Papyrus Bodmer XXIX (29) - Vision of Dorotheus, lines 1-41

''The Vision of Dorotheus'' or ''Dorotheos'' ( grc, Όρασις Δωροθέου, Órasis Dorothéou) is an autobiographical

Homeric Greek Homeric Greek is the form of the Greek language that was used by Homer in the ''Iliad'', ''Odyssey'', and Homeric Hymns. It is a literary dialect of Ancient Greek consisting mainly of Ionic, with some Aeolic forms, a few from Arcadocypriot, and ...

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

, composed in 343 lines of

dactylic hexameter Dactylic hexameter (also known as heroic hexameter and the meter of epic) is a form of meter or rhythmic scheme frequently used in Ancient Greek and Latin poetry. The scheme of the hexameter is usually as follows (writing – for a long syllable, ...

and attributed to "Dorotheus, son of Quintus the Poet". The poem chronicles a

vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain un ...

, wherein the author is transported to the

Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven may refer to: Religious * Kingdom of Heaven (Gospel of Matthew) **Kingship and kingdom of God, or simply Kingdom of God, the phrase used in the other gospels * Kingdom of Heaven (Daviesite), a schismatic sect, founded by Will ...

and finds himself in its military hierarchy. He is conscripted into and deserts his post, only to receive punishment, be forgiven, and rediscover his

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

faith. The poem, penned sometime in the 4th-century, depicts the Kingdom of Heaven in an

Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

fashion;

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

is enthroned as a Roman emperor, surrounded by

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

s bearing Roman military and official titles (such as ''

domestikos ''Domestikos'' (; el, δομέστικος, from the la, domesticus, , of the household), in English sometimes heDomestic, was a civil, ecclesiastic and military office in the late Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. Military usage The ''dom ...

'', '' praipositos'', ''

primikerios The Latin term ''primicerius'', hellenized as ''primikērios'' ( el, πριμικήριος), was a title applied in the later Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire to the heads of administrative departments, and also used by the Church to denote t ...

'', and ''

ostiarios ''Ostiarios'' ( el, , from the Latin ''ostiarius'', "doorkeeper, usher") was a Byzantine court dignity reserved for eunuch palace officials. History and functions The ''Patria of Constantinople'' mention an ''ostiarios'' named Antiochos in the 6 ...

''), with the military structures of the Kingdom of Heaven modelled on those of Rome.; ''The Vision of Dorotheus'' survives as one of the earliest examples of Christian hexametric poetry. While the ''Visions poetic merit has been criticised, its poet being described by as having been "satisfied with a superficial epic varnish" and its faults denoting "an amateur who had not received a solid academic training";: "" the value of its insight into

early Christianity Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish ...

has been noted, claiming that such a text "should arouse a burning interest", "even in the eyes of the most superficial reader" and noting its status as a "unique, autobiographic early Christian poem", giving "much food for reflection to scholars in the fields of

patristics Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from ...

history of religion The history of religion refers to the written record of human religious feelings, thoughts, and ideas. This period of religious history begins with the invention of writing about 5,200 years ago (3200 BC). The prehistory of religion involves th ...

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

, and also

psychology of religion Psychology of religion consists of the application of List of psychological research methods, psychological methods and interpretive frameworks to the diverse contents of Religion, religious traditions as well as to both religious and Irreligion, ...

". Much scholarship has been done on the ''Vision'', considering its meaning and its provenance. The poem is extant in a unique

papyrus Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, '' Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'') can also refer to a ...

codex of the 4th/5th-century, as part of the

Bodmer Papyri The Bodmer Papyri are a group of twenty-two papyri discovered in Egypt in 1952. They are named after Martin Bodmer, who purchased them. The papyri contain segments from the Old and New Testaments, early Christian literature, Homer, and Menander ...

, under the signature " Papyrus Bodmer 29" in the Bodmer Library. The papyrus has taken on some damage, with its many lacunae leaving only 22 lines to survive fully. This papyrus codex of 22

folios The term "folio" (), has three interconnected but distinct meanings in the world of books and printing: first, it is a term for a common method of arranging sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for a book ma ...

, otherwise known as the Codex of Visions, records the ''Vision'' on 9 pages, alongside several other early Christian works.

