In existographies, Diodorus (c.90-20BC) (IQ:160|#515) (CR:18), aka "Diodorus Siculus" or “Diodorus of Sicily”, was a Greek historian noted for his c.40BC Historical Library, aka Bibliotheca Historica (Ѻ), a 40 volume set, of which only 1-5 and 11-20 survive, arranged into part one (Ancient Egypt up to destruction of Troy), part two (Trojan War to dereaction of Alexander the Great), and part three (post Alexander to beginning of Caesar’s Gallic War, c.59BC).
Influenced
Siculus' views on the origin of man, from the slime of the earth, influenced Lucilio Vanini (1616).
Quotes | On
The following are quotes on Diodorus:
“Cicero mentions four of this name. Pausanias and Herodotus, rank Apollo among the Egyptian deities. Diodorus Siculus expressly states, that Isis, after having invented the practice of medicine, taught this art to her son Orus [Horus], named also Apollo, who was the last of the gods that reigned in Egypt. It is easy to trace almost all the Grecian fables and mythologies from Egypt. If the Apollo of the Greeks, was said to be the son of Jupiter, it was because Orus [Horus], the Apollo of the Egyptians, had Osiris for his father, whom the Greeks confounded with Jupiter.”
— Robert Taylor (1829), The Diegesis (pg. 180)
“It is impossible to ignore the similarities between the Egyptian quarternity: Isis and Nephthys (known as 'the Two Goddesses' in Egypt), Osiris and Set (personifications of life and death), and the leading characters of the Eleusinian drama: Demeter and Persephone (also known simply as 'the Two Goddesses'), Dionysus and Hades. Diodorus of Sicily, first century BC, clearly states that the initiatory rites of Demeter in Eleusis were transferred from Egypt (Diodorus Siculus, 1.29.2). Later he states: The rite of Osiris is the same as that of Dionysus and that of Isis very similar to that of Demeter; the names alone having been interchanged, and the punishments in Hades of the unrighteous, the Fields of the Righteous and the fantastic conceptions, current among the many - all these were introduced by Orpheus in imitation of the Egyptian funeral customs.' (1.96.4-5).”
— Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy (2001), Jesus and the Lost Goddess [1]
“In later legend, according to Diodorus (c.30BC) and Plutarch (100AD), the establishment of various social structures and customs was attributed to Osiris during his reign. Plutarch relates how, as king, he taught the Egyptians how to cultivate the land; he also gave them laws and taught them to honor he gods. Osiris, according to Diodorus, did many good deeds for the social life of mankind, for a start, by making them give up cannibalism, since Isis had discovered wheat and barley, they took up eating these instead of each other. Isis also established laws, while Osiris built temples to his parents and other gods at Thebes. Both deities honored those who advanced who nurtured the arts and made technological advances. One advance in particular was the development of copper tools, which helped people to kill animals and conduct agricultural activities more effectively. Osiris, according to Diodorus, was the first to invent and taste wine [compare: Dionysus], and he took counsel with Thoth on every matter.”
— Garry Shaw (2014), The Egyptian Myths [3]
Quotes | By
The following are quotes by Diodorus:
“It is moreover reported, that Osiris being a prince of a public spirit, and very ambitious of glory, raised a great army, with which he resolved to go through all parts of the world that were inhabited, and to teach men how to plant vines, and to sow wheat and barley. For he hoped that if he could civilize men, and take them off from their rude and beast-like course of lives, by such a public good and advantage, he should raise a foundation amongst all mankind...”
— Diodorus (c.30BC), cited by Dorothy Murdock (2014), in Did Moses Exist? (pg. 201), in conjecture that the Biblical “exodus” is a rescript of the exodus of Osiris from Egypt [2]
See also
● Osiris, Dionysus, and Bacchus
● Herodotus
● Manetho
References
1. Freke, Timothy and Grandy, Peter. (2001). Jesus and the Lost Goddess: The Secret Teachings of the Original Christians (Osiris, 18+ pgs; quote, pg. 255). Random House.
2. Murdock, Dorothy M. (2014). Did Moses Exist? The Myth of the Israelite Lawgiver (pg. 201). Stellar House Publishing.
3. Shaw, Garry J. (2014). The Egyptian Myths: a Guide to the Ancient Gods and Legends (pg. #). Thames & Hudson.
External links
● Diodorus Siculus – Wikipedia.
