Looking for Paper Topics or sources for your paper topics?

Here are some interesting areas to look into:

Music in Ancient Greece. a must-see for Matt Grady

John-Gabriel Bodard's Bibliography for his class on Greek and Roman Religion has a wonderful list of suggested paper topics for his class.

The Bull Cult in Crete and Minoan Crete is fascinating.

Maybe the study of the Bacchae has spawned some interest in the cult of Dionysus. Check out a list of ideas all spawned by Dionysus.

Mob mentality in cults: Look for Gustave le Bon 

Pagan Religion and Christianity; a great article by Larry Murphy

Hero worship and Saints 

Check out Walter Burkert in Greek Religion, (published by Basil Blackwell and Harvard University press, 1985)

"A hero cult involves setting apart one particular grave, known as hero on, from other burials by marking off a special precinct, by bringing sacrifices and votive gifts, and occasionally by building a special grave monument."(p.203)  "The hero cult has often been compared to the Christian cult of saints; and without doubt there is direct continuity as well as a structural parallel here.  The heroes, however, are not required to live saintly lives." (p.207)

 Carol Bateson of USC suggested this... 

"I would like to suggest a book by Gregory Riley, a professor of New Testament Studies at the Claremont School of Religion.  In One Jesus, Many Christs, he convincingly argues that the reason Christianity flourished in
the Greek culture is because Jesus was presented as a 'hero', not unlike
Hercules.  The theme of divine Father + mortal Mother = Hero/Savior son is
central to the argument.  Riley also examines the birth/creation of the Christ myths and contrasts them with the evidence for a historical Jesus."

Mary as a Virgin Goddess

So Many Ideas, So Little Time

  Books can and Have been written about anyone of these topics...have any suggestions of your own? Let me know

NOW, 

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