Authorship

On the final page of the transcript of the work, after a brief credal affirmation of "Jesus is God" ("", abbreviating ""), the author is identified with the postscript: "". translate this as "End of the vision // of Dorotheus, son of Quintus the poet". This name is identified again in the text, in line 300 where he is identified as "Dorotheus, son of Quintus" by those in Christ's court. There is some ambiguity as to these translations, as the original Greek in the postscript does not use a patronymic for Quintus (therefore not disambiguating between "the poet Dorotheus Quintus" and "Dorotheus, son of Quintus the poet"). According to and the earlier usage of a patronymic in line 300 establishes the latter translation. This has been contested by who argues this is only evidence of the copyist's misunderstanding of the patronymic, and further by who claims that, by this period, the patronymic had lost its parental significance. have interpreted the text autobiographically, suggesting Dorotheus was a Christian of the 4th-century with imperial connections who, during the

Diocletianic Persecution The Diocletianic or Great Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. In 303, the emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding Christians' legal rights ...

of 303–313, attempted to suppress his own faith for fear of persecution. The vision, then, reminds Dorotheus of his baptism and promise to God, accepting his faith and becoming a Christian

confessor Confessor is a title used within Christianity in several ways. Confessor of the Faith Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith but not to the point of death. Similarly, through textual interpretation, suggests that Dorotheus had some literary training, evidenced by his quotations of

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

Hesiod Hesiod (; grc-gre, Ἡσίοδος ''Hēsíodos'') was an ancient Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer. He is generally regarded by western authors as 'the first written poet i ...

, and Apollonius and use of some obscure Greek words, which are only found elsewhere in

Hesychius of Alexandria Hesychius of Alexandria ( grc, Ἡσύχιος ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Hēsýchios ho Alexandreús, lit=Hesychios the Alexandrian) was a Greek grammarian who, probably in the 5th or 6th century AD,E. Dickey, Ancient Greek Scholarship (2007) ...

's lexicon.

This Dorotheus has been identified, by , with two Dorothei mentioned by

Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian ...

in his ''Historia Ecclesiastica''. Firstly, an

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

priest of the 290s who had knowledge of

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

and Greek with strong connections to the Emperor and his court ( ''Hist. Eccl.'' VII, 32, 2–4). Secondly, a Christian Dorotheus, who worked in the royal household and committed suicide after the

( ''Hist. Eccl.'' VIII, 1, 4 & 6, 5). There is no concrete evidence to link these two Dorothei together, nor to link these Dorothei to the Dorotheus who is identified as the ''Visions author, but it has been considered "a reasonable guess" by , even if it is merely "conjectural". In identifying Dorotheus' father, "Quintus", , and have suggested the Greek epic poet

Quintus Smyrnaeus Quintus Smyrnaeus (also Quintus of Smyrna; el, Κόϊντος Σμυρναῖος, ''Kointos Smyrnaios'') was a Greek epic poet whose ''Posthomerica'', following "after Homer", continues the narration of the Trojan War. The dates of Quintus Smy ...

. There exists no other recorded poet Quintus during this period, and Quintus' poetry was well known and respected, so Dorotheus would have had motive to identify himself with him. The Homeric hexametric style of Dorotheus is identical to that used by Quintus in his ''

Posthomerica The ''Posthomerica'' ( grc-gre, τὰ μεθ᾿ Ὅμηρον, translit. ''tà meth᾿ Hómēron''; lit. "Things After Homer") is an epic poem in Greek hexameter verse by Quintus of Smyrna. Probably written in the 3rd century AD, it tells the sto ...

''. The dating of Quintus' life, though controversial, traditionally puts him from the mid-3rd to the early-4th-century, which would fit with the dating of the poem to the 4th century. This identification is troubled by the fact that Quintus was a Roman pagan, and that many of the metric mistakes made by Dorotheus are not present in the writings of Quintus. The "solid academic training" and "good Homeric culture" of Quintus, according to , apparently did not pass down to the "superficial" and "shameless" Dorotheus. have gone further, to scrutinize the parallels between the text of the ''Vision'' and Quintus' ''Posthomerica'', claiming only two similarities in the texts which they take as evidence against a close relationship between the two authors. This claim has been criticised by , asserting that Dorotheus' declaration of poetic inspiration (340-1) bears much resemblance to that of Quintus in ''Posthomerica'' 12.308. In the Barcelona Papyrus (Also known as the P.Monts.Roca inv. 149), a papyrus codex with texts in Greek and Latin, there are two mentions of a "dorotheo" in two dedications (at the end of

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...

