Posts by Eikadistes

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  • Renderings of Epicurean Philosophers by Genevra Catalano (2022-2023)

         

    Epicurus Middle-Aged Epicurus Elderly

        

    Metrodorus Hermarchus

        

    Philodemus Lucretius

    I'll upload these to the gallery, too. These are my wife's interpretations of the characters about which I have been telling her. Among other points, she maintains that all of the Greek men would have had much less manicured hair than depicted in statues, and the same for their beards, except Philodemus, in particular, whom she demands was a particularly attractive man, being a foreigner who made friends with Roman aristocrats. She also made some slight alterations based on common features found in those families that have traditionally inhabited Mytilene, versus Northern Turkey, versus ancient Syria, versus ancient Roman, and then cross-referenced with the available busts that we have. She made a lot of artistic choices to try to incorporate their personalities or dispositions, so I hope you find them to be entertaining and provocative. Cheers!

  • "The Inheritance" by Genevra Catalano (2023)

    https://www.etsy.com/listing/1608715339/the-inheritance-2022-print?click_key=224dbb09a3284d47f07030633e12556a38d62cf1%3A1608715339&click_sum=ece368bd&ref=shop_home_active_1&fbclid=IwAR3Lh9Qxn5s5JMggfrfkOtIyMb3qEVvU24YlJEcRY8DCfmreicmXVZR-czY

    Many of you know that I have spent a fair part of the last 8 years or so making memes and images as a product of my Epicurean study. To be frank, the only reason I had (as a musician and writer) the ability to make cheap, visual designs was because of the professional subscriptions my wife had to the digital tools she required to perform her job as a graphic designer, photo editor, photographer proper, and costume designer.

    For many years now, her visual art has evolved toward the genre of neo-Classicism, and she has contributed to our artistic community through portraits of friends, family, and commissioned acquaintances, as a development from her productions as a seamstress and editor. Her approach is eclectic and relies of a variety of material sources, including her own photographic library as a photographer and, as well as her imagination and mouse.

    And she nearly died in April.

    After years of parallel projects, and collaboration with my musical creations, she has found inspiration in the stories I have shared with her of Epicurus, and my project of providing an Epicurean alternative to Christian and Platonic expressions of art, some of the seeds of our tribe have come to fruition in her mind, and lead to the budding of Epicurean art, in the imaginative, dramatic style of oil-based neo-Classicism, through an analogue hand.

    The other two project I shared were quiet experiments she explored, unbeknownst to me. This one is a proper creation in her preferred style. She has been recently inspired by my manic rants about the Epicurean rock against the Deluge of mystical confusion, and based on my recent study, I have contributed some names and narratives to her designs of our Hegemon and the historical events to which her comported.

    We imagine, as Epicurus dies, bravely, willfully, boldly, having already lost hist oldest friends, Polyainos and Metrodoros, having lost his parents, and his deeply devoted brothers, and those members of his generation (who would have, proverbially, been enjoying Beatles and the Stones), while they rest were left with the generation of Leonteus' and Themistas, and Leontion, the widow of Metrodoros (who would all have been listening to Pink Floyd and Zeppelin in the name of the classical jams), and the children of his non-Epicurean friends, among his devoted disciples, and slaves (whose lives deserve greater light), including the future publisher and philosopher proper, Mys, a philosopher, teaching, and publishing in his own Right, and, as we imagine, Demetria, the alleged partner of Hermarchus, who is, otherwise, unattested in Epicurus' final two writings, thus, leading to this unique scene where Mys documents the official transition of the Garden from Epicurus' ownership, as documented by his beloved, trusty, philosophical companion, to Amynomachus, who stares, uncomfortably, not an Epicurean, but a grandson of the tradition that raised him beneath the wing of natural confidence and friendship and kindness and forgiving and empowerment, in overwhelming, youthful contemplation, as the wise Demetria, having loved Epicurus, having known him for years, living in the Garden with Hermarchus, though his attention is temporarily elsewhere, having inherited the duties of the Scholarch as the Hegemon ... we witness the Savior suffering from explicit endocrine failure (most likely, days before reaching sepsis and organ failure), an excruciating, untreatable condition that leads to certain death, which was met, fearlessly, with intention and purpose ... we notice Demetria, who looks onward, remembering the Second Kuria Doxa, that her wise friend has only ever guided her to light, herself, making peace with the shadows of the painting: death sucks. She is fighting the tears of losing a healthy part of her life that deserves immortal glory. Perhaps Timocrates sits in the perspective of the viewer of this work. Perhaps Timocrates, as was the case with the inheritors of Epicurus property, were economically bound to their daily jobs as non-Epicureans, yet devoted to the natural friendship that inspires them to honor Hermarkhos and the future ... the Garden of Epicurus is a collection of seeds, planted by faithful compatriates, who will never see them bloom, struggling through the arresting melancholy of the death of friends, fighting, spiritually, to remember of older brother's teachings, that we deserve joy, and that The Dead might bet upon memorial joy. We commemorate The Inheritance as might the Christians' "Annunciation" and "Adoration" and "Ascension".

