11 Dionysus in the mirror of Late Antiquity: religion, philosophy and politics David Hernández de la Fuente Introduction Among ali the gods of ancient religion that stood out in the syncretic theology of Late Antiquity, Dionysus became the clearest example of the figure of 'God the son of God', 1 a saviour figure who mediated between both worlds. This god of many functions and invocations 2 will have a final resurgence in Late Antiquity. Ar this time, Dionysus undergoes a two-fold transformation. On the one hand, Dionysus will be modelled with greater emphasis as a god of salvation in the hereafter, especially due to his con- nection with the mysteries and the evident comparison with Christ. 3 In the fust part of this chapter, therefore, we aim to examine the development of Dionysus as a philosophical god, mediator between the intelligible and the material worlds, the divine and the human spheres. The myth of Dionysus Zagreus, as told and interpreted by the Neoplatonists, will provide a frame for the metaphysical, ethical and even aesthetical relevance of this god in Late Antiquity. 0n the other' hand, there is evidence that the god was also used by Neoplatonists as a symbol of power and civilisation for the just politics of a universal rule, Thus, in the second part of this chapter, we will analyse to what extent Dionysus could be also interpreted, in spite of the obvious Christian animosity against this alter Christus, as a political model for the Roman Emperors and, in general, far the political or civic virtues of a community. In the Dionysi,m---m.rths, the god is often depicted as a ci~iliser of barbarians and establishes a kind of Pax Dionysiaca, like Rome 1tself. At the same time, following the ethical implications of his figu~e- in Neoplatonism, Dionysus could also represent a good instance of polmcal mediation and civic behaviour in late antique society, as a patron of ª son of 'inner Kingdom' and a 'mediator between the worlds', in th e Neoplatonic politeia, if we interpret sorne key passages devoted to th e god ~I Proclus (e,g, In Ti,1.407.21-408.2), Damascius (In Phd, 1.4) and Ymp,odorus (in Phd, 1.5), as we shall see. Evidently, Christ was to be understood, from the faurth century on- Wards, as the only valid model far the citizen, the philosopher ª nd • above