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Cult of Isis
Interpreting Early Hellenistic Religion PAPERS AND MONOGRAPHS OF THE FINNISH INSTITUTE AT ATHENS VOL. III Petra Pakkanen INTERPRETING EARL Y HELLENISTIC RELIGION A Study Based on the Mystery Cult of Demeter and the Cult of Isis HELSINKI 1996 © Petra Pakkanen and Suomen Ateenan-instituutin saatiO (Foundation of the Finnish Institute at Athens) 1996 ISSN 1237-2684 ISBN 951-95295-4-3 Printed in Greece by D. Layias - E. Souvatzidakis S.A., Athens 1996 Cover: Portrait of a priest of Isis (middle of the 2nd to middle of the 1st cent. BC). American School of Classical Studies at Athens: Agora Excavations. Inv. no. S333. Photograph Craig Mauzy. Sale: Bookstore Tiedekirja, Kirkkokatu 14, FIN-00170 Helsinki, Finland Contents Acknowledgements I. Introduction 1. Problems 1 2. Cults Studied 2 3. Geographical Confines 3 4. Sources and an Evaluation of Sources 5 11. Methodology 1. Methodological Approach to the History of Religions 13 2. Discussion of Tenninology 19 3. Method for Studying Religious and Social Change 20 Ill. The Cults of Demeter and Isis in Early Hellenistic Athens - Changes in Religion 1. General Overview of the Religious Situation in Athens During the Early Hellenistic Period: Typology of Religious Cults 23 2. Cult of Demeter: Eleusinian Great Mysteries 29 3. Cult of Isis 47 Table 1 64 IV. Problem of the Mysteries 1. Definition of the Tenn 'Mysteries' 65 2. Aspects of the Mysteries 68 3. Mysteries in Athens During the Early Hellenistic Period and a Comparison to Those of Rome in the Third Century AD 71 4. Emergence of the Mysteries ofIsis in Greece 78 Table 2 83 V. -
Celtic Egyptians: Isis Priests of the Lineage of Scota
Celtic Egyptians: Isis Priests of the Lineage of Scota Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers – the primary creative genius behind the famous British occult group, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn – and his wife Moina Mathers established a mystery religion of Isis in fin-de-siècle Paris. Lawrence Durdin-Robertson, his wife Pamela, and his sister Olivia created the Fellowship of Isis in Ireland in the early 1970s. Although separated by over half a century, and not directly associated with each other, both groups have several characteristics in common. Each combined their worship of an ancient Egyptian goddess with an interest in the Celtic Revival; both claimed that their priestly lineages derived directly from the Egyptian queen Scota, mythical foundress of Ireland and Scotland; and both groups used dramatic ritual and theatrical events as avenues for the promulgation of their Isis cults. The Parisian Isis movement and the Fellowship of Isis were (and are) historically-inaccurate syncretic constructions that utilised the tradition of an Egyptian origin of the peoples of Scotland and Ireland to legitimise their founders’ claims of lineal descent from an ancient Egyptian priesthood. To explore this contention, this chapter begins with brief overviews of Isis in antiquity, her later appeal for Enlightenment Freemasons, and her subsequent adoption by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. It then explores the Parisian cult of Isis, its relationship to the Celtic Revival, the myth of the Egyptian queen Scota, and examines the establishment of the Fellowship of Isis. The Parisian mysteries of Isis and the Fellowship of Isis have largely been overlooked by critical scholarship to date; the use of the medieval myth of Scota by the founders of these groups has hitherto been left unexplored. -
Mystery Cult of Isis the Rites, Liturgy, and Mythology Surrounding the Deity
