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What Extent Is The Greek Religion Monotheistic Or Polytheistic?

516 Words3 Pages

Is the Greek religion monotheistic or polytheistic? Explain your answer and support your explanation with examples. The Greek religion was polytheistic as they believed in and worshiped their belief in multiple gods. Key features of their polytheistic religion include but is not limited to (i) multiple deities (ii) Olympian gods (iii) Anthropomorphic qualities (iv) no central authority and (v) cult practices. (Encyclopdia Britannica, n.d.) Most ancient Greeks recognized the twelve major Olympian gods and goddesses — (i) Zeus- King of the gods, ruler of Mount Olympus, and god of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order, and justice and Hera- (ii) Queen of the gods. Other gods are included in the package. Anthropomorphism refers to the attribution of human characteristics and qualities to gods, objects, and natural phenomena. …show more content…

For example, Zeus and (iii) Apollo (god of music, art, knowledge, healing plague etc), were often depicted in human forms and exhibited a range of human emotions and traits, including both virtues like wisdom and beauty, and vices such as greed, hatred, jealousy, and uncontrollable anger. This anthropomorphic portrayal made the gods relatable to humans, as they could see reflections of their own behaviours and emotions in the divine. (Zaidman & Pantel, 2012) The humanization of the deities lent credence to the additional forms of their cult practices. For example, the cult of (iv) Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, love, and procreation, was very popular, with numerous shrines and temples throughout Greece. Her main festival was the Aphrodisia (symbolizing physical love and the beauty and fertility that Aphrodite represented), which was celebrated annually in midsummer. All gods were worshipped with cult practices such as blood

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