Abstract
The second part of the article, dedicated to Synesius’ treatise “Egyptian Tales, or on Providence”, illuminates the specifi cs of the philosophical model constructed in the work, to which historical events and mythological characters are adapted. An example of such a model from Synesius’ perspective is the myth of Osiris; here, the gods care for the world only occasionally, and Providence intervenes in the chain of events only when the country is on the brink of catastrophe. The allegorical narrative form skillfully incorporates an apocalyptic plot borrowed from “Asclepius”, which combined Neoplatonic interpretation with Hermeticism. The concept of the departure and return of the gods, and King Osiris as a divine emanation, belongs to the ancient philosophical tradition, but in some ways resembles the Egyptians’ ideas about the departure of the god Ra, who left behind a king as an intermediary between the world of gods and humans. The combination of the myth of Osiris with the apocalyptic tradition in Synesius fi nds direct parallels in Egyptian beliefs. The prophecy of Egypt’s decline and ruin refl ected the general pessimism of the late antique era, but with hope for the return of a golden age. Thanks to the highly intricate combination of artistic, rhetorical, and philosophical genres that Synesius employs, his work can be considered unique among other authors of the interpretatio Graeca tradition.
Keywords
Interpretatio Graeca, Synesius of Cyrene, De Providentia, Osiris, Hermes Trismegistos, Asclepios, hermetism, Apocalypses.