Vincianne Pirenne-Delforge
Greek polytheism put to the test by Herodotus
The religion of the ancient Greeks is regularly the subject of introductions and summaries. The present work stands out for its reflection on the plurality inherent in this religious system. In fact, the tension between unity and plurality, between the general and the particular, is constitutive of the relationships the Greeks maintained with their many gods.
With this in mind, a number of questions run through the book. What is the relevance of the terms religion and polytheism for understanding ancient Greece ? Should we speak of " Greek religion " in the singular or in the plural ? Did the divine figures dissolve in the variety of their cults to the point of becoming unrecognizable ? Can we speak of " belief " in this context ? Was sacrificial practice strictly local, or was it based on a background shared by all Greek communities ? Using Herodotus' Inquiry as a guiding thread, this investigation aims to do justice to a profusion of gods and rituals, and to render intelligible the fluid plurality of a complex system, far removed from the impression of chaos to which our own cultural determinisms risk reducing it.
Pirenne-Delforge V., Le Polythéisme grec à l'épreuve d'Hérodote, Paris, Collège de France/Les Belles Lettres, coll. " Docet omnia ", n° 6, 2020
Co-published with Collège de France.
ISBN : 978-2-2514-5145-9
Price : 21 ,50 €
Publication : November 6, 2020
