Pagan King Research Articles

Conjuring Up a King

Conjuring Up a King

The Most High God vs. Nabû: A God of Letters, Wisdom, and Fate Who Can(not) Read, Understand, or Foretell

A natural reading of Daniel 5 clearly depicts the Jewish deity as humbling an arrogant pagan king, Belshazzar, through the Judahite sage, Daniel. This article suggests that a second but not mutually exclusive interpretation is possible in light of the story’s Mesopotamian background. According to this reading, the author of Daniel 5 used the traits of Nabû to subvert the well-known Babylonian belief that Nabû was the tutelary deity for the Babylonian kings. By rendering Nabû completely powerless before the Jewish deity, the author exalts the Jewish deity as the Most High God (עליא אלהא‎) who effectively displaces Nabû. It is in this capacity that the Most High God weighs the arrogant pagan king’s deeds and then determines the length of his life. Such a theological message would serve to comfort the intended audience of the pericope, the Jewish diaspora community under pagan rule, and encourage them to faithfully obey their God.

Sanskrit titles of two Pagan kings in Pali and Sanskrit inscriptions

This article deals with the issue of recording royal titles in inscriptions in the languages ​​of the Indian cultural tradition: Sanskrit and Pali. Using the example of a study of sources, the phenomenon of using the notation of titles is demonstrated, taking into account the use of Sanskrit spelling norms in inscriptions in the Pali language written using the Mon script. Such a phenomenon is of a non-permanent, variable in nature, which indicates the absence of a clear standard for recording the royal title in Pagan. The significance of this phenomenon is betrayed by the fact that Pagan was a political center that was under the overwhelming influence of Theravada Buddhism, which suggested an orientation towards the Pali language as one of the main languages ​​of the canon and political culture. Possible reasons that prompted the Pagan rulers to use Sanskrit titles include the support of Brahmin cult shrines, which influenced the description of the figure of the ruler. The presence of such a phenomenon allows us to clarify some of the conclusions of historiography about the use of specific writing systems for recording texts in specific languages.

“Almost Like Family. Or Were They?” Vikings, Frisian Identity, and the Nordification of the Past

In the course of the twentieth century, the glorified image of Viking Age Scandinavia exerted an increasing attraction on intellectuals and nation builders in remote parts of Europe, especially those which self-identified as peripheral, marginalized, and ‘northern’. In the Dutch province of Friesland, the cultivation of a Frisian national identity went hand in hand with an antagonizing process of self-contrastation vis-à-vis the urbanized heartland in the west of the country. Fueled by these anti-Holland sentiments, the adoption of Nordic identity models could serve to create alternative narrative molds in which to cast the Frisian past. In this article, I will chart this process of cultural “nordification” from its initial phase in the writings of Frisian Scandinavophiles to contemporary remediations of Frisian history in popular culture and public discourses. In this context, special attention will be paid to the reception history of the pagan King Redbad (d. 719) and his modern transformation from ‘God’s enemy’ to beloved national icon.

¿Por qué Dios eligió comunicarse a través de visiones?

The article proposes to recognize in Daniel 4 a “vision report” that ispresented in a similar way to those we find in the Hebrew Bible, with the great differencethat the visionary is a pagan king and not the believing and devout prophetof Israel. On the other hand, it proposes a possible link with the post-exilic apocalypticliterature –a characteristic feature of the second part of the book of Daniel–thanks to the presence of some apocalyptic elements within the chapter. The function of the oracles and other interpretative elements within the “vision report” is one of the points addressed in the present study, as well as the learning involved in theshort visit to the fictional world.

Between Sea and Land: Geographical and Literary Marginality in the Conversion of Medieval Frisia

Ancient and medieval Frisia was an ethno-linguistic entity far larger than the modern province of Friesland, Netherlands. Water outweighed land over its geographical extent, and its marginal political status, unconquered by the Romans and without the feudal social structure typical of the Middle Ages, made Frisia independent and strange to its would-be conquerors. This article opens with Frisia’s encounters with Rome, and its portrayal in Latin texts as a wretched land of water-logged beggars, ultimately unworthy of annexation. Next, the early medieval conflict between the Frisians and the Danes/Geats, featured in Beowulf and other epic fragments, is examined. Pagan Frisia became of interest during Frankish territorial expansion via a combination of missionary activity and warfare from the seventh century onward. The vitae of saints Willibrord, Boniface, Liudger and Wulfram provide insights into the conversion of Frisia, and the resistance to Christianity and Frankish overlordship of Radbod, its last Pagan king. It is contended that the watery terrain and distinctive culture of Frisia (pastoralism, seafaring, Pagan religion) as noted in ancient and medieval texts rendered it “other” to politically centralized entities such as Rome and Francia. Frisia was eventually tamed and integrated through conversion to Christianity and absorption into Francia after the death of Radbod.

NARRATIVE SOURCES ON THE CREATION OF GEORGIAN ALPHABET

Sometimes western researchers when they want to represent history of conversion of Georgia, depict the picture according to the Armenian model. Meanwhile the experiences of these neighboring peoples are not identical. Armenians’ break with paganism was dramatic one full of blood of martyrs. Saint Hripsime, one of the main pillars of Armenian Christianity, was brutally killed by the men of then pagan King Trdat with dozens of other accompanying her virgins(...)

