ΟΙ ΚΑΤΑΒΑΣΕΙΣ ΣΤΟΝ ΚΑΤΩ ΚΟΣΜΟ ΣΤΗ ΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΝΗ ΚΑΙ ΣΤΗ ΜΕΤΑΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΝΗ ΛΟΓΟΤΕΧΝΙΑ

Abstract

THE INFERNAL JOURNEY, OR THE DESCENT TO THE OTHERWORLD, IS A THEME FREQUENTLY FOUND IN WORLD-LITERATURE. THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THIS THESIS IS TO EXAMINE THE PRESENCE OF THE THEME IN THE BYZANTINE AND THE POST-BYZANTINE LITERATURE. THE THEORIES ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF THE GENRE, AS WELL AS ITS FIRST OCCURENCES IN NEAR EAST LITERATURES, ARE BRIEFLY MENTIONED IN THE INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. THE FIRST CHAPTER OFFERS A SURVEY OF THE ANCIENT GREEK DESCENTS, FROM THE HOMERIC NEKYIA DOWN TO THE SATIRICAL DESCENTS OF LUCIAN. THE SECOND CHAPTER DEALS WITH THE BYZANTINE THEOLOGICAL DESCENTS AND THEIR SOURCES IN THE APOCRYPHA OF THE OLD AND THE NEW TESTAMENT, AND ESPECIALLY THE REVELATION OF ESDRA, THE REVELATION OF PAUL AND THE REVELATION OF JOHN. THE PRINCIPAL DESCENT IN THE BYZANTINE THEOLOGICAL LITERATURE IS THE DESCENT OF JESUS CHRIST. ONLY HE HAS THE POWER TOVISIT THE OTHERWORLD "IN CORPORE" AND TO THE OVERCOME HADES. A SECOND DESCENT"IN CORPORE" IS THE DESCENT OF THE VIRGIN, WHO ACTS AS AN INTERMEDIARY FOR THE SALVATION OF THE SINNERS. ALL THE OTHER JOURNEYS OCCUR IN A DREAM. THEY ARESIMPLE "NARRATIONES ANIMAE UTILES", WITHOUT THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS. THE BYZANTINES WERE MORE INTERESTED IN THE LAST JUDGEMENT, NOT IN THE TEMPORARY STATE OF THE SINNERS IN THE OTHERWORLD. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)