Greek Beliefs

The Olympic Pantheon of Ancient Greece

The indigenous religion of Greece is a polytheistic faith primarily worshiping the Twelve Olympian gods and goddesses. In its modern form, it is known as Hellenism. Its twelve primary deities are the children and grandchildren of the titans, an older pantheon toppled by the Olympians. The king of these gods is Zeus, a patriarchal figure who rules from Mount Olympus. Among his siblings are Hestia, Hera, Demeter, Hades, and Poseidon. The remaining Olympians are his children: Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Dionysus, and Hephaestus. Of these thirteen deities, those considered part of the major Twelve have changed by time and place.

Worship in Ancient Greece varied widely. The faith was not an organized religion so much as a shared cosmology between culturally related city states. The deities worshiped by each state, and the practices involved, could be very different. Athens, for instance, was famously associated with Athena. One common form of worship was to leave offerings at an altar dedicated to a specific god or goddess, often represented by a statue. More prominent deities received their own temple. Apollo’s seat, for example, was located at Delphi, where he spoke through his oracle. Others were worshiped through annual festivals, such as Athens’ Great Dionysia celebrating poetry and theater.

These immortal beings dominated Greek worship and also formed the heart of a complex mythology featuring titans, lesser gods, humans, demigods, Fates, and monsters. Heroes like Heracles, Daedalus, Achilles, Odysseus, and King Midas all remain popular figures in Western literature.

Roman Influence and Christianization

As Greece slowly lost prominence to the Roman Republic and Empire, its pantheon of deities survived mostly unscathed. The Olympian gods and goddesses, with a few name changes, continued to be worshiped in Rome much as they had in Athens, Sparta, and Corinth. New philosophies, foreign religions, and mystery cults grew alongside older customs, leading to a diverse and relatively tolerant religious environment.

This began to change in the 4th century CE, when a new religion rose to prominence in Rome. Christianity, now the empire’s official religion, proclaimed the existence of a single God and decried polytheism as heresy. Emperor Constantius II outlawed pagan practices and led an enthusiastic purge of the temples, altars, and worshipers of the Olympians. These efforts were met with stiff resistance from the general populace; widespread conversion to Christianity took about a century to accomplish. Many elements of the pagan faith, however, survived as myth and folk practice.

The Great Schism and Eastern Orthodoxy

Once Christianity was accepted by the common people, it flourished in a resurgent Greece. The Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire pushed the limits of architecture through enormous churches adorned with domes and colorful mosaics. The two power centers of the Roman Empire, Rome and Constantinople, grew to be the two major centers of early Christianity. Ideological differences soon rose between them, leading to the Great Schism of 1054. The Catholic Church remained centered in Rome, while Eastern Orthodoxy developed in Constantinople. From there, the Greek branch of Christianity spread through much of Eastern Europe, most notably Russia, and the Middle East.

The Schism would have major implications for global politics. It divided the two halves of the Roman world, even pitting them against each other. In 1204, the Fourth Crusade diverted from its course to instead sack Constantinople. As the weakening Byzantines gradually lost territory to the Ottoman Empire, they faced a painful choice. In order to secure Catholic assistance against the Turks, the Eastern Church was forced to make concessions that angered its clergy. Many Greeks saw Muslim rule, which would tolerate Eastern Orthodoxy, as preferable to Latin domination. The city of Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453. The Greek Orthodox Church continued to operate under the Ottoman millet system, while Russian Orthodoxy developed to the north. An influx of Greek scholars seeking refuge in Italy contributed to the emerging Renaissance era.

Modern Religion in Greece

Eastern Orthodoxy provided a major rallying point for Greek nationalists as they fought for independence from the Ottomans. The Church worked to preserve and unify Greek identity throughout the Ottoman period. Every March 25th, Greek independence is celebrated alongside the religious festival of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. The Church continues to be an important aspect of Greek national character today. As much as 90 percent of the country identifies with Greek Orthodoxy. About 2 percent of its population are Muslim, and the country is also home to communities of Jews, Hellenists, Sikhs, Hindus, Catholics, and Protestants, among others.

References

Brewer, David. Greece, the Hidden Centuries: Turkish Rule from the Fall of Constantinople to Greek Independence. I.B. Tauris. 2012.

Clogg, Richard. A Concise History of Greece. Cambridge University Press. 2013.

Doumanis, Nicholas. A History of Greece. Macmillan. 2009.

Garland, Robert. Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks. 2nd Ed. ABC-CLIO. 2008.

Koliopoulos, Giannēs, John S. Koliopoulos, and Thanos M. Veremis. Greece: The Modern Sequel, from 1831 to the Present. NYU Press. 2002.

Martin, Thomas R. Ancient Greece. Yale University Press. 2013.

Schofield, Louise. The Mycenaeans. Getty Publications. 2007.

“The World Factbook: Greece.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 14 Aug. 2018, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gr.html.

Thomopoulos, Elaine. The History of Greece. ABC-CLIO. 2012.

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