Essays

De filosofisch-religieuze achtergrond van keizer Julianus' 'Hymne aan koning Helios'

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Abstract

Although often underestimated, the Hymn to King Helios is one of the emperor Julian’s most interesting and ambitious writings. It expresses his exceptional devotion for the solar god Helios, and displays the philosophical justification for the association of all the common gods with King Helios in an attempt to put forward a pagan alternative for christianity. After an examination of the neoplatonic way of thinking, the article focuses on Iamblich as the explicit source of Julian’s philosophical convictions. Furthermore, in search of the religious mechanisms used to subordinate Late Roman deities to King Helios, the article deals with the widespread syncretism of Julian’s time. Thus, the hymn provides an exceptional amount of knowledge about Julian as both a philosopher and a religious innovator.

How to Cite:

Lannoy, A., (2006) “De filosofisch-religieuze achtergrond van keizer Julianus' 'Hymne aan koning Helios'”, Tetradio 15(1): 9, 201–227. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tetradio.91767