Hellenism (religion)

Hellenismos or polytheism Hellenic (Greek: Ελληνική εθνική θρησκεία ) is a new religious movement that reconstructed in the traditional religion of classical Greece, according to ancient and scientific sources and adapted to the modern world, oriented.

History

A fundamental difference to the monotheistic religions is the enormous even in ancient polytheistic religion of the variance, both synchronously in different landscapes as well as diachronically by the later introduction of foreign deities such as Kybele and Isis. Even the ancient religion was not a religion of faith as today Abrahamic religions, but a religion of the community in which the "faith" was secondary. The Community cult practices (eg public animal sacrifices with subsequent feast ) was in the foreground.

The term hellenismos is literary in 2 Maccabees ( 4:13 ), a text from the 2nd century BC, occupies the first time. He called there the imitation of Greek customs such as the construction of a high school and wearing Greek hats. In ancient Greek the word " hellenizein " means " to speak Greek, Greek to be (want ) ". The Latinized form of Hellenism is cultural history of the era of Alexander the Great to Cleopatra's death used (starting from Johann Gustav Droysen ). The use of the name for a religion is shaped today by " Hellenistic " groups in the U.S..

The modern view

Hellenistic groups exist, inter alia, in Greece, the USA, Great Britain, France, Belgium, Austria and Germany. Essentially, most of these groups probably be limited to the worship of the major deities (see below) and the rites of the classical era. Due to the variety of ancient ideas in regard to the origin, nature, and worship of deities often exist different points of view, even by modern Hellenists. Some are limited to the reconstruction of the classic Homeric rites based on scientific findings, others relate the thoughts of the ancient philosophers with one, up to the Neo-Platonism of late antiquity. Since there are no binding " holy books " and no regulative religious organization (as well as in ancient times was not ), it is subject to the respective groups, as they set their priorities. The Greek organizations (see below, links ) are increasingly anxious to obtain official recognition as a religious original ethnic religion.

Aspects

Important aspects of the doctrine are:

  • Reconstruction of the original, pagan belief system of ancient Greece.
  • A commitment to real polytheism ( engl. "Hard Polytheism " ): the gods are recognized as real and personal beings with individual characteristics. As justification for the existence of many gods the variety of manifestations of our world is often cited.
  • The hellenismos is a life-affirming, this-worldly religion. A "beyond belief " plays no important role.
  • The outstanding importance of the family and the local community of worship for the practice and transmission of the faith.

Deities

Which are " twelve Olympians " worshiped ( who live according to the Greek mythology on Mount Olympus ) as the main deities.

Olympian

Other

  • Erinyes
  • Erotes
  • Gaia
  • Gorgons
  • Hades
  • Hecate
  • Keres
  • Maenads
  • Moirai
  • Nymphs
  • Nyx
  • Ourea
  • Pane
  • Persephone
  • Satyrs
  • Titans
  • Tritons
  • Uranus

Differences to other neo-pagan belief systems

The main differences between syncretic and eclectic forms of neo-paganism are:

  • The emphasis on the "real" polytheism as opposed to forms of polytheism in which either multiple deities are made from different cultures side by side or deities are reduced to archetypes.
  • The rejection of eclectic practices, ie the synthesis of modern neo-pagan religions of elements from various other religions, cults and traditions.
  • The skepticism towards modern " unifying theologies ", such as the Duotheismus of Wicca (focus on the Goddess and the God - " all gods are one god and all goddesses are one goddess " ) and the paradigm of the " Triune Goddess" ( Virgin - Mother - Old ), etc.
  • In rejecting these elements all agree rekonstruktionistischen directions of neo-paganism, ie for example hellenismos, Ásatrú and Celtoi.
Cult (religious practice) Religious text Gaia (mythology) Pan (god) Triton (mythology)
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