| |
The
Temples. Pergamum was also
known for its many temples. We will discover shortly that the temples in Ephesus, Sardis, and Pergamum were part
of their everyday life - their culture. When God through His apostles spoke out against these religions, He rejected
more than just the events which occurred inside a few temples. A visitor to Pergamum would have seen some fantastic
temples dedicated to Asclepius, Athena, Demeter, Dionysus, Serapius, Trajan,
and Zeus. We consider the various religions in the city. This
is important because this changes our understanding of these ancient religions. We will see that these ancient
religions are very different from the religious practices of our day. When God wants us to not be involved in
other religions, He was talking about more than just worshipping at a temple.
The temple to Trajan honored a caesar of Rome
as if he were a god. The temple was beautiful and had a Corinthian design. The temple was on the terrace which led to the
Pergamum‘s famous library. The temple to Zeus was erected when Pergamum defeated the Galatians. The temple stood on
top of the acropolis. It was very large and could be seen from the valley floor. Zeus was considered to be the “god
of gods” by the Greeks and Romans. Athena was believed to be the goddess of war, wisdom, and skill. If one had wanted
success in battle, wisdom in business, or skill in trade, the person would have wanted to honor her with worship.
One of the most significant goddesses was Demeter .
She was believed to provide the human race with food. This religion had priests and included fasting, sacrifices, singing
of hymns, and the sprinkling of holy water. A person joined this religion by a secret rite of initiation. There were three
steps called the Lesser Mysteries, the Greater Mysteries, and the Epopteia. The pig was the symbol of cleanliness. |
|
