Hellenistic religion
The concept of Hellenistic religion as the late form of
Change came from the addition of new religions from other countries, including the
Many people practiced magic, and this too represented a continuation from earlier times. Throughout the Hellenistic world, people would consult oracles, and use charms and figurines to deter misfortune or to cast spells. The complex system of Hellenistic astrology developed in this era, seeking to determine a person's character and future in the movements of the sun, moon, and planets. The systems of Hellenistic philosophy, such as Stoicism and Epicureanism, offered a secular alternative to traditional religion, even if their impact was largely limited to educated elites.
Classical Greek religion
Central to Greek religion in classical times were the
Religious practice would also involve the
Magic was a central part of Greek religion[2] and oracles would allow people to determine divine will in the rustle of leaves; the shape of flame and smoke on an altar; the flight of birds; the noises made by a spring; or in the entrails of an animal.[3] Also long established were the Eleusinian Mysteries, associated with Demeter and Persephone.[3] People were indoctrinated into mystery religions through initiation ceremonies, which were traditionally kept secret. These religions often had a goal of personal improvement, which would also extend to the afterlife.
In the aftermath of the conquests of Alexander the Great, Greek culture spread widely and came into much closer contact with the civilizations of the Near East and Egypt. The most significant changes to impact on Greek religion were the importation of foreign deities and the development of new philosophical systems.[4] Older surveys of Hellenistic religion tended to depict the era as one of religious decline, discerning a rise in scepticism, agnosticism and atheism, as well as an increase in superstition, mysticism, and astrology.[5]
There is, however, no reason to suppose that there was a decline in the traditional religion.[6] There is plenty of documentary evidence that the Greeks continued to worship the same gods with the same sacrifices, dedications, and festivals as in the classical period.[7] New religions did appear in this period, but not to the exclusion of the local deities,[8] and only a minority of Greeks were attracted to them.[9]
New religions of the period
The Egyptian religion which follows
Almost as famous was the cult of Serapis, an Egyptian deity despite the Greek name, which was created in Egypt under the Ptolemaic dynasty.[12] Serapis was patronized by the Greeks who had settled in Egypt. This religion involved initiation rites like the Eleusinian Mysteries.[13] Strabo wrote of the Serapeion at Canopus near Alexandria as being patronized by the most reputable men.[14]
The religion of
Another mystery religion was focused around
These newly introduced religions and gods only had a limited impact within Greece itself; the main exception was at Delos,[9] which was a major port and trading center. The island was sacred as the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, and by the 2nd century BCE was also home to the native Greek religions that follow Zeus, Athena, Dionysus, Hermes, Pan, and Asclepius. But there were also cult centers for the Egyptian Sarapis and Isis, and of the Syrian Atargatis and Hadad.[16] By the 1st century BCE, there were additional religions that followed Baal and Astarte, a Jewish Synagogue and Romans who followed the original Roman religions of gods like Apollo and Neptune.[16]
Ruler cults
Another innovation in the Hellenistic period was the institution of cults dedicated to the rulers of the Hellenistic kingdoms. The first of these was established under Alexander the Great, whose conquests of the Achaemenid Empire, power, and status had elevated him to a degree that required special recognition. His successors continued his worship to the point where in Egypt under Ptolemy I Soter, we find Alexander being honored as a god.[17] Ptolemy's son Ptolemy II Philadelphus proclaimed his father a god, and made himself a living god.[17]
By doing so, the Ptolemies were adapting earlier Egyptian ideas in
Astrology and magic
There is ample evidence for the use of superstition and magic in this period. Oracular shrines and sanctuaries were still popular.[3] There is also much evidence for the use of charms and curses. Symbols would be placed on the doors of houses to bring good luck or deter misfortune for the occupants within.[2]
Charms, often cut in precious or semi-precious stone, had protective power.[2] Figurines, manufactured from bronze, lead, or terracotta, were pierced with pins or nails, and used to cast spells. Curse tablets made from marble or metal (especially lead) were used for curses.[2]
Astrology — the belief that stars and planets influence a person's future — arose in Babylonia, where it was originally only applied to the king or nation.[20] The Greeks, in the Hellenistic era, elaborated it into the fantastically complex system of Hellenistic astrology familiar to later times.[20] Interest in astrology grew rapidly from the 1st century BCE onwards.[20]
Hellenistic philosophy
An alternative to traditional religion was offered by
Hellenistic Judaism
Hellenistic Judaism was a form of Judaism in the ancient world that combined Jewish religious tradition with elements of Greek culture. Until the Fall of the Western Roman Empire and the Byzantine, Sassanid and Arab conquests of the Eastern and Western Mediterranean Basin, the main centers of Hellenistic Judaism were Alexandria (Egypt) and Antioch (Turkey), the two main Greek urban settlements of the Middle East and North Africa area, both founded at the end of the 4th century BCE in the conquests of Alexander the Great. Hellenistic Judaism also existed in Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period, where there was conflict between Hellenizers and traditionalists (sometimes called Judaizers).