  • Augustine of Hippo, The City of God, XI.5; & Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus, III.6

    From everything I've read, I have gotten a few impressions:

    (1) We overestimate the amount of people in the Roman Empire who actually identified as "Christian" by 400 CE. Just because the Emperor passed an edict, and just because a State passed a declaration does not necessarily mean that all of those living within the jurisdiction of that system had mentally converted to that tradition. (The government of China versus the religious practices of the majority of its population serves as a good example.)

    (2) We underestimate the popularity of Neoplatonism during the same time period that Christianity was rising in numbers. This was particularly problematic (much more so than any threat of Epicureanism) because a number of the early Christian Church Fathers (who are still accepted in Christian culture as Saints and guides) were Middle Platonists, (first) and Christians (second). Neoplatonism was a mystical, providential competitor with Nicene Christianity.

    (3) We overlook the influence of the Christian heretics. Well into the Middle Ages, Nicene Christians were still fighting the heresies of Arianism and Nestorianism. Many of these heretics were influenced by the notion that some element of Jesus was flesh-and-blood, thus, in the same way that Fascists tend to call everyone remotely left of them Communists (or vis-a-versa), everyone who doesn't agree with Nicene Christians were "Epicureans", or some other slur.

    (4) We also overlook the influence of Gnosticism throughout the Empire. During this same time period, Mandaeism and Manichaeism developed and began claiming thousands of converts, particularly among the Persian community which contributed Zoroastrian themes to their practice. Like the heretics, they believed in some divinity of Jesus of Nazareth and/or John the Baptist, and yet, still, they were not considered "Christian" by the Church Fathers.

    (5) Along that same line of Persian influence, we also overlook the influence of the Cult of Mithra. This seems to have been (at least, at the beginning of the Roman Empire) the dominant spiritual tradition of Roman soldiers, and had a particular presence among men who previously practiced mystery rites. This cult was a competitor with Nicene Christianity, heretical Christian sects, Gnostics, Middle Platonists, and Neoplatonists.

    So, it may not necessarily have been the case that the spark of Epicureanism was extinguished by the deluge of Christianity, but rather, was both (a) being appropriated as a slur for the opponents of any forms of Idealism, and (b) was competing in a plural world where no one ideology claimed over 50% of the population.

  • Emily Austin Seems To Think That Sex Is An Extravagant Pleasure aka natural but unnecessary. Do you agree?

    I think that sex cannot be necessary, because many people are not healthy enough to have sex, and Epicurus reminds us that one is never too young, nor too old, nor too impotent to tend to the health of one's soul.

    (We also might be thinking about this in terms of celibate adults, but let's keep in mind that most children are not having sex, and they can still enjoy the natural pleasure of wisdom; and even then, the natural pleasure that is sex does not become available until a certain point in a person's life, so we might even say it is unnatural below a certain age).

    Also, not that anyone was making this point, but just to share this perspective: we have no obligation to the species to reproduce. It is no one person's duty to perpetuate the genes of ancient creatures just because one shares their DNA.

