Jon Mikalson's Books

Ancient Greek Religion

By: Jon D. Mikalson,Andrej Petrovic,Ivana Petrovic

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Ancient Greek Religion

By: Jon D. Mikalson,Andrej Petrovic,Ivana Petrovic

Provides undergraduate students with a vibrant account of the religious world of ancient Greece, now in its third edition Ancient Greek Religion offers a detailed yet accessible introduction to the beliefs, myths, rituals, and deities of Greek religion. Author Jon D. Mikalson provides a vivid depiction of Greek religious practice in Athens, Delphi, and Olympia during the Classical period and in select other cities during the Hellenistic period. This reader-friendly textbook explains basic concepts of Greek polytheism, describes major deities and cults, and discusses various aspects of Greek religious life in the context of the city-state, the village, the family, and the individual. The revised third edition features new contributions by Andrej and Ivana Petrovic. It has two new chapters: one highlighting Roman, Christian, and modern scholars’ approaches to Greek religion and one identifying the types of sources used to understand and reconstruct ancient Greek religion. This edition also expands discussion of magic and personal practices and includes an updated and expanded bibliography for each chapter. This popular textbook: Offers thorough coverage of major Greek gods, heroes, myths, and cults Presents translations of ancient texts to promote reflection and discussion Features a glossary of recurring Greek terms and a wealth of high-quality color maps, images, figures, and illustrations Describes Greek religious practice from the perspectives of different worshippers, such as priests, slaves, family members, and public officials Discusses various interpretations of the gods and the afterlife, the nature of piety and impiety, and the larger social and political context of ancient Greece Ancient Greek Religion, Third Edition, remains the ideal introductory textbook for undergraduate courses including Greek Civilization, Greek Religion, Greek and Roman Religion, Ancient Religions, and Greek History. It is also an excellent source of reference for graduate students, instructors, and scholars studying religious life in Classical Greece.

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316

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John Wiley & Sons

Published Date

ISBN 10

1119565626

ISBN 13

9781119565628

Ancient Greek Religion

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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Ancient Greek Religion

By: Jon D. Mikalson

Ancient Greek Religion provides an introduction to the fundamental beliefs, practices, and major deities of Greek religion. Focuses on Athens in the classical period Includes detailed discussion of Greek gods and heroes, myth and cult, and vivid descriptions of Greek religion as it was practiced Ancient texts are presented in boxes to promote thought and discussion, and abundant illustrations help readers visualize the rich and varied religious life of ancient Greece Revised edition includes additional boxed texts and bibliography, an 8-page color plate section, a new discussion of the nature of Greek “piety,” and a new chapter on Greek Religion and Greek Culture

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267

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John Wiley & Sons

Published Date

ISBN 10

140518177X

ISBN 13

9781405181778

The Essential Isocrates

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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The Essential Isocrates

By: Jon D. Mikalson

The Essential Isocrates is a comprehensive introduction to Isocrates, one of ancient Greece’s foremost orators. Jon D. Mikalson presents Isocrates largely in his own words, with original English translations of selections of his writings on his life and times and on morality, religion, philosophy, rhetoric, education, political theory, and Greek and Athenian history. In Mikalson’s treatment, Isocrates receives his due not only as a major thinker but as one whose work has resonated across time, influencing even modern education practices and theory. Isocrates wrote extensively about Athens in the fourth century BCE and before, and his speeches, letters, and essays provide a trove of insights concerning the intellectual, political, and social currents of his time. Mikalson details what we know about Isocrates’s long, eventful, and complicated life, and much can be gleaned on the personal level from his own writings, as Isocrates was one of the most introspective authors of the Classical Period. By collecting the most representative and important passages of Isocrates’s writings, arranging them topically, and placing them in historical context, The Essential Isocrates invites general and expert readers alike to engage with one of antiquity’s most compelling men of ideas.

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347

Publisher

University of Texas Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1477325549

ISBN 13

9781477325544

The Sacred and Civil Calendar of the Athenian Year

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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The Sacred and Civil Calendar of the Athenian Year

By: Jon D. Mikalson

From epigraphical, archaeological, and literary evidence Jon D. Mikalson has here assembled all relevant data concerning the dates of Athenian festivals, religious ceremonies, and legislative assemblies. This information has been used to revise and update our knowledge of the calendar as it reflects Athenian life. The facts and conclusions that emerge from the author's analysis correct some earlier assumptions. He brings to light new information concerning the meeting days of the Athenian Assembly and the Council, and establishes the days of the monthly festivals. Annual festivals are either dated exactly or fixed within closer time limits. The result of the author's rigorous approach is a collection of reliable evidence as to what religious and secular activities occurred on specific days of the Athenian year. Originally published in 1976. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

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242

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Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1400870321

ISBN 13

9781400870325

Herodotus and Religion in the Persian Wars

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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Herodotus and Religion in the Persian Wars

By: Jon D. Mikalson

The two great Persian invasions of Greece, in 490 and 480-79 B.C., both repulsed by the Greeks, provide our best opportunity for understanding the interplay of religion and history in ancient Greece. Using the Histories of Herodotus as well as other historical and archaeological sources, Jon Mikalson shows how the Greeks practiced their religion at this pivotal moment in their history. In the period of the invasions and the years immediately after, the Greeks--internationally, state by state, and sometimes individually--turned to their deities, using religious practices to influence, understand, and commemorate events that were threatening their very existence. Greeks prayed and sacrificed; made and fulfilled vows to the gods; consulted oracles; interpreted omens and dreams; created cults, sanctuaries, and festivals; and offered dozens of dedications to their gods and heroes--all in relation to known historical events. By portraying the human situations and historical circumstances in which Greeks practiced their religion, Mikalson advances our knowledge of the role of religion in fifth-century Greece and reveals a religious dimension of the Persian Wars that has been previously overlooked.