The Mystery Cult of Isis The rites, liturgy, and mythology surrounding the deity This paper will address the mystery cult of Isis and examine its spread from Egypt into the polytheistic Greco Roman world. I will investigate her historical beginnings and trace her diverse popularity as she metamorphosed from her original Egyptian attributes into assuming the characteristics of the local goddess of love, motherhood and magic. Her mythology is important to understand as the trials and tribulations she underwent form the basis of her religious appeal to a huge number of worshippers. Her rites and mysteries also offered adherents access to esoteric knowledge and wisdom regarding death and renewal. The cult of Isis became one of the most popular mystery religions of the Hellenized Roman era. Let us look at her story. In tracing Isis back through history there is evidence of her existence for many thousands of years before the time of Christ. Forrest1 writes of the inscription on one of the great pylons at her temple in Philae, an island in the River Nile, which says of Isis ³«the one who was in the beginning; the one who first came into existence RQ HDUWK´ Other epithets that attest to her ancient nature include ³*UHDWJRGGHVVH[LVWLQJIURPWKHEHJLQQLQJ´³*UHDW2QHZKRLQLWLDWHG H[LVWHQFH´ DQG ³*UHDW 2QH ZKR LV IURP WKH EHJLQQLQJ´ Forrest2 refers to the work of Archeologist Marija Gimbutas who has researched the Egyptian Neolithic deity goddesses back to 6,500 BCE and has identified a prototype of the Bird of Prey Goddess which she conjectures developed into Isis. The Bird of Prey Goddess was symbolised by the vulture, the owl and other birds RISUH\DQGFDUULRQHDWHUV DV WKHVHELUGVZRXOGµWHQGWR WKHGHDG¶HDWLQJFRUSVHV 7KH connection is also made to these birds of prey in relation to their keen eyesight, used to hunt and FDWFKSUH\DVZHOODVWKHLUORIW\SHUVSHFWLYHZKLFKLVµDOO-seeiQJ¶ According to Gimbutas3 the Bird of Prey Goddess is associated with the characteristics of not only death and dismemberment, but also the attributes of regeneration. -
St. Paul and the Mystery-Religions. III. the Character
60 ST. PAUL AND THE MYSTERY-RELIGIONS Himself, and so calls it out as a conviction. That He does above all else in Jesus Christ. By Him we can truly believe, because in Him God's infinite love and patience are so manifest, that only our manifold self-delusions can hinder us from trusting in them. In that way a.lone the question of faith becomes a moral question. Directly it is no more a moral question than an intellectual. It no more depends on moral endeavour than on intellectual demonstration. But it is a moral question in the far deeper and more searching sense, that its only requisite is moral sincerity, just as it is an intellectual question in the deeper sense of utter loyalty to the whole truth. JOHN OMAN. ST. PAUL AND THE MYSTERY-RELIGIONS. III. THE CHARACTER AND INFLUENCE OF THE MYSTERY- RELIGIONS. WE know far less about the actual ritual and doctrines of the Mystery-Religions in the Graeco-Roman world than we do of their wide diffusion and potent influence. This is not surprising, for, on the one hand, their votaries were strictly enjoined to keep silent on their most sacred ex periences, and, on the other, stem critics of Paganism like the early Christian Fathers must inevitably have been biassed in their casual representations of the facts. The literary remains of these communities are very scanty. Some mystic formulae, a few hymns and prayers, some . narratives of initiations and allied ceremonial practically exhaust the list. To supplement them, there are vague allusions and isolated fragments of information which may be pieced together from Hellenistic and early Christian writers. -
The Mysteries of Isis and Osiris
THE MYSTERIES OF ISIS AND OSIRIS. BY HENRY RIDGELY EVANS. EGYPT ! —cradle of mystery ! For centuries the giant Sphinx of Gizeh, half buried in the shifting sand of the desert, kept guard over the treasures of the ancient land of Mizraim. Fast locked were the secrets of hierophant and sage, for no mortal was able to unravel the meaning of the hieroglyphics painted upon the walls of the ruined temples. Illuminated papyri were found in the coffins of mummies, but no one could decipher the strange text. It was indeed a "dead-letter" to the modern savant. Finally the hour and the man came. An ingenious Frenchman named Cham- pollion solved the mystery of the sacred script of Egypt, through the medium of the Rosetta stone. But this is a "twice-told tale" to the archaeologist, and needs no repetition here. Translations of mural inscriptions and papyrus scrolls followed each other in rapid succession. A flood of light was thrown upon the