Christianizing Homer
The Odyssey, Plato, and the Acts of Andrew
1st Edition
Published on 21. April 1994
369 pages
978-0-19-535862-9 (ISBN)
Description
This study focuses on the apocryphal Acts of Andrew (c. 200 CE), which purports to tell the story of the travels, miracles, and martyrdom of the apostle Andrew. Traditional scholarship has looked for the background of such writings in Jewish and Christian scriptures. MacDonald, however, breaks with that model and looks to classic literature for the sources of this story. Specifically, he argues that the Acts represent an attempt to transform Greco-Roman myth into Christian narrative categories by telling the story of Andrew in terms of Homeric epic, in particular the Odyssey. MacDonald presents a point-by-point comparison of the two works, finding the resemblances so strong, numerous, and tendentious that they virtually compel the reader to consider the Acts a transformative "rewriting" of the epic. This discovery not only sheds valuable light on the uses of Homer in the early church but also significantly contributes to our understanding of the reception of Homer in the empire as a whole.
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Content
- Intro
- Contents
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1. Homer in the Early Church
- 2. The Iliad
- City of the Cannibals (Achilles' Myrmidons, AAMt 1a)
- Abduction of Matthias (Circe the Cannibal, AAMt 1-2)
- Jesus Consoles Matthias (Athena the Comforter, AAMt 3)
- Voyage to Myrmidonia (Athena the Sailor, AAMt 4-11)
- Summoning the Dead (Nekyia, AAMt 12-15)
- Sleepy Disembarkation (Odysseus's Arrival at Ithaca, AAMt 16-17)
- Andrew Rescues Matthias (Odysseus Rescues Crew, AAMt 18-21)
- Slaying the Children (Iphigenia and Orestes, AAMt 22-23)
- Devil's Advocate (Zeus's Lying Dream, AAMt 24)
- Dragging the Apostle (Hector's Corpse, AAMt 25-28)
- Fighting the Flood (Achilles and the Scamander, AAMt 29-32a)
- Jesus the Child (Hermes the Youth, AAMt 32b)
- Andrew Departs (Odysseus's Departure from Circe, AAMt 33)
- The Order of the Parallels
- Conclusion
- 3. Nekyia
- Rendezvous at a Mountain
- City of the Barbarians
- Raising the Myrmidons
- Visit to the Netherworld
- Departure from Myrmidonia for Amasia
- Conclusion
- 4. Nostos
- The Blind Savant (Tiresias, GE 2)
- Demetrius and His Slave (Achilles and Patroclus, GE 3)
- Sostratus and His Mother (Oedipus and Jocasta, GE 4)
- Gratinus and the Woman's Bath (Nestor and Polycaste, GE 5)
- Dog-Demons and the Dead Youth (Actaeon, GE 6-7)
- Storms, Pirates, and Sailors (GE 8-10)
- The Double Wedding (The Wedding at Sparta, GE 11)
- Exochus (Melampus, GE 12)
- Carpianus and Adimantus (Zeus and Sarpedon, GE 13)
- The Dead Youth (Hector, GE 14)
- Medias and Philomedes (Zeus and Hephaestus, GE 15)
- Nicolaus (Menelaus, GE 16)
- The Young Demoniac (Apollo, GE 17)
- Varianus and Aristobula (Zeus and Hera, GE 18a)
- The Magician and the Virgin (Simon Magus and Helen, PCU 1)
- The Deserter (Ares, PCU 1 and GE 18b)
- Andrew and the Beasts (Heracles, GE 18c)
- The Snake at the Oak (the Dragon at the Golden Tree, GE 19)
- Andrew's Cross (Odysseus's Oar, GE 20)
- Anthimus (Orpheus, GE 21)
- Conclusion
- 5. Back in Achaea
- Lesbius (Dionysus, GE 22)
- Trophime and Callisto (Atalanta and Aphrodite, GE 23)
- Philopater and Verus (Orestes and Pylades, GE 24)
- Calliope (Circe, GE 25)
- Sostratus and Leontius (Agamemnon and Achilles, GE 26)
- The Men at the Bath (Heracles and Hylas, GE 27)
- Nicolaus and the Whore (Menelaus and Helen, GE 28)
- Antiphanes (Heracles, GE 29a)
- Aegeates (Poseidon, GE 29b)
- Sosius and Iphidama (Eumaeus and Eurycleia, GE 30)
- The Beggar at the Portico (Irus the Beggar, GE 31)
- The Blind Family (Phineus, GE 32)
- The Leper at the Harbor (Philoctetes, GE 33)
- Conclusion
- 6. Recognitions
- The Arrival of Stratocles (Telemachus, Passion 1)
- The Healing of Alcman (Heracles, Passion 2-5)
- The Bedroom of Maximilla (Penelope, Passion 6)
- The Birth Pangs of Stratocles (Theaetetus, Passion 7-12)
- The Return of Aegeates (Odysseus, Passion 13-14a)
- The Empowerment of Maximilla (Penelope, Passion 14b-16)
- The Deception of Euclia (Melantho, Passion 17-22)
- The Arrest of Andrew (Passion 23-28a)
- Iphidama in Prison (Socrates' Friends, Passion 28b-29a)
- The Invisibility of the Women (Odysseus's Mist, Passion 29b-34)
- Maximilla Becomes Male (Passion 35-41)
- Stratocles Gives Birth (Theaetetus, Passion 42-46)
- Andrew's Last Will and Testament (Passion 47-50)
- Conclusion
- 7. Slaying the Suitor
- The Accusation Against Andrew (Socrates, Passion 51)
- The Vengeance of Stratocles (Telemachus, Passion 52-53a)
- The Simile of the Eagle (Socrates' Chariot, Passion 53b)
- The Mystery of the Cross (Odysseus's Mast, Passion 54-55a)
- The Laughter from the Cross (Socrates' Laughter, Passion 55)
- The Immortality of the Soul (Socrates' Psyche, Passion 56-58)
- The Attempted Escape (Crito's Plan, Passion 59-60)
- The Refusal to be Untied (Socrates' Resolve, Passion 61-62)
- The Release of Andrew's Soul (Socrates' Death, Passion 63)
- The Burial of Andrew's Body (Socrates' Corpse, Passion 64a)
- The Denouement (Penelope and Telemachus, Passion 64b)
- Conclusion
- 8. Postscript
- Authorship
- Allegorical Readings
- Unallegorical Readings
- Andrew's Own Epic
- Conclusion
- Conclusion
- Criteria for Literary Dependence
- Implications
- Appendix: Andrew's Speech to the Cross
- Bibiliography
- Index
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- V
- X
- Z
