Page 284 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol IV

religious syncretism 1585

The bell-towers of this Roman Catholic Church
at Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, combine fea-
tures of Christianity and Native American
architecture.

influence chambermaids from Antioch and Memphis
gained over the minds of their mistresses?” (1956, 24).
During the time of Alexander the Great, Hellenistic
culture was itself a mixture, having blended Persian,
Anatolian, Egyptian, and later Etruscan-Roman elements
into an overall Hellenic framework. It is apparent that the
syncretic gods of the Hellenistic period enjoyed wide
favor among the Romans. Serpis, Isis, and Mithras were
the most prominent among these deities. The goddess
Cybele—as she was worshipped in Rome—was also
highly syncretic.
In addition, pagan elements were incorporated into
first-century Christianity. But—as with all religious syn-
cretisms—not everyone agrees on the specifics. There are
numerous and acrimonious debates with respect to the
who,what,when,where,and why.While a majority of clas-
sicists and New Testament scholars agree that syncretism
has occurred within Christianity and is likely to continue,
specific examples often give rise to heated debates.
The Romans—who saw themselves as the heirs to
Greek civilization—identified Greek deities with mem-
bers of the Etruscan and Roman pantheons. Interestingly,
they accepted the Greek and Etruscan gods but rarely
alliance whenever they were faced with an external threat. copied Greek or Etruscan rituals.Vague attempts to estab-
He labeled this coming together as “their so-called syn- lish equivalencies between Roman, Greek, and Etruscan
cretism.” Plutarch’s use of the term later gave rise to neg- deities were seldom contested. But putative correspon-
ative connotations—many of which were never intended dences vary; for example, Jupiter was seen as a better
by Plutarch. For Plutarch, syncretism was not only a tes- equivalent for Zeus than the huntress Diana was an
tament to political expediency, but also had potential to equivalent for Artemis. Classicists argued that Ares was
foster sociability and brotherly love. On the other hand, not a good match for Mars. The Anatolian goddess
he also saw it as the root of insincerity and impurity. It Cybele—who was imported to Rome from her cult cen-
became synonymous with a lack of authenticity. Passages ter at Pessinus—was identified as Magna Mater and
from Plutarch’s Moralia attest that the term “syncretism” given a matronly image that had been developed earlier
was known in the first century CE. Unfortunately, there are in Hellenistic Pergamum. The Egyptian god Amun was
few other examples of the term’s use during this period. borrowed from a Hellenized “Zeus/Ammon” after
Although the word “syncretism” was not in common Alexander the Great’s quest for Amun’s oracle at Siwa.
use among the ancient Greeks and Romans, the practice The Greek god Dionysus was imported into Rome as
of syncretism seems to have been very common. It was Bacchus, and the Anatolian Sabazios was transformed
central to both Greek and Roman political culture as well into the Roman deity Sabazius. Given these precedents,
as Roman and Greek religions. In many respects, the the Romans would have recognized few barriers to the
commingling of religions was a direct result of Roman worship of Isis or Mithras. Likewise, when the Romans
conquest, slavery, and forced migration. Historian of first encountered the Celts and Teutonic peoples, they
religion Franz Cumont speculated, “Who can tell what commingled these northern gods with their own gods,