Religion in the Graeco-Roman World From Augustus to Constantine

Anxiety & Longing ► Existential “anxiety”  Question of life purpose  Threat to traditional Gods due to influx of new cults  Debunking of traditional myths among educated classes ► Shift toward “monotheism”  Platonist focus on The One  Aristotelian emphasis on “Unmoved Mover,” Supreme Mind  Pantheism (or panentheism) among philosophers ► Stoic teaching of the Universal Logos (pervading world soul) ► Divine “spark” in human logos ► Appeal of revealed religion  Oriental religions, esp. mystery cults  Oracles & prophetic cults

Humans as Fallen Souls ► Merging of Platonism & Aristotelianism in popular philosophy ► Hierarchy of being  The One — Good  Nous (Mind) — Intelligibles  Psyche (Soul) — Souls  Hyle (Matter) — Privation, absence of form; evil ► Path of spiritual ascent  Humans are fallen souls; true home is Nous (or The One)  Ascend through contemplation; return to origins

Origen of Alexandria (c. C.E. 182–251) ► Peri Archon (de Principiis) ► The Fall results from turn away from contemplation of the One to focus on individual intelligences ► Result is diaphora (dispersion; multiplicity) ► Fall from permanence into time (living successively) ► Salvation is anakephaliosis (“recapitulation”; return to original state of unity)

Gnosticism ► Most influential proponents  Basilides  Marcion  Valentinus (d. c. 160) ► Gnosis is not mere “knowledge”  Secret wisdom  Deep comprehension/realization of the truth ► Existential problem: “things fall apart” ► Solution: liberation from material to spiritual realm

Orders of Being ► Three levels of existence:  Pneumatic (divine; true being; good)  Psychic (divine “spark”)  Hylic or sarkic (tends toward non-being; evil, deprivation) ► Three concomitant types of humans  Pneumatics comprise body, soul, & spirit  Psychics comprise body & soul  Hylics or sarkics comprise body only ► Three “ends” of such human beings  Pneumatics predestined to salvation (i.e., spiritual liberation and restoration to the Pleroma)  Psychics capable of salvation through works (requires liberation of soul from the body)  Sarkics simply will die; no chance for salvation (there is nothing to save!) ► See The Tripartite Tractate 118–124