The Gordion Knot of Classical Antiquity
My interest in the subject I am following here began with the Dead Sea Scrolls, the work of John Allegro in the 1960s and later, Robert Eisenman. They showed that our history of the first centuries of this era - as we have understood it for the last two millennia - is profoundly wrong. This matters in a wider context, for this is the history of the origin of two religions - Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity - and Imperial Rome, which become the foundation stones of Western Civilisation.
Left: In April 1988, archeologists discovered a small jug of oil in the Qumran region that some believe is the oil used in the Temple. The find was announced by the New York Times on February 15, 1989, and a feature article was published in National Geographic Magazine in October of that year. After testing by the Pharmaceutical Department of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the substance was said be the Shemen Afarsimon hinted at in Psalm 133. The ancient Jewish community of Ein Gedi was known for its cultivation of the afarsimon.
A member of this website (Bart) suggested that the archaeology of early Buddhism was also of this period, as opposed to the accepted version, which places it in earlier centuries, and as it has strong Hellenistic influences, maybe we should consider the foundation of Buddhism as part of the history for Classical Antiquity. As our study of this progressed, another member (Lubby) , suggested that in this context we should examine the tradition of Thomas in India.
Right: Nag Hammadi codex II, folio 32 - the beginning of the Gospel of Thomas circa 350 CE
I decided to take an archaeological approach to this period and placed our research in a private and secure site within Google. Within a year, this received input from numerous scholars, some of whom lead quite major archaeological projects. We also received views from leading academics, on subjects from Origen to emeralds.
After about a year, we widened our study to include texts, especially on philosophy and we began to receive much useful input in this from Cliff Carrington, a member of the Institute for Higher Critical Studies. His Flavian hypothesis became a valuable approach to the latter half of the first century, in which the Flavian dynasty came to power in Rome.
Left: triumph of Titus Flavius Vespasianus, after the First Jewish-Roman War was celebrated with the Arch of Titus in Rome, which shows the treasures taken from the Temple in Jerusalem.
It was at this point that I began to notice one name, one family, in particular, for the lieutenant of Titus at the Siege of Jerusalem was Tiberius Julius Alexander, son of Alexander Lysimachus, the tax-farmer of Alexandria. The uncle of Tiberius, brother of Alexander, is Philo, the philosopher whom Cliff Carrington identifies as the author of the first christology.
Lysimachus is not a common name and the most famous is the successor to Alexander the Great. Once I realised how he was the co-founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty, my interest in this family grew.
One of the great problems in trying to understand how the great changes in Western Civilisation came about is to identify the authors of these changes.
Some of the philosopher-kings are generally easy to identify. Others are unknown beyond their title on coins. The role of Herod the Great is pivotal in two centuries and his familial relationships are important even further, yet the correct identification of members of this dynasty is complex and our knowledge remains uncertain.
He also slew the most intimate of his friends, Costobarus, and Lysimachus, and Cadias, who was also called Antipater; as also Dositheus, and that upon the following occasion.
We have this account by Josephus (and who exactly is he?) of Costobaus, Lysimachus and friends, as agents of Cleopatra VII, to deliver Idumaea to the Ptolemies, but understanding who are the participants and therefore their descendants, requires a Sherlock Holmes. Why is this particular Gordion Knot worth the effort? (Right: Alexander cuts the Gordian Knot, by Jean-Simon Berthélemy.)
The Saulus in the Josephus accounts is, according to Eisenman, a descendant of Costobarus, appears as 'The Spouter of Lies' in the Dead Sea Scrolls and as Saul who becomes Paul in the New Testament.
Who, then, is Lysimachus and understanding his relationship to the Ptolemies becomes important in a number of historical contexts.
Similarly, understanding the mythology of of the god Cos (also: Kos) and its worship, and what is meant by Jew and Jewishness all come into focus.
As problematic is learning the authorship of what came to be regarded as sacred texts: none of the books of the New Testament have clear, undisputed authorship and this includes the Pauline letters.
Large numbers of philosophical texts have unknown or disputed authorship. Understanding them can be as difficult, for many were meant to be mysterious and secretive: mystery religions are precisely that.