Catiline Orations The Catilinarian Orations (; also simply the ''Catilinarians'') are a set of speeches to the Roman Senate given in 63 BC by Marcus Tullius Cicero, one of the year's consuls, accusing a senator, Lucius Sergius Catilina (Catiline), of leading a p ...

and a story of

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...

, both in Latin). The Cicero dedication is a Latin ''

tabula ansata A tabula ansata or tabella ansata (Latin for "tablet with handles", plural ''tabulae ansatae'' or ''tabellae ansatae'') is a tablet with dovetail handles. It was a favorite form for votive tablets in Imperial Rome. Overview ''Tabulae ansatae' ...

'', containing the words "", below which is the text "" ; similarly, the Hadrian dedication is a bilingual ''tabula ansata'', with an inscription of "" ( in the majuscule

Coptic alphabet The Coptic alphabet is the script used for writing the Coptic language. The repertoire of glyphs is based on the Greek alphabet augmented by letters borrowed from the Egyptian Demotic and is the first alphabetic script used for the Egyptian la ...

) and "". The Barcelona Papyrus was probably also part of the Egyptian Bodmer Papyri find, so there is a possibility (though it is slim, as Dorotheus was a common name in this period) that this Dorotheus is the same the author of the ''Vision''.

Date

The date of the poem's composition has been the subject of much academic discussion, with scholars dating it to several periods around the 4th-century, employing various pieces of textual evidence within their analyses. suggest a date of late-3rd or early-4th-century, based on their aforementioned identification of Dorotheus as the son of Quintus Smyrnaeus, alongside Eusebius' two mentions of "Dorotheus" in that period. puts the date later, in the early to mid-4th-century, comparing Dorotheus' military uniform (329–334) with those of the soldiers at

Arch of Galerius and Rotunda The Arch of Galerius ( el, Αψίδα του Γαλερίου) or Kamara (Καμάρα) and the Rotunda (Ροτόντα) are neighbouring early 4th-century AD monuments in the city of Thessaloniki, in the region of Central Macedonia in northern Gr ...

in that period. suggests a more specific date of 342–62 CE, based on an 8th-century story of a

Bishop of Tyre The see of Tyre was one of the most ancient dioceses in Christianity. The existence of a Christian community there already in the time of Saint Paul is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. Seated at Tyre, which was the capital of the Roman provi ...

, Dorotheus, who was martyred under the Roman Emperor Julian () at the age of 107. has utilised the various '' realia'' of the poem, in the abundant mentions of Roman imperial positions, to date the poem to the second half of the 4th century. first proposed ''The Vision of Dorotheus'' as "the earliest known specimen of Christian hexametric poetry", claiming that it predated

Nonnus of Panopolis Nonnus of Panopolis ( grc-gre, Νόννος ὁ Πανοπολίτης, ''Nónnos ho Panopolítēs'', 5th century CE) was the most notable Greek epic poet of the Imperial Roman era. He was a native of Panopolis (Akhmim) in the Egyptian Thebai ...

's '' The Paraphrase of John'' (5th-century), the Homeric Centos of

Aelia Eudocia Aelia Eudocia Augusta (; grc-gre, Αιλία Ευδοκία Αυγούστα; 401460 AD), also called Saint Eudocia, was an Eastern Roman empress by marriage to Emperor Theodosius II (r. 408–450), and a prominent Greek historical figure in ...

(401–460) and pseudo-Apollinaris's ''Paraphrase of the Psalms'' (5th-century)—each of which were candidates for this title. This identification has been criticised by who puts forth the Christian '' Sibylline Oracles'' (dated to before 303, the ''

terminus ante quem ''Terminus post quem'' ("limit after which", sometimes abbreviated to TPQ) and ''terminus ante quem'' ("limit before which", abbreviated to TAQ) specify the known limits of dating for events or items.. A ''terminus post quem'' is the earliest da ...

'' established by

Lactantius Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius (c. 250 – c. 325) was an early Christian author who became an advisor to Roman emperor, Constantine I, guiding his Christian religious policy in its initial stages of emergence, and a tutor to his son Cr ...

