Modern Scholarship: Rituals and Priests

What does Gibbon say about religion and women?

"Religion was a sphere where women were important"

What does Garland say about the shared meal in sacrifice?

The shared meal was in fact a means whereby men and gods achieved intimacy

What does Burket suggest about the purpose of sacrifice?

Suggests a more anthropological viewpoint, with the aggression of the sacrificial killing leading to the establishment of community and civilisation

What do Detienne and Vernant say about sacrifice?

See sacrifice as purely a way of killing for eating

What does Chaniotis say about priests and civic authorities?

It was less common for a public priest to perform rituals without the presence of secular authorities

What does Naiden say about the animals involved in sacrifice?

"The Greeks cared about the vitality, the psyche, of a sacrificial animal, not about the animal's attitude towards its fate"

What does Burket say about Greek religion and priests?

Greek religion might almost be called a religion without priests

What does Price say about the function of priests?

The function of priests was principally ritual

What does Parker say about the power of priests?

Priests will be respected, but they have no power to enforce