The Law and Society in the Old Testament: Formulation and Implementation of the Law in Ancient Israel

Various laws were practised in ancient Israel. Although the present study will introduce briefly the concept of law as practised in Ancient Near East (ANE) in general, the project focuses particularly on ancient Israel as depicted by the Old Testament (OT) law traditions. The study seeks to investigate two main issues, namely: (1) formulation and implementation of the laws in ancient Israel, and (2) the application of the OT laws during the New Testament (NT) era and in Christendom. An attempt is made to respond to the following three research questions: (1) how were the OT laws formulated and implemented? (2) Were the OT laws the same as those practised by pagan nations or kings? (3) what is the NT/Christian view of the OT laws? In its entirety, the discourse will utilise two approaches, namely: (1) narrative inquiry, and (2) desk research. https://doi.org/10.17159/2312-3621/2020/v33n1a8

Charlemagne’s Failure of Charity in Ps. Turpin’s Chronicle and Beyond

The Chronicle of ps. Turpin is disparaged for its compositional failings, but it has its strengths too. These are exemplified by the episode in which the pagan king Aigolande upbraids Charlemagne for neglecting to provide for the paupers he sustains as well as the clergymen of his court. On account of Charlemagne’s oversight Aigolande refuses baptism and continues the war that eventually results in Roland’s death. This episode serves many purposes; it pro- vides coherence to the narrative, motivation and sympathetic humanity to the antagonists of the piece, depth and fallibility to the character of Charlemagne, substance to the character of Turpin himself, and a punch to a moral lesson the Chronicle attempts to deliver. Its im- portance was recognized in the ps. Turpin tradition, and the remarkably subtle and effective device of turning the criticisms of a heathen on the faults of Christian society was adapted and repeated for centuries.

Does the Pagan King Reply? Malayalam Documents on the Portuguese Arrival in India

AbstractThis article is a response to Sebastian Prange's essay in Itinerario 41, no. 1 (2017): 151–173 wherein he presented a ‘virtually unknown manuscript’ on the Portuguese arrival in India as an Indian voice, unheard in the existing historiography. Prange had consulted the English translation of a Malayalam text by John Wye, that the former had assumed to be lost. However its original palm-leaf manuscript (ōla) is kept at the British Library. This ōla, entitled Kēraḷa Varttamānam, brings to light some remarkable omissions and a few discrepancies in Wye's translation. Closely reading different manuscripts in Malayalam, Arabic, and English I argue that this ōla is in fact a translation of a sixteenth-century Arabic text, Tuḥfat al-mujāhidīn, well known among scholars of its place and period. Taking it a step ahead, I argue that the very existence of this text points towards the cross-cultural and cross-linguistic interactions between the Arabic and Malayalam spheres of premodern Malabar. The ōla demonstrates one of the first instances of Malayalam literature's engagement with a secular and historical theme as the arrival of the Portuguese. In addition, Malayalam works such as Kēraḷōlpatti and Kēraḷa-paḻama are clear voices from Malabar on the Portuguese arrival and consequent episodes.

REMEMBERING AND FORGETTING PAGAN KINGS OF THE DANES IN THE ELEVENTH CENTURY

In eleventh-century Denmark, the memory of the pagan kings of the Danes of the previous centuries was treated in many different ways: practices and choices of oral and written memory, oblivion and reinterpretations can be identified. We illustrate those varied strategies in three main contexts: oblivion, as exemplified by the work of Ailnoth; the use (or lack of use) of genealogy in the reign of Knud the Great and his sons; reinterpretations of past reigns by King Svend Estridsen, as described in the work of Adam of Bremen.

Death on the Seine: The mystery of the pagan king Setric

In 943, a pagan king called Setric arrived with a fleet on the Seine, seeking to ‘take over the whole area without a grant from the king’ and to bring the young Richard and his Rouen Northmen back ‘to the worship of idols, and to bring back pagan rites’. But this was not to be because the young Carolingian king Louis IV d’Outremer was quickly on the scene and engaged Setric and his dux Turmod in battle. Louis’s mounted forces were victorious and both Setric and Turmod were killed. As the great French historian Philippe Lauer said: ‘La défaite du viking Setric et du renégat Turmod est un événement important dans l’histoire de l’établissement des Normands en Neustrie’. The mystery examined in this article is, who was this pagan king Setric (ON Sigtryggr) who had been sent to Valhalla? And where had he come from —York or Denmark? It is shown that whilst a Danish origin for King Setric cannot be completely excluded, the equation of a King Sihtric of York with King Setric on the Seine is more likely and is supported by a plethora of onomastic, chronological, numismatic and contextual evidence.

