The Role of Dreams in “Kindling” the Presence of the Divine: A curious Case of Aelius Aristides
The focus of the paper is dreams mentioned in the Sacred Tales of a Roman rhetor Aelius Aristides. This unique historical source describes the relationship between Aelius Aristides and his patron god Asclepius, and their communication through dre...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Jagiellonian University
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Studia Religiologica |
| Online Access: |
https://ejournals.eu/czasopismo/studia-religiologica/artykul/the-role-of-dreams-in-kindling-the-presence-of-the-divine-a-curious-case-of-aelius-aristides
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| Summary: | The focus of the paper is dreams mentioned in the Sacred Tales of a Roman rhetor Aelius Aristides. This unique historical source describes the relationship between Aelius Aristides and his patron god Asclepius, and their communication through dreams. The analysis applies methodological tools developed by Tanya Luhrmann to ancient texts. Relevant features of late Greco-Roman culture are used to reconstruct the faith frame in which Aelius Aristides had operated. Dreams depicted in the Sacred Tales are shown as kindling events, as they are called in Luhrmann’s theory, that fostered the creation of a personal bond between Aelius Aristides and Asclepius and assured Aelius that the god is real and willing to communicate with his worshiper.
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| ISSN: | 0137-2432 2084-4077 |