Editing Hellenism (modern religion) (section)

== History ==

===18th century===
During the 18th century, several notable authors and [[Freethought|freethinkers]] embraced Ancient Greek religion to some extent, studying and translating ancient works of theology and philosophy, and in some cases composing original hymns and devotionals to the [[List of Greek deities|Ancient Greek pantheon]]. The English author [[John Fransham]] (1730–1810) was one example, considered an eccentric by his peers, who was also referred to as a pagan and a polytheist. In Fransham's 1769 book ''The Oestrum of Orpheus'', he advanced a theology similar to that of the [[Neoplatonism|Neoplatonists]]: that the first cause of existence is uncreated and indestructible, but not intelligent, and that the universe is shaped by "innumerable intelligent powers or forces, 'plastic and designing', who ruled all sublunary affairs, and may most fitly be designated by the nomenclature of the Hellenic theology."<ref name="survival" /> Despite his apparent belief in the Hellenic gods, Fransham does not seem to have been particularly devoted to their worship. According to an 1875 profile in ''[[Fraser's Magazine]]'', Fransham's "[[libation]]s to the [[Penates]] found their way [[Drinking|down his own throat]], and when he sacrificed a fowl to [[Asclepius|'Esculapius]] it was usually in the form of chicken-[[broth]] for his supper."<ref name="survival" />

Another example of an 18th-century literary figure who may have considered himself a Hellenist was [[Thomas Taylor (neoplatonist)|Thomas Taylor]] (1758–1835), who produced the first English translations of many neoplatonic philosophical and religious texts. Taylor was widely known as the "English Platonist", and rumors existed that he had produced anonymous pamphlets advocating a return to a sort of pagan religion (these rumors have been debunked by modern scholars<ref>Addey, Tim. [http://www.prometheustrust.co.uk/Why_Thomas_Taylor_is_not_the_author_of_A_New_System_of_Religion.pdf "Why Thomas Taylor is not the author of ''A New System of Religion''"]. Prometheus Trust.</ref>). Though the extent of his actual devotion to Ancient Greek spirituality remains unknown, brief descriptions written by others about him tend to portray him as a sincerely devout polytheist.<ref name="survival" /> One such sketch, written by [[Isaac D'Israeli]], describes Taylor delaying answering his door until he has finished his mid-day hymn to [[Apollo]], and reports that his study contained a hanging globe of clear glass, representing [[Zeus]], that scattered sunbeams he would use to read and write, shifting his position in the room to follow them throughout the day.<ref name="survival" />

In 1779, the German writer [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]] wrote in his diary that "the beautiful gods continue to visit me". He did not profess a literal belief in the deities of Classical Greece, rather perceiving them to be poetic symbols of his own deepest experience.

His work inspired a limited number of devotees.<ref name="survival">"The Survival of Paganism". ''Fraser's Magazine'', New Series vol. XII. July–December 1875. London: Longmans, Green, and Co.</ref> The most notable was Godefroi Izarn, the Marquis de Valadi, a young member of a wealthy French family who adopted a "[[Pythagoreanism|Pythagorean]] mode of life". In 1788, Valadi traveled to [[England]] in order to convince an unnamed "gentleman of eminence in the literary world" to become the head of a new Pythagorean sect, assuring him that Valadi would help him find numerous followers.<ref name="valadi">"Modern Platonism". ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=iXhIAAAAYAAJ&dq The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History, Politics, and Literature for the Year 1797]''. London: 1800, pp. 438–439.</ref> He refused, and suggested Valadi learn Greek and become the head of the sect himself. Valadi began his studies at [[Glasgow]], where he learned of Taylor, to whom he wrote in a letter:

{{blockquote|My determination was to go and live in North America, and there to keep a school of temperance and love, in order to preserve so many men from the prevailing vices of brutal intemperance and selfish cupidity ... There I would devoutly erect altars to my favourite Gods: [[Castor and Pollux|Dioscuri]], [[Hector]], [[Aristomenes]], [[Pan (god)|Pan]], [[Orpheus]], [[Epaminondas]], [[Pythagoras]], [[Pluto (mythology)|Pluto]], [[Timoleon]], [[Marcus Brutus]] and his [[Porcia (wife of Brutus)|Portia]], and above all, [[Helios|Phoebus]], the God of my hero [[Julian (emperor)|Julian]] ...<ref name=survival/>}}

