Week 1 Flashcards
Who formed the majority of Priests/Priestesses?
The Elite (for the most part)
What are the 6 characteristics of Ancient Greek religion?
- Polytheistic
- Pragmatic
- Absence of Atheism
- non-confessional
- non-exclusive
- NO sacred texts
True or False:
Generally, ancient priests/priestesses were expected to be morally righteous
FALSE
How was priesthoodship acquired?
- Election
- Hereditary
- Purchased
What was the main duty of ancient priests and priestesses?
- Supervising sacrifices and other religious events
True or False:
Priests control state money used for religious ceremonies.
FALSE
The financing is always from the state-priests NEVER control money
True or False:
Priests did NOT monopolize communication with the gods.
TRUE
What are the 4 steps of an ancient prayer?
- Invocation (declare who you are summoning for attention)
- Argument (explain why the god should help you)
- Petition (what you are asking for)
- Vow (Optional-promise future favours to the god should the wish be granted)
What did the scholar Lincoln say about the pervasiveness of Ancient Religions?
People are not fanatically religious per se, but rather, religion is just a fixture of everyday life
True or False:
There was NOT a word for religion in Ancient Greece
TRUE
What is the concept of diffusion?
- The spread of cultural/religious beliefs and practices from one civilization to another
Explain the concept of Syncretism:
- The translation of deities and religious/cultural practices through diffusion
How (practically speaking) did Syncretism often occur?
- Through trade
What is Hybridity?
- The assimilation of a minor culture into a major culture (ex. after conquest)
Which 3 religions never officially participated in Syncretism (i.e. never officially adopted foreign gods)?
- Egypt
- Judaism
- Christianity
Why did the Egyptians never syncretize?
- Because they viewed themselves as superior
Why didn’t the Christians and Jews syncretize with other cultures?
- Because they are forced to renounce all gods that aren’t theirs
- Their religions were purely monotheistic, thus, direct deistic syncretism was impossible
True or False:
The Bible renounces the very existence of all other gods.
FALSE
- The Bible never denied the existence of other gods outright
- In fact, the Bible at one point references “All the Gods” in one section
Due to syncretism, were rituals generally comprehensible to all in their similarity to other cultures in the ancient world?
- Many rituals were nearly exactly the same (ex. prayer)
- Some were common in some places (i.e Hepatoscopy)
- Some were exclusive to one small region
True or False:
Syncretism does NOT explain every religious practice
TRUE
- Many similar/universal practices are thought to have been homegrown - it is just a coincidence that they are nearly exactly the same as those of other regions
*** What is the scholar Graf’s 4 criteria points for Ancient Religion?
- Discourse of transcending the human state
- A set of specific practices
- Communities defined by transcendence and practices
- Institutions that regulate transcendence and practices
How are Mesopotamian gods depicted?
- Wearing large ornate hats
- Otherwise, look pretty much like humans
How to identify a head deity in Mesopotamian art:
- Always male
- Sitting on a throne
- Holding a symbolic object
How to identify Mesopotamian storm gods in art?
- They are walking with one arm in the air
