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FIRE AND ITS ASIAN WORSHIPPERS: A NOTE ON FIRMICUS MATERNUS’ DE ERRORE PROFANARVM RELIGIONVM 5.1*
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 October 2017
Extract
Persae et Magi omnes qui Persicae regionis incolunt fines ignem praeferunt et omnibus elementis ignem putant debere praeponi. (Firm. Mat. Err. prof. rel. 5.1)
The Persians and all the Magi who dwell in the confines of the Persian land give their preference to fire and think it ought to be ranked above all the other elements.
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- Copyright © The Classical Association 2017
Footnotes
We wish to thank the anonymous referee and Bruce Gibson for their useful suggestions. The paper as a whole is the result of a close cooperation between the authors; however, the first three paragraphs are the work of Alessio Mancini, and the last four the work of Tommaso Mari.
References
1 Forbes, Transl. A., The Error of the Pagan Religions (New York, 1970), 51–2Google Scholar.
2 For the dating of this work in the 340s, see Forbes (n. 1), 9–10.
3 Digital reproductions of this manuscript are currently available online on the website of the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, at http://digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS_Pal.lat.165 (last accessed 17 March 2017).
4 See, for example, de Jong, A., Traditions of the Magi. Zoroastrianism in Greek and Latin Literature (Leiden, 1997), 343–50CrossRefGoogle Scholar.
5 Others are, for instance, Curt. 3.3.9 and passim, Lucian, Iupp. trag. 42.690, Theodoretus, HE 5.39.1 (= p. 342.15 Parmentier), Procop. Pers. 2.24.
6 E.g. Vitr. De arch. 8 praef. 1, Diog. Laert. 1.6, Basil. Ep. 258.4, Epiph. Adv. haeres. 13.
7 E.g. Xen. Cyr. 8.3.12, Strabo 15.3.15, Amm. Marc. 23.6.34, Agath. 2.25.1.
8 Cf. Hdt. 1.101, Amm. Marc. 23.6.32.
9 For the Magi under the Sassanids, see, for example, Boyce, M., Zoroastrians. Their Religious Beliefs and Practices (London and New York, 2001), 119–21Google Scholar.
10 Strabo 15.3.15: ἐν δὲ τῇ Καππαδοκίᾳ (πολὺ γὰρ ἐκεῖ τὸ τῶν Μάγων φῦλον, οἳ καὶ πύραιθοι καλοῦνται· πολλὰ δὲ καὶ τῶν Περσικῶν θεῶν ἱερά), οὐδὲ μαχαίρᾳ θύουσιν, ἀλλὰ κορμῷ τινι ὡς ἂν ὑπέρῳ τύπτοντες. ἔστι δὲ καὶ πυραιθεῖα, σηκοί τινες ἀξιόλογοι· ἐν δὲ τούτοις μέσοις βωμός, ἐν ᾧ πολλή τε σποδός, καὶ πῦρ ἄσβεστον φυλάττουσιν οἱ Μάγοι. Basil. Ep. 258.4: τὸ δὲ τῶν Μαγουσαίων ἔθνος (ὅπερ διὰ τῆς ἑτέρας ἐπιστολῆς σημῆναι ἡμῖν κατηξιώσας) πολύ ἐστι παρ’ἡμῖν κατὰ πᾶσαν σχεδὸν τὴν χώραν διεσπαρμένον […] oἳ ἔθεσιν ἰδιάζουσι κέχρηνται, ἄμικτοι ὄντες πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους […] καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἡγοῦνται Θεόν.
11 Paus. 5.27.5–6: ἔστι γὰρ Λυδοῖς ἐπίκλησιν Περσικοῖς ἱερὰ ἔν τε Ἱεροκαισαρείᾳ καλουμένῃ πόλει καὶ ἐν Ὑπαίποις, ἐν ἑκατέρῳ δὲ τῶν ἱερῶν οἴκημά τε καὶ ἐν τῷ οἰκήματί ἐστιν ἐπὶ βωμοῦ τέφρα· χρόα δὲ οὐ κατὰ τέφραν ἐστὶν αὐτῇ τὴν ἄλλην. ἐσελθὼν δὲ ἐς τὸ οἴκημα ἀνὴρ μάγος καὶ ξύλα ἐπιφορήσας αὖα ἐπὶ τὸν βωμὸν πρῶτα μὲν τιάραν ἐπέθετο ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ, δεύτερα δὲ ἐπίκλησιν ὅτου δὴ θεῶν ἐπᾴδει βάρβαρα καὶ οὐδαμῶς συνετὰ Ἕλλησιν· ἐπᾴδει δὲ ἐπιλεγόμενος ἐκ βιβλίου· ἄνευ τε δὴ πυρὸς ἀνάγκη πᾶσα ἁφθῆναι τὰ ξύλα καὶ περιφανῆ φλόγα ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐκλάμψαι.
12 Cf. Pastorino, A., Iuli Firmici Materni De errore profanarum religionum (Florence, 1956), 61 Google Scholar and Turcan, R., Firmicus Maternus. L'erreur des religions païennes (Paris, 1982), 205 Google Scholar. Clement of Alexandria must have been the source of Firmicus Maternus on several topics (see Turcan [this note], 51–2).
13 Cf. e.g. Livy 1.43.13 quadrifariam enim urbe diuisa regionibus collibusque qui habitabantur, where some manuscripts write collibus before qui (cf. Ogilvie ad loc.).
14 Firmicus Maternus must have been aware of this if he read Clement of Alexandria. Other passages are in Strabo 11.14.16 (ἅπαντα μὲν οὖν τὰ τῶν Περσῶν ἱερὰ καὶ Μῆδοι καὶ ᾽Αρμένιοι τετιμήκασι) and 15.3.13 (τὰ ἔθη τὰ Περσικὰ καὶ τούτοις καὶ Μήδοις τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ ἄλλοις πλείοσι). Lucan (8.338–9) talks about Chaldean fires while referring to the Parthians: Chaldaeos culture focos et barbara sacra, | Parthorum famulus?