Deisidaimonia
Deisidaimonia ( Greek δεισιδαιμονία ) originally referred to conscientiousness in religious matters in ancient Greek religion, so it initially had a positive meaning. In classical times, Deisidaimonia meant exaggerated bigotry , superstition and bigotry . It thus corresponds to the Roman superstition .
Theophrastus of Eresos describes the Deisidaimonia as "cowardice towards the divine" and Plutarch in de superstitione expresses himself similarly and leads the Deisidaimonia back to an insufficient knowledge of the gods. The devotee's submissive and exaggerated fearful attitude towards the gods is based on a misunderstanding of what the gods demand and expect of man.
literature
- Hendrik Bolkestein : Theophrastus' character of Deisidaimonia as a religious-historical document. Religious historical experiments and preparatory work 21.2. Töpelmann, Giessen 1929.
- Hendrik S. Versnel : Deisidaimonia. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 3, Metzler, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-476-01473-8 , column 378 f.
Individual evidence
- ^ Theophrastus, characteres 16.