's ''

Institutiones Divinae ''Institutiones Divinae'' (, ; ''The Divine Institutes'') is the name of a theological work by the Christian Roman philosopher Lactantius, written between AD 303 and 311. Contents Arguably the most important of Lactantius's works, the ''Divin ...

'') and by who proposes

Gregory of Nazianzus Gregory of Nazianzus ( el, Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, ''Grēgorios ho Nazianzēnos''; ''Liturgy of the Hours'' Volume I, Proper of Saints, 2 January. – 25 January 390,), also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory N ...

's (329–390) large corpus of poetry. Both of these predate the proposed date of , which both scholars accept over the earlier date of .

Papyrus

''The Vision of Dorotheus'' ( P. Bodmer 29) is contained on folios 14r-18v (9 pages) of a 22 folio single- quire papyrus

codex The codex (plural codices ) was the historical ancestor of the modern book. Instead of being composed of sheets of paper, it used sheets of vellum, papyrus, or other materials. The term ''codex'' is often used for ancient manuscript books, with ...

, known as the Codex of Visions, containing several other Greek texts. In the Codex, the ''Vision'' follows ''

The Shepherd of Hermas ''The Shepherd of Hermas'' ( el, Ποιμὴν τοῦ Ἑρμᾶ, ''Poimēn tou Herma''; la, Pastor Hermae), sometimes just called ''The Shepherd'', is a Christian literary work of the late first half of the second century, considered a valuab ...

'' ( P. Bodmer 38) and is followed by several minor Greek Christian poems ( P. Bodmer 30- 37). This Codex was first sent out for by Swiss Egyptologist

Martin Bodmer Martin Bodmer (November 13, 1899 – March 22, 1971) was a Swiss bibliophile, scholar and collector. Biography Martin Bodmer was the son of wealthy parents born in Zurich, Switzerland, where he lived until 1948. His father died in 1916 leav ...

from the Cypriot antiques dealer Phokion J. Tanos in July 1956, arriving on 1 September to be housed at the

Bodmer Library The Bodmer Foundation (French: ''Fondation Bodmer'') is a library and museum specialised in manuscripts and precious editions. It is located in Cologny, Switzerland just outside Geneva. Also known as Bibliotheca Bodmeriana (or Bodmer Library ...

. The Codex is part of the

, a collection of papyri that subsumes several early manuscripts of Greek and Coptic texts, including classical works of

Menander Menander (; grc-gre, Μένανδρος ''Menandros''; c. 342/41 – c. 290 BC) was a Greek dramatist and the best-known representative of Athenian New Comedy. He wrote 108 comedies and took the prize at the Lenaia festival eight times. His rec ...

Isocrates Isocrates (; grc, Ἰσοκράτης ; 436–338 BC) was an ancient Greek rhetorician, one of the ten Attic orators. Among the most influential Greek rhetoricians of his time, Isocrates made many contributions to rhetoric and education throu ...

and

Biblical manuscripts A biblical manuscript is any handwritten copy of a portion of the text of the Bible. Biblical manuscripts vary in size from tiny scrolls containing individual verses of the Jewish scriptures (see ''Tefillin'') to huge polyglot codices (multi-lin ...

of the

apocrypha Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...

and the

Old Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

and

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

, and early Christian poems and

hagiographies A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...

, among others.; The ''

editio princeps In classical scholarship, the ''editio princeps'' (plural: ''editiones principes'') of a work is the first printed edition of the work, that previously had existed only in manuscripts, which could be circulated only after being copied by hand. For ...

'' of P. Bodmer 29 was first published in 1984, in

monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...

format, resuming the publication of the Bodmer Papyri after an 8-year hiatus. The papyrus of the ''Vision'' has been alternatively dated to the beginning of the 5th century by , and to the second half of the 4th century by . The papyrus is fragmentary and includes many lacunae (only 22 lines remain without damage), and several portions of the text are entirely lost for this damage, including. has argued this collection was originally part of an early monastery library in

Pbow Pbow was a cenobitic monastery established by St. Pachomius in 336-337 AD. Pbow is about north of Luxor in modern Upper Egypt. Name Pbow is a Coptic name. The Arabic "Faw" in "Faw al-Qibli" ("South Faw") derives from the Coptic Pbow. Other nam ...

