZNV ‚ qIE_I, Diotimae%plains the ascending path that leadsfrom the initial phase of initiation,KJ, the love for a single eautifulody, to the INE^V, the purecontemplation of eauty itself! )n fact,the 5rst phase of initiation includes

progressive steps that take the initiatefrom the love for odies to the eautyof souls, and from these to thecontemplation of the eauty of the la(sand, immediately after, to that of sciences! hen reaching this point, theinitiate is ale to perceive eautyastractly, dispossessed of its materialsupports, odies, la(s, or sciences! )tis at this point that the initiate, afterovercoming each of the initiation

grades, or KJ, 7turning to(ards themain ocean of the eautiful8, discoversthe e%istence of the ideal *orm of eauty! )t is then that he starts toreBect, to reason, and to engender

7many fair fruits of discourse and


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meditation in a plenteous crop of philosophy8!

"o clarify that this point in the -ourneyis the eginning of the second phase of the initiation process, #lato has Diotimaspeak these (ords4

hen a man has been thus far tutored in the lore of

love, passing from view to view of beautiful things, in

the right and regular ascent, suddenly " G9H/+$ heἐ

will have revealed to him, as he draws to the close of

his dealings in love, a wondrous vision, beautiful in its

nature; and this, )ocrates, is the final ob


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initiator into the Mysteries! "hereafter,in order to estalish that crucialmoment at (hich the 5rst phase of theKJ is over, #lato suggests in aveiled manner that having reached theend, QY NbHI ƒ]K „…_ in fact meanshaving completed the NEHEN\ (hichgives the initiate access to the

contemplation of the ideal *orms, theINL! "hus, he resorted to anetymological (ord game (ith the termtelete, (hich, as noted aove, he alsoused in the Phaedrus to emphasi;e thatthe culmination of the initiation haseen reached!

)t is also striking that after insisting thatthe process of KJ consists of 7passing from vie( to vie( of eautiful

things, in the right and regular ascent8,REE_I FE†Z NE LV PQRS NLVH, after the corresponding effort,_NE _I, the contemplation of eauty itself takes place 7suddenly8,†V^F_K! y using this adver, #latostresses that o(ing to the didactic


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teachings of Diotima, only after his slo(and e@ortful process of progressiveup(ard initiation, (ill &ocratessuddenly pass from eing profane andignorant into the supracelestial (orld(here eauty itself roams! Diotima$s(ords aim to solemni;e the transitionfrom the profane and ignorant to the

divine and sacred space (here truekno(ledge d(ells, a place only thephiloAsopher$s soul can reach! "hismoment, as is also the case in themyth of the cave, is presented as asudden illumination, a spark, thatculminates the entire previous process!

"hus, #lato suggests that achieving thecontemplation of eternal truthsre+uires, as in initiation rites, a learningprocess guided y a master (ho must

teach it correctly! "hat is to say, theprocess necessarily re+uires apropaedeutic phase, a didactic phase,(hich prepares for the culminatingmoment of the initiation4 the sudden

illumination!


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&ome scholars have suggested,like(ise, that this division isreminiscent of the distinction et(eenthe >esser and the Greater Mysteries!

"he >esser ones, celerated in graduring the spring, (ere a prelude tothose celerated in leusis in autumn!)nitiation in the former (as a re+uireA

ment to gain access to the 5nalinitiation in the latter, (hich (eree%pected to end (ith the sudden vision,epopteia, of some sacred o-ect!

#lato conceived of the dialectic methodin a similar (ay! )t re+uires much initialdedication and e@ort to 5nally attain, ina Bash, true kno(ledge! e e%pressedthis on t(o occasions in the seventhletter4

>s a result of continued application to the sub


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It is by means of the e=amination of each of these

ob


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cheat and an illusion, ut that no(,eing nearer to reality and turnedto(ard more real things, he sa( moretrulyW8! careful analysis of thepassage reveals that the prisoner, -ustas Diotima$s initiate, turns around,radically changing the (ay he sees yfacing the light! "his is a crucial

movement, for it represents an7epistemological turn8! "he prisonerin the cave certainty is that, asreferred to in several testimonies, lightplayed an essential role }

A5nA


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Chapter 1 inGreek #hilosophy and Mystery Cults

ds Mar‡a ˆos‰ Mart‡nAŠelasco, Mar‡a ˆos‰Garc‡a lanco Camridge &cholars #ulishing

Chapter 1 "he "ransformation Of "he )nitiation>anguage Of Mystery Xeligions )nto

#hilosophical "erminology *rancesc Casades‹s ordoy 2016

Œniversity of "he alearic )slands &painThttps4(((!academia!edu221ipr20162?pr20162016 M lanco etal Greek #hilosophy and

Mystery Cults!pdf
https://www.academia.edu/22178219/Greek_Philosophy_and_Mystery_Cultshttps://www.academia.edu/22178219/Greek_Philosophy_and_Mystery_Cultshttps://www.academia.edu/22178219/Greek_Philosophy_and_Mystery_Cultshttps://www.academia.edu/22178219/Greek_Philosophy_and_Mystery_Cults

2016 f casadesús the transformation of the initiation language of mystery religions into...

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