Listen now | Andy Wilson and Sam Hamad discuss the war between chaos and the divine in the religions of the ancient Near East, in Canaan, Israel and Egypt. The recent discussion of Blake’s Illustrations of the Book of Job led me to think about the role of chaos, first in the Book of Job itself, then in the Bible generally, and then across the Near and Middle East and beyond. On this podcast, I’m joined by Sam Hamad to talk about Baal and Leviathan, and how their struggles entered the Old Testament via the traditions of the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. Sam discusses similar ancient Egyptian traditions, in which Apophis / Apep and Set are cast in the role of chaos gods. Join us to hear about Isis’s plan to revive the dead Osiris while disguised as a cat with a knife for a tail, and Set’s creation of the Egyptian deserts through his ejaculation.
All of Neoplatonism is commentary on Socrates's story in Georgias where he uses the leaky bucket and staircase to illustrate his philosophy. He compares needy or self-indulgent people to people attempting to carry water in a leaky bucket. These people are always needing to fill their buckets (satisfy their appetites) and the water is always running out. Other people, who are less self-indulgent, are able to ascend the staircase without refilling the bucket. This is where the neoplatonic notion of spiritual status (hierarchy) originates. The less often you have to fill your bucket the higher you can climb on the staircase. Climbing the staircase is a symbolic representation of preparing for death. Death is going to be a shock, and we will no longer have the comfort of our physical bodies and sensations. So, we should prepare for that by being as independent of our physical appetites as we can be. This is where the neoplatonic idea that a dry soul is the wisest comes from (a dry soul is uncreated, a wet soul is a bodied sprite). One is true and eternal and the other is false and transitory. One world is upside-down. The other is right side-up. One is spiritual, the other material. All of neoplatonic symbolism illustrates this dichotomy. Being created in this upside-down world is akin to being drug through the mud (Psalms 40 & 88). All that mud has to get washed off. Look again at Blake's Cave of Nymphs. There is a woman carrying a bucket of water up the stairs. And down at the bottom of the staircase we see all these poor indulgent souls drowning in their own physical appetites (that rob them of their spiritual autonomy). I'm probably relating this from George Mills Harper's book from the early 60s, The Neoplatonism of William Blake, although it's been a couple of decades.
Just a tangent. Albion and Bromion were British giants (brothers) who travelled to Italy to face Hercules in battle. Both of them were sons of Poseidon (like Polyphemus the Cyclops). Hercules was a son of Zeus. This tale is told in John Toland's Celtic Antiquities, which is a great read.
All of Neoplatonism is commentary on Socrates's story in Georgias where he uses the leaky bucket and staircase to illustrate his philosophy. He compares needy or self-indulgent people to people attempting to carry water in a leaky bucket. These people are always needing to fill their buckets (satisfy their appetites) and the water is always running out. Other people, who are less self-indulgent, are able to ascend the staircase without refilling the bucket. This is where the neoplatonic notion of spiritual status (hierarchy) originates. The less often you have to fill your bucket the higher you can climb on the staircase. Climbing the staircase is a symbolic representation of preparing for death. Death is going to be a shock, and we will no longer have the comfort of our physical bodies and sensations. So, we should prepare for that by being as independent of our physical appetites as we can be. This is where the neoplatonic idea that a dry soul is the wisest comes from (a dry soul is uncreated, a wet soul is a bodied sprite). One is true and eternal and the other is false and transitory. One world is upside-down. The other is right side-up. One is spiritual, the other material. All of neoplatonic symbolism illustrates this dichotomy. Being created in this upside-down world is akin to being drug through the mud (Psalms 40 & 88). All that mud has to get washed off. Look again at Blake's Cave of Nymphs. There is a woman carrying a bucket of water up the stairs. And down at the bottom of the staircase we see all these poor indulgent souls drowning in their own physical appetites (that rob them of their spiritual autonomy). I'm probably relating this from George Mills Harper's book from the early 60s, The Neoplatonism of William Blake, although it's been a couple of decades.
I have that book but have yet to read it. It sounds as though now would be a good time to start...
My own ideas are more epicurean. Let's enjoy the physical comforts while we can.
Just a tangent. Albion and Bromion were British giants (brothers) who travelled to Italy to face Hercules in battle. Both of them were sons of Poseidon (like Polyphemus the Cyclops). Hercules was a son of Zeus. This tale is told in John Toland's Celtic Antiquities, which is a great read.