Chenoboskion Chenoboskion (Koine Greek, Greek "geese pasture"), also called Chenoboscium , Chenoboskia ( el, Χηνοβοσκία) and Sheneset ( cop, Ϣⲉⲛⲉⲥⲏⲧ ''Šénesēt''),John Gardner Wilkinson, Wilkinson, John Gardner, Sir is the name of an ...

, based on the appearance of several letters of abbots of the Pachomian monastery located there.

The poem is written in 343 lines of

, a poetic scheme often found in

epic poetry An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

of the period. It is written in

, with Christian or vernacular parts in later dialects of

Koine Greek Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...

and incorporating many

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

loanwords A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because the ...

. Many expressions in the poem are conspicuously borrowed from

's own usage in the ''

Illiad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odysse ...

'' and ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major Ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek Epic poetry, epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by moder ...

'', alongside quotations from

and

Apollonius of Rhodes Apollonius of Rhodes ( grc, Ἀπολλώνιος Ῥόδιος ''Apollṓnios Rhódios''; la, Apollonius Rhodius; fl. first half of 3rd century BC) was an ancient Greek author, best known for the ''Argonautica'', an epic poem about Jason and t ...

' ''

Argonautica The ''Argonautica'' ( el, Ἀργοναυτικά , translit=Argonautika) is a Greek epic poem written by Apollonius Rhodius in the 3rd century BC. The only surviving Hellenistic epic, the ''Argonautica'' tells the myth of the voyage of Jason a ...

''. The poetry includes many

metric Metric or metrical may refer to: * Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement * An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement Mathematics In mathem ...

errors (with elongations and depressions in the poem, where the poet incorrectly identified

vowel length In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived length of a vowel sound: the corresponding physical measurement is duration. In some languages vowel length is an important phonemic factor, meaning vowel length can change the meaning of the word, f ...

s). These errors have led to suggest the work "denotes an amateur who had not received a solid academic training" and to summarize it as "the work of someone with considerable knowledge of Greek epic, but very defective mastery of its practice". The poem contains many interesting or obscure Greek terms, often philosophical in origin, which has called "typical of this culture which likes to show off its erudition". Despite the papyrus' significant damage, it remains possible to follow the poem's narrative for most of the text. The poem begins, describing Dorotheus sitting in an imperial palace, whereupon he is taken by a mystical vision. He sees himself in the

, with the court of

presented with '' praepositi'' and ''

domestici The origins of the word ''domesticus'' can be traced to the late 3rd century of the Late Roman army. They often held high ranks in various fields, whether it was the servants of a noble house on the civilian side, or a high-ranking military po ...

'', in Roman fashion (1–18). What follows is hard to interpret, for the papyrus' damage, but the scene involved Christ,

Gabriel In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

and other angels (19–39). Soon after, Dorotheus is changed "in form and in stature" and employed by the Heavenly ''praepositi'' as a ''

tiro Marcus Tullius Tiro (died 4 BC) was first a slave, then a freedman, of Cicero from whom he received his nomen and praenomen. He is frequently mentioned in Cicero's letters. After Cicero's death Tiro published his former master's collecte ...

'', guarding the palace gates (40–46). This office and transformation makes Dorotheus proud and over-confident. He proceeds to disobey his command to stay at the gate and comes across a strange scene in the palace (again hard to interpret, for the papyrus). He addresses Christ and uses "crooked words" to falsely accuse an old man, an action he later regrets, while asking Christ to relieve him of the vision (47–105). Christ sees through this accusation, and interrogates Dorotheus as to why he left his station. He tries feebly to defend himself, but Christ again sees through this and orders a ''

primicerius The Latin term ''primicerius'', hellenized as ''primikērios'' ( el, πριμικήριος), was a title applied in the later Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire to the heads of administrative departments, and also used by the Church to denote th ...

'' to throw Dorotheus into the ''signa'' (a Roman military prison) and have him

flagellated A flagellum (; ) is a hairlike appendage that protrudes from certain plant and animal sperm cells, and from a wide range of microorganisms to provide motility. Many protists with flagella are termed as flagellates. A microorganism may have fro ...

(106–142). Christ, angry at this betrayal, follows Dorotheus as he is imprisoned in a cave and flagellated by a group of angels, led by Gabriel. Dorotheus endures this punishment and is pardoned by Christ, who again posts him at the gate. This gives him the inspiration for a song, for which he thanks Christ (143–177).

