Orpheus Noster

Foreword

Monika Frazer-Imregh — 2025-06-30

Dolores Hegyi’s Funeral Speech

Gábor Katus — 2025-06-30

In memoriam Dolores Hegyi

Miklós Sárközy — 2025-07-28

Medes and Persians in Postexilic Jewish Literature

Ida Fröhlich — 2025-07-28

Old Persian empire was one of the successive empires of which ancient Jewry was a subject. However, its representatives were regarded in Jewish sources as liberators rather than oppressors, unlike those of Babel, i.e. the Neo-Babylonian Empire, and later the Seleucid and Roman Empires, which were recalled as examples of oppression and religious intolerance. Loyalty to the Persians appears in Jewish postexilic literature openly or covertly, concealed by later interpretations of certain texts. Interpretation of the oracle of Daniel 5, according to which „Darius the Mede took over the kingdom (mlkw) at the age of sixty-two” (Daniel 6:1) provides a larger historical perspective on the historical role of the Old Persian Empire. The text of 2 Daniel is a prophecy that has been reinterpreted several times, the first formulation of which hailed the Persians as „eternal dominion” after the change of Persian rule in the 6th century BC. Persian propaganda played a significant role in the formation of a positive opinion. The de-legitimization of the fallen Nabunaid and the legitimization of dynasty founder Cyrus were formulated in the common cultural language of the Ancient Near East, the basic concepts of which were associated with the cult of the country’s patron deity and social justice against his people. The legitimizing institutions were the Babylonian Marduk priesthood and Jewish exilic prophets, who, albeit with altered functions, were present in the Babylonian Jewish diaspora and legitimized the empire-founder Cyrus for their people.

Research on the Cult Statue of Artemis Ephesia from the 17th Century to the Present Day

Zsuzsanna Turcsán-Tóth — 2025-07-28

This study analyzes nearly four centuries of academic interpretations of the cult statue of Artemis Ephesia, ranging from the earliest assessments in the 17th century to the latest scholarly perspectives of the 21st century. It delineates the evolution of interpretations of the goddess’s cult image, reflecting the religious, art historical, and archaeological viewpoints of each period. Particular emphasis is placed on pivotal moments that significantly advanced the iconographic and typological understanding of the statue. The paper highlights the legacy of early interpretations and the new insights offered by modern research, proposing that a comprehensive understanding of the cult image’s significance can only be achieved through an interdisciplinary methodology.

Hellas and the Hellespontos

András Patay-Horváth — 2025-07-28

The original meaning of certain toponyms often becomes obsolete, and their current form gives rise to misinterpretations. This process is usually called popular etymology, and in antiquity it manifested itself in the form of aitiological tales and mythical eponymous characters (e.g. Ikaros, Taygete, Ithaka, Aegeus, Pelops). It has already been argued in the 19th century that the Hellespont belongs to this group as well. A convincing etymology for the term has not been suggested so far, similarly to the discussions concerning the origins of the closely related term ‘Hellas’. Considering the related hydronyms, especially the river name Selleeis, a Greek etymology for the word Hellas can be suggested (from the Indoeuropean root “wel-”, i.e. to turn, twist) which can perfectly explain the choice of this name for different regions, rivers, and also accounts for the name of the Hellespont and Hellas.

The Duality of Travel and Spiritual Journey in the Classical Cult Circle

Vera Schiller — 2025-07-28

In Greek mythology, it is not impossible for a living person to journey to otherworldly places while on a physical journey. The hero of the Odyssey recounts his journey to the realm of the dead. Another long sea voyage, that of the Argo, was originally also a spiritual journey to a sacred place – this journey leads to Colchis, to Aeëtes, who is the son of Helios, the Sun, by an immortal Oceanid, and whose daughter, Medea, who married Jason, leader of the Argonauts, is mentioned by Hesiod among the goddesses who wed mortals. Similarly extraordinary is the journey of Heracles to the western edge of the world for the golden apples of the Hesperides, where he arrives after a long wandering, using the golden cup in which Helios travels on his nocturnal voyages to reach his ultimate destination.
In contrast, according to Plato, Er of Pamphylia does not travel to spiritual landscapes in a real body but lies as if dead for twelve days after a battle, watching the souls’ punishment and reincarnation in the afterlife. Epic poems of later eras masterfully intertwine these elements; Virgil’s Aeneas enters the underworld through the cave at Cumae but departs through one of the gates of Dreams. Dante, guided through Hell and Purgatory by Virgil and through Paradise by Beatrice, appears to traverse real places while making the spiritual essence of these places evident. The study aims to analyse these stories and their motifs.

On Comets over Hungary before the Foundation of the University Observatory at Nagyszombat

Endre Zsoldos — 2025-07-28

The first appreciable mention of comets in Hungary comes from the time of King Matthias I. Marcin Bylica and Pelbartus de Temesvár described them in a way which reflected contemporary knowledge, but both concentrated on astrological aspects. This was the main interest in the 16th century, too. Usually something unpleasant was expected, though there were occasions when the appearance of a comet or a new star was interpreted in connection with some favourable event. And there were a few writers, András Dudith and György Komáromi Csipkés among them, who rejected the idea that comets may affect human life. It was only in the mid-18th century that a significant change took place, when the first state-of-the-art textbooks were published in Nagyszombat.

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim: On Ceremonial Magic, Religion, and Superstition (DOP III, 4–9.)

Monika Frazer-Imregh — 2025-07-28

A Hagyomány és a hagyományok – avagy hamvasi sorsmegoldás e fogalmakon túl

Áron Pallós — 2025-07-28

William A. Ross and Elizabeth Robar (eds.): Linguistic Theory and the Biblical Text

Lijin Wang Wang — 2025-07-28