Dr. Wendy Closterman
Ancient Greek and Roman Religion
Wendy is an associate professor of History and Greek at Bryn
Athyn College of the New Church. She lives with her husband,
Michael Pigg, and daughter in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.
Contact: [email protected]
The period she focused on was generally the 8th century
to the 4th century BC.
The ancient Greeks spread from the Greek mainland into Southern Italy,
Sicily, North Africa and Turkey, while the Roman Empire extended through
much of present-day Europe, up into England, as well as across North Africa
and into the Middle East.
Why should we study these people, she asked? In learning from their
experiences we cultivate skills for our own spiritual lives. Regeneration is a
human process that involves understanding ourselves and others. In addition,
most early Christians had been Greek or Roman pagans. Pagan religion was
governed internally more by practice and tradition than beliefs.
According to New Church concepts, she said, the Lord establishes His
Church with people who live good lives, and always provides that anyone may be
saved. She included three numbers explaining this (Heaven and Hell 57, Divine
Providence 328.1 and 328.8) in a handout. (See the insert for information about
handouts and other resources available at www.newchurchboyntonbeach.org.)
Wendy said that every ancient history course she teaches at Bryn Athyn
College gets into concepts of humanity and the history of churches cited in the
Writings, which includes a judgment at the end of each and the planting of a
new church.
What is notable about Greek and Roman religion is that there were no
churches to join, few vocational priests, no doctrines and no set beliefs to
which everyone had to adhere. Religion was embedded in life and culture,
defined by practices and tradition. Different beliefs were tolerated, but not
non-participation in rituals, such as animal sacrifice.
There were many gods for every aspect of life, such as agriculture, marriage
and justice. Athletic and dramatic performances were offered as gifts to the
gods. These gods communicated with humans through omens, such as the
activity of birds or the reading of organs in sacrificed animals. And gods did
not die; only humans died.
Greek and Roman approaches to divine-human relationships were
described as Charis (Greek) and Pietas (Roman). Charis was at the core of
Greeks’ relationship with the gods. It relates to joy and kindness, gratitude and
respect, and an on-going relationship between gods and humans. Pietas – from
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