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Hellenistic Religions

An Introduction

Luther H Martin author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc

Published:12th Jan '89

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Hellenistic Religions cover

This is a brief and lively introduction to the religious institutions, beliefs and practices of the Graeco-Roman world during the `Hellenistic Age' (c.300 BC-300 AD). Discussion of the various phenomena of Hellenistic religion is organized around the three classic types: piety, mystery, and gnosis. As the author follows the historical development of these phenomena, he demonstrates the effect of religion on two fundamental transformations of the Hellenistic world-view. The first of these is the transformation of the understanding of the structure of the cosmos from the archaic to the `Ptolemaic' view. The second transformation is what Martin describes as a shift in the relative importance of masculine and feminine god-images. He concludes with a discussion of late Hellenistic religion's interaction with and influence on early Christianity.

'a brief but very useful study of the diverse forms of religiosity in the Hellenistic period' Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha 5 (1989)

ISBN: 9780195043914

Dimensions: 140mm x 208mm x 13mm

Weight: 231g

192 pages