990,562,342 visitors served.
990,562,342 visitors served. |
|
 Dictionary/ thesaurus |  Medical dictionary |  Legal dictionary |  Financial dictionary |  Acronyms |  Idioms |  Encyclopedia |  Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
mystery religion |
Also found in: Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.05 sec. |
mystery religionAny of various secret cults of the Greco-Roman world. Derived from primitive tribal ceremonies, mystery religions reached their peak of popularity in Greece in the first three centuries AD. Their members met secretly to share meals and take part in dances and ceremonies, especially initiation rites. The cult of Demeter produced the most famous of the mystery religions, the Eleusinian Mysteries, as well as the Andania mysteries. Dionysus was worshiped in festivals that included wine, choral singing, sexual activity, and mime. The Orphic cult, by contrast, based on sacred writings attributed to Orpheus, required chastity and abstinence from meat and wine. Mystery cults also attached to Attis, Isis, and Jupiter Dolichenus, among others. |
|
? Mentioned in | ? References in periodicals archive | |
|---|---|---|
Court outlines the pitfalls of drawing parallels between the mystery religions and earliest Christianity too quickly, but also of rejecting them too easily. More ominously still, the bucolic simplicity of authentic Roman religion was gradually contaminated by a monstrous cult from the east, the Persian mystery religion of Mithra that, by the late second century A. Roetzel discusses Stoicism, Neo-Pythagoreanism, and Cynicism, but not Epicureans or Skeptics, Hellenistic mystery religions and the healing cult of Asclepius, but does nothing with civic cults, apotheosis of emperors (e. |
 |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Browser extension |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content NEW! | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|
|---|
Disclaimer |
Privacy policy |
Feedback | Copyright © 2008 Farlex, Inc.
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
mystery religion
