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Chapter 16: Orpheus and Orphism
last edited 3-26-04

THE STORY OF ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE (see text for versions by Virgil and Ovid). Know who Aristaeus is.

CHARACTERISTICS OF MYSTERY RELIGIONS (and Orphism is one of them)

"Mystery" concerns the religion's interest with the questions that remain a mystery to us while alive. These religions suggest that worship of a particular god in particular ways can bring knowledge unknown to those outside the religion, and eternal life after death.

Rituals include an initiation ceremony, reenactments of the god's death, and a communion with the god (generally achieved by a communal meal of a sacrifice that represents the god). Believers had to life their life according to the tenets of the religion (rules concerning morality, diet, etc.), as set forth by the god. They also had to accepts the god's understanding of how the world works.

Mystery Religions are based on faith that belief in the gods and adherence to his rules will result in rebirth after death.

MYSTERY RELIGIONS OF ANTIQUITY (IN ROMAN TIMES):

Dionysian Mysteries

Eleusinian Mysteries

Cult of Cybele

Cult of Mithras (Persia)
images:
Mithras slaying the bull (from Pergamon Museum, Berlin and from British Museum, London)

Cult of Dea Syria (Atargatis and Tammuz)

Egyptian Mysteries (Osiris and Isis)

Know the term syncretism, the conflation (combining, confusing) of two cultures. The extent of the Roman Empire allowed for lots of different cults to trickle back to Rome...as many of them overlapped, some elements merged together. In the same way, outlying provinces were affected by the Roman religions, and syncretism occurred there too. (An example of syncretism would be a fourth century AD mosaic of Apollo or Dionysus with a halo...representing Christ).