Left: Antinous as Bacchus - colossal statue of Antinous as Dionysos-Osiris (ivy crown, head band, cistus and pine cone). Marble, Roman artwork. the Vatican. It is not known whether his death was the result of accident, suicide, murder, or religious sacrifice.
In dating the earliest canonical texts of Christianity, we have been unable to go further back than Hadrian. We have therefore been examining in detail his relationships, especially those in Greece and the identities of those he employed, such as Aquila. How he may relate to the Priscilla and Aquila of the Pauline letters and how this Priscilla may relate to the second century catacombs bearing her name, could well shine light on this mysterious chapter of history.
Right: The world's oldest-known image of Mary depicts her nursing the Infant Jesus. 2nd century, Catacomb of Priscilla, Rome.
Hadrian fabricated a new religion for his late catamite, whom he likely sacrificed in the Nile in imitation of a more ancient Egyptian rite
After deification, Antinous was associated with and depicted as the Ancient Egyptian god Osiris, associated with the rebirth of the Nile. In this regard, perhaps the declaration by Cleopatra VII that she was the goddess Isis is relevant. Then, understanding the last queen of the Ptolemies, the syncretism of Greek mythology with Egyptian, and the christology of Philo, becomes an important part of the process of revising the history for Classical Antiquity.
These are some of the problems we face in trying to gain an understanding of how Western Civilisation was formed. Throughout, the name Lysimachus is woven into the warp and weft of Classical Antiquity.
In my last post, I mentioned that the general Lysimachus both allied and fought with the other successors to Alexander the Great, in and around the "magical and distant land" of Nysa,
In 326, Alexander invaded the Indus valley, where he discovered in Gandara a town called Nysa that was dedicated to the god Dionysus. (Probably, this was the Indian god Shiva. The mountain Meru mentioned below was the center of the Indian universe.) The only description of the temple is to be found in the Life of Apollonius of Tyana by the Greek author Philostratus. The story of the discovery is told by the Greek author Arrian of Nicomedia, whose Anabasis (section 5.1.1-2.2) was translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt.
- The myth of Nysa (at Livius)
Apollonius of Tyana was compared to Jesus of Nazareth by Christians in the fourth century. (Eusebius of Caesarea, Contra Hieroclem discusses the claim.)
The patron of Philostratus was Julia Severa, a member of the Severan dynasty of the Roman Empire and among the most important women ever to exercise power behind the throne in the Roman Empire.
Julia was of Syrian origin from the ancient city of Emesa.
Her ancestors were Kings Priest of the famous temple of Baal.
Left: the Emesa temple to the sun god El-Gabal, with the holy stone, on the reverse of this bronze coin by Roman usurper Uranius Antoninus.
It has become clear that the history of Christianity is founded less in Judea and more in those cities to the north, such as Emesa, Edessa and Adiabene, and to the various Nysa.
Right: the citadel of Adiabene (Arbil).
Monobazus, the king of Adiabene, who had also the name of Bazeus, fell in love with his sister Helena, and took her to be his wife, and begat her with child. But as he was in bed with her one night, he laid his hand upon his wife's belly, and fell asleep, and seemed to hear a voice... ...he called him Izates (Angel)
- Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews - Book XX
You can see how the archaeology and history is contra many vested interests. Perhaps I am just another iconoclast, though my own perspective on this is that I am trying merely to learn history. It's a small thing: tell me what happened.
I have learned much, in the process, of how people work and I am unimpressed.
I have grown a distaste for academic publishing, for most of these scholars have been paid already by their employers - the universities - then sell their tomes for what is usually an exorbitant amount. I regard the trade as a rip-off, much like the system of tenure. If an archaeologist wants to do their job properly: publish the excavation reports and in the open. Leave comment to others.
I have worked with many who are better educated that I will be and far brighter. I find it disappointing that after two thousand years of study, the facts are so difficult to find and the obvious so hard to see.
It's been satisfying to see that many references I first checked 18 and 12 months ago are now rewritten. I track closely the changes that are resulting from this work and they are positive and measurable.