Jan N. Bremmer Livres

In this brief but highly informative book Jan Bremmer presents an outline of Greek religion in the classical period. After a survey of its main characteristics, he offers a clear and innovative view of the great gods and heroes as well as their sanctuaries and also the main myths, rituals and mysteries: from Athena to Zeus, from sacrifice to the puritan Orphics, from the Indo-European roots to the influence of the ancient Near East. The approach pays attention to the sociological, anthropological and psychological aspects of Greek religion and also to the gender roles. By analyzing the often modern origin of many of the notions employed in the analysis of Greek religion, it also shows the difference between the polytheism of the Greeks and the place of religion in modern Western society. Its excellent bibliography makes this book a very useful tool for students and teachers alike.

Focusing on the initiation processes of ancient Mysteries, this book aims to uncover how these rituals were conducted, moving beyond the thematic studies of previous scholars like Walter Burkert. It addresses a gap in the literature by providing a detailed examination of the practices surrounding these ancient rites, which have captivated scholars since the Reformation and experienced renewed interest in the twentieth century.

Exploring the intricate connections between Greek and Roman myths and male initiation rituals, this work delves into initiatory motifs found in well-known myths, such as the education by wild figures and heroic battles. It also examines historical practices, including pederasty and symposiums, highlighting the roles of maternal influence and fosterage in initiation. The author provides a broader anthropological context and concludes with an archaic Latin inscription, shedding light on the experiences of young men throughout history.

This volume presents an outline of Greek religion in the classical period. It offers a view of the great gods and heroes as well as their sanctuaries and also the main myths, rituals and mysteries. This second edition has been fully updated to account for recent developments in scholarship, and is useful for students and teachers alike.

In this wide-ranging work on Greek religion and mythology, Jan N. Bremmer brings together his stimulating and innovative articles, which have all been updated and revised where necessary. In three thematic sections, he analyses central aspects of Greek religion, beginning with the gods and heroes and paying special attention to the unity of the divine nature and the emergence of the category 'hero'. The second section begins with a discussion of the nature of polis religion, continues with various facets, such as seers, secrecy and the soul, and concludes with the influence of the Ancient Near East. The third section studies human sacrifice and offers the most recent analysis of the ideal animal sacrifice, combining literature, epigraphy, iconography, and zooarchaeology. Regarding human sacrifice, it concentrates on the famous cases of Iphigeneia and the werewolves of Mount Lykaion. The fourth and final section investigates key elements of Greek mythology, such as the definition of myth and its relationship to ritual, and ends with a brief history of the study of Greek mythology. The multi-disciplinary approach and rich footnotes make this work a must for anybody interested in Greek religion and mythology.

In this work, Jan N. Bremmer aims to bring together the worlds of early Christianity and those of ancient history and classical literature - worlds that still all too rarely interlock. Contextualising the life and literature of the early Christians in their Greco-Roman environment, he focusses on four areas. A first section looks at more general aspects of early Christianity: the name of the Christians, their religious and social capital, prophecy and the place of widows and upper-class women in the Christian movement. Second, the chronology and place of composition of the early apocryphal Acts of the Apostles and Pseudo-Clementines are newly determined by paying close attention to their doctrinal contents, but also, innovatively, to their onomastics and social vocabulary. The author also analyses the frequent use of magic in the Acts and explains the prominence of women by comparing the Acts to the Greek novel. Third, an investigation into the theme of the tours of hell suggests a new chronological order, shows that the Christian tours were indebted to both Greek and Jewish models, and illustrates that in the course of time the genre dropped a large part of its Jewish heritage. The fourth and final section concentrates on the most famous and intriguing report of an ancient martyrdom: the Passion of Perpetua. It pays special attention to the motivation and visions of Perpetua, which are analyzed not by taking recourse to modern theories such as psychoanalysis, but by looking to the world in which Perpetua lived, both Christian and pagan. It is only by seeing the early Christians in their ancient world that we might begin to understand them and their emerging communities.

English (translation)Original Dutch