An anthology of writings on the Greco-Roman mystery religions, with
a helpful introduction and clarifying notes. Using selections from
Herodotus, Aristophanes, Plutarch, Euripides, Plato, Origen and
many others, the editor gives us a picture of the religions of the
Hellenistic period. The so-called mystery religions were popular
among people seeking newer, deeper and more rewarding religious
experiences. The dieties worshipped were Greek, Syrian Anatolian,
Egyptian or Persian and combinations thereof. They were often quite
different and had varied cultural and theological bases, but they
shared enough similarities to be classed together. The origins of
some of them were quite old and are lost to history. Some of the
dieties worshipped are familiar - Osiris, Dionysius, Baal, Adonis -
and others are strange and exotic. The relationship of agrarian and
fertility festivals to the mystery religions is examined, as are
the religious concepts of good and evil, life and death and
rebirth. Secret ceremonies, religious experiences and the types of
people in the various cults are described, sometimes satirically.
The worshippers of Mithras, an early competitor of Christianity,
were often Roman soldiers and government officials. When the Titans
and their usurpers like Zeus were worn out, the mystery religions
fulfilled a need for a more personal, ecstatic experience. This
collection gives one a feeling for the times and the issues, as
well as an insight into the Judaeo-Christian tradition. (Kirkus
Reviews)
Zeus and the other gods of shining Olympus were in reality
divine only by popular consent. Over the course of time Olympian
luster diminished in favor of religious experiences more immediate
to the concerns of people living in an increasingly cosmopolitan
ancient world. These experiences were provided by the mysteries,
religions that flourished particularly during the Hellenistic
period and were secretly practiced by groups of adherents who
decided, through personal choice, to be initiated into the profound
realities of one deity or another. Unlike the official state
religions, in which people were expected to make an outward show of
allegiance to the local gods, the mysteries emphasized an
inwardness and privacy of worship within a closed band of
initiates.In this book, Marvin W. Meyer explores the sacrifices and
prayers, the public celebrations and secret ceremonies, the
theatrical performances and literary works, the gods and goddesses
that were a part of the mystery religions of Greece in the seventh
century B.C. to the Judaism and Christianity of the Roman world of
the seventh century A.D.
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