Question: What does it mean to have Holy Power in ancient Athens?
Holy Power was very important to the people of ancient Athens. Their lives revolved around a mix of innovation and continuity. Traditional Greek religion permeated public and private life. For most Athenians their religious beliefs and practices remained largely the same.
Athenians honored the gods to thank them for blessings. They also sought new blessings. Honors included sacrifices, gifts to sanctuaries and festivals. These festivals had songs, dances, prayers and processions. An individual might give a gift to a god. They expected something in return. This reciprocity was central to their understanding of the divine.
Gods did not necessarily love humans. However, they supported those who paid them honor. They punished those who offended them. Offenses led to calamities like famines, earthquakes, or defeat in war.
The Greeks believed their gods lived easy lives. The twelve most important gods lived on Mount Olympus. They were known as the Olympic pantheon. Gods were conceived in human form. They were concerned with slights to their honor.
Seers, prophets, and oracles were clues to what angered the gods. Offenses included forgetting sacrifices or violating temples. Breaking oaths also angered the gods. The gods were especially concerned with oaths. They generally did not bother with common crimes. Homicide however polluted murderers and those around them. Purification was needed to avoid divine punishment.
Humans anticipated offending a god with difficulty. Some expectations were codified in a moral order. Gods demanded hospitality for strangers and proper burial for family. They punished human arrogance and murderous violence.
Sacrifices and offerings honored the gods. They thanked them for blessings. They sought to appease them when misfortune struck. Offerings included art, money and other valuables. People made private sacrifices at home. Public sacrifices took place at open-air altars of city temples. Priests and priestesses conducted these. They knew how to perform rites according to tradition. Greek religion had no systematic theology.
Sacrifice served as a centering experience. Sacrifices ranged from fruits and cakes to animal slaughter. Animal sacrifice may have come from prehistoric hunters. The rite showed respect to divine forces. Greeks sacrificed valuable domestic animals like cattle. The orator Lysias explained the necessity for public sacrifice. He said ancestors handed down a prosperous community.
Sacrifice provided the primary contact between gods and worshippers. Most sacrifices were scheduled events. Athens marked the first eight days of each month with piety. The third day of each month was Athena’s birthday. The sixth honored Artemis. Apollo was honored on the following day. Athens boasted the most religious festivals. Major events like the Panathenaic festival attracted crowds. The festival honored Athena with sacrifices and contests. Some festivals were for women only.
Large animal sacrifice allowed the community to reaffirm ties to the divine. Sharing roasted meat benefited worshippers. Meat was rare in the Greek diet. Sacrificing animals followed strict rules. The victim had to be unblemished and decorated. The crowd maintained silence. The sacrificer sprinkled water on the victim’s head. He cut a lock of hair and threw it on the fire. He cut the animal’s throat after a prayer. Musicians played pipes. Worshippers screamed. The carcass was butchered. Some portions were thrown on the fire. The majority of the meat was distributed.
Greek religion included hero-cults. These rituals honored the dead. People thought remains retained power. This power could reveal the future or heal. Athenian soldiers saw Theseus at Marathon. Cimon brought Theseus’ bones back to Athens.
The Eleusinian Mysteries was a mystery cult. Its center was at Eleusis. Worshippers came from all over Greece. The Mysteries involved ceremonies of initiation. Initiates expected protection and a better fate after death. Initiates participated in a complicated set of ceremonies. The revelation was performed in an initiation hall. No one ever revealed the secret of these mysteries.
Most mystery cults emphasized protection. Protection came from appropriate human behavior. The Greeks believed gods expected honors and rites. Greek religion required action. Rituals responded to precarious human conditions. The Greeks believed gods sent both good and bad. They had no expectation of paradise.
Holy Power was a complex mix of beliefs and actions. It shaped the lives of ancient Athenians.