Get Free Shipping on orders over $79
Divinity and History : The Religion of Herodotus - Thomas Harrison

Divinity and History

The Religion of Herodotus

By: Thomas Harrison

Paperback | 1 August 2002

At a Glance

Paperback


$68.15

or 4 interest-free payments of $17.04 with

 or 

Ships in 7 to 10 business days

Critics of Herodotus have generally shown an unease in the face of the religious passages of the Histories, a sense that he ''lets himself down'' by delving into matters irrelevant to the proper purpose of history. They have tended consequently to latch on to isolated instances of scepticism in an attempt to vindicate Herodotus from imagined charges of obscurantism. Historians of Greek religion, on the other hand, by their concentration on ritual as the central feature of Greek religious experience, have often neglected the value of literary sources as evidence of religious belief; indeed the term belief has become something of a dirty word. In this book, the first full-length study of the subject in English, Dr Harrison not only places Herodotus'' religious beliefs at the centre of his conception of history, but by seeing instances of scepticism and of belief in relation to one another redresses the recent emphasis on the centrality of ritual, and paints a picture of Greek religion as a means for the explanation of events.
Industry Reviews
`Review from previous edition is fun to read, lively and knowledgeable.' Edith Hall, TLS, 6 July 2001 `This is a definitive work on Herodotus and Herodotean religion - balanced, learned, and wise. It should be an exemplar for all future discussions of ancient attitudes toward the divine, and the first chapter should be required reading for all students of Herodotus. It is almost as pleasurable and rewarding to read as Herodotus himself.' C.M.C. Green, Choice, April 2001 `an outstanding book of erudition indispensable to all scholars interested in Herodotus. Undergraduate students will find it useful as a reference work' Anthony J.Papalas, History, Winter 2001 `What Harrison uncovers for us in the course of this study, while it may not be reducible to a tidy set of tenets, is a positive discovery and enables us to develop a richer understanding of religious phenomena in Herodotus' Histories.' The Anglo-Hellenic Review

Other Editions and Formats

Hardcover

Published: 1st August 2000

More in Classical Literary Studies

Introduction to Medieval Europe 300-1500 : 4th Edition - Wim Blockmans
Discourses and Selected Writings : Penguin Classics - Epictetus
The Histories : Penguin Classics - Herodotus

RRP $24.99

$19.99

20%
OFF
Ancient Greece 4ed : A Political, Social, and Cultural History - Sarah B. Pomeroy
Irish Migrations and Classical Antiquity : Classical Diaspora - Isabelle Torrance
The Lost History of Roman Theatre - T.P. Wiseman
The Last Days of Socrates : Penguin Classics - Plato
Plato: Complete Works - Plato

RRP $85.00

$74.75

12%
OFF
The Inner Citadel : The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - Pierre Hadot
Antigone; Oedipus the King; Electra : Oxford World's Classics - Sophocles
An Independent Study Guide to Reading Greek : 2nd Edition - No Information Available
The Voynich Manuscript - Raymond Clemens

RRP $82.95

$60.75

27%
OFF
Metamorphoses : Oxford World's Classics - Ovid

RRP $23.95

$18.75

22%
OFF
Beowulf : A Translation and Commentary, Together with Sellic Spell - J R R Tolkien
Beowulf : A New Verse Translation - Seamus Heaney

RRP $29.99

$23.75

21%
OFF
Reading Greek : Text and Vocabulary : 2nd Edition - Joint Association of Classical Teachers

RRP $57.95

$51.75

11%
OFF
Eros the Bittersweet : Dalkey Archive Essentials - Anne Carson

RRP $27.99

$24.99

11%
OFF
The Consolation of Philosophy : Penguin Classics - Boethius

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF