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Nilüfer Akçay

nilufer.akcay
Joined August 2021
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Aug 2021
NewTextus

Porphyry’s Cave of Nymphs
and the Cult of Mithras

Nilüfer Akçay

Between the 1st and 4th centuries, Mithraism developed throughout the Roman world. Much material exists, but textual evidence is scarce. The only ancient work that fills this gap is Porphyry's intense and complex essay.

 
Nik Shah
Porphyry says that the cave isn’t only the symbol of the Cosmos, but also the symbol of invisible powers, because of its darkness and the invisible essence of these powers. Good article nilufar jaan.
 
Farokh Mehr
Mithra killing the Bull from behind also is the sign of Spring and victory of light over darkness. This myth is based on the fact that Taurus (Bull Zodiac sign) appears in the sky during winter time (sign of darkness and cold), then in spring Leo comes after Taurus and spring comes, longer days, shorter nights, so the darkness is defeated. Many Persian sculptures at Persepolis show the lion (Leo) killing the bull from behind. These myth are based on astrology, spring, winter, etc in northern hemisphere.
 
Nov 2018
NewLiber

Porphyry's On the Cave of the Nymphs in its Intellectual Context

The New Mithraeum

Neoplatonic allegorical interpretation expounds how literary texts present philosophical ideas in an enigmatic and coded form, offering an alternative path to the divine truths. The Neoplatonist Porphyry’s On the Cave of the Nymphs is one of the most si…

 
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