Individuals in the Eleusinian Mysteries
Choices and actions
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20075032 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ioanna Patera (0000-0002-9717-700X, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Pages | 669-694 |
| Publication date | 2019-12-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | CHAPTER |
| Venue | Religious Individualisation (SOURCE_BOOK) |
| Publisher | De Gruyter (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1515/9783110580853-034 |
| OpenAlex | W4245219485 |
| ISBN | 9783110580853 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 22 |
The Eleusinian Mysteries have gripped the imaginations of both ancient candidates for initiation and generations of modern scholars. They are among the most intriguing of ancient cults, as their study raises a variety of questions regarding Athenian politics, religion, philosophy, and soteriology, as well as issues surrounding the continuity of the cult from the Bronze age, through the classical period, and on into the Christian era. The Mysteries attracted individuals who participated as a matter of personal choice, offering an eschatological perspective at a time when the fashion for 'mystery' and 'oriental' cults had not yet reached the height of its popularity. Initiation by choice means that participation in this public cult, which is administered by the Athenian state, is not purely a matter of tradition, as was the case for other cults attended by citizens or demesmen. At the same time, the Eleusinian Mysteries were open to all those who wished to be initiated and they attracted a large and varied audience. The decision to participate led the initiand to take a series of preparative ritual actions and then on to the various stages of the initiation itself: the preliminary initiation, the musis, and, ultimately, the epopteia where the initiand becomes one who has seen.1
Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Historical and Archaeological Studies · Linguistics and language evolution · Psychology
Sanctuaries and Festivals
Polytheism and Society at Athens
Initiation into the Mysteries of the Ancient World
Individualization and Individuation as Concepts for Historical Research
The Eleusinian Mysteries
Religious Secrets and Secrecy in Classical Greece
The Rise and Fall of the Afterlife
On the Rules Regulating the Celebration of the Eleusinian Mysteries
"Reading" Greek Death
Hadrian's Contribution to the Renaissance of Eleusis
A Law in the City Eleusinion Concerning the Mysteries
The Homeric Hymn to Demeter
Priestly proclamations and sacred laws
Blessed Is He, Who Has Seen’
The Sacred Officials of the Eleusinian Mysteries
Divine Epiphany in Greek Literature and Culture
Grades in the Eleusinian Mysteries
Religious agency, identity, and communication
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2023 (4) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |