Alexander of Abonoteichus

Alexander von Abonuteichos (Greek Αλέξανδρος Aléxandros; * 105, † 175 ) was an ancient priest from the city Paphlagonian Abonuteichos. He relied on the tradition of Neupythagoreers Apollonius of Tyana. From opposing side, he was attacked as a charlatan.

Life

Building on the existing Asklepios - Hygieia - cult and in imitation of the cult at Eleusis, Alexander 150 Glykon the oracle in Abonuteichos. His cult of Neos Asklepios, the human-headed snake Glykon, spread to Rome, in the Danube Region and Syria from. Characteristics of the cult were mystification, the appearance of a prophet, cultic silence and mystery festivals. The cult was known for his militant opposition to Epicureanism and Christianity, in the " Wegbietung " which was expressed: "Throw the Christians, the Epicureans ." Lucian of Samosata, who wrote Alexander's life story, described this as an intelligent and unscrupulous charlatan who used the flower of the Oracle system in the 2nd century for his own profit. His authored by 180 work is a pamphlet against Alexander, which is supported by Enlightenment pathos, trying to expose the scam. It Lucian also allows insight into the manipulation means a religious charlatan. He describes the way in which Alexander designed his human -headed serpent, staged and lets talk.

Alexander had good connections to Rome, which enabled him, the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius to be rename to Ionopolis while the city Abonuteichos. The only reliable evidence of the cult are next to Lucian's writing coins Abonuteichos and other small Asian cities dominated since Antoninus Pius. At this the snake is depicted, often with a human head, sometimes with the Namensbeischrift.

Well 170-175 Alexander died, a few years later his most influential promoters, which apparently led to a decline of the cult. While Lucian - probably around the literary representation 's sake - asserts with Alexander's death was also the Glykon cult to an end, interpret the coins back to another development. The cult continued after Alexander's death without the oracle, but with Alexander as a revered hero. First, the Glykon - worship was apparently actually weakened, there were hardly issued coins. However, among the Severans experienced the cult a second climax. This phase is detected up to the middle of the 3rd century on the basis of numerous coins from different cities of Asia Minor. After missing numismatic evidence, but this may not prove an end to the cult, as the local coinage ends in Asia Minor in the third century. How long Glykon was still revered, is not known.