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DIONYSUS AND HIS DOPPELGÂNGERS IN JOHN LYDUS
theology had another aspect crucial from the perspective of this inquiry:
the astronomical map was somehow connected with the journey of the
souls in universe. The best summary of this idea can be found in Porphyry’s
De antro nympharum:"
21. Taking the cave as an image and symbol of the Cosmos, Numenius and his pupil
Cronius assert that there are two extremities in the heavens: the winter tropic than
which nothing is more southern, and the summer tropic than which nothing is
more northern. The summer tropic is in Cancer, the winter tropic is in Capricorn.
Since Cancer happens to be closest to us upon earth, it has, with good reason, been
assigned to the Moon, which is nearest to the earth; since the southern pole is as
yet invisible to us, Capricorn has been assigned to Saturn, the most remote and
highest of the planets.
22. [...] The theologians spoke of these, Capricorn and Cancer, as two gates;
and Plato called them orifices. Of these Numenius and Cronius say that they
ascend through Capricorn. And Cancer is northerly and suited for descent, while
Capricorn is southerly and suited for ascent.
23. The northern quarters of the heavens are for souls descending to genesis,
and correspondingly the northern gates of the cave are rightly said to be for the
descent of men; the southern quarters of the heavens, however, are not for the gods
but for the souls ascending to the gods and for the same reason.”
According to Porphyry, there are two gates in the sky: one where the souls
enter the universe and another where they leave this world of generation and
corruption. Later, Porphyry’s argumentation ends with a specifically Mithraic
theory, but in these earlier parts of the text, there is no sign that Porphyry
thought of this concept as Mithraic. For him, it was simply Platonic. However,
we cannot exclude the possibility that it was an invention of the Mithraic
theology, later borrowed by Neoplatonist philosophers.
The cited text of Porphyry contained a corrupt sentence which was
conjectured in the 1969 Arethusa edition in the following manner:
24. To pév obv MiOpa oikeiav KabédSpav tiv Kata tac ionuepiag bmétakav- 516
Kptod Hév pépet Apníov Cwoiov tiv pdyxatpay, émoxeitat dé tatpw, Appoditns dé Kai
6 tadpoc. Snptovpydc 5é Ov 6 MiBpac Kai yevécews Seondtys Kata Tov lonnepıvov
TETAKTAaL KUKAOY, év Seta ev <Eywv> Ta Pdpeta, év dprotepa Sé TA VOTLA, TeTAYLEVOD
AÜTOÍG KATÜ HÉV TÖV VÓTOV TOÜ KAÚTOV d1a 16 eivat Beppov, kata dé tov Boppav tod
4 The standard edition is John M. Duffy (ed.), Porphyrius, The Cave of the Nymphs in the
Odyssey, Buffalo, Arethusa, 1969.
Translation from Duffy, Porphyrius.
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