Abaton
The abaton (from Greek ἄβατος , ancient Greek pronunciation ábatos , "inaccessible" [adjective in masculine ], plural abata ) is a sacred place that most people cannot enter.
The Adyton is also occasionally referred to as Abaton , the holy of holies of a Greek temple that can only be entered by priests, especially in Epidaurus and in the Apollo temple at Delphi .
In ancient Greece , abata were holy places in the open air, at which a deity or a divine power was remembered in a special way; this could e.g. B. manifest through a flash of lightning . Abata were not allowed to be entered to protect against contamination or, conversely, to protect people from divine anger and were therefore mostly walled up or otherwise cordoned off. Famous Abata include a. the sanctuary of Zeus on the Lycaion , the Erechtheion on the Acropolis of Athens and the grove of the great goddesses in Megalopolis .
In the Greek Church is with Abaton the Holy of Holies, d. H. denotes the curtained choir, which only priests are allowed to enter.
literature
- Paul Stengel: Abaton 1 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 1, Stuttgart 1893, Col. 20 f.
See also
Wikisource: Abǎton - Article of the 4th edition of Meyers Konversations-Lexikon