04-17-2014, 12:38 PM
Tim wrote:
But, I find Hughes' thesis that Stilicho lacked confidence in battle pretty convincing.
Tim can you provide the title of Hughes’ thesis and in which journal it was published in? It would be greatly appreciated.
Justin wrote:
He did, twice, in 401 and 402, and was defeated both times, but Stilicho allowed him to retreat instead of finishing him off.
I can understand Stilicho letting Alaric get away once, but twice smells of a conspiracy. But I must return to Rome’s 1200 year protection that runs out just before Stilicho burns the Sibylline Books. The question that has puzzled me is why the gods wanted to protect Rome for so long and why end the protection? Do the gods go looking for another civilisation to protect? This would be hard as most civilisations around the world already have their own gods. So basically we have a lot of unemployed gods.
However, reading through St. Augustine’s “The City of God” there is a treasure trove of information, especially in regard to Pythagoras. In regards to the god’s demise, St Augustine writes:
“For who does not see, when he thinks of it, what a foolish assumption it is that they could not be vanquished under vanquished defenders, and that they only perished because they had lost their guardian gods, when, indeed, the only cause of their perishing was that they chose for their protectors gods condemned to perish?”
There it is….it is the gods that will perish. Now this makes sense of the whole Pythagorean system or the religion of numbers as St Augustine calls it. St Augustine also includes the Phythagoreanism as being close in its beliefs of the Christian religion. This is not surprising as Pythagoras is recorded as being born from a virgin, and telling the fisherman to recast their nets which resulted in them catching fish.
Now returning to Stilicho and his betrayal of the secret. Stilicho’s accuser is Rutilius Namatianus, and most likely a pagan. During the sack of Rome, St Augustine records that the Goths spared the Christian temples and those who sort sanctuary in them. Unfortunately for the pagans, their temples were not spared. I remember once reading a long time ago, that the Goths would spare those that took sanctuary in their temples because the Goths, if they killed the people in the temples believed they would suffer retribution from those very gods the people took sanctuary in. I cannot remember if this was from a primary source or a secondary source, but what if Stilicho did make it known that the pagan gods were dead and burned the Sibylline Books to prove it. I find it very convenient that the Christian temples were spared during the sack of Rome, and considering most of the Roman senate were still pagans, what a brilliant manner in getting rid of the pagans in the city. Let Rome be sacked in order to destroy the pagans.
I’m not by nature into conspiracy theories, but it could be that the Christians were involved in a conspiracy of genocide against the pagans, in which Stilicho was an instrument. Stilicho does not betray Rome, he betrays the pagans.
But, I find Hughes' thesis that Stilicho lacked confidence in battle pretty convincing.
Tim can you provide the title of Hughes’ thesis and in which journal it was published in? It would be greatly appreciated.
Justin wrote:
He did, twice, in 401 and 402, and was defeated both times, but Stilicho allowed him to retreat instead of finishing him off.
I can understand Stilicho letting Alaric get away once, but twice smells of a conspiracy. But I must return to Rome’s 1200 year protection that runs out just before Stilicho burns the Sibylline Books. The question that has puzzled me is why the gods wanted to protect Rome for so long and why end the protection? Do the gods go looking for another civilisation to protect? This would be hard as most civilisations around the world already have their own gods. So basically we have a lot of unemployed gods.
However, reading through St. Augustine’s “The City of God” there is a treasure trove of information, especially in regard to Pythagoras. In regards to the god’s demise, St Augustine writes:
“For who does not see, when he thinks of it, what a foolish assumption it is that they could not be vanquished under vanquished defenders, and that they only perished because they had lost their guardian gods, when, indeed, the only cause of their perishing was that they chose for their protectors gods condemned to perish?”
There it is….it is the gods that will perish. Now this makes sense of the whole Pythagorean system or the religion of numbers as St Augustine calls it. St Augustine also includes the Phythagoreanism as being close in its beliefs of the Christian religion. This is not surprising as Pythagoras is recorded as being born from a virgin, and telling the fisherman to recast their nets which resulted in them catching fish.
Now returning to Stilicho and his betrayal of the secret. Stilicho’s accuser is Rutilius Namatianus, and most likely a pagan. During the sack of Rome, St Augustine records that the Goths spared the Christian temples and those who sort sanctuary in them. Unfortunately for the pagans, their temples were not spared. I remember once reading a long time ago, that the Goths would spare those that took sanctuary in their temples because the Goths, if they killed the people in the temples believed they would suffer retribution from those very gods the people took sanctuary in. I cannot remember if this was from a primary source or a secondary source, but what if Stilicho did make it known that the pagan gods were dead and burned the Sibylline Books to prove it. I find it very convenient that the Christian temples were spared during the sack of Rome, and considering most of the Roman senate were still pagans, what a brilliant manner in getting rid of the pagans in the city. Let Rome be sacked in order to destroy the pagans.
I’m not by nature into conspiracy theories, but it could be that the Christians were involved in a conspiracy of genocide against the pagans, in which Stilicho was an instrument. Stilicho does not betray Rome, he betrays the pagans.
