How was the greek religion different from the religions of Egypt and the Fertile Crescent?

Answer 1

In 393 a Christian Emperor, Theodosis, took over Greece, forcing them to answer to the holy christ.

Answer 2

I think what is being asked here, is how the Ancient Greek religion different to Modern Religions.

Well - the answer to the question is one which has to be opinianated. The christian religion considered the Olympian Religion as being pagan. The Olympian Religion - so called due to the proposed Gods living on Mt. Olympus - was multitheistic, or had many gods.

The principal God was Zeus - and there are many articles that can be found both in common literature and on the internet dealing with the Pantheon of Olympian Gods.

In reality - the Hindu religion which is still a key belief in today's world also has multiple gods - so Ancient Greek Religion only differes in the make up of the Gods and how the people worshipped them.

Answer 3

It is a different religion. In ancient Greece there was the ''12 Gods'' or ''dodekatheon'' (Zeus Mars(Aris) Athena Venus(Aphrodite) Poseidon etc).Their leader was Zeus. Some may argue that the twelve gods were twelve presentations of one god (Zeus) and that the religion was, in its core, monotheistic.

In present day Greece the dominant religion is orthodox Christianity which is very similar to Catholicism.

Answer 4

The Greek religion, like most of Greek life was more democractic. The people were encouraged to come to the various temples seeking favors and to ask requests, for help in love or business, and would frequently have at least token participation in the various rituals.

The Egyptians and religions of the Fertile Crescent (I assume you're referring to Babylon and Sumer) were much more egalitarian. The priest class was very isolated from the people. Most people's relation with the religious bodies was through compulsory sacrifice/donation or service. There were also a lot more magicians. Since the religious bodies rarely offered official aide to anyone outside the priest or royal classes, magicians had booming business performing smaller rituals and offering talismans and amulets to the general public.

Answer 5

According to Robert Graves, the original worship of the indigenous people of the Greek penninsula was earth-Goddess-worship. Aboringinal goddesses include Gaia, Demeter, Artemis, Hestia, and Hera. The invading Achaeans, being nomads, brought male sky gods to the area including Zeus, Apollo, Ares, Poseidon, and Hades. The Dorian invasion added other sky-gods like Hercules, Persephone, and Athena.

As the Greek speaking people added conquered people to their linguistic base, those native deities were often assimilated, too. Cybele and Attis, Dionysius, Adonis, the Roman versions of Olympians were all added by conquest.

Compare Homer's version of the deities with Hesiod, then 300 years later Herodotus and Plato.

Answer 6

Very little in real terms. They had many gods, greater and lesser, to cover all aspects of life. Today monotheistic religion has nominally one god, but also sub-gods called saints, angels etc to do the same thing.

The main difference is they did not have a real after-life (other than the mystery cults). Today's religions have carried on the idea of the mystery cults (Christianity started as a mystery cult) as a bait to convince people to obey the dictates of the religion.

Answer 7

Pharaoh was a living God and a ruler; in Greece the Gods were mythical, they did not walk and talk among men, and they did not rule.

Answer 8

it was different because some have good times and some don't

Answer 9

The ancient Greek religion has changed into a mythology; it is now regarded as an artistic series of connected stories, rather than as a religion.