A Morte dos Deuses

*Romance de Juliano, o Apóstata: A Morte dos Deuses* (1895) '-' A vida de Juliano (331–363 A.D.) , o general e imperador que renegou a fé cristã -- recém-oficializada por Constantino no Império Romano do Século IV; na tentativa de restabelecer a liberdade de culto e o prestígio dos adeptos e iniciados nos Mistérios da Religião e da Filosofia Antiga. O anátema contra os pagãos, vistos com profunda suspeita e desconfiança pela Igreja cristã.
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(*) "The Death of the Gods: Julian the Apostate" (Smert bogov. Yulian-Otstupnik [aka] Смерть богов. Юлиан Отступник) is a novel by Dmitry Merezhkovsky, first published (under the title The Outcast, Otverzhenny) in 1895 by Severny Vestnik. Exploring the theme of the 'two truths', those of Christianity and the Paganism, and developing Merezhkovsky's own religious theory of the Third Testament, it became the first in "The Christ and Antichrist" trilogy. The novel made Merezhkovsky a well-known author both in Russia and Western Europe.

|...| Merezhkovsky started working upon the novel in the summer of 1890. The process was boosted by the Merezhkovskys European 1892 trip when the couple visited Greece and Turkey. Merezhkovsky’s first impressions of Greece were not favourable but everything changed as he found himself facing the sacred hill of Acropolis.

|...| The novel tells the story of Roman Emperor Julian who during his reign (331–363) was trying to restore the cult of Olympian gods in Rome, resisting the upcoming Christianity. One of the novel's main ideas is that man's suffering stems from the conflict between the spirit and the flesh... Nevertheless, as later critics noted, every single Merezhkovsky's protagonist beginning with Leonardo da Vinci, Peter the Great, Alexander I – were "spiritual twins" of Julian, seeking the harmonious unity of spirit and flesh here on Earth. The novel enjoyed mass popularity and provoked heated debate. Even most ardent detractors (who were denouncing the young author as "a Nietzschean") but had to acknowledged the merits of what turned out to be the first Symbolist novel in Russia: the profound knowledge of history and fine, subtle language. This, according to biographer Yuri Zobnin, distinguished it from other Russian historical novels, set in the tradition once started by Nikolay Danilevsky. [From: Wikipedia]

Artes / Aventura / Esoterismo / Ficção / Filosofia / História / Literatura Estrangeira / Religião e Espiritualidade / Romance / Sociologia / Suspense e Mistério