Introduction

In order to understand the role of belief systems in Ancient Greece, we must recognize the difference between what we think of religion today and the religion from the first two millennia BCE. Robert Parker clearly expresses this when he states:

“To understand the place of religion in Greek society we must think away the central religious institution of our own experience, the Church. In Greece power in religious matters lay with those who had secular power: in the household with the father, in early communities with the king, in developed city-states with the magistrates or even with the citizen assembly.” (Parker 311)

As can be seen from this quotation, the one who holds secular power is not limited to a certain person. The possessor of secular power can be the ruler of a city, the ruler of an empire, or even the citizen assembly. Thus the idea of separation of Church and State was nonexistent in Ancient Greece. Today, “the Church” that Parker refers to is its own entity, but without secular power in society. Because there were many different types or groups of people who could hold that power in the ancient world, the role of religion was ever changing, and even beliefs within it could transform. We see this from rulers who elevated themselves to equal status with the Greek gods to the citizen assembly determining their own interpretation of prophecy against the seers’ will.

Through this exhibition I will explore these various areas of the community and identify the possessor of secular power in each of my examples. By doing so, it becomes clearer that Ancient Greece was perhaps able to transform itself continuously because it was closer to being part of a cultural phenomenon rather than being a rigid belief system. Not that it was completely a cultural phenomenon, but on a spectrum it would seem to be distant from the Church, which one could identify as a rigid belief system. Undoubtedly, religion was defined by the times and consequently by the secular powers dominating the community as Robert Parker has indicated.

One could also make the argument that the Church itself has been affected by culture and powerful figures within the institution in its history, particularly when Church and State were not separate. I do not deny this influence, but it is important to recognize that the Church’s core teachings rendered by dogma and its method of practicing religion has remained more or less the same for the past millennia. The Church can also influence different communities, but the communities cannot change the Church so that new gods are added to be worshipped or ignore the order of the Mass. We will take a look at a specific modern-day text from the Church to further expand upon this idea.

I hope you enjoy this exhibition and are able to take a close look at what religion meant in the context of the ancient world. To do so, one must assess it separately from other forms of religion, carefully giving credit to similarities or differences where they are due. I will leave you with these words by Hugh Lloyd-Jones to keep in mind:

“The religion of the early Greeks is startlingly different from Christianity and other monotheistic religions. It has often been misinterpreted by people who assume that since it is a religion it must resemble Christianity, and by people who think that because it is not like Christianity or other monotheistic religions it is not really a religion at all” (Lloyd-Jones 456).

Thank you!