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Richard August Reitzenstein (2 April 1861, in Breslau – 23 March 1931, in Göttingen) was a German classical philologist and scholar of Ancient Greek religion, hermetism and Gnosticism. He is described by Kurt Rudolph [ 1 ] as “one of the most stimulating Gnostic scholars.”
The mystery religions, according to Maccoby, were the dominant religious forms in the Hellenistic world of that age and strongly influenced Paul's mythological psychology. Maccoby partially derived his theory from fragments of the writings of opponents of Ebionites , particularly the treatise on Heresies by Epiphanius of Salamis .
Serapis, a Greco-Egyptian god worshipped in Hellenistic Egypt. The concept of Hellenistic religion as the late form of Ancient Greek religion covers any of the various systems of beliefs and practices of the people who lived under the influence of ancient Greek culture during the Hellenistic period and the Roman Empire (c. 300 BCE to 300 CE).
In the mystery religions, salvation was less worldly and communal, and more a mystical belief concerned with the continued survival of the individual soul after death. [21] Some savior gods associated with this theme are dying-and-rising gods , often associated with the seasonal cycle, such as Osiris , Tammus , Adonis , and Dionysus .
During the Hellenistic period and the Roman Empire, exotic mystery religions became widespread, not only in Greece, but all across the empire. Some of these were new creations, such as Mithras , while others had been practiced for hundreds of years before, like the Egyptian mysteries of Osiris .
Mystery religions, mystery cults, sacred mysteries or simply mysteries (Greek: μυστήρια), were religious schools of the Greco-Roman world for which participation was reserved to initiates (mystai). The main characteristic of these religious schools was the secrecy associated with the particulars of the initiation and the ritual practice ...
Western esotericism, also known as Western mystery tradition, [1] is a term scholars use to classify a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthodox Judeo-Christian religion and Age of Enlightenment rationalism . [ 2 ]
Christianity and Hellenistic philosophies experienced complex interactions during the first to the fourth centuries. As Christianity spread throughout the Hellenic world , an increasing number of church leaders were educated in Greek philosophy .