Testimonia

{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p>At Nemea another—a little boy, Archemorus—was buried; and the funeral\r\ngames of the child are called Nemea. Pisa is the grave of the Phrygian\r\ncharioteer, O Hellenes of all tribes; and the Olympian games, which are\r\nnothing else than the funeral sacrifices of Pelops, the Zeus of Phidias\r\nclaims for himself. The mysteries were then, as is probable, games\r\nheld in honour of the dead; so also were the oracles, and both became\r\npublic. But the mysteries at Sagra<a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_43\" id=\"FNanchor_43\">[43]</a> and in Alimus of Attica were\r\nconfined to Athens. But those contests and <i>phalloi</i> consecrated\r\nto Dionysus were a world’s shame, pervading life with their deadly\r\ninfluence. For Dionysus, eagerly desiring to descend to Hades, did not\r\nknow the way; a man, by name Prosymnus, offers to tell him, not without\r\nreward. The reward was a disgraceful one, though not so in the opinion\r\nof Dionysus: it was an Aphrodisian favour that was asked of Dionysus as\r\na reward. The god was not reluctant to grant the request made to him,\r\nand promises to fulfil it should he return, and confirms his promise\r\nwith an oath. Having learned the way, he departed and again returned:\r\nhe did not find Prosymnus, for he had died. In order to acquit himself\r\nof his promise to his lover, he rushes to his tomb, and burns with\r\nunnatural lust. Cutting a fig-branch that came to his hand, he shaped\r\nthe likeness of the <i>membrum virile</i>, and sat over it; thus\r\nperforming his promise to the dead man. As a mystic memorial of this\r\nincident, <i>phalloi</i> are raised aloft in honour of Dionysus through\r\nthe various cities. “For did they not make a procession in honour of\r\nDionysus, and sing most shameless songs in honour of the pudenda, all\r\nwould go wrong,” says Heraclitus. This is that Pluto and Dionysus\r\nin whose honour they give themselves up to frenzy, and play the\r\nbacchanal,—not so much, in my opinion, for the sake of<span class=\"pagenum\" id=\"Page_42\">[42]</span> intoxication,\r\nas for the sake of the shameless ceremonial practised. With reason,\r\ntherefore, such as have become slaves of their passions are your gods!</p>","headings":["THE WRITINGS OF CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA.","EXHORTATION TO THE HEATHEN.","CHAPTER II. THE ABSURDITY AND IMPIETY OF THE HEATHEN MYSTERIES AND FABLES ABOUT THE BIRTH AND DEATH OF THEIR GODS."],"marker_anchor":"FNanchor_43","paragraph_id":"pg71937-paragraph-105"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"df20b1deb6154991aff27d6335ac8407e64716eaacf3e6c7563be9d208b248fd","edition_title":"The writings of Clement of Alexandria, Vol. 1 (of 2)","edition_translators":["William Wilson"],"edition_year":1867,"explicit_reference_candidates":[],"headings":[],"id":"pg71937-Footnote_43","license_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html","public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"original-editor-translator-note","review_required":["work and recension attribution","original-work chronology","Bible reference numbering and citation kind","English edition rights and attribution"],"review_status":"needs_review","rights_evidence":"Project Gutenberg metadata: Public domain in the USA. Existing 1867 English translation; translator died 1875. Electronic transcription subject to Project Gutenberg reuse terms.","source_anchor":"Footnote_43","source_ebook":71937,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\">\n<p><a class=\"label pginternal\" href=\"#FNanchor_43\" id=\"Footnote_43\">[43]</a> Meursius proposed to read, “at Agra.”</p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"8e5c5bc39922dbad2626ac7651c2eb2e3d94cdcbd721f781e9792143ebb1cd03","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/71937/pg71937-images.html#Footnote_43","text_sha256":"dfc39e7929effc6005e259bdef36bdd5b57fa09f8e5b382572935787328dc2cd","verified":false,"work_id":null}

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