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Conference papers Year : 2006

Pythagoras' Riddles

Abstract

The akoúsmata, or "things heard", are a heterogeneous set of precepts which were believed to be the remains of Pythagoras' "esoteric" teaching. This paper examines their role in the Pythagorean tradition which used and transmitted them, as well as in the historiographic construction of Pythagoreanism. Three reception contexts are clearly distinguished: the original sect and the group which lived some generations after it (6th-4th centuries BCE); the ancient testimonies, among which the richest and the most oriented are that of the Neoplatonists (mainly 3rd century CE); the modern perspective on what was termed the "akoúsmata culture" (19th-20th centuries). More particularly, I comment on the form of these statements and on their ambiguous "authority". The speech mode they embody explains the fact that they were subsequently named súmbola, "symbols", and characterised as ainígmata, "riddles".
Les akoúsmata, ou "choses entendues", sont un ensemble hétérogène de préceptes que les Anciens tenaient pour la trace de l'enseignement "ésotérique" de Pythagore. Cet article examine leur rôle dans la tradition pythagoricienne qui les a utilisés et transmis et dans la construction historiographique du pythagorisme. Trois contextes de réception sont nettement distingués : la secte originelle et les groupes qui lui ont succédé (VIe-IVe siècles avant notre ère) ; les témoignages antiques, dont le plus riche et le plus partial est celui des philosophes néo-platoniciens (IIIe siècle de notre ère, principalement) ; le point de vue moderne sur ce que l'on a nommé la "culture des akoúsmata" (XIXe-XXe siècles). J'analyse plus particulièrement la forme de ces énoncés, en rapport avec leur "autorité" ambiguë. Le mode de discours qu'ils incarnent explique leur dénomination ultérieure de súmbola, "symboles", et leur caractérisation comme ainígmata, "énigmes".
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Dates and versions

halshs-00556425, version 1 (08-08-2013)

Identifiers

  • HAL Id : halshs-00556425 , version 1

Cite

Aurélien Berra. Pythagoras' Riddles: The Use of the Pythagorean Akousmata. Constructing Textual Authority, Oct 2004, Cracovie, Poland. pp.259‑272. ⟨halshs-00556425⟩
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