Valadi paid Taylor to live in his house and study under him, but his tenure as Taylor's disciple was short lived. He returned to France to fight in the [[French Revolution]] in 1789 (he reportedly said, "I came over [[Diogenes]]. I am going back [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]]"), and was executed by [[guillotine]] in December 1793 during the [[Reign of Terror]].<ref name="valadi" />

===19th century===
The literary and artistic movement known as [[Romanticism]] promoted notions of the masterless personal soul, a heightened regard for nature and an interest in supernatural themes, including both magic and Pagan, especially Classical Greek, religion. Many proponents of Romanticism wrote poems inspired by figures of Greek mythology. One example of this is found in the poem "[[The World Is Too Much with Us]]" written {{circa|1802}} by [[William Wordsworth]] and first published in 1807 in his poetry collection ''[[Poems, in Two Volumes]]''. In it, Wordsworth criticises the world of the early 19th century as materialistic and as removing itself from nature. Towards the end of the poem, Wordsworth wishes he was a pagan who believes in the Greek gods instead of a Christian even though he considers paganism outdated because he thinks that life would have more meaning that way. As Wordsworth himself put it:

{{poemquote|Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of [[Proteus]] rising from the sea;
Or hear old [[Triton (mythology)|Triton]] blow his wreathèd horn.|[[William Wordsworth]], "[[The World Is Too Much with Us]]", lines 9–14}}

Another example is seen in the private letters that the poet [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]] and his friend [[Thomas Jefferson Hogg]] wrote to each other. In one letter written in 1821, Shelley wrote to Hogg:<ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xc_QAAAAMAAJ&q=I+am+glad+that+you+do+not+neglect+the+rites+of+the+true+religion.+Your+letter+awoke+my+sleeping+devotions,+and+the+same+evening+I+ascended+alone+the+high+mountain+behind+my+house,+and+suspended+a+garland,+and+raised+a+small+turf+altar+to+the+mountain-walking+Pan. | title=Letters: Shelley in Italy | last1=Shelley | first1=Percy Bysshe | year=1964 }}</ref>

{{blockquote|I am glad that you do not neglect the rites of the true religion. Your letter awoke my sleeping devotions, and the same evening I ascended alone the high mountain behind my house, and suspended a [[garland]], and raised a small turf altar to the mountain-walking [[Pan (god)|Pan]].}}

===20th century===
In the early 20th century, several [[Neopaganism|neopagan]] groups were formed, often incorporating elements of ancient Greek religion and honoring Greek gods, but with heavily syncretic elements drawn from Hermeticism and 19th century folklore studies. Most prominent of these modern traditions are [[Thelema]] and [[Wicca]], though [[Feraferia]] (an American tradition founded in the 1970s by Fred Adams) places heavier emphasis on a more Hellenistic style of worship and on the Greco-Roman pantheon of gods.<ref>{{Cite web|title=feraferia home|url=http://feraferia.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46:feraferia-home&Itemid=1|access-date=2021-05-08|website=feraferia.org|language=en-gb}}</ref> One Wiccan organization in the United States, the [[Aquarian Tabernacle Church]], began to host a spring festival based on the [[Eleusinian Mysteries]] in 1985, which has continued to be held every year through the present day.<ref>[https://wildhunt.org/2019/03/aquarian-tabernacle-church-names-new-arch-priest.html "Aquarian Tabernacle Church names new Arch Priest"].</ref>

While not exactly a Hellenist, the sociologist and practicing Wiccan [[Margot Adler]] stated in her book on Wicca titled ''[[Drawing Down the Moon (book)|Drawing Down the Moon]]'' that when she was a child, she had a great interest in the Greek gods and goddesses and that she also devised her own rituals to perform in dedication to them. Many years later when Adler found out about Wicca, she converted to that religion because she felt that it confirmed her earlier childhood experiences, though Adler also notes that with regards to her conversion "I never converted in the accepted sense. I simply accepted, reaffirmed, and extended a very old experience."<ref>{{cite book |last=Adler |first=Margot |year=2006|orig-year=1979 |title=Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers and Other Pagans in America |edition=Revised |publisher=Penguin |location=London |isbn=978-0-14-303819-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/drawingdownmoonw00adle_2 |pages = 15–19}}</ref>

