Orfeu - Teogonia şi misteriile orfice

by G.R.S. Mead

Cine nu a auzit legenda romantica a lui Orfeu si Euridice? Versurile lui Virgiliu au imortalizat povestea celor doi in Georgice (iv 452-7). Putini sunt insa cei care cunosc importanta rolului pe care il joaca miticul Orfeu in legendele grecesti sau in artele si in stiintele ce-i sunt atribuite de posteritate. Orfeu a fost parintele credintei panelenice, marele teolog, cel care a adus in Grecia riturile sacre ale adorarii secrete si doctrina misterelor naturii si ale Zeului. Grecii marturiseau ca lui ii datoreaza religia, artele, stiintele atat sacre cat si profane; si de aceea pentru a trata subiectul pe care ni l-am propus in aceasta lucrare, va fi nevoie sa expunem o teologie care "a fost promulgata mistic si simbolic pentru prima data de catre Orfeu, apoi diseminata in mod enigmatic prin imagini de Pitagora, iar in ultimul rand expusa stiintific de catre Platon si discipolii sai autentici". Or, dupa Proclus, ultimul mare maestru al neoplatonismului, "toata teologia grecilor provine din mistagogia orfica," adica altfel spus, din initierea in Misterii (Lobeck, Aglaophamus, p. 723).

Nu numai invatatii lumii antice atribuiau stiinta sacra aceleiasi surse, ci si parintii crestini care erau bine instruiti. Orfeu nu trebuie insa privit ca un "inventator" al teologiei, ci ca un transmitator al stiintei lucrurilor sacre in spatiul lumii grecesti, sau chiar ca un reformator al unui cult existent care, chiar si in vremurile vechi de dinaintea legendarului razboi troian, fusese atins de decadenta si neintelegere.

G.R.S. Mead

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

George Robert Stowe Mead, who always published under the initialism G.R.S. Mead, was a historian, writer, editor, translator, and an influential member of the Theosophical Society, as well as founder of the Quest Society. His scholarly works dealt mainly with the Hermetic and Gnostic religions of Late Antiquity, and were exhaustive for the time period.

Reviews

[Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is, as a friend of mine once put it, worth all the tea in China. It presents in an accessible form an outline of the teachings of the semi-mythical Orpheus. That there was such a teacher is hard to dispute, but we know little about him for certain and his life has become wrapped in profound mythology.
His teachings have been gleaned from the so called Orphic Hymns and also other writers in his tradition who commented on his teachings. The inestimable Mead has summarised the teachings in this fairly concise book. There is enormous value in the diagrams that Mead provides. For those for whom the Ancient Wisdom is still seen as having a transcendent truth that is of value today, these diagrams provide wonderful clues and much to think about. Mead's text is not a difficult read and provides much to ponder.
This book should be on any philosophy student's shelf, if they wish to have some insight into the Ancient Mysteries.

[Ady ZYN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended.