From “Infopedia: The Online Encyclopedia”
Hellenism
Hellenism is a polytheistic and henotheistic religion based on the writings and teachings of various philosophers throughout history. Hellenism has been called one of the world’s oldest religions, dating back to the Minoan and Mycenaean periods in Greece during the Bronze Age[citation needed]. The first major Hellene writings were the Iliad and the Odyssey, both attributed to the semi-legendary poet Homer. The Greek city of Athens, regarded as holy by Hellenes, would see a flourishing of philosophy later in Ancient Greece’s history. It was during this time that the philosophy of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle would develop, becoming a fundamental aspect of Hellene theology.
The rise of the Roman Empire would bring further developments to the Hellene religion, perhaps most importantly by creating the concept of an emperor, or a semi-divine absolute monarch who combines religious and secular leadership[citation needed]. Hellenism would undergo a major reform in reaction to the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity. It was around this time that Hellenism would begin to take on its modern form[citation needed].
Hellenes believe that all reality originates with a divine principle known as the Monad, personified as the deity Aion, that simultaneously is the universe and is above it. Emanating from Aion is Mithras, the demiurge, who created the world and represents the divine masculine principle. Also emanating from Aion is Mithras’ wife, Isis, who represents the divine feminine principle. According to some forms of Hellenism, the two are simply the masculine and feminine aspects of the same divinity, although they are almost always worshipped as separate and are likewise almost always portrayed as being married and having separate personalities[citation needed].
Beneath Aion, Mithras, and Isis, are the Dodekatheon, a group of twelve deities forming the “official” Hellene pantheon[1]. The Dodekatheon feature in numerous traditional myths. It is common for Hellenes to take one of the twelve as a “personal god”, who they hold a special devotion to and worship above all others. Bellow the Dodekatheon are various regional deities and lesser gods. Also worthy of mention are deified humans, including Homer, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Augustus, and the mythical Herakles, Romulus, Aeneas, Achilles, and Oddyseus[citation needed]. Most Hellene families have an altar to deified ancestors.
Hellenism features a complex afterlife that is central to its theology. The Hellene god of the afterlife is called Pluto, who is the ruler of an underworld called Hades. According to Hellene theology, all dead souls go to Hades, and stay for as many years as sins they had committed in life. Once the soul has stayed in Hades for long enough, it is reincarnated. The ultimate goal of Hellenism is to escape from the cycle of death, Hades, and rebirth, in some ways similar to the Dharmic religions[citation needed]. Unlike Hinduism, Hellenism does not believe in reincarnation from human to animal(or vice versa), only from human to human.
Hellenes believe that they can escape from this cycle by following the teachings of Hellene philosophy, worshiping the gods, and living a moral life. Once a soul had broken from this cycle, it goes not to Hades upon death, but to the paradisiacal realm of Elysium, where it remains eternally. In addition to Elysium, Hellenes also believe that humans can achieve apotheosis, or become gods. Apotheosis is traditionally reserved for those who had accomplished great feats in life. The vast majority of Hellenes do not seek apotheosis[citation needed].
“Hellene” and “Hellenism” are exonyms. The word “Hellene” was originally used by the Ancient Greeks as an ethnic rather than religious identifier, however, with the rise of Christianity, “Hellene” became increasingly used to signify a religious identity. The cities of Athens and Rome are regarded as sacred by Hellenes, as is Mount Olympus in Greece. The Ancient Greek and Latin languages are both used as liturgical languages by Hellenes, with Latin traditionally having been used as a lingua franca in the Hellene world. The majority of Hellenes live in Western and Southern Europe, with minorities in Egypt, North Africa, the Levant, and Angland.
[1]”Official” in that these are the twelve that everyone agrees on, but there are hundreds of thousands of local village and family gods