Greek Religion Book 6 Flashcards
Who was a known atheist?
Diagoras of Melos
What was the enlightenment?
The period between the 6th and 5th century BC where traditional religion was challenged
Who were the first group of philosophers?
The pre Socratics
When was Xenophanes alive?
570-475 BC
Where was Xenophanes from?
Colophon in western Turkey
What ideas of Xenophanes’ do we know from fragments?
Challenged the human flaws of Homer and Hesiod’s gods, challenged the anthropomorphic nature of the gods, suggested one superior god, said nobody would ever know the truth about the gods for certain
What did Xenophanes say about the anthropomorphic characteristics given to the gods?
A horse would give its gods horse-like forms- we create the gods in our own image but this doesn’t mean they are anthropomorphic
What text describes Persian religious practice?
Herodotus Histories
What aspects of Xenophanes ideas were similar to Persian practice?
They didn’t see the gods as anthropomorphic, and they had one god who was superior
Who was Heracleitus?
A pre Socratic philosopher
What did Heracleitus say?
‘The dead are nastier than dung’- i.e there is no afterlife or spirit of the dead that remains
Who were the Sophists?
Philosophical tutors of rhetoric in Athens
What ideas did the Sophists suggest?
Element of doubt as to the existence of the gods
How is Socrates presented in Aristophanes’ The Clouds?
Extreme views- says the gods aren’t real- disrespectful of traditional religion- calls it rubbish- arrogant and unlikeable. Also see the Socratic method in use.
Who wrote accounts of Socrates’ trial?
Plato and Xenophon