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

expresses doubts about Dorotheus' reputability, but Gabriel and Christ come to his defense (178–197). Dorotheus, covered in blood from the flagellation, is ordered by God to baptise himself (198–221). He chooses a

baptismal name A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious personal name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often assigned by parents at birth. In English-speaking cultures, a person's Christian name ...

of Andreas and is transformed into a taller and stronger man (222–242). Christ orders him to be humble for his new power, and to resume his position. The prestige his body affords him again makes him proud, and he approaches God to be made into a soldier, leaving his less prestigious post. The following response is hard to interpret, but Dorotheus is refused and made to remain as gatekeeper, though his uniform is changed into a that of a cloak, ''orarium'',

girdle A belt, especially if a cord or rope, is called a girdle if it is worn as part of Christian liturgical vestments, or in certain historical, literary or sports contexts. Girdles are used to close a cassock in Christian denominations, including th ...

and

breeches Breeches ( ) are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each human leg, leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Weste ...

(243–335). Dorotheus awakens in the palace and decides to record these events in a song, becoming a "messenger in the service of God Most High" (336–343).>

Interpretation

In interpreting ''The Vision of Dorotheus'', some authors have argued for a

Gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...

influence on Dorotheus' writing. has suggested that the change in clothes that Dorotheus undergoes at the end of the ''Vision'' (326–334) forms an allegory "deeply imbued with Gnosticism", drawing parallels with the ''

Hymn of the Pearl The Hymn of the Pearl (also Hymn of the Soul, Hymn of the Robe of Glory or Hymn of Judas Thomas the Apostle) is a passage of the apocryphal ''Acts of Thomas''. In that work, originally written in Syriac, the Apostle Thomas sings the hymn while p ...

'' where the King's change of clothes symbolises his immortality. notes the use of two obscure epithets for God, "" (translit. ''panatiktos'', meaning indomitable) (11) and "" (translit. ''autophyês'', meaning indivisible) (12), which he links to a contemporaneous usage in the

Nag Hammadi library The Nag Hammadi library (also known as the " Chenoboskion Manuscripts" and the "Gnostic Gospels") is a collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts discovered near the Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. Thirteen leather-bound papyr ...

; ''"autophyês"'' being found in ''

The Sophia of Jesus Christ The Sophia of Jesus Christ is a Gnostic text that was first discovered in the Berlin Codex (a Codex purchased in Cairo in 1896 and given to the Berlin Museum which also contains the ''Gospel of Mary'', the ''Apocryphon of John'', and a summary of ...

'' and ''

Epistle of Eugnostos The Epistle of Eugnostos or Eugnostos the Blessed is a Gnostic epistle found in Codex, Codices III and V of the Nag Hammadi library. Both copies seem to be a Coptic language, Coptic translation of a Greek language, Greek original that was composed ...

'', while the term "" (translit. ''agennêtos'', meaning unavoidable), which is analogous to ''"panatiktos"'', is found in the ''Epistle of Eugnostos'' and ''Ogdoad and Ennead''. Additionally, he touches upon the fact that the papyrus of the ''Vision'' was found near the site of the Nag Hammadi library, to suggest Dorotheus' possible acquaintance with the local Gnostic groups. This conjectured influence has been criticised by , arguing for much more banal Christian origins for the ''Visions epithets (noting their occurrence in an earlier Christian Greek inscription of an

oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word '' ...

Klaros Claros (; el, Κλάρος, ''Klaros''; la, Clarus) was an ancient Greek sanctuary on the coast of Ionia. It contained a temple and oracle of Apollo, honored here as Apollo Clarius. It was located in the territory of Colophon, which lay twelve ...

, '' SEG'' 27.933) and the clothing as merely an attempt to realistically mimic that of the soldiers of the ''

Scholae Palatinae The ''Scholae Palatinae'' (literally "Palatine Schools", in gr, Σχολαί, Scholai) were an elite military Imperial guard, guard unit, usually ascribed to the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great as a replacement for the ''equites singulares Au ...

'' (specifically the ''candidati'').

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vision of Dorotheus, The 4th-century poems Christian poetry Ancient Greek epic poems 4th-century Christian texts Homeric Greek Visions (spirituality)