The Sistine Chapel ceiling at the Vatican has paintings of seven ancient Hebrew prophets, but also of five Sibyls — non-Christian prophetic figures. How and why did pagan prophets came to have such a place of honour in the centre of western Christianity?This post is an excellent introduction to the ancient Roman Sybilline tradition. I look forward to the promised post on the later Sibylline Oracles.The full answer is surprisingly long. We have to cover genres of ancient Greek poetry; Roman myth and ritual; ancient Jewish and Christian poems about the end of the world; and also music by a 16th century Dutch composer.
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For PaleoJudaica posts on the Sybilline Oracles and the Sibyl(s), see the links collected here and follow the trail from there.
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