greek religion

2.1 Aston

human nature magnified in gods

power heightened by emotional response

2.1 Renshaw

gods are vain, selfish, vindictive an live easy lives without worried of suffering and death

2.1 Redfield

gods are chief source of comedy

2.1 Griffin

in Homer gods are really impressive and deserve worship

2.1 Allan

gods are not portrayed as amoral - they offer divine justice

2.1 Price

Homer has a ‘lasting legacy’ on Greek Religion

2.1 Erkoth

A hero is someone thats lived and died

2.1 Michael Scott

Hero has lived life beyond the range of normal human experience

heroes create sense of ancestry - joint communal practice

2.2 Inwood

the individual was without doubt the primary, basic, cultic unit in polis religion

2.2 Seaford

on mystery cults

gives realisation that death is a good thing - fear into acceptance

personal, political and social event

based on ancient memories of near death experiences

next best thing to immortality

2.2 Kindt

divide of public/private is modern invention

outlook and context

no distinction in language between types of religion

individuals can ‘modify and transform’ the forms and ‘conventions of communal religion’ based on their own ‘personal aims’

2.2 Burkert

Greek religion is public religion to an extreme degree

2.3 Eidinow

all critical events in individuals life are marked by religious events

religious rituals are use to embed people into communities

as political structure, the polis organises all religious behaviour

creates sense of identity - roles and status in polis

2.3/2.4 Pollitt

Parthenon frieze - unifying principal

Perikles saw it as the underlying spirit of ideal community - piety, democracy, unity

2.3 Zaidman

religion impregnated each and every civic activity

inseparability of festivals from civic life

2.3/2.5 Chaniotis

magistrates sometimes conducted religious activities without a priest, but far less common for a public priest to perform rituals without secular authorities

2.4 Michael Scott

Historical logbook, trophy chest of Greek victory in war

place to retell history

Greeks competed in ‘Delphic style’

steep hill - visitors had to be motivated by personal motivation

Serpent column - ultimate expression of victory and greeks close relationship with their gods

2.4 Beard

Building and funding of Parthenon inseparable from Athenian empire

Parthenon not build as temple - treasury

• has no priests, festival, rituals, altar

2.4 Harris

Erechtheion was elegant solution for building which served multiple functions

2.5 Emerson

welfare of the city depended on successfully performed public sacrifices

2.5 Burkert

anthropological explanation - shared aggression of sacrificial killings leadings to the funding of a community an civilisation

2.6 Tor

Xenophanes rejects the traditional concepts of divine disclosure as theologically faulty - radical

2.6 Cartledge

Socrates idea of the nature of the gods was far from conventional

Socrate was the teacher of anti-democratic traitors, therefore by interference an anti-democratic traitor

Sophists had high profile in Athens - Clouds cast Socrates as typical specimen

Public image stuck and contributed to trial for impiety in 399

2.6 McPherran

Socrates impious views were not sufficient enough to justify his execution

the prejudices and allegations against Socrates were so numerous and broad-ranging - put on trial for the conduct of his entire life