Miscellanies 1.21.134
Summary: Clement lists more Egyptian and Greek seers, all later than the Hebrew prophets.
Textual problem in this passage: the printed text is uncertain or disputed here. See the notes.
Greek text · Stählin 2:83
ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν παρʼ Αἰγυπτίοις ἀνθρώπων ποτέ, γενομένων δὲ ἀνθρωπίνῃ δόξῃ θεῶν, Ἑρμῆς τε ὁ Θηβαῖος καὶ Ἀσκληπιὸς ὁ Μεμφίτης, Τειρεσίας τε αὖ καὶ Μαντὼ ἐν Θήβαις, ὥς φησιν Εὐριπίδης, Ἕλενος ἤδη καὶ Λαοκόων καὶ Οἰνώνη Κεβρῆνος ἐν Ἰλίῳ· † Κρῆνος γὰρ εἷς τῶν Ἡρακλειδῶν ἐπιφανὴς φέρεται μάντις καὶ Ἴαμος ἄλλος ἐν Ἤλιδι, ἀφʼ οὗ οἱ Ἰαμίδαι, Πολύιδός τε ἐν Ἄργει καὶ ἐν Μεγάροις, οὗ μέμνηται ἡ τραγῳδία. τί μοι Τήλεμον καταλέγειν, ὃς Κυκλώπων μάντις ὢν Πολυφήμῳ θεσπίζει τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ὀδυσσέως πλάνην, ἢ τὸν Ἀθήνησιν Ὀνομάκριτον ἢ τὸν Ἀμφιάρεων τὸν σὺν τοῖς ἑπτὰ τοῖς ἐπὶ Θήβας στρατεύσασι μιᾷ γενεᾷ τῆς Ἰλίου ἁλώσεως πρεσβύτερον φερόμενον ἢ Θεοκλύμενον ἐν Κεφαλληνίᾳ ἢ Τελμησσὸν ἐν Καρίᾳ ἢ Γαλεὸν ἐν Σικελίᾳ; εἶεν δʼ ἂν καὶ ἕτεροι πρὸς τούτοις, Ἴδμων ὁ σὺν τοῖς Ἀργοναύταις, Φημονόη Δελφίς, Μόψος ὁ Ἀπόλλωνος καὶ Μαντοῦς ἐν Παμφυλίᾳ καὶ Κιλικίᾳ, Ἀμφίλοχος Ἀμφιαράου ἐν Κιλικίᾳ, Ἀλκμέων ἐν Ἀκαρνᾶσιν, Ἄνιος ἐν Δήλῳ Ἀρίστανδρός τε ὁ Τελμησσεὺς ὁ σὺν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ γενόμενος. ἤδη δὲ καὶ Ὀρφέα Φιλόχορος μάντιν ἱστορεῖ γενέσθαι ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ Περὶ μαντικῆς.
English · Claude translation
And among the Egyptians there were men who were once men but became gods by human opinion, Hermes of Thebes and Asclepius of Memphis; and further Tiresias and Manto at Thebes, as Euripides says; Helenus, Laocoon, and Oenone, daughter of Cebren, at Ilium; … for Crenus, one of the Heraclidae, is reported a famous seer, and Iamus another in Elis, from whom the Iamidae come; and Polyidus in Argos and in Megara, whom tragedy mentions. Why should I list Telemus, who, being the seer of the Cyclopes, foretold to Polyphemus the wandering of Odysseus; or Onomacritus at Athens; or Amphiaraus, who marched with the Seven against Thebes, said to be a generation older than the capture of Ilium; or Theoclymenus in Cephallenia, or Telmessus in Caria, or Galeus in Sicily? There might be others besides these: Idmon, who sailed with the Argonauts; Phemonoe of Delphi; Mopsus, son of Apollo and Manto, in Pamphylia and Cilicia; Amphilochus, son of Amphiaraus, in Cilicia; Alcmaeon among the Acarnanians; Anius in Delos; and Aristander of Telmessus, who was with Alexander. Philochorus even relates, in the first book of his On Divination, that Orpheus was a seer.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The text is corrupt in one place (dagger). Telemus is in Homer, Odyssey 9.507–512.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.21.134 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/21/134/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.21.134 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/21/134/).
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