Publication: Historia de un mito ultramontano: Quo Vadis? y la cuestión romana
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2015-11-10
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Universidad Complutense de Madrid
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Abstract
El objetivo de esta tesis es explicar la génesis y el desarrollo de un mito historiográfico que hemos llamado mito ultramontano de la Roma de Nerón, y que cristalizó en un libro publicado a finales del siglo XIX, Quo vadis?, de Henryk Sienkiewicz. Gracias al éxito del libro y de las adaptaciones cinematográficas, esta obra contribuyó decisivamente a cambiar la percepción de la Antigüedad (y en especial de las relaciones entre el Imperio romano y el primitivo cristianismo) más allá de su ámbito originario, hasta convertirse en un fenómeno cultural global. Objetivos Nuestra tesis sostiene la hipótesis de que este mito, pretendida representación de la Antigüedad romana, proyecta sobre el pasado el enfrentamiento entre la Iglesia católica y el Estado liberal que se inicia con la Revolución francesa, y alcanza su apogeo con el planteamiento de la Cuestión romana, durante el pontificado de Pío IX. No se era de una deformación espontánea, sino de una manipulación consciente, entre cuyos objetivos destacan la justificación de la soberanía papal sobre Roma, y la defensa de los dogmas católicos frente a la teología liberal y la crítica histórica. Este mito servía al papado para sostener derechos imprescriptibles sobre la ciudad, superiores a los de cualquier otro poder; y constituía, además, una respuesta a los desafíos que la investigación (la historiografía y la teología liberal), las nuevas ideologías (nacionalismo y liberalismo), las realidades políticas (libertad de pensamiento, de imprenta, de culto) y los fenómenos sociales (la desafección de las elites burguesas, el desarrollo de los movimientos obreros) planteaban a la Iglesia. El ámbito en que se originó este mito se puede calificar comoultramontano e integrista, porque se definía por su apoyo al poder absoluto del papa dentro y fuera de la Iglesia, tanto en el ámbito religioso, como en el político y civil; y porque afirmaba la intangibilidad de la tradición eclesiástica, por encima de las conclusiones de la investigación histórica. Metodología. Esta tesis se estructura en tres grandes apartados, en cada uno de los cuales se ha utilizado una metodología adaptada a los objetivos. La primera parte ¿In illo tempore¿ es un estado de la cuestión, que ofrece una visión actualizada de las relaciones entre los cristianos y el Imperio, utilizando como herramienta básica el concepto de `mito del eterno retorno¿, descrito por Mircea Eliade. Analizamos la evolución de la historiografía, en especial en varios puntos que formarán parte del mito, como las tesis de la Escuela de Tubinga acerca del valor histórico de los evangelios, del carácter judaizante de la corriente dirigida por san Pedro, o de la crítica al fragmento de Annales que se refiere a la persecución neroniana de los cristianos. La segunda parte ¿Roma capta¿ detalla los cambios que afectan a la Iglesia católica a partir de la Revolución francesa, a lo largo del siglo XIX. El mito de Nerón nace durante el pontificado de Pío IX. El surgimiento de este mito, y el de su predecesor, el mito de las catacumbas, se estudia con ayuda sobre todo de fuentes literarias y periodísticas. La tercera parte ¿Quo vadis?¿ presenta un análisis del libro de Sienkiewicz, al tiempo que describe la manera en que se propagaron esos tópicos. Resultados y conclusiones. Para la opinión pública, la imagen de la Antigüedad romana ha sido deformada por un mito del siglo XIX, que se propagó de manera autónoma a través de la literatura y el cine. El mito de Nerón responde a los criterios de `mito fundacional¿, descrito por Mircea Eliade. Explica la fundación de la Iglesia, e interpreta el devenir histórico como una lucha constante entre Nerón ¿encarnado en figuras históricas como Napoleón III- y Pedro ¿representado por los papas. Bajo el aspecto de una novela histórica sobre Nerón, Quo vadis? escondía en realidad un doble mensaje, político y apologético.