history, religion, and literature of ancient Egypt. "The key to the hieroglyphics," says Miss Edwards, "is the master-key that opens every door. Each year that now passes over our heads sees some old problem solved. Each day brings some long-buried truth to light." The fact was developed that the inhabitants of the Nile Valley were intensely religious, slaves, in fact, to the peculiar cults of the country. A ceremonial worship of the most extravagant nature occupied the attention of king, priests, and people. At Memphis, Thebes, Karnak, Abydos, and Philae ponderous temples to the gods and goddesses reared their heads to the blue sky. -
The Religion of Egypt.*
THE RELIGION OF EGYPT.* BY FRANZ CUMONT. WE know more about the relig-ion of the early Egyptians than about any other ancient rehgion. Its development can be its sacred texts, traced back three or four thousand years ; we can read mythical narratives, hymns, rituals, and the Book of the Dead in the original, and we can ascertain its various ideas as to the nature of the divine powers and of future life. A great number of monu- ments have preserved for our inspection the pictures of divinities and representations of liturgic scenes, while numerous inscriptions and papyri enlighten us in regard to the sacerdotal organization of the principal temples. It would seem that the enormous quantity of documents of all kinds that have been deciphered in the course of nearly an entire century should have dispelled every uncertainty about the creed of ancient Egypt, and should have furnished exact information with regard to the sources and original character of the worship which the Greeks and the Romans borrowed from the sub- jects of the Ptolemies. And yet, this is not the case. While of the four great Oriental religions which were transplanted into the Occident, the religion of Isis and Serapis is the one whose relation to the ancient belief of the mother country we can establish with greatest accuracy, we know very little of its first form and of its nature before the im- perial period, when it was held in high esteem. One fact, however, appears to be certain. The Egyptian wor- ship that spread over the Greco-Roman world came from the Sera- peum founded at Alexandria by Ptolemy Soter, somewhat in the manner of Judaism that emanated from the temple of Jerusalem. -
Illinois Classical Studies
13 A Gleaming Ray: Blessed Afterlife in the Mysteries FREDERICK E. BRENK Recently, looking at the "mysteries" with eschatological spectacles has come in for something of a beating. Rather, stress has been on the cults' concern to satisfy the less romantic and spectacular needs of mundane life. The devil's advocate will now attempt to demonstrate that behind apparently innocent iconography may lie preoccupations about a blessed afterlife. The Egyptians anticipated Plato in arriving at the true purpose of eros, the vision of the Form of the Beautiful. At least that appears to be Plutarch's opinion in his Erotikos, the dialogue on love. Fine, faint effluvia (djioppoai) of the truth lie scattered about in Egyptian mythology, but it takes a keen nose to track them down (762a). The Egyptians have three Eros's, Pandemos (earthly), Ouranios (Heavenly), and a third Eros which is the Sun (Helios). As the solar radiance gives nourishment, light, and growth to all things, so the gleaming ray and warmth of love nourish and enlighten the soul (764c). Plutarch apparently is speaking of the archaic Egyptian religion and not of the Hellenistic and Roman mysteries of Isis. Still, it is difficult to believe that, like a recent scholar, he did not keep glancing over his shoulder at more contemporary religion.' The reference in the Erotikos to Egyptian mythology might be Plutarch's blowing his own horn for On Isis and Osiris. The treatise was intended to serve the needs of a friend, Klea, a devotee of the Isiac mysteries, who supposedly wanted "background information." Thespiai and the nearby Valley of the Muses, the setting for the Erotikos, had a long tradition of Isism, dating apparently from the refoundation of the festival of the Muses (Mouseia) by Ptolemaios IV Philopator and Arsinoe III.^ ' At least that is the criticism of W. -
