THE DIONYSUS CULTAS A TYPE OF PRE-CHRISTIANITYIN VJACHESLAV IVANOV’S «DIONYSUS AND THE ANCESTORS OF THE DIONYSUS CULT (PRA-DIONISIJSTVO)»

Abstract

This article takes into consideration the concept of the origin of the religion of Dionysus, as it is set out in the volume of Vjacheslav Ivanov which was fi nally reprinted in the year 1994. In spite of its apparent content, hinted at in the title, many scholars have come to the conclusion that the book deals as much with Christianity, as it does with Dionysus cult. At the same time, independently from the preconceptions and value systems of many critics of Ivanov’s ideas, his conclusion «The Son of God was born among the Hellenes» has been challenged both by certain contemporary classical philologists as well as by some theologians. But at the same time, if we examine besides the recent studies of Ivanov, the entire complex of contemporary studies of early Christian and Byzantine art, which have appeared during the past decades, we are led to believe that we should be more attentive to some of the conclusions of Ivanov himself. For Ivanov, the Russian «Hellene», Christianity seems to be both the dialectical negation and at the same time the crowning summit of the whole of ancient culture

Keywords

• as it is set out in the volume of Vjacheslav Ivanov which was fi nally reprinted in the year 1994. In spite of its apparent content
• hinted at in the title
• many scholars have come to the conclusion that the book deals as much with Christianity
• as it does with Dionysus cult. At the same time
• independently from the preconceptions and value systems of many critics of Ivanov’s ideas
• his conclusion «The Son of God was born among the Hellenes» has been challenged both by certain contemporary classical philologists as well as by some theologians. But at the same time
• if we examine besides the recent studies of Ivanov
• the entire complex of contemporary studies of early Christian and Byzantine art
• which have appeared during the past decades
• we are led to believe that we should be more attentive to some of the conclusions of Ivanov himself. For Ivanov
• the Russian «Hellene»
• Vjacheslav Ivanov
• Dionysus
• Christianity