Tanrılaştırma ve Şeytanlaştırma Arasında Mitolojik Bir Figür Olarak Asklepios

Yunan mitolojisi Helen coğrafyasında kabul gören paganizme ilişkin anlatılankutsal hikâyenin bütününü teşkil eder. Olimpos tanrıları ve onlarınserüvenleri etrafında dönen bu mitik kurgu içerisinde kahramanlar olarakifade edilen kategoride yer alan bazı figürler esasında eskiçağ insanınıninanç dünyasını Olimpos tanrıları kadar şekillendirmekle birlikte akademikçalışmalarda yeteri kadar ele alınmamıştır. Bunlardan birisi de kuşkusuzAsklepios’tur. Kaynaklar ilk olarak ondan insan olarak bahsetmekteyken,adına tesis edilen kült ve tapınaklar aracılığıyla tanrılaştırılmıştır. Greko-Romen dünyanın en önemli kültlerinden biri olarak kabul gördüğü sırada,Hıristiyan inancının aynı coğrafyada yayılması neticesinde bu kez şeytanlaştırılmışve buna bağlı olarak Asklepios kültü de zamanla ortadan kalkmıştır.Bu çalışmada bilinen tarihsel verilerin ışığında iki aşamalı birdeğerlendirme öngörülmektedir. İlk aşamada Asklepios’un “tanrılaştırma”süreci, ikinci aşamada ise “şeytanlaştırma” süreci metinler aracılığıylaortaya konulmaya çalışılacaktır.

Asklepios as a Mythological Figure Between Deification and Demonization

Greek mythology encloses whole of the sacred story that was told aboutthe paganism as adopted in the Hellenic world. Although they formed theworldviews of human beings in ancient times as much as the Olympian godsdid, figures described as heroes in the mythical narrative about these godsand their adventures have not been discussed adequately in academicworks. One of these is definitely Asklepios. Sources spoke of him as a manbut later he became a deity with the help of the cults and temples built inhis name. As the cult was deeply embraced by the Greco-Roman world,with the Christian faith’s spreading in the same region, it was demonizedand gradually disappeared from the scene. This study presents a twofoldreading on the basis of the historical facts. The first one will deal with theprocess of Asklepios’s deification while the second one will enlighten theway towards his demonization.

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