The Rites in the Mysteries of Dionysus the Birth of the Drama
BRITT-MARI NÄSSTRÖM The Rites in the Mysteries of Dionysus The Birth of the Drama The Greek drama can be apprehended as an extended ritual, originating in the ceremonies of the Dionysus cult. In particular, tragedy derived its ori- gin from the sacrifice of goats and the hymns which were sung on that occasion. Tragedia means "song of the male goat" and these hymns later developed into choruses and eventually into tragedy, in the sense of a sol- emn and purifying drama. The presence of the god Dionysus is evident in the history and devel- opment of the Greek drama at the beginning of the fifth century B.C. and its sudden decline 150 years later. Its rise seems to correspond with the Greek polis, where questions of justice and divine law in conflict with the individual were obviously a matter of discussion and where the drama had individual and collective catharsis (purifying) in mind. In this respect Dionysus characterized the essence of the drama, by cross- ing and transgressing the border between the divine and the human world. When the gods interacted with men in the Homeric epics, they did so for their own selfish reasons, but in the classical drama they reflect and judge the activity of men. The drama thus reflects a change of paradigm from the world of myth to an ethical dialogue between men's world and the will of heaven. Dionysus was the god of intoxication and ecstasy and his followers were called maenads, from the Greek word mania, "madness". He was able to inspire his subjects with what was called enthusiasm, a word that still survives in a much milder sense. -
Christianity's Pre-Constantine Survival
Xavier University Exhibit Honors Bachelor of Arts Undergraduate 2020-5 A Living Faith: Christianity’s Pre-Constantine Survival Derek Allen Seifert Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH Follow this and additional works at: https://www.exhibit.xavier.edu/hab Part of the Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, Ancient Philosophy Commons, Classical Archaeology and Art History Commons, Classical Literature and Philology Commons, and the Other Classics Commons Recommended Citation Seifert, Derek Allen, "A Living Faith: Christianity’s Pre-Constantine Survival" (2020). Honors Bachelor of Arts. 42. https://www.exhibit.xavier.edu/hab/42 This Capstone/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate at Exhibit. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Bachelor of Arts by an authorized administrator of Exhibit. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Living Faith: Christianity’s Pre-Constantine Survival Derek Seifert CLAS 399 Father Norton, Doctor Byrne, Doctor Dewey Table of Contents Précis Page 1 Author's Note Page 2 Introduction Page 4 Chapter 1: The Cults of Contemporaries Page 6 Chapter 1.1: The Cult of Eleusis Page 7 Chapter 1.2: The Cult of Isis Page 13 Chapter 1.3: The Cult of Mithras Page 18 Chapter 2: Christianity Page 23 Chapter 2.1: Political Aggression and Social Exclusion Page 23 Chapter 2.2: What Purpose Did They Have? Page 26 Chapter 2.2a: The Theological Ideas Page 27 Chapter 2.2b: Testimonies Page 31 Conclusion Page 37 Works Cited Page 38 Précis In my thesis, I argue that the beliefs and practices of Christianity helped it to not only coexist with but survive beyond the cults that were prevalent and more established. -
The Diffusion of the Cult of Isis from Egypt Across the Mediterranean World
The diffusion of the cult of Isis from Egypt across the Mediterranean world. A study of the diffusion of the cult of Isis from Egypt across the Mediterranean world through the analysis of the Temple of Isis at Philae, the Temple of Isis at the Campus Martius in Rome, and the temple of Isis at Pompeii. By Matteo Tognocchi Image on cover: Composite Image of Isis’ iconography (www.upload.wikimedia.org) The diffusion of the cult of Isis from Egypt across the Mediterranean world. A study of the diffusion of the cult of Isis from Egypt across the Mediterranean world through the analysis of the Temple of Isis at Philae, the Temple of Isis at the Campus Martius in Rome, and the temple of Isis at Pompeii. By Matteo Tognocchi (s1885588) Course and course code: Thesis BA3, 1043SCR1Y1819ARCH Supervisor: Dr. van Aerde, specialization: Archaeology of the Mediterranean University of Leiden, Faculty of Archaeology Leiden, 16 December 2019. Final version. 