Editing Heracles (section)

=== Christian chronology ===
In Christian circles, a [[Euhemerism|Euhemerist]] reading of the widespread Heracles cult was attributed to a historical figure who had been offered cult status after his death. Thus [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]], ''[[Preparation of the Gospel]]'' (10.12), reported that [[Clement of Alexandria|Clement]] could offer historical dates for Heracles as a king in Argos: "from the reign of Heracles in [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argos]] to the [[wikt:deification|deification]] of Heracles himself and of [[Asclepius]] there are comprised thirty-eight years, according to [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]] the chronicler: and from that point to the deification of [[Castor and Pollux]] fifty-three years: and somewhere about this time was the capture of [[Troy]]."

[[File:Agrigent Heraklestempel.jpg|thumb|225px|[[Temple of Heracles, Agrigento|Temple to Heracles]] in [[Agrigento]], [[Sicily]], Italy]]

Readers with a literalist bent, following Clement's reasoning, have asserted from this remark that, since Heracles ruled over [[Tiryns]] in Argos at the same time that [[Eurystheus]] ruled over [[Mycenae]], and since at about this time [[Linus (mythology)|Linus]] was Heracles's teacher, one can conclude, based on [[Jerome]]'s date—in his [[Universal history (genre)|universal history]], his ''Chronicon''—given to Linus's notoriety in teaching Heracles in 1264 BCE, that Heracles's death and deification occurred 38 years later, in approximately 1226 BCE.