The aim of this dissertation is to explain the origin and development of a historiographical myth, which we have called “of Nero’s Rome”. This myth crystallized in a book, which was published at the end of the 19th century: Quo Vadis?, by Henryk Sienkiewicz. Because of the book’s and derived movies’ successes, this piece contributed to change decisively the perception of the Antiquity, beyond its original context, becoming a global cultural phenomenon. Aim Our dissertation supports the hypothesis that this myth, which pretends to be a true representation of the Roman Antiquity, is rather the projection over the pass of the struggle between the Catholic Church and the Liberal State, from the French Revolution onwards, which reached its peak by the setting of the Roman Question, during the pontificate of Pius the Ninth. It is a deliberate manipulation with very definite purposes: among them, the justification of the papal sovereignty over Rome, and the defense of the catholic dogmas against the conclusions of the liberal theology and the historical criticism. This myth was used by the papacy to proclaim its eternal rights over the city, greater than the Kingdom of Italy. At the same time, it constituted an answer to the challenges of the research, the new ideologies, the contemporary political realities and social phenomenon presented to the Catholic Church. The original context of this myth should be called both ultramontane and integrist: because it was defined by its support to the absolute power of the papacy, inside and outside the Church, in the religious domain as much as in the political or civil domains; and because it defends the axiom that the ecclesiastical tradition was beyond the reach of the conclusions of the historical investigations. Methodology. This dissertation is made up of three sections in each of which the methodology used was adapted to the objectives. The first section –In illo tempore– serves as the ‘state of the art’. It offers an actualized vision of the relationships between the early Christians and the Roman Empire, using as a base tool the notion of the ‘myth of eternal return’, described by Mircea Eliade. The second section –Roma capta- describes the changes inside the Church after the French revolution during the 19th century, up to the pontificate of Leo XIII. The pontificate of Pius IX is the period in which the myth of Nero is born. The origin of theis myth of Nero, and the one of its predecessor, the Catacombs myth, are studied mainly with the support of literary and journalistic sources. The third section –Quo Vadis?- presents an analysis of the Sienkiewicz’s book, which is the most perfect crystallization of the myth. It describes as well how theses clichés were spread. Outcomes and conclusions. For public opinion, the perception of the Roman antiquity has been deformed by a 19th century myth, which was born for political and apologetic reasons, but it was spread independently through literature and the movies. The Myth of Nero fulfills the criteria of a ‘foundational myth’, as it was described by Mircea Eliade. It explains the foundation of the Roman Church, and interprets the historical process as a constant struggle between Nero –incarnated in personalities like Napoleon III, Bismarck or Vittorio Emmanuelle- and St. Peter – who is represented by the popes. Quo Vadis? symbolizes the most perfect crystallization of Nero’s myth. Under the appearance of an historical novel about the Neronian Empire, Quo Vadis? it hides a double message, both political (the papal sovereignty over Rome) and apologetic (to reaffirm the authenticity of the ecclesiastic tradition and to refute the thesis of the historiography and the liberal theology).
The aim of this dissertation is to explain the origin and development of a historiographical myth, which we have called “of Nero’s Rome”. This myth crystallized in a book, which was published at the end of the 19th century: Quo Vadis?, by Henryk Sienkiewicz. Because of the book’s and derived movies’ successes, this piece contributed to change decisively the perception of the Antiquity, beyond its original context, becoming a global cultural phenomenon. Aim Our dissertation supports the hypothesis that this myth, which pretends to be a true representation of the Roman Antiquity, is rather the projection over the pass of the struggle between the Catholic Church and the Liberal State, from the French Revolution onwards, which reached its peak by the setting of the Roman Question, during the pontificate of Pius the Ninth. It is a deliberate manipulation with very definite purposes: among them, the justification of the papal sovereignty over Rome, and the defense of the catholic dogmas against the conclusions of the liberal theology and the historical criticism. This myth was used by the papacy to proclaim its eternal rights over the city, greater than the Kingdom of Italy. At the same time, it constituted an answer to the challenges of the research, the new ideologies, the contemporary political realities and social phenomenon presented to the Catholic Church. The original context of this myth should be called both ultramontane and integrist: because it was defined by its support to the absolute power of the papacy, inside and outside the Church, in the religious domain as much as in the political or civil domains; and because it defends the axiom that the ecclesiastical tradition was beyond the reach of the conclusions of the historical investigations. Methodology. This dissertation is made up of three sections in each of which the methodology used was adapted to the objectives. The first section –In illo tempore– serves as the ‘state of the art’. It offers an actualized vision of the relationships between the early Christians and the Roman Empire, using as a base tool the notion of the ‘myth of eternal return’, described by Mircea Eliade. The second section –Roma capta- describes the changes inside the Church after the French revolution during the 19th century, up to the pontificate of Leo XIII. The pontificate of Pius IX is the period in which the myth of Nero is born. The origin of theis myth of Nero, and the one of its predecessor, the Catacombs myth, are studied mainly with the support of literary and journalistic sources. The third section –Quo Vadis?- presents an analysis of the Sienkiewicz’s book, which is the most perfect crystallization of the myth. It describes as well how theses clichés were spread. Outcomes and conclusions. For public opinion, the perception of the Roman antiquity has been deformed by a 19th century myth, which was born for political and apologetic reasons, but it was spread independently through literature and the movies. The Myth of Nero fulfills the criteria of a ‘foundational myth’, as it was described by Mircea Eliade. It explains the foundation of the Roman Church, and interprets the historical process as a constant struggle between Nero –incarnated in personalities like Napoleon III, Bismarck or Vittorio Emmanuelle- and St. Peter – who is represented by the popes. Quo Vadis? symbolizes the most perfect crystallization of Nero’s myth. Under the appearance of an historical novel about the Neronian Empire, Quo Vadis? it hides a double message, both political (the papal sovereignty over Rome) and apologetic (to reaffirm the authenticity of the ecclesiastic tradition and to refute the thesis of the historiography and the liberal theology).
Description
Tesis inédita de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Geografía e Historia, Departamento de Historia Contemporánea, leída el 19-10-2015