World History
Eleusinian Mysteries - This essay is a discussion of the known facts about the rites of the Eleusinian Mysteries in which Greek priestesses were significantly involved.
These rites have been lost to history. The participants were very good at keeping the rituals secret. They were so successful at this that much of what happened is now lost.
It is sad that many of the details are now gone. Scholars would benefit from having all the facts. Yet, it is a testament to the worshippers of this mystery that the rite remains secret. Can you imagine a cult of this size in the modern world being able to keep the rite secret? It only takes one person to take a pay out and it would be all over the Web and the traditional media.
From the site:
The Eleusinian Mysteries, held annually in honor of Demeter and Persephone, were the most sacred and revered of all the ritual celebrations of ancient Greece. They were instituted in the city of Eleusis, some twenty-two kilometers west of Athens, possibly as far back as the early Mycenaean period, and continued for almost two thousand years. Large crowds of worshippers from all over Greece (and later, from throughout the Roman empire) would gather to make the holy pilgrimage between the two cities and and participate in the secret ceremonies, generally regarded as the high point of Greek religion. As Christianity began to spread, the Mysteries were condemned by the early Church fathers; yet the rites continued for hundreds of years more and exercised considerable influence on the formation of early Christian teachings and practices.
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World History
Eleusinian Mysteries
Eleusinian Mysteries - This essay is a discussion of the known facts about the rites of the Eleusinian Mysteries in which Greek priestesses were significantly involved.
These rites have been lost to history. The participants were very good at keeping the rituals secret. They were so successful at this that much of what happened is now lost.
It is sad that many of the details are now gone. Scholars would benefit from having all the facts. Yet, it is a testament to the worshippers of this mystery that the rite remains secret. Can you imagine a cult of this size in the modern world being able to keep the rite secret? It only takes one person to take a pay out and it would be all over the Web and the traditional media.
From the site:
The Eleusinian Mysteries, held annually in honor of Demeter and Persephone, were the most sacred and revered of all the ritual celebrations of ancient Greece. They were instituted in the city of Eleusis, some twenty-two kilometers west of Athens, possibly as far back as the early Mycenaean period, and continued for almost two thousand years. Large crowds of worshippers from all over Greece (and later, from throughout the Roman empire) would gather to make the holy pilgrimage between the two cities and and participate in the secret ceremonies, generally regarded as the high point of Greek religion. As Christianity began to spread, the Mysteries were condemned by the early Church fathers; yet the rites continued for hundreds of years more and exercised considerable influence on the formation of early Christian teachings and practices.
- Rites Controversy In China
From the beginning of their work in China in 1583, many Catholic Jesuit missionaries presented themselves as scholars and scientists. Their goal was to impress the elite scholar-officials with their culture and erudition and then gradually to present...
- Mysteries Of Çatalhöyük
Mysteries of Çatalhöyük is an interactive tour of this archaeological dig in Turkey. It includes a timeline and photographs of the project, and details of the techniques used.The site is geared towards children. From the site: What are they excavating...
- Vatican Publishes Knights Templar Papers
The Knights Templar are one of the most famous (infamous?) of Medieval organizations. They protected the Holy lands for Christianity for centuries. Their success was tied closely to the Crusades and when the Crusaders lost the Holy Land, support for the...
- Templars
Templars. Probably one of the most intriguing mysteries of history are those that pertain to the Knights Templar. There is a lot that is not known about this secretive and powerful group from medieval times. Yet, that is also the problem. Any study of...
- Bureaucrats And Barbarians
Bureaucrats and Barbarians. Richard Hooker summarizes the civilization of Crete and southern Greece up until the time of Homer and provides an atlas and a gallery as well. The site covers the period of the Greek Dark Ages. I had not heard this time referred...