Hellenism (Modern Religion)
Hellenism (Modern Religion)
Hellenism (Modern Religion)
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Relationship to ancient Greek religion[edit]
Further information: Polytheistic reconstructionism
The majority of modern historians agree that the religion practiced by the ancient
Greeks had been extinguished by the 9th century CE at the latest and that there is little
to no evidence that it survived (in public form at least) past the Middle Ages. (In certain
isolated areas it survived until the 12th century; see Tsakonia and Maniots.)
[42]
Greek Dodecatheon member Panagiotis Marinis has claimed that the religion of
ancient Greece survived throughout the intervening centuries, and some claim they
were raised in families that practiced this religion.[43]
The revival of Hellenic religious identity is typically only part of a larger social movement
of re-Hellenizing Greek identity in a comprehensive way, not only religious.[3] This re-
Hellenization movement is the current iteration of previous attempts to revive Hellenism.
The first to promote such efforts[44] was the late Byzantine philosopher Georgios
Gemistus Plethon in the 15th century. It was in Mystras, in the Despotate of the Morea,
that Plethon formed a 'circle' of students.[45] It is through Plethon and his students that
many ethnic Greeks today trace their teachings and practices and give credit for
tradition's survival to the present day.[46]
Two notable students of Plethon include the historian Laonikos
Chalkokondyles and Bessarion. Bessarion, educated in neoplatonism, was considered
for the Catholic papacy twice. In a letter recounting the news of his teacher's death,
Bessarion says that Plethon has left to "dance with the Olympian Gods" (να χορέψει
μαζί με τους Ολυμπίους Θεούς)[47] and honors Plethon by claiming him to be the
reincarnation of Plato based on the "teachings of the Pythagoreans and Plato about the
endless ascent and descent of souls" (διδαχές των Πυθαγορείων και του Πλάτωνα περί
ατέλειωτης ανόδου και καθόδου των ψυχών).[47]
In 1458, just a few years after the death of Plethon, Michael Tarchaniota Marullus was
born near the site of ancient Sparta in the Despotate of the Morea or in Constantinople.
[48]
Both of Marullus's parents were Greek exiles who had fled from Constantinople when
it fell to the Turks in 1453, and he always proudly called himself a Greek.[49] Marullus was
a poet and stratioti-soldier. Among his works, Marullus composed a collection of hymns,
the Hymni naturales, in which he celebrates the Olympian pantheon.[50][51] Bartolomeo
Scala, his father-in-law, was a member of the Platonic Academy in Florence, Italy.[52]
So, my good king of the gods,
the gloomy fate, unfortunately, I could not escape,
to practice as a Hellene
the cult of my fathers
in a non-Hellenic language,
(Hymn to Hermes)[53]
Validating the relationship between Hellenic ethnic religion and the ancient Greek
religion for 'continuity' is difficult as an outsider to the tradition, argued Vlassis G.
Rassias:
In the 19th century, many, especially German scholars, who were otherwise remarkable
scholars, made the huge mistake of reconstructing a theology from the works
of Homeros, who is only a poet. Hesiodos, on the other hand, who also engages
in theogony, can also be seen as theology. But his works are not set in stone either. We
see that when we look at Georgios Gemistos-Plethon, at the beginning of the 15th
century who is the link between the ancients and us, and who demonstrates an
underground continuation that has never been broken. In one of his invocations to Zeus,
Plethon presents him – to the surprise of all who see things statically – as the father
of Poseidon and Kronos. The German scholar of the 19th century or modern man, who
doesn't even know what tradition means, begins at this point to muse and wonder over
Plethon's words. In the end, many of them come to the crazy conclusion that Plethon
must be assessed as a heretic.[54][better source needed]
Though when Plethon's presentation of Zeus as the 'father' of Poseidon and Kronos is
compared to the Derveni papyrus (discovered in 1962), Plethon appears less the
heretic. The Derveni Papyrus recounts an Orphic cosmology, one in which the world of
today is Zeus' creation.[55] The new order of the world arises from Zeus after he swallows
the severed phallus, the last act in a series of overthrowings of the ruling figure. In doing
this, Zeus contained all things within himself and remade the world and regenerated all
the Gods and Goddess once more, being King and 'father' to all things.[56] This aligns
with the writings of Plethon. In the Book of Laws, Zeus "existed from all eternity", "not
born of any other ... he is self-father [αὐτοπάτορα] ... has no other father than himself ...
he is the father and the eldest creator [δημιουργὸν] of all things." [57] The other gods in the
Greek pantheon are divided according "to divine nature [θεότητι] into the second and
third orders, the first of which are the children of Zeus, his creations, and the second are
the children of his children, the creations of his creations."[57]
Emically speaking, "revival" accurately describes the religious activity occurring in
Greece and around the world since one of the main hallmarks is group gatherings and
public festival celebrations. Etic observations from a distance by classical scholars,
describe contemporary practices as inauthentic and therefore irrelevant or remain open
on the issue. British classicist Mary Beard criticized Greek Hellenist worshippers,
saying, "until these eager neo-pagans get real and slaughter a bull or two in central
Athens, I shan't worry that they have much to do with ancient religion at all", later
commented that, "I think I was really responding to the claims made by this group that
they were reviving ancient paganism. I am absolutely ok with the idea that religions
change. I was reacting to their claims to be a modern version of ancient 'paganism'." [58]
[59]
American classicist, Sarah Iles Johnston affirmed contemporary practice. "The
bricolage and re-imaginings of contemporary Pagans is not entirely different from that of
ancient Greek religious culture and that even classical scholars inevitably re-imagine
the gods."[60] Revivalists view the tradition as a living, changing religion. Hellenic
Revivalism allows room for practitioners to decide what feels right to them, and to adapt
historical religious practices to modern life.
Hellenists and other self described pagans/polytheists typically engage
in reconstructionism, a methodology that attempts to accurately base modern religious
practice on the imitation of culturally and historically genuine examples of ancient
religious practices. The term is frequently used in the United States to differentiate
between syncretic and eclectic Neopagan movements, and those based on the
traditions, writings, history, and mythology of a specific ancient polytheistic culture.
The Supreme Council of Ethnic Hellenes have made a clear distinction between
themselves and the Neopagan movements, and identify some 'Hellenic' groups as
"simply disguised as 'Hellenes' for reasons that exist hidden within the depths of their
own minds."[61]
History[edit]
18th century[edit]
During the 18th century, several notable authors and freethinkers embraced Ancient
Greek religion to some extent, studying and translating ancient works of theology and
philosophy, and in some cases composing original hymns and devotionals to
the Ancient Greek pantheon. The English author John Fransham (1730–1810) was one
example, considered an eccentric by his peers, who was also referred to as a pagan
and a polytheist. In Fransham's 1769 book The Oestrum of Orpheus, he advanced a
theology similar to that of the Neoplatonists: that the first cause of existence is
uncreated and indestructible, but not intelligent, and that the universe is shaped by
"innumerable intelligent powers or forces, 'plastic and designing', who ruled all
sublunary affairs, and may most fitly be designated by the nomenclature of the Hellenic
theology."[62] Despite his apparent belief in the Hellenic gods, Fransham does not seem
to have been particularly devoted to their worship. According to an 1875 profile
in Fraser's Magazine, Fransham's "libations to the Penates found their way down his
own throat, and when he sacrificed a fowl to 'Esculapius it was usually in the form of
chicken-broth for his supper."[62]
Another example of an 18th-century literary figure who may have considered himself a
Hellenist was Thomas Taylor (1758–1835), who produced the first English translations
of many neoplatonic philosophical and religious texts. Taylor was widely known as the
"English Platonist", and rumors existed that he had produced anonymous pamphlets
advocating a return to a sort of pagan religion (these rumors have been debunked by
modern scholars[63]). Though the extent of his actual devotion to Ancient Greek
spirituality remains unknown, brief descriptions written by others about him tend to
portray him as a sincerely devout polytheist.[62] One such sketch, written by Isaac
D'Israeli, describes Taylor delaying answering his door until he has finished his mid-day
hymn to Apollo, and reports that his study contained a hanging globe of clear glass,
representing Zeus, that scattered sunbeams he would use to read and write, shifting his
position in the room to follow them throughout the day.[62]
In 1779, the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote in his diary that "the
beautiful gods continue to visit me". He did not profess a literal belief in the deities of
Classical Greece, rather perceiving them to be poetic symbols of his own deepest
experience.
His work inspired a limited number of devotees.[62] The most notable was Godefroi Izarn,
the Marquis de Valadi, a young member of a wealthy French family who adopted a
"Pythagorean mode of life". In 1788, Valadi traveled to England in order to convince an
unnamed "gentleman of eminence in the literary world" to become the head of a new
Pythagorean sect, assuring him that Valadi would help him find numerous followers.
[64]
He refused, and suggested Valadi learn Greek and become the head of the sect
himself. Valadi began his studies at Glasgow, where he learned of Taylor, to whom he
wrote in a letter:
My determination was to go and live in North America, and there to keep a school of
temperance and love, in order to preserve so many men from the prevailing vices of
brutal intemperance and selfish cupidity ... There I would devoutly erect altars to my
favourite
Gods: Dioscuri, Hector, Aristomenes, Pan, Orpheus, Epaminondas, Pythagoras, Pluto,
Timoleon, Marcus Brutus and his Portia, and above all, Phoebus, the God of my
hero Julian ...[62]
Valadi paid Taylor to live in his house and study under him, but his tenure as Taylor's
disciple was short lived. He returned to France to fight in the French Revolution in 1789
(he reportedly said, "I came over Diogenes. I am going back Alexander"), and was
executed by guillotine in December 1793 during the Reign of Terror.[64]
19th century[edit]
The literary and artistic movement known as Romanticism promoted notions of the
masterless personal soul, a heightened regard for nature and an interest in supernatural
themes, including both magic and Pagan, especially Classical Greek, religion. Many
proponents of Romanticism wrote poems inspired by figures of Greek mythology. One
example of this is found in the poem "The World Is Too Much with Us" written circa
1802 by William Wordsworth and first published in 1807 in his poetry collection Poems,
in Two Volumes. In it, Wordsworth criticises the world of the early 19th century as
materialistic and as removing itself from nature. Towards the end of the poem,
Wordsworth wishes he was a pagan who believes in the Greek gods instead of a
Christian even though he considers paganism outdated because he thinks that life
would have more meaning that way. As Wordsworth himself put it:
Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.
— William Wordsworth, "The World Is Too Much with Us", lines 9–14
Another example is seen in the private letters that the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and
his friend Thomas Jefferson Hogg wrote to each other. In one letter written in 1821,
Shelley wrote to Hogg:[65]
I am glad that you do not neglect the rites of the true religion. Your letter awoke my
sleeping devotions, and the same evening I ascended alone the high mountain behind
my house, and suspended a garland, and raised a small turf altar to the mountain-
walking Pan.
20th century[edit]
In the early 20th century, several neopagan groups were formed, often incorporating
elements of ancient Greek religion and honoring Greek gods, but with heavily syncretic
elements drawn from Hermeticism and 19th century folklore studies. Most prominent of
these modern traditions are Thelema and Wicca, though Feraferia (an American
tradition founded in the 1970s by Fred Adams) places heavier emphasis on a more
Hellenistic style of worship and on the Greco-Roman pantheon of gods.[66] One Wiccan
organization in the United States, the Aquarian Tabernacle Church, began to host a
spring festival based on the Eleusinian Mysteries in 1985, which has continued to be
held every year through the present day.[67]
While not exactly a Hellenist, the sociologist and practicing Wiccan Margot Adler stated
in her book on Wicca titled Drawing Down the Moon that when she was a child, she had
a great interest in the Greek gods and goddesses and that she also devised her own
rituals to perform in dedication to them. Many years later when Adler found out about
Wicca, she converted to that religion because she felt that it confirmed her earlier
childhood experiences, though Adler also notes that with regards to her conversion "I
never converted in the accepted sense. I simply accepted, reaffirmed, and extended a
very old experience."[68]
During the 1970s, some began to reject the influence of Hermeticism and other heavily
syncretic forms of Greek religion in preference of practices reconstructing earlier or
more original forms of Hellenic worship. Early revivalists of Hellenic religion tended to
be individuals working alone, and early attempts to organize adherents into larger
groups failed. The first successful revival attempt was made by the Supreme Council of
Ethnikoi Hellenes (or YSEE). In 1993, a variety of adherents to the Hellenic religion in
Greece and elsewhere came together and began the process of organization. This
resulted in a "Hellenic National Assembly", initiated at a gathering in southern Olympus
on 9 September 1995. The process culminated with the formal establishment of
the YSEE as a non-profit in Greece, in June 1997.[69]
In the 1990s and 2000s, as the practice of the ancient Greek religion (also known as
Hellenic religion) began to increase in popularity, the Orthodox Church of
Greece viewed it as a significant threat and established a special committee, composed
of Metropolitans, priests, and university professors from divinity schools, to study
ancient cults and neopaganism. They also organized conferences, published articles
and texts, and uploaded information to the internet, all with the goal of arguing that the
ancient Greek religion is a dangerous, idolatrous cult with strange beliefs and practices,
possibly even having connections to Satanism, and that Greek people should avoid it at
all costs. The Orthodox Church also emphasized that the only true and accepted
traditional religion in Greece is and should be Orthodox Christianity, the religion of the
forefathers.[6]
21st century and official recognition[edit]
2004 Olympics controversy[edit]
The 2004 Summer Olympics stirred up several disputes concerning Hellenic polytheistic
religion.