<Articles>Oracles and Ancient Greek Historians in the 5th Century BC

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  • <論説>前五世紀ギリシアの歴史家と神託
  • 前5世紀ギリシアの歴史家と神託
  • ゼン 5セイキ ギリシア ノ レキシカ ト シンタク

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Abstract

It is often said that ancient Greek society, the polis, had a close relationship to religion. Greek religion had neither dogma nor priesthood, but the Greeks thought it important to perform rituals correctly in order to win their gods' favor. Oracles and omens, which were regarded as conveying the gods' will, had a great effect on the Greeks' thought and actions. Studies since the 1950 s on Greek oracles have placed emphasis on the examination of their authenticity, but have given insufficient consideration to the question of the Greeks' actual belief in oracles. In this article, through a comparison of the attitudes of Herodotus and Thucydides, the relationship between the Greeks and oracles, in particular this question of belief, is re-examined. Generally it has been thought that Herodotus believed deeply in oracles and omens as signs sent by the gods to the people, while Thucydides was very scornful of traditional religious thought. However some recent studies concerning Thucydides and religion have argued that he did believe in traditional religion including oracles. In this paper, references to divination in the writings of Herodotus and Thucydides are discussed in the light of such new appraisals. The purpose is not simply to argue in favor of one or other of the alternatives, belief or disbelief, but to attempt to show what the Greeks thought important about the recieving of oracles. It is concluded that the two historians were similar in accepting the importance of the interpretation of oracles. This conclusion offers a new approach to understanding the Greeks' attitudes towards religion.

Journal

  • 史林

    史林 77 (6), 840-870, 1994-11-01

    THE SHIGAKU KENKYUKAI (The Society of Historical Research), Kyoto University

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