Sortes Homericae: The Text, Its "Author," and Its Public
The Homeromanteion is a method of divination by lot that has come down to us through three Egyptian papyri dated to the third and fourth centuries CE. The effectiveness of this bibliomantic method is grounded in the authority of Homer as an inspired poet and in the belief - dating back to the classi...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2025
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| In: |
Early christianity
Year: 2025, Volume: 16, Issue: 2, Pages: 152-170 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Homer ca. 8 BC. Jh.
/ Prediction
/ Handwriting
/ Poetry (term, motif) (Concept of)
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| IxTheo Classification: | CD Christianity and Culture KBL Near East and North Africa TB Antiquity ZA Social sciences |
| Further subjects: | B
Sortes Homericae
B bibliomancy B Homeromanteion B cento poetry B acrostic |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The Homeromanteion is a method of divination by lot that has come down to us through three Egyptian papyri dated to the third and fourth centuries CE. The effectiveness of this bibliomantic method is grounded in the authority of Homer as an inspired poet and in the belief - dating back to the classical period - that his verses could reveal the future. This article focuses on the study of Homer's importance as a "recognized authority" in divination and the particularities of the Homeromanteion as a cleromantic method in relation to other types of bibliomancy of the time. Finally, given the distinctive features of the text, the study concentrates on the context in which it was composed and consulted, its relationship with the composition of centos and other poetic artifices of the period, highlighting the appearance of an acrostic at the beginning of the text that may disclose the name of its author. |
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| ISSN: | 1868-8020 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Early christianity
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1628/ec-2025-0013 |