Ancient and modern Greece: religion and its features

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The culture and religion of ancient Greece is very peculiar and very interesting. And to this day they inspire many people around the world. For many centuries, the religion and art of Ancient Greece have been reflected in the works of writers and poets, in sculpture, painting, etc. Today we will talk about what gods the Hellenes worshiped, how sacrifices were made and what role the priests played. In addition, you will learn what historical changes Greece has experienced. Its religion was transformed through the centuries into Orthodoxy. We will also talk in detail about modern Greek Christianity. However, first we will characterize such a country as Ancient Greece. Her religion has made a great contribution to world culture.

Religion of Ancient Greece

In general terms, probably each of us can tell about it. Ancient Greek traditions are still very popular today. Religion has always been a very important part of the culture of this country. However, the ancient Greeks, unlike the Egyptians, dressed their gods in human clothes. Thispeople loved to enjoy life. Although he created a whole history of divine beings, in everyday life the Hellenes were independent and practical people.

It is very important that the idea of a creator god was absent in a country like Ancient Greece. Her religion was therefore very peculiar. The Greeks believed that earth, night, darkness appeared out of chaos, and then ether, light, sky, day, sea and other important forces of nature arose. The older generation of gods came from earth and sky. And Zeus and all the Olympian gods known to us were created from them.

Pantheon of Ancient Greece

There were many gods in the pantheon, among which 12 main ones stood out. Each of them performed its own functions. For example, Zeus (pictured below) was the main god, he was a thunderer, ruler of the sky, personified power and strength in a state like Ancient Greece.

The religion of the Hellenes prescribed the worship of Hera, his wife. This is the patroness of the family, the goddess of marriage. Poseidon was the brother of Zeus. This is an ancient sea deity, the patron of the sea and horses. Athena personifies just war and wisdom. Religion Dr. Greece, in addition, is her patroness of urban fortifications and cities in general. Another name for this goddess is Pallas, which means "shaker of the spear." Athena, according to classical mythology, is a warrior goddess. She was usually depicted in full armor.

Cult of Heroes

The ancient Greek gods lived on Olympus, covered with snowgrief. In addition to worshiping them, there was also a cult of heroes. They were presented as demigods who were born from the unions of mortals and gods. The heroes of many myths and poems of Ancient Greece are Orpheus (pictured above), Jason, Theseus, Hermes and others.

Anthropomorphism

Revealing the features of the religion of Ancient Greece, it should be noted that anthropomorphism is one of the main among them. The deity was understood as the Absolute. The ancient Greeks believed that the Cosmos is the absolute deity. Anthropomorphism was expressed in endowing higher beings with human qualities. The gods, as the ancient Greeks believed, are ideas embodied in the Cosmos. It is nothing but the laws of nature that govern it. Their gods reflect all the shortcomings and virtues of human life and nature. The higher beings have a human form. Not only in appearance they look like people, but also in their behavior. The gods have husbands and wives, they enter into relationships with each other, similar to human ones. They can take revenge, be jealous, fall in love, have children. Thus, the gods have all the advantages and disadvantages that are characteristic of mortals. This feature determined the nature of civilization in Ancient Greece. Religion contributed to the fact that humanism became its main feature.

Sacrifices

Sacrifices were offered to all the gods. The Greeks believed that, like humans, higher beings need food. In addition, they believed that food was also necessary for the shadows of the dead. Therefore, the ancient Greeks tried to feed them. For example, the heroine of the tragedy AeschylusElektra pours wine on the ground for her father to receive. Sacrifices to the gods were gifts that were offered in order to fulfill the requests of the worshiper. Popular gifts were fruits, vegetables, various breads and cakes dedicated to individual gods. There were also blood sacrifices. They boiled down mainly to the killing of animals. However, very rarely people were also sacrificed. This is what religion was in Greece at an early stage of its development.

Temples

Temples in ancient Greece were usually built on hills. They were separated by a fence from other buildings. Inside was an image of the god in whose honor the temple was built. There was also an altar for making bloodless sacrifices. Separate rooms existed for sacred relics and donations. Blood sacrifices were performed on a special platform located in front of the temple building, but inside the fence.

Priests

Each Greek temple had its own priest. Even in ancient times, some tribes did not play a significant role in society. Every free person could perform the duties of priests. This position remained unchanged even after the emergence of individual states. The oracle was in the main temples. Its functions included predicting the future, as well as reporting what was said by the Olympian gods.

For the Greeks, religion was a matter of state. The priests were in fact civil servants who had to obey the laws, like other citizens. If necessary, priestly duties could be performed by the headsclans or kings. At the same time, they did not teach religion, did not create theological works, that is, religious thought did not develop in any way. The duties of the priests were limited to the performance of certain rites in the temple to which they belonged.

Rise of Christianity

The emergence of Christianity chronologically refers to the middle of the 2nd century. n. e. Nowadays there is an opinion that it appeared as the religion of all the "offended" and "humiliated". However, it is not. In fact, on the ashes of the pantheon of Greco-Roman gods, a more mature idea of faith in one higher being, as well as the idea of a god-man who accepted death for the sake of saving people, appeared. The cultural and political situation in Greco-Roman society was very tense. It was necessary to obtain protection and support from temptations and external instability. Other national religions of ancient Greece were unable to provide them. And the Hellenes turned to Christianity. We will now talk about the history of its formation in this country.

Early Christian Church

The early Christian church, in addition to internal contradictions, was sometimes subjected to external persecution. Christianity in the early period of its existence was not officially recognized. Therefore, his adherents had to gather in secret. The first Christians of Greece tried not to irritate the authorities, therefore they did not actively spread their faith in the "masses" and did not seek to approve the new teaching. This religion for 1000 years has gone from underground disparate societies to a doctrine of world significance that influenced the developmentmany civilizations.

A Brief History of Christianity in Ancient Greece

Today the main religion in Greece is Orthodox Christianity. Almost 98% of believers adhere to it. The inhabitants of Greece adopted Christianity very early. After Constantine, the Roman emperor, adopted this religion, in 330 AD. e. he moved his capital to Constantinople. The new center became a kind of religious capital of the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire. After some time, tense relations arose between the patriarchs of Rome and Constantinople. As a result, in 1054 there was a split in religion. It was divided into Catholicism and Orthodoxy. The Orthodox Church supported and represented Christian Eastern Europe after its conquest by the Ottomans. After the revolution that took place in 1833, the Greek Church became one of the first Orthodox in the region to recognize and support the spiritual leadership of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Until now, the inhabitants of Greece are faithful to their chosen religion.

Modern Orthodox Church

Interestingly, the church in Greece today is not separated from the state, as in many other countries. It is autocephalous. The archbishop is its head. His residence is in Athens. Catholicism is practiced by a few inhabitants of individual islands of the Aegean Sea, which once belonged to the Venetian Republic. On the island of Rhodes and in Thrace live, in addition to the Greeks, and Muslim Turks.

Religionis an integral part of many aspects of Greek society. The Orthodox Church influences, for example, the education system. In Greece, children attend religious courses, which are compulsory. In addition, every morning they pray together before class. The church also influences decision-making on certain political issues.

Pagan organizations

A court in Greece not so long ago allowed the activities of an association uniting worshipers of the ancient gods. Pagan organizations thus became legal in this country. Today the religion of ancient Greece is being revived. About 100 thousand Greeks adhere to paganism. They worship Hera, Zeus, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Hermes, Athena and other gods.