Hellenismos is one of the names for the religion that I practice. Other terms are Hellenism, Hellenic or Greek Reconstructionism, Olympianism, Dodecatheism, Greek Paganism, Greco-Roman Paganism, Classical Paganism, or simply Paganism. I prefer Hellenismos because it is the most accurate description, as it encompasses the whole complex of Greek ethnicity, language, culture, religion, and way of life. For the ancients, there was no word which corresponded completely to our modern concept of religion. The closest word is eusebia which means "pious interaction with the Gods." Obviously, we mean a great deal more than that when we speak of religion. When we ask someone "What religion do you practice?" we have an idea that their "religion" will refer to a specific kind of lifestyle, to a normative creed that codifies one's basic beliefs about God(s), man, ethical existence, and the afterlife, and that they will only belong to one religion at one time.
For the ancients, however, this was not the case. Religion wasn't something that you chose. It was something that had been passed down from a very long time ago - perhaps even from the beginning of time - and everyone had always done it this way. Your great grandparents, your grandparents, your parents, you, your children, your children's children all formed part of an unbroken line that united the past with the future. Religion did not consist of a collection of proper ideas about things, but in the proper performance of the ancient rituals. Certainly there were basic ideas about the Gods, and life, and our place in the kosmos that most people shared in common - but there was also a lot of room for divergent opinions on the matter, and indeed people were encouraged to think these things out for themselves. But this - and properly so - was the concern of philosophy, not religion.
Within this system there was also room to worship many Gods. In fact, impiety came from not worshiping the Gods. One could not only be a devotee of many different Gods, but also a priest in the Cult of various Gods. This was because priests merely officiated at the rites of large festivals. Most small rituals, such as daily devotions and libations, and funerals and marriages, could be performed by the individual, or by the head of the household if it was of great importance. The priest generally officiated at large, civic functions and performed the sacrifice or led the choral dance or song. It was often an elected position and lasted only a short while. There were, however, exceptions to this - such as the Priesthoods of Dionysos, the Two Goddesses, and some who presided over Oracle centers.
Religion, then, was about daily life. About performing the proper rituals, observing the cyclical changes, maintaining the ancient practices and customs, and passing them down for future generations. There was a seemingly endless series of rituals that one performed, covering every aspect of life. Birth, youth, adulthood, marriage, having children, growing old, and dying - all of the major life stages had specific rituals attached to them. Throughout the day, there were a number of libations, prayers, or sacrifices which were customarily performed, and on feast days there were extravagant celebrations.
Copyright Sannion, 11/19/01
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Posted with permission
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