RLB239 Hellenistic Religions

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2009
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Iva Doležalová (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Dušan Lužný, Dr.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Lucie Čelková
Timetable of Seminar Groups
RLB239/P: Wed 10:00–11:35 B32, I. Doležalová
RLB239/K: Fri 27. 2. 10:00–11:35 G24, Fri 27. 3. 10:00–11:35 G24, Fri 24. 4. 10:00–11:35 G24, I. Doležalová
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/50, only registered: 0/50
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 6 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
Optional bachelor course provides an overview of religious believes and ritual practices of Ancient world during Hellenistic period (4 century B.C.E to the 4th century C.E.).
In particular lectures diverse forms of Hellenistic piety, mystery cults and gnostic systems representing different religious strategies as a part of coherent system of religious thinking are introduced. This system covering diversity of many religious alternatives, including newly originating Mithraism or Christianity, is interpreted with regard to change from the archaic to the Ptolemaic understanding of the universe, to changing understanding of fate and to the shift in relative importance of masculine and feminine god images.
At the end of the course, students should be able to comment on cults of particular gods and goddesses and forms of piety, and interpret them in mutual relationship as a part of coherent religious system which is characteristic for the period of cultural and religius change.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction: Hellenistic age, Hellenistic world. Religion in the Hellenistic World. Syncretism
  • 2. Sources for the study of Hellenism. Apuleius: The Golden Ass.
  • 3. Hellenistic piety: traditional piety/pietas, mystery, gnosis.
  • 4. Hellenistic philosophy: the Epicureans, the Stoics, Neoplatonism
  • 5. Divination and healing
  • 6. The Mysteries and the sovreignity of the feminine
  • 7. The Eleusinian mysteries, the mysteries of Isis, The Great Mother of the gods
  • 8. Mysteries and inovation: Dionysus, Orpheus
  • 9. Hellenistic Judaism
  • 10. Innovations - change to the sovreignity of masculine: Mithraism, Christianity
  • 11. Hellenistic gnosis: Christian and non-Christian gnosis
  • 12. Manichaeism, Hermetism
  • 13. Hellenistic Religion as system: strategies of piety, shift from feminine to masculine sovreignity, new architecture of cosmos. Process of cultural and religious change
Literature
  • MARTIN, Luther H. Helénistická náboženství. Překl. Iva Doležalová a Dalibor Papoušek. 1st ed. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 1997, xx, 161. Religionistika, sv. 4. ISBN 80-210-1702-3. info
  • DOSTÁLOVÁ, Růžena and Radislav HOŠEK. Antická mystéria. Vydání první. Praha: Vyšehrad, 1997, 365 stran. ISBN 8070212179. info
  • CULIANU, Ioan Petru. Dualistické gnóze západu. Translated by Jan Joneš. Vyd. 1. Praha: Argo, 2008, 375 s. ISBN 9788072039302. info
  • TURCAN, Robert. Mithra a mithraismus. Praha: Vyšehrad, 2004. ISBN 80-7021-708-1. info
  • DECRET, François. Mání a tradice manicheismu. Vyd. 1. Bratislava: CAD Press, 1994. ISBN 8085349302. info
Assessment methods
Lecture, seminar
Colloqium
Requirements for colloquim:
1. participation
2. active participation in three seminar discussions, submission of three written comments of texts as the base for the discussions
3. written test
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Zápis mimo religionistiku je podmíněn souhlasem vyučující.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2015, Spring 2017, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2009, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2009/RLB239