Du sang à l’encre: l’empereur Julien, superstitiosus ou piissimus imperator ?
Ink and blood seem to be the core-elements of Julian’s brief reign (361-363), with whom his hands would be ever covered. As a sort of synecdoche, these two elements could summarize the most famous activities of the emperor: his literary works and his sacrifices. Though, since his death lots of ink h...
| Published in: | Mythos |
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| Subtitles: | I culti politeisti nella Tarda Antichità: spazi, pratiche e discorsi |
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | French |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Salvatore Sciascia EDITO R. E.
2023
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| In: |
Mythos
Year: 2023, Volume: 17, Pages: 1-22 |
| Further subjects: | B
Constance II
B paganisme tardif B Constantius ii B Emperor Julian B Néoplatonisme B end of sacrifice B Late Paganism B fin du sacrifice B Neoplatonism B Empereur Julien |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | Ink and blood seem to be the core-elements of Julian’s brief reign (361-363), with whom his hands would be ever covered. As a sort of synecdoche, these two elements could summarize the most famous activities of the emperor: his literary works and his sacrifices. Though, since his death lots of ink have been spilled about blood ‘spilled’ by Julian: from Late antiquity until now, many works depict him as a ‘obsessive-compulsive sacrifice performer’, increasingly obsessed with bizarre rituals, isolated from the rest of the population. Reconsidering several ancient sources, aim of this paper is to verify whether Julian’s cult practice was in the wake of the customary rites of the Roman tradition, of which he was the most scrupulous interpreter (piissimus); or if, on the other hand, his actions were an anomaly, out of reality, beyond the norm and beyond the correct way to address to divine powers (superstitiosus). Therefore, I will discuss the stereotype of Julian as the ‘last of the Mohicans of paganism’ and its historiographical background, such as the so-called end of sacrifice during the 4th century. L’encre et le sang semblent caractériser le court règne de Julien (361-363), dont ses mains seraient toujours couvertes. Comme une sorte de synecdoque, ces deux éléments peuvent condenser les activités qui ont rendu célèbre cet empereur : son activité littéraire et ses pratiques rituelles. D’ailleurs, dès sa mort, beaucoup d’encre a été versée à propos du sang que Julien aurait fait couler : de l’Antiquité à nos jours, beaucoup de textes le représentent comme une sorte de ‘sacrificateur obsessionnel-compulsif’, obsédé de plus en plus par des rites bizarres, de plus en plus isolé du reste de la population. À la lumière d’une reconsidération des quelques sources anciennes, je propose de vérifier si la pratique cultuelle de Julien s’inscrivait dans les rites de la tradition romaine, dont il a été le plus scrupuleux interprète (piissimus) ; ou si en revanche ses actes ont été une aberration impromptue, hors de la réalité, au-delà de la norme et de la correcte façon de se rapporter aux puissances divines (superstitiosus). Ainsi, on questionnera le stéréotype d’un Julien ‘dernier des mohicans du paganisme’ et son arrière-plan historiographique, l’abandon des sacrifices déjà au cours du IVe siècle. |
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| ISSN: | 2037-7746 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Università degli studi di Palermo. Dipartimento culture e società, Mythos
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