Syncretism - Syncretism in Ancient Greece

Syncretism is the attempt to reconcile disparate, even opposing, beliefs and to meld practices of various schools of thought. It is especially associated with the attempt to merge and analogize several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, and thus assert an underlying unity. Syncretism is also common in literature, music, the representational arts and other expressions of culture. (Compare the concept of eclecticism.) There also exist syncretic politics, although in politi ...

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• Syncretism - Social and political roles
• Syncretism - Origin of the word
• Syncretism - Syncretism in Ancient Greece
• Syncretism - Syncretism in Rome
• Syncretism - Syncretism in Christianity
• Syncretism - Syncretism in Islam
• Syncretism - Syncretism in the Bahá'í Faith
• Syncretism - Syncretism in the Caribbean
• Syncretism - Syncretism in the Enlightenment
• Syncretism - Modern syncretic religions
• Syncretism - Modern syncretic social movements

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Syncretism was an essential feature of Greek paganism. Hellenistic culture in the age that followed Alexander the Great was itself syncretic, essentially a blend of Persian, Anatolian, Egyptian (and eventually Etruscan-Roman) elements within a Hellenic overall formula. The Egyptian god Amun developed as the Hellenized Zeus Ammon after Alexander the Great went into the desert to seek out Amun's oracle at Siwa. These identifications derive from the Hellenic habit of identifying gods of disparate mythologies with their own. When t ...

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Syncretism, Syncretism - Social and political roles, Syncretism - Origin of the word, Syncretism - Syncretism in Ancient Greece, Syncretism - Syncretism in Rome, Syncretism - Syncretism in Christianity, Syncretism - Syncretism in Islam, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Bahá'í Faith, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Caribbean, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Enlightenment, Syncretism - Modern syncretic religions, Syncretism - Modern syncretic social movements

Read more here: » Syncretism: Encyclopedia II - Syncretism - Syncretism in Ancient Greece

Overt syncretism in folk belief is a sign of cultural acceptance of an alien or previous tradition, but the "other" cult may survive or infiltrate without authorized syncresis nevertheless. An example is the fact that some Conversos developed a sort of cult for martyrs who were victims of the Spanish Inquisition, thus incorporating elements of Catholicism while resisting it. Some religious movements have embraced overt syncretism, such as the case of the adoption of Shinto elements into Buddhism. Others have strongly rejected it as devaluing precious and genuine distinctions; e ...

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Syncretism, Syncretism - Social and political roles, Syncretism - Origin of the word, Syncretism - Syncretism in Ancient Greece, Syncretism - Syncretism in Rome, Syncretism - Syncretism in Christianity, Syncretism - Syncretism in Islam, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Bahá'í Faith, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Caribbean, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Enlightenment, Syncretism - Modern syncretic religions, Syncretism - Modern syncretic social movements

Read more here: » Syncretism: Encyclopedia II - Syncretism - Social and political roles

Recently developed religious systems that exhibit marked syncretism include the New World religions Candomblé, Vodun, and Santería, which analogize various Yorùbá and other African gods to the Roman Catholic pantheon of saints. Some sects of Candomblé have incorporated also Native American gods, and Umbanda combined African deities with Kardecist spiritualism. Unitarian Universalism is an example of a modern syncretic religion; it traces its roots to Universalist and Unitarian Christian congregations while at the same time freely incorporating el ...

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Syncretism, Syncretism - Social and political roles, Syncretism - Origin of the word, Syncretism - Syncretism in Ancient Greece, Syncretism - Syncretism in Rome, Syncretism - Syncretism in Christianity, Syncretism - Syncretism in Islam, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Bahá'í Faith, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Caribbean, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Enlightenment, Syncretism - Modern syncretic religions, Syncretism - Modern syncretic social movements

Read more here: » Syncretism: Encyclopedia II - Syncretism - Modern syncretic religions

Nascent Christianity appears to have incorporated many European Pagan cultural elements, "baptizing" or "Christianizing" them to conform with Christian belief and principles, at least partially through discarding theologically and morally incompatible elements. One example of this is the strong connection between the thought of St. Augustine and Neoplatonic thought, and St. Thomas Aquinas's many quotations of "The Philosopher", Aristotle. Many scholars agree to this syncretism in principle, though any specific example is likely to be labeled ...

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Syncretism, Syncretism - Social and political roles, Syncretism - Origin of the word, Syncretism - Syncretism in Ancient Greece, Syncretism - Syncretism in Rome, Syncretism - Syncretism in Christianity, Syncretism - Syncretism in Islam, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Bahá'í Faith, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Caribbean, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Enlightenment, Syncretism - Modern syncretic religions, Syncretism - Modern syncretic social movements

Read more here: » Syncretism: Encyclopedia II - Syncretism - Syncretism in Christianity

The Romans, identifying themselves as common heirs to a very similar civilization, identified Greek deities with similar figures in the Etruscan-Roman tradition, though cult practices were not usually copied. (For details, see Similarities between Roman, Greek, and Etruscan mythologies.) Syncretic gods of the Hellenistic period found also wide favor in Rome: Serapis, Isis, Mithras are syncretic deities. Cybele, as she was worshiped in Rome, was essentially a syncretic goddess. The Greek god Dionysus was imported into Rome as Bacchus, and the Anatol ...

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Syncretism, Syncretism - Social and political roles, Syncretism - Origin of the word, Syncretism - Syncretism in Ancient Greece, Syncretism - Syncretism in Rome, Syncretism - Syncretism in Christianity, Syncretism - Syncretism in Islam, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Bahá'í Faith, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Caribbean, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Enlightenment, Syncretism - Modern syncretic religions, Syncretism - Modern syncretic social movements

Read more here: » Syncretism: Encyclopedia II - Syncretism - Syncretism in Rome

The word Syncretism is first attested in English in 1618 and is derived from modern Latin syncretismus, drawing on Greek συγκρητισμός (synkretismos), meaning "a union of communities". The word occurs in Plutarch's (1st century AD) essay on "Fraternal Love" in his Moralia (2.490b). He cites the example of the Cretans who were reconciliated in their differences and came together in alliance when faced with external dangers. "And that is their so-called Syncretism." The word is a compound of ...

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Syncretism, Syncretism - Social and political roles, Syncretism - Origin of the word, Syncretism - Syncretism in Ancient Greece, Syncretism - Syncretism in Rome, Syncretism - Syncretism in Christianity, Syncretism - Syncretism in Islam, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Bahá'í Faith, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Caribbean, Syncretism - Syncretism in the Enlightenment, Syncretism - Modern syncretic religions, Syncretism - Modern syncretic social movements

Read more here: » Syncretism: Encyclopedia II - Syncretism - Origin of the word