The Problem of Paul and Marcionism

[andrewcriddle]

Acts 16 continues with her masters being upset that the woman could no longer sooth-say, so they complained to the authorities and had Paul and Silas arrested. I don't think it leads onto Nero. Also, the woman wasn't a Pythian priestess, just a sooth-sayer.

You may be right, but I don't think so: the KJV softens it but the literal translation is more explict:

And it came to pass in our going on to prayer, a certain maid, having a spirit of Python, did meet us, who brought much employment to her masters by soothsaying, (Acts 16:16 [YLT])

The Pythia was a huge business and made a lot of money; emperors, kings, rulers came for their pronouncements, so this is not just a sooth-sayer. del Tondo and Mauck made me read Acts very subtley; they argue that the author of Acts had a subtle role: if Acts is a legal brief to a Roman prosecutor, he had to argue for Paul in a way that would be liked and accepted by a Roman pagan prosceutor. The results for Christianity of a guilty verdict could be catastropic: Christianity could be made an illicit religion - with a possible death sentence associated with membership.

So there are little perks added in for a pagan audience, like the reference to Castor and Pollux (Acts 28:11 KJV). As well as serious digs against Paul thrown in for Christians that a Roman would take as a compliment but Christians as a dig.

But it does not end there for me, and the followup is important to me. After the council of Nicea Constantine moved the Pythia from Delphi to his new capital at Constantinople. He was Pontifex Maximus of the SolInvictus/Apollo/Mithras pagan cult, and showed beyond doubt whose side he was on. Del Tondo has some of videos on YouTube on this:

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According to Plutarch the term had become extended to soothsayers in general

Certainly it is foolish and childish in the extreme to imagine that the god himself after the manner of ventriloquists (who used to be called 'Eurycleis,'​ but now 'Pythones') enters into the bodies of his prophets and prompts their utterances, employing their mouths and voices as instruments

Constantine moved the Serpent_Column to Constantinople not the Pythia herself.

Andrew Criddle

[ebion]

Constantine moved the Serpent_Column to Constantinople not the Pythia herself.

What makes you say "not the Pythias"? I assumed that the Delphi Pythias came with it as they were a real money-maker. The Wickedpaedia page is mute on that detail.

[andrewcriddle]

Constantine moved the Serpent_Column to Constantinople not the Pythia herself.

What makes you say "not the Pythias"? I assumed that the Delphi Pythias came with it as they were a real money-maker. The Wickedpaedia page is mute on that detail.

The Pythia was apparently still active at Delphi in the time of Julian, The last oracle was supposedly

Go tell the king the wondrous hall is fallen to the ground.
Now Phoebus has a cell no more, no laurel that foretells,
No talking spring; the water that once spoke is heard no more.

Andrew Criddle