During the 1970s, some began to reject the influence of Hermeticism and other heavily syncretic forms of Greek religion in preference of practices reconstructing earlier or more original forms of Hellenic worship. Early revivalists of Hellenic religion tended to be individuals working alone, and early attempts to organize adherents into larger groups failed. The first successful revival attempt was made by the [[Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes]] (or YSEE). In 1993, a variety of adherents to the Hellenic religion in Greece and elsewhere came together and began the process of organization. This resulted in a "Hellenic National Assembly", initiated at a gathering in southern Olympus on 9 September 1995. The process culminated with the formal establishment of the [[Supreme Council of Ethnic Hellenes|YSEE]] as a non-profit in Greece, in June 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ysee.gr/about.html |title=Who We Are and What We Want |publisher=Ysee.gr |access-date=2019-03-28}}</ref>

In the 1990s and 2000s, as the practice of the ancient Greek religion (also known as Hellenic religion) began to increase in popularity. The Orthodox [[Church of Greece]] viewed it as a significant threat to its own existence and wanted to eliminate it. As a result, they established a special committee, composed of [[Metropolitan bishop|Metropolitans]], [[Priesthood (Eastern Orthodox Church)|priests]], and university professors from [[divinity school]]s, to study ancient cults and neopaganism. They also organized conferences, published articles and texts, and uploaded information to the internet, all with the goal of arguing that the ancient Greek religion is a dangerous, idolatrous cult with strange beliefs and practices, possibly even having connections to [[Satanism]], and that Greek people should avoid it at all costs. The Orthodox Church also emphasized that the only true and accepted traditional religion in Greece is and should be [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christianity]], the religion of the forefathers.<ref name=":2" />

===21st century and official recognition===
====2004 Olympics controversy====

The [[2004 Summer Olympics]] stirred up several disputes concerning Hellenic polytheistic religion.
* Professor Giorgos Dontas, president of the [[Archaeological Society of Athens]] expressed public outrage at the destruction of ancient archaeological sites{{which|date=June 2016}} around the [[Parthenon]] and [[Acropolis]] in preparation for the games.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jul/15/internationaleducationnews.artsnews|title=Drills and axes ravage ancient Greek site|first=Helena|last=Smith|date=15 July 2002|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=7 May 2015}}</ref>
* Prior to the Olympic Games, [[MSNBC]] correspondent [[Rehema Ellis]], in a story called "It's Greek to Me: Group Tries to Restore Pagan Worship", documented the vandalism and arson of a bookstore in Athens which sold books promoting ancient Greek religion. She also interviewed several adherents who were upset about the current state of affairs in Greece. Ellis said: "A contrast in this place where the Olympic Games were created to honour [[Zeus]] – now those praying to the ancient gods are criticized for putting too much faith in the past."
* The Greek Society of the Friends of the Ancients objected to the commercial use of [[Athena and Phevos]] as the official mascots of the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] held in Athens. They felt that the caricatured representations of the Greek gods [[Athena]] and [[Phoebus]] were disrespectful and culturally insensitive.<ref>[http://users.forthnet.gr/ath/heliodromion/e_nea1.htm Extrajudicial protest – denunciation – statement of Greek Citizens, concerning the 2004 Olympics' "mascot" choice] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061218003151/http://users.forthnet.gr/ath/heliodromion/e_nea1.htm|date=18 December 2006}}</ref> In a BBC Radio interview on 26 June 2004, Dr. Pan. Marinis President of the {{lang|la|Societas Hellenica Antiquariorum}} said that the mascots "mock the spiritual values of the Hellenic civilization by degrading these same holy personalities that were revered during the ancient Olympic Games. For these reasons we have proceeded to legal action demanding the punishment of those responsible."