The major literary product of the contact of Second Temple Judaism and Ancient Greek religion is the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible from Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Aramaic to Koine Greek, specifically, Jewish Koine Greek. Mentionable are also the philosophic and ethical treatises of Philo and the historiographical works of the other Hellenistic Jewish authors.[21][22]
The decline of Hellenistic Judaism started in the 2nd century CE, and its causes are still not fully understood. It may be that it was eventually marginalized by, partially absorbed into or became progressively the Koine Greek speaking core of Early Christianity centered on Antioch and its traditions, such as the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch.
See also
- Christianity and paganism
- Gnosticism
- Greco-Buddhism
- Greco-Roman mysteries
- Hellenism
- Hermeticism
- Humanism
- Interpretatio graeca
- Magic in the Greco-Roman world
- Neoplatonism
- Religion in ancient Rome
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d Shipley 1999, p. 154
- ^ a b c d Chamoux & Roussel 2002, p. 347
- ^ a b c Chamoux & Roussel 2002, p. 330
- ^ Mikalson 2006, p. 218
- ^ Shipley 1999, p. 155
- ^ Shipley 1999, p. 170
- ^ a b c Mikalson 2006, p. 220
- ^ Mikalson 2006, p. 217
- ^ a b c d Mikalson 2006, p. 219
- ^ a b c Shipley 1999, p. 168
- ^ Diodorus Siculus, i. 25
- ^ Chamoux & Roussel 2002, p. 340
- ^ Shipley 1999, p. 167
- ^ Strabo, xvii.1.17
- ^ a b Chamoux & Roussel 2002, p. 331
- ^ a b Mikalson 2006, p. 209
- ^ a b Shipley 1999, p. 159
- ^ Chaniotis 2003, p. 436
- ^ Chaniotis 2003, p. 439
- ^ a b c Evans 1998, p. 343
- ^ Walter, N. Jüdisch-hellenistische Literatur vor Philon von Alexandrien (unter Ausschluss der Historiker), ANRW II: 20.1.67-120
- ISBN 9781139055123.
Sources
- Chamoux, François; Roussel, Michel (2002), "Chapter 9 - The Needs of the Soul", Hellenistic Civilization, Wiley-Blackwell, ISBN 0-631-22242-1
- ISBN 1-4051-3278-7
- Evans, James (1998), The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-509539-1
- Mikalson, Jon D. (2006), "Greek Religion - Continuity and Change in the Hellenistic Period", in Bugh, Glenn Richard (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-53570-0
- Shipley, Graham (1999), "Chapter 5 - Religion and Philosophy", The Greek world after Alexander, 323-30 B.C., Routledge, ISBN 0-415-04618-1
External links
- Media related to Hellenistic religion at Wikimedia Commons