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284

Publisher

Univ of North Carolina Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0807862010

ISBN 13

9780807862018

Religion in Hellenistic Athens

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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Religion in Hellenistic Athens

By: Jon D. Mikalson

Until now, there has been no comprehensive study of religion in Athens from the end of the classical period to the time of Rome's domination of the city. Jon D. Mikalson provides a chronological approach to religion in Hellenistic Athens, disproving the widely held belief that Hellenistic religion during this period represented a decline from the classical era. Drawing from epigraphical, historical, literary, and archaeological sources, Mikalson traces the religious cults and beliefs of Athenians from the battle of Chaeroneia in 338 B.C. to the devastation of Athens by Sulla in 86 B.C., demonstrating that traditional religion played a central and vital role in Athenian private, social, and political life. Mikalson describes the private and public religious practices of Athenians during this period, emphasizing the role these practices played in the life of the citizens and providing a careful scruntiny of individual cults. He concludes his study by using his findings from Athens to call into question several commonly held assumptions about the general development of religion in Hellenistic Greece.

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543

Publisher

Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

052091967X

ISBN 13

9780520919679

Ancient Greek Religion

By: Jon D. Mikalson,Andrej Petrovic,Ivana Petrovic

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Ancient Greek Religion

By: Jon D. Mikalson,Andrej Petrovic,Ivana Petrovic

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316

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John Wiley & Sons

Published Date

ISBN 10

1119565642

ISBN 13

9781119565642

Honor Thy Gods

Popular Religion in Greek Tragedy

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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Honor Thy Gods

Popular Religion in Greek Tragedy

By: Jon D. Mikalson

In Honor Thy Gods Jon Mikalson uses the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides to explore popular religious beliefs and practices of Athenians in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. and examines how these playwrights portrayed, manipulated, and otherwise represented popular religion in their plays. He discusses the central role of honor in ancient Athenian piety and shows that the values of popular piety are not only reflected but also reaffirmed in tragedies. Mikalson begins by examining what tragic characters and choruses have to say about the nature of the gods and their intervention in human affairs. Then, by tracing the fortunes of diverse characters -- among them Creon and Antigone, Ajax and Odysseus, Hippolytus, Pentheus, and even Athens and Troy -- he shows that in tragedy those who violate or challenge contemporary popular religious beliefs suffer, while those who support these beliefs are rewarded. The beliefs considered in Mikalson's analysis include Athenians' views on matters regarding asylum, the roles of guests and hosts, oaths, the various forms of divination, health and healing, sacrifice, pollution, the religious responsibilities of parents, children, and citizens, homicide, the dead, and the afterlife. After summarizing the vairous forms of piety and impiety related to these beliefs found in the tragedies, Mikalson isolates "honoring the gods" as the fundamental concept of Greek piety. He concludes by describing the different relationships of the three tragedians to the religion of their time and their audience, arguing that the tragedies of Euripides most consistently support the values of popular religion.

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376

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UNC Press Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1469617188

ISBN 13

9781469617183

Honor Thy Gods

Popular Religion in Greek Tragedy

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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Honor Thy Gods

Popular Religion in Greek Tragedy

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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376

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UNC Press Books

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ISBN 10

1469617188

ISBN 13

9781469617183

Greek Popular Religion in Greek Philosophy

By: Jon Mikalson

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Greek Popular Religion in Greek Philosophy

By: Jon Mikalson

Jon D. Mikalson examines how Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and other Greek philosophers described, interpreted, criticized, and utilized the components and concepts of the religion of the people of their time - practices such as sacrifice, prayer, dedications, and divination. The chief concepts involved are those of piety and impiety, and after a thorough analysis of the philosophical texts Mikalson offers a refined definition of Greek piety, dividing it into its two constituent elements of `proper respect' for the gods and `religious correctness'. He concludes with a demonstration of the benevolence of the gods in the philosophical tradition, linking it to the expectation of that benevolence evinced by popular religion.

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950

Publisher

OUP Oxford

Published Date

ISBN 10

019161467X

ISBN 13

9780191614675

Death, Burial and Rebirth in the Religions of Antiquity

By: Jon Davies

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Death, Burial and Rebirth in the Religions of Antiquity

By: Jon Davies

In Death, Burial and Rebirth in the Religions of Antiquity, Jon Davies charts the significance of death to the emerging religious cults in the pre-Christian and early Christian world. He analyses the varied burial rituals and examines the different notions of the afterlife. Among the areas covered are: * Osiris and Isis: the life theology of Ancient Egypt * burying the Jewish dead * Roman religion and Roman funerals * Early Christian burial * the nature of martyrdom. Jon Davies also draws on the sociological theory of Max Weber to present a comprehensive introduction to and overview of death, burial and the afterlife in the first Christian centuries which offers insights into the relationship between social change and attitudes to death and dying.