1 Table of Contents 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 2 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 The research questions, the methodology applied to reply them, and the academic relevance . 2 1.3 Who is Isis? ..................................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 The spreading of the cult -
The Cult of Isis in Rome: Some Aspects of Its Reception and the Testimony of Apuleius' Asinus Aureus Autor(Es)
The Cult of Isis in Rome: some aspects of its Reception and the Testimony of Apuleius’ Asinus Aureus Autor(es): Teixeira, Cláudia Edições Afrontamento; CITCEM - Centro de Investigação Transdisciplinar «Cultura, Espaço e Memória»; Centro de Estudos Publicado por: Clássicos e Humanísticos; Alexandria University; Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra URL persistente: URI:http://hdl.handle.net/10316.2/36185 DOI: DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14195/978-989-26-0966-9_19 Accessed : 3-Oct-2021 12:24:04 A navegação consulta e descarregamento dos títulos inseridos nas Bibliotecas Digitais UC Digitalis, UC Pombalina e UC Impactum, pressupõem a aceitação plena e sem reservas dos Termos e Condições de Uso destas Bibliotecas Digitais, disponíveis em https://digitalis.uc.pt/pt-pt/termos. Conforme exposto nos referidos Termos e Condições de Uso, o descarregamento de títulos de acesso restrito requer uma licença válida de autorização devendo o utilizador aceder ao(s) documento(s) a partir de um endereço de IP da instituição detentora da supramencionada licença. Ao utilizador é apenas permitido o descarregamento para uso pessoal, pelo que o emprego do(s) título(s) descarregado(s) para outro fim, designadamente comercial, carece de autorização do respetivo autor ou editor da obra. Na medida em que todas as obras da UC Digitalis se encontram protegidas pelo Código do Direito de Autor e Direitos Conexos e demais legislação aplicável, toda a cópia, parcial ou total, deste documento, nos casos em que é legalmente admitida, deverá conter ou fazer-se acompanhar por este aviso. pombalina.uc.pt digitalis.uc.pt Alexandria endures in our imagination as the first model of cultural interaction – of cosmopolitanism, to use both classical and contemporary terminology – and as the cultural and intellectual capital of the ancient world. -
Mystery Cults of the Greco-Roman Era
Mystery cults of the Greco-Roman era 1. What is a mystery religion or mystery cult? The word mysterious refers to a secret - something that is under lock and key. The Mystery cults kept their teachings and religious rites secret from those outside the cult. Admission to such a worship community, was usually carried out through special initiation rites. The so called mystes were only admitted if they swore to keep silence. Surely this is why the word mystery today in general means "secret". On the other hand the sillaba "My" comes from "Linear B", the writing of Mycenae … Mycenae that was the culture of the people with the myth of the beautiful Helena and trojan war … and refers to the consecration of a dignitary (die Weihe eines Würdenträgers). So myth, myste and mystery are from a family of words and mysterious worship can also be understood as the sacred consecration of a myth and a deity. 2. When and where did these mystery cults take place? Probably this form was used to initiate priestresses and priests already in Sumer Mesopotamia at least 5000 years ago. I could not find prove for this yet but certainly in egypt the pharoes (4-3000 years ago) went through an initiation inactment of the myth. The main and well known period where the practice was very widely spread was from 600 BC to 300 AD, in ancient Greece and in the Roman Empire. These cults extended to all areas of influence of these cultures. So for example in Cologne in Germany was a main temple and cult centre of the goddess Isis.