The Implications of Hephaestus’s Role as the Inventor of Metallurgy in the Chronographia of John Malalas
John Malalas presents Hephaestus as a king of Egypt who was deified as an inventor who made weapons and so provided his subjects with nourishment and strength in war. In the context of the Greco-Roman discussion of the progress of civilization and the identification of inventors, this may seem innoc...
| 1. VerfasserIn: | |
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| Medienart: | Elektronisch Aufsatz |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Verfügbarkeit prüfen: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Veröffentlicht: |
2024
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| In: |
Harvard theological review
Jahr: 2024, Band: 117, Heft: 3, Seiten: 506-531 |
| normierte Schlagwort(-folgen): | B
Johannes, Malalas 490-578, Chronographia
/ Hephäst
/ Metallurgie
/ Bibel. Genesis
/ Schöpfung
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| RelBib Classification: | BE Griechisch-Römische Religionen CC Christentum und nichtchristliche Religionen; interreligiöse Beziehungen CD Christentum und Kultur HA Bibel KAD Kirchengeschichte 500-900; Frühmittelalter NBD Schöpfungslehre |
| weitere Schlagwörter: | B
euergesia
B inventors and inventions B Hunting B Weapons B Hephaestus B Metallurgy B John Malalas B deification (Christian critique of) |
| Online-Zugang: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Zusammenfassung: | John Malalas presents Hephaestus as a king of Egypt who was deified as an inventor who made weapons and so provided his subjects with nourishment and strength in war. In the context of the Greco-Roman discussion of the progress of civilization and the identification of inventors, this may seem innocuous, even a commendation. But this discourse does not unite war and hunting, as Hephaestus’s inventions do. This combination seems to allude by inversion to the biblical ideal of harmony among people and between people and beasts, and so makes Hephaestus an agent of human delinquency. This denigration is confirmed by the magical initiation of Hephaestus’s ironsmithing. It is, however, by implication and allusion, rather than outright denunciation, that Malalas achieves his critique of the traditional gods and their deification. |
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| ISSN: | 1475-4517 |
| Enthält: | Enthalten in: Harvard theological review
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1017/S0017816024000208 |