  • Updated TimeTable of the Epicurean World

    Julian is an interesting figure (as I've recently found), in being a refreshing, polytheistic alternative to the growing, mystical Christian cult, who was equally Platonic, and therein anti-Epicurean in his education. This is particularly interesting, in that at least four early Church Fathers, as recognized by the Catholic and Orthodox churches, were admitted Platonists who not only rode the wave of Plutarch's Middle Platonism, but positively inhaled the Neoplatonism of Saccas, Plotinus, Porphyry, and Iamblichus, who derived their adaptations based off explicitly Indian forms of super-natural, supra-mental, or ascetic expressions of religious devotion. It's an interesting period.

  • Updated TimeTable of the Epicurean World

    Josh, thank you for sharing this map. I think that this interdisciplinary approach is integral to a genuine interface with these ancient ideas, on their own terms. You'll see soon (as I think you also intend) to demonstrate those ideologies that functionally replaced the popularity of atomism (I'm fascinated by Gnosticism and Christian Heretics [heterodoxy} in particular) and I believe that incorporating a visual estimation of the popularity of mysticism, albeit is Gnosticism [The narrative of John the Baptist (x) Middle Platonism] or Pauline Christianity [Judaism (x) Mithraism (x) Imperial Worship (x) honestly, IDK, Saul of Tarsus' weird, personal affectations], we are looking at literal "Magic" that become more digestible to Greco-Roman peoples in terms of safety and security than Roman tolerance of *material* Polytheism.

  • Updated TimeTable of the Epicurean World

    Quote from Don

    Wasn't there a scholarch with a Roman name? Source amnesia on that one.

    I'm thinking you mean Popilius Theotimus. He's the only listed Scholarach with a Latin familiar name.

    There also seems to be some suggestion that after somewhere between Apollodorus the "Tryant" and Zeno of Sidon there was a fracture of inheritance that lead to some level of involvement from characters like Diogenes of Tarsus, the Ptolemys of Alexandria, and perhaps Orion the otherwise unattested Epicurean. I believe that is speculative.

  • Updated TimeTable of the Epicurean World

    Quote from Joshua

    I'm wondering if Eikadistes and Don can help clear up the succession of scholarchs for me. I was going by the link to the table posted by Cassius in #1, but then I found this list by Nate at Society of Epicurus and some of the dates don't match.

    Protrarchus isn't mentioned at all in the table Cassius linked to, but does appear in SoFE list. The dates for Apollodorus are completely conflicting.

    Nate, should I go with the list you posted at SoFE? It looks more complete.

    I recently realized that a number of those dates from my study are inaccurate. Mostly, some of the more fragmentary characters are estimated, and one of my sources seems to have mixed-up BCE and CE in a few entires.

    Given that, in a bizarre wave of serendipity, I have been scouring that document for the last few weeks to improve upon it and add additional Epicureans that have been found since Herculaneum papers continue to be decoded.

  • What Do We Know About Caecilius Statius?

    Quote from Joshua

    I'm wondering whether anybody else has come across him. I know Hiram has delved deeply into Philodemus' scrolls. I'm just wondering if he should be on our radar?

    Yes, and I am currently curious which Caecilius is Caecilius.

    Right now, I am juggling with the possibility that he is just a character in "Octavius" by Minucius Felix".

    I came across the possibility that he is Caecilius Statius. He (Caecilius "the Epicurean") could also be Titus Pomponius Atticus, whom was later called Quintus Caecilius Pomponianus Atticus.

    Granted, the Romans, as I now realize, had a very, very limited number of first names, as an individual's identify was largely informed by their heritage, thus, driving modern historians to insanity ... so there were a ton of Quintus Caecilius' out there, and, regarding "Statius", we have, at least, Caecilius Statius the comic poet, whose works contrast with those of Horace such to give us reason to be suspicious of an Epicurean pedigree.

    I have no answers to this.

    Only one request:

    Moving forward, let's all give our kids unique names. There are an innumerable amount of familiar names, and the Romans, who were emaculate with their historiography, only had about 6 names for boys.

