Piety And Impiety Flashcards
Why could ‘sin’ be considered intrinsic to the gods rather than something in opposition to them?
Intrinsic to their nature as not only did they have ‘good’ aspects but also negative aspects
Ares = violence
What did Porphyry say about what Eusebeia meant in practise?
Understood as acting piously at the right moment, to the right god.
There was no understanding that you should refrain from wickedness in order to be pious
How did ‘proper’ religious behaviour in Ancient Greece differ from modern religions?
Greeks = gods weren’t concerned with inner thoughts so couldn’t be punished for ‘sin’
What did Theophrastus say on Deisidaimonia?
‘When a [superstitious man] sees a bad omen he washes his hands and sprinkles holy water upon himself from a shrine’
OCD/ paranoia
Greeks thought that this behaviour was excessive as it was self-centred
Where did ‘goodness’ come from?
Greek society has their own ‘moral codes’ - a set of traditional values
Why did the Greeks punish impiety?
The gods were a higher power and so they should still be respected because they could punish though who don’t respect them
Define miasma
Pollution
What are the 9 forms of miasma?
- Birth/still-birth/miscarriage/menstruation
- Physically dirty
- Wrong rituals/wrong days
- Disrespecting funeral customs
- Sex
- Being around a corpse
- Murder
- Disrespecting asylum seekers
- Entering the home of a newborn
Why was miasma considered unclean in the eyes of the gods?
They were considered bad omens so to perform a religious ceremony would be offensive
What is a herm?
Stone pillar with a carved head (typically Hermes). Used as a boundary marker or worshipped.
Associated with fertility and protection
Who was Alcibiades and what did he do?
415 BC
Led the Sicilian Expedition
Herms in the Acropolis destroyed
What was considered impious behaviour?
Excessive hubris
Treason
Miasma
Sacrilege