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276

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1134792719

ISBN 13

9781134792719

Religion in Hellenistic Athens

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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Religion in Hellenistic Athens

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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380

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Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

052091967X

ISBN 13

9780520919679

The Sacred and Civil Calendar of the Athenian Year

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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The Sacred and Civil Calendar of the Athenian Year

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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226

Published Date

ISBN 10

0691035458

ISBN 13

9780691035451

Athenian Popular Religion

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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Athenian Popular Religion

By: Jon D. Mikalson

Most modern studies of Athenian religion have focused on festivals, cult practices, and individual deities. Jon Mikalson turns instead to the religious beliefs citizens of Athens spoke of and acted upon in everyday life. He uses evidence only from reliable, mostly contemporary sources such as the orators Lysias and Demosthenes, the historian Xenophon, and state decrees, sacred laws, religious dedications, and epitaphs. "This is in no sense a general history of Athenian religion," Mikalson writes, "even within the narrow historical boundaries set. It is rather an investigation of what might be termed the consensus of popular religious belief, a consensus consisting of those beliefs which an Athenian citizen thought he could express publicly and for which he expected fo find general acceptance among his peers." What emerges in Mikalson's study is a remarkable homogeneity of religious beliefs at the popular level. The topics discussed at length in Athenian Popular Religion include the areas of divine intervention in human life, the gods and human justice, gods and oaths, divination, death and the afterlife, the nature of the gods, social aspects of popular religion, and piety and impiety. Mikalson challenges the common opinion that popular religious belief in Athens deteriorated significantly from the mid-fifth to the mid-fourth century B.C. "The error in understanding the development of Athenian religion has arisen, it seems to me, because scholars have failed to distinguish properly between the differing natures of the sources for our knowledge of religious beliefs in the earlier and later periods," Mikalson writes. The difference between those sources "is more than simply one of years. It is a difference between poetry and prose, with all the factors which that difference implies.

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190

Publisher

UNC Press Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1469616963

ISBN 13

9781469616964

Inventing Hell

Dante, the Bible and Eternal Torment

By: Jon M. Sweeney

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Inventing Hell

Dante, the Bible and Eternal Torment

By: Jon M. Sweeney

Hell: The word means terror, darkness, and eternal separation from God. Some people think the Bible is clear about hell, but what if they're mistaken? With gripping narrative and solid scholarship, Sweeney charts hell's "evolution" from the Old Testament underworld Sheol, through history and literature, to the greatest influencer of all: Dante's Inferno. He reveals how the modern idea of hell is based mostly on Dante's imaginative genius-but in the process, he offers a more constructive understanding of the afterlife than ever before. Disturbing and enthralling, Sweeney will forever alter what we think happens to us after we die-and more importantly, he will make us reconsider how we live.

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162

Publisher

Jericho Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1455582239

ISBN 13

9781455582235

The Essential Isocrates

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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The Essential Isocrates

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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347

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University of Texas Press

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ISBN 10

1477325549

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9781477325544

Athenian Popular Religion

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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Athenian Popular Religion

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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190

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UNC Press Books

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ISBN 10

1469616963

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9781469616964

Herodotus and Religion in the Persian Wars

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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Herodotus and Religion in the Persian Wars

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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284

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Univ of North Carolina Press

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ISBN 10

0807862010

ISBN 13

9780807862018

New Aspects of Religion in Ancient Athens

Honors, Authorities, Esthetics, and Society

By: Jon Mikalson

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New Aspects of Religion in Ancient Athens

Honors, Authorities, Esthetics, and Society

By: Jon Mikalson

Jon D. Mikalson offers for classical and Hellenistic Athens a study of the terminology and contexts of praises of religious actions and artefacts and an investigation of the various authorities in religious activities. The terms of approbation apply to priests, priestesses, and lay individuals in various capacities as well as to sacrifices, dedications, and sanctuaries. From these a new esthetic of Greek religion emerges as well as a new social aspect of public religious practices. The authorities include oracles, traditional customs, laws, and decrees, and their hierarchy and interaction are described. The authority of the Ekklesia, Boule, administrative and military officials, priests, priestesses, and others is also delineated, and a new view of polis “control” of religion is put forward.

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359

Publisher

BRILL

Published Date

ISBN 10

9004319190

ISBN 13

9789004319196

Greek Popular Religion in Greek Philosophy

By: Jon D. Mikalson

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Greek Popular Religion in Greek Philosophy

By: Jon D. Mikalson

This is a study of how Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and other Greek philosophers described, interpreted, criticized, and utilized the components and concepts of the religion of the people of their time. These include the practices of sacrifice, prayer, dedications, and divination, and the governing concepts of piety and impiety.

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