====Recognition and places of worship====

In May 2006 an Athens court granted official recognition to the veneration of the Ancient Greek pantheon. Soon afterwards, on 22 January 2007, the Hellenist group [[Ellinais]] held a ceremony at the historic [[Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens|Temple of Olympian Zeus]] in Athens. It was the first such rite performed at the temple since the ancient Greek religion was outlawed by the Roman government in the late 4th century.<ref>Associated Press, "Zeus Worshippers Demand Access to Temple". ''The New York Times'', 19 January 2007</ref> The ceremony involved participants dressed as ancient warriors who left their swords and spears outside the sacred site, to represent the laying down of arms before the Olympic games. The [[BBC]] referred to the event as a show of "intentional publicity". The event caught the attention of the Greek Orthodox Church. Reporters at the event suggested the church might step up their opposition to the legitimizing of Hellenism. Father Eustathios Kollas, who presided over a community of Greek Orthodox priests, said: "They are a handful of miserable resuscitators of a degenerate dead religion who wish to return to the monstrous dark delusions of the past."<ref name="Ancient Greek gods' new believers">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6285397.stm "Ancient Greek gods' new believers"]. ''BBC News''. Retrieved 10 February 2007.</ref> Despite the 2006 court ruling, the Greek [[Ministry of Culture and Sports (Greece)|Ministry of Culture and Sports]] continued to disallow ceremonies of any kind at archaeological sites, and some early 21st century Hellenic rituals therefore took the form of protests. In August 2008, a group of adherents, again organized by Ellinais, gathered at the [[Acropolis]] both to give libations and other offerings to the goddess [[Athena]], and to protest the removal of architectural pieces from the temples to a new museum at the site.<ref>Carassava, A., [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/01/arts/design/01arts-PROTESTERSBE_BRF.html "Protesters Beseech the Gods at the Acropolis"]. ''The New York Times'', 31 August 2008</ref>

[[File:Temple of the Hellenic Gods in Oraiokastro, Thessaloniki, Greece.png|thumb|The Temple of the Hellenic Gods in [[Oraiokastro]], [[Thessaloniki]]]]

The first modern Hellenic temple dedicated to the [[Twelve Olympians|Hellenic gods]] was started in 1994 just outside [[Thessaloniki]] in the village of [[Oraiokastro]] and completed in 2009. 

Another temple, dedicated to [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]] and [[Dionysus]] opened in the nearby village of [[Mesaio]] in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/el/article/sth-8essalonikh-yparxoyn-dyo-naoi-afierwmenoi-stoys-arxaioellhnikoys-8eoys/|script-title=el:Στη Θεσσαλονίκη Υπάρχουν Δύο Ναοί Αφιερωμένοι στους Αρχαιοελληνικούς Θεούς |website=Vice |date=21 March 2019 |access-date=2020-02-18|language=el}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://prometheia.wordpress.com/2009/01/09/naos/|title=The first modern Hellenic Temple! In Thessaloniki, Makedonia!|date=9 January 2009|website=Prometheia 2019|language=en|access-date=2020-02-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsbeast.gr/weekend/arthro/2008926/mithi-ke-alithies-gia-tin-elliniki-omada-e|script-title=el:Μύθοι και αλήθειες για την ελληνική Ομάδα Ε|date=31 October 2015|website=Newsbeast.gr|language=el|access-date=2020-02-20}}</ref>

A third temple, and the first in the [[Peloponnese]], dedicated to [[Zeus]], [[Dionysus]] and [[Pan (god)|Pan]], opened in the village of [[Kalliani]], Arcadia in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kokkinidis |first=Tasos |date=2025-03-10 |title=First Ancient Greek Temple in 1,700 Years Opens in Arcadia |url=https://greekreporter.com/2025/03/10/first-ancient-greek-temple-after-1700-years-opens-arcadia/? |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=GreekReporter.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

A modern Hellenic temple in [[Athens]] is still in the planning stages, <ref>{{cite web | url=https://theoutline.com/post/2843/hellenism-legalized-greece?zd=1&zi=owk674p2 | title=Greece's old gods are ready for your sacrifice }}</ref> and worshippers meet at a temporary temple at the headquarters of the [[Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes]] (YSEE) at an apartment building on Aristotelous street in [[Central Athens (regional unit)|central Athens]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ysee.gr/|title=Ύπατο Συμβούλιο των Ελλήνων Εθνικών|website=ysee.gr|access-date=2020-02-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://theoutline.com/post/2843/hellenism-legalized-greece?zd=1&zi=owk674p2 | title=Greece's old gods are ready for your sacrifice }}</ref>