  • "A Day In The Garden: Epicurus, Hermarchus, Leonteus, Themista, Hippoclides, Polystratus, and Alexandria" by Genevra Catalano (2023)

    Quote from Kalosyni

    Eikadistes, thanks for sharing, very nice! Since the description doesn't say a print of an original oil or acrylic painting, then wondering if these are text-to-image designs?

    Also, seeing Epicurus in a red toga got me curious, as I seem to remember reading that philosophers wore white...but I need to find a reference for that (so do not yet have reference source for that).

    Based on my understanding, the "white toga" is a bit of a historical misnomer. The toga is a Roman-specific piece of garb whereas the Greeks wore tunics and chitons (among a number of other styles). Clothing was typically colorful and included a variety of dyes, as much as people have always used dyes and pigmentation as an aesthetic. (Lee, Mireille M. Body, dress, and identity in ancient Greece. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015).

    Outside of graphic design, Gen is a seamstress and costume designer, and has an extensive knowledge base when it comes to the history of fashion and clothing design, so I defer to her artistic choices as far the red goes.

  • "A Day In The Garden: Epicurus, Hermarchus, Leonteus, Themista, Hippoclides, Polystratus, and Alexandria" by Genevra Catalano (2023)

    Quote from Cassius

    I hope you'll be able to encourage her to do more like this. And do I see that she's done more than one work on Epicurus? I tried to follow links on the etsy page but was not sure how to look for the rest of her work.

    She does have a number of designs that I will be sharing soon!

    I initially asked her to make some renderings for my Hedonicon ("Epicurean Bible"), which I'll be sharing soon. I will share the other renderings she has done soon, as well. One of her specialties is to take portraits and turn them into Renaissance-styled paintings, and she's advanced to making realistic renderings, so we'll have some to share.

  • Antichrist?

    Christian heresy has always really fascinated me.

    Incidentally, I have been reading a lot about Marcion recently and the development of Biblical Canon. It is interesting to view Christianity at a time before orthodoxy developed, and explore how we view those figures from history.

  • Article: The Ethical Implications of Epicurus' Theology by Stefano Mecci

    I wanted to share some additional material from On Piety, mixed in with some of my theological notes:

    While scrutinizing these conjectures about divine “beings surpassing [ὑπερβαλλουσῶν or hyperballousōn] in power [δυνἀμει or dynámei] and excellence [σπουδαιότητι or spoudaiótēti]”, beings that “excel [ὑπερέχον or hyperékhon] in sovereignty [ἡγεμονίαν or hegemonían]”, Philodemus entertains the critical position that “no one has been prolific in finding convincing demonstrations for the existences of the gods; nevertheless all men, with the exception of some […] worship them, as do we” (οὐδεὶς εἱκνουμένας περὶ τ[οὺ θ]εοὺς ὑπάρχε[ιν τἀς ἀπο]δείξεις εύπ[όρησ]εν· ὁμῶς δε [σέβ]ονται πάντε[ς εἱ μή παρ]άκοποί τινε[ς αὑτούς, On Piety, Col. 23, 13-17). The conception of the divine nature “is the best [ἄριστον or áriston] and most holy [σεμνότατον or semnótaton or “dignified”], most worthy of emulation [ἄξιοζηλωτότατον or áxiozēlōtótaton, “enviable”], having dominion over all good things, unburdened by affairs, and exalted [ὑψηλόν or hypsēlon, “sublime”] and great-minded [μεγαλόφρονα or megalóphrona, “noble”] and great-spirited [μεγαλόψυχον or megalópsykhon, “generous”] and ritually pure [ἅγιον or hágion, “sacred”] and purest [ἅγιοτατον or àgiōtaton, “holiest”] and propitious [ῑ̔́λεων or hī́leōn, “blameless”]. Therefore they say that they alone strive after the greatest form of piety [εὐσὲβειαν] […] the ineffable [ἄφραστον or áphraston, “inexpressible” or "marvellous"] pre-eminence [ὑπεροχήν or hyperokhēn, “superiority”] of the strength [ἰσχύος or ìskhúos] and perfection [τελειότητος or teleiótētos, “completeness”] of the divine [toû theíou]. (On Piety. Col 45.2-30)

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