The "Derveni Papyrus" as the Oldest European 'Book': Between Orphism and Sophistic

Abstract

Presented for the first time (from ancient Greek) is the translation into Ukrainian of the "Derveni Papyrus" one of the most crucial surviving texts identified as belonging to the Orphic tradition. It has been discovered that besides the theogonic and ontological worldview, it also traces epistemological and ethico-anthropological issues. The thesis is substantiated that the author of the ancient Greek text considers unbelief and irrationality as synonymous concepts, thereby emphasizing that knowledge is always linked with faith in a broad context.