Goffredo e Solimano. Geometrie e rifrazioni omeriche nella Liberata

Through a reading of some significant ottave from Gerusalemme liberata, this essay offers an interpretation of the character of Goffredo and of his role as leader of the Crusaders. An analysis is provided of his relationship both with the pagan king Aladino and with the circle of heroes inside the Christian camp, with special attention dedicated to those moments in which Goffredo’s command is questioned. This occurs in Canto IV with Estazio’s speech, as well as in Canto V with the serious infraction committed by Rinaldo. Following an analysis of the relationship between Goffredo and the pagan leader Solimano, the article suggests a possible Homeric model lying behind the episode in Canto XI, when Goffredo must face his opponents directly in the battlefield.

Royal Marriage and Conversion in Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum

The prevailing view in modern scholarship is that Bede reduced the role of women in his narrative of Anglo-Saxon conversion, in contrast to Gregory of Tours with whom Bede is unfavourably compared. In Gregory’s account of the conversion of Clovis, king of the Franks, he allowed an overt role for the king’s wife, Clotild, whereas in Bede’s presentation of mixed marriages between Christian queens and pagan kings his queens did not actively convert their husbands. This essay presents a counter thesis arguing that the importance of Christian queens can be detected in Bede’s Historia when attention is paid to scriptural imagery and exegetical allusions in his text. Bede’s Historia is the only early source that refers to Christian queens at pagan courts and his presentation indicates that these women fulfilled scriptural precepts such as 1 Cor. 7:14, ‘the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife’. This theological dimension reveals the unique role played by Christian queens in the conversion of their husbands and the significance of royal marriages in the acceptance of Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England.

A Theology of Religious and Cultural Tolerance in a Pluralistic Context from Amos 2:1–3

The thesis of this article is that Amos 2:1–3 teaches religious and cultural tolerance in a pluralistic context. Amos 2:1–3 is a bizarre text which deals with an act of desecration: the king of Moab burning the king of Edom’s bones. The shocking question this text raises is: why would YHWH the one true God and savior of Israel care about how one pagan king treated another dead pagan king? The juxtaposition of exclusivism and pluralism is the precise mechanism that generates a theology of religious and cultural tolerance from Amos 2:1–3. The second installment of this study makes a practical application of this theology entitled ‘From Marilyn Manson to Amos: Navigating Pluralism in the Twenty-first Century West’.

The Pagan King Replies: An Indian Perspective on the Portuguese Arrival in India

This article recommends a virtually unknown manuscript on the early Portuguese presence in India to wider scholarly attention. Dubbed here the Wye manuscript, this text purports to be an English translation of a sixteenth-century Malayalam history that was produced at the court of the ruler of Calicut. The South Indian kingdom of Calicut was central to Portugal’s project of monopolizing the region’s all-important pepper trade; the Wye manuscript therefore holds the promise of adding an Indian perspective to a history that has been written largely on the basis of European sources. This article examines the external and internal evidence for the author’s claim of having translated the text from an original palm-leaf manuscript held by members of Calicut’s royal family. An analysis of its content shows significant overlap with an Arabic history of the sixteenth century; a comparison of their similarities and differences suggests a number of insights into the processes of composition and revision of both the Malayalam and Arabic texts. Last, and most important, the Wye manuscript is transcribed in full in the hope of stimulating further discussion and study.

The Fisher King of West Egg

The Fisher King of West Egg

The Fisher King of West Egg

The Fisher King of West Egg

Playing at crusading: cultural memory and its (re)creation in Jean Bodel's Jeu de St Nicolas

This article is an analysis of the text of a play written by Jean Bodel, c.1200 (surviving in a manuscript of c.1288), in which the late classical legend of St Nicolas is updated within the context of the crusades. After a massacre of a Christian army, a statue of St Nicolas is charged with the protection of an African king's treasure, and when he ultimately proves successful, the pagan king and his followers convert to Christianity, abandoning their statue of Tervagant. The article explores the ways in which memories of crusade wars, both accurate and mythologised, can be traced in the writing of the play and thus how its construction, performance, copying and preservation can be seen as contributing to the further reconstruction, preservation and circulation of those memories. The play can be seen as a vital step in the process of ‘social memory’.

Frustula nagranitica

The article tries to point out some miscellaneous problems related to the traditions of the Nine Saints and to the Ethio-Ḥimyaritic war of the 6th c. A.D. For the first subject the interesting results achieved by Antonella Brita 2010 are basically confirmed, and a paragraph against the alleged Syrian/Syriac provenance of these saints is added. As for the second subject, after some onomastic notes stressing the traditional etymology of the second name of king Kaleb (from *sbḥ ‘to dawn’) and recalling the existence in the Islamic tradition of two kings Yūsuf (this explaining in turn the indication “Yūsuf the younger” found in at least one of the versions of the “Martyrium Arethae”), the texts which tell of a pagan king of Ethiopia who defeats a Judaizing one from Yemen (who in turn has persecuted Christians) are identified as speaking of the first of the two Ethio-Ḥimyaritic wars. Finally, the interesting proposal by Beaucamp – Briquel-Chatonnet – Robin 1999–2000, according to which the war should be dated at least in 531 because Procopius speaks of a still active (and not yet retired to monasticism) king Kaleb at that epoch, is put in doubt, because it tries to conciliate two entirely different kinds of sources, one historical and the other purely hagiographical, which as such has not to be compulsorily harmonized with the first.