Seminar

Understanding Delphi – On the Importance of Divination in Ancient Greece

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Ancient Greek myths have as strong a hold as ever on the imagination of modern scholars. In archaic and classical Greece, Delphi, the sanctuary of Apollo, emerged as the paramount religious destination, renowned for its oracle, the Pythia, whose prophetic utterances guided the course of individuals and city-states alike. The cult of Apollo at Delphi dates back to the 8th century BCE and thrived between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. The oracle was consulted by people from all across the ancient world and was considered to be one of the most important religious and cultural institutions of its time.

Delphi is central to the idea of divination in Greek religion. Divination could be defined as practices for obtaining knowledge about the unknown, especially about the future. The aim and interest of this Roundtable on Religion is understanding the connection between the human and the divine at these ancient Greek oracular sites. Can we explain the religious phenomenon of oracles, and the Greek culture so keen on seeking divine advice? How was this sacred space experienced by the Greeks themselves in mysteries as well as in consultations? What took place at these consultations, where the divine and mortal realms converged? How do we further explore the religious experience of the consultants? And how can we understand the phenomenon of the mystery of Apollo and the oracle today? Was it a societal safety valve? What was Plutarch’s view and understanding of this divine connection? Was the only goal to get access to knowledge of the unknown future, or was it an approach for seeking truth, or more? Can these oracular traditions in any way tell us something about the human condition today?

ROUNDTABLE PARTICIPANTS

Lucia Athanassaki

Professor of Classical Studies, Department of Philology, University of Crete

Ewen Bowie

Emeritus E. P. Warren Praelector and Fellow in Classics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford and Emeritus Professor of Classical Languages and Literature, University of Oxford

Jan Bremmer

Emeritus Professor of Science of Religion and Comparative Religious Studies, University of Groningen

Douglas Hedley

Professor of the Philosophy of Religion, Fellow, Clare College, Cambridge University

Isidoros Katsos

Professor at the Department of Theology, University of Athens

Glenn Most

Visiting Professor on the Committee on Social Thought, University of Chicago. External Scientific Member of the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin

Dell Rose

PhD Student, Amsterdam University, Program Director of the Swedenborg Library, Chicago

Youval Rotman

Professor of History, Department of Jewish History, Tel Aviv University

Gregory Shaw

Professor of Religious Studies, Stonehill College, Boston

Charles Stang

Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions, Professor of Early Christian Thought, Harvard Divinity School

Guy Stroumsa

Martin Buber Professor Emeritus of Comparative Religion, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Jenny Wallensten

Director, Swedish Institute at Athens