Grace Cartwright
Professor Anne Stewart
December 2014
Greek religion is focused on representing and interpreting the external world. The Greeks wanted to control and define chaos. This is similar to many religions as many religions focus on creating order in a chaotic world. In ancient Greece life was precarious. Life was dangerous and unpredictable. Something that separates Greek religion from others is that there is no sacred text. This makes studying it difficult and sometimes a lot is left up to interpretation. There is no word of God, like in Christianity interpreted through the Bible, or Hebrew Torah or Islamic Qur’an. In this way Greek religion is fundamentally improvisatory. However, it is also systematic. The central ritual is offerings …show more content…
Najasat means, “unclean” or “impure.” Based on Sharia law, Muslims believe that in inherent and acquired types of najasat. Something that is inherently unclean is called ayn najis. A pure thing comes into contact with something that is ayn najis and is called najis. There are nine ayn najis in Islam, or nine things that are impure. This specificity of rules is where miasma in ancient Greece differs greatly. Miasma certainly is up to more interpretation. For example, it can be unknown at times if one has miasma, while in Islam because of the explicit nature of Sharia law, it is clear every time something is made impure. Muslims place great importance on cleanliness both physically and spiritually. Physical cleanliness and good personal hygiene are requirements of Islam. Physical cleanliness is the first step on the path to spiritual cleanliness. The purpose of Islamic spiritual cleanliness is to achieve a pure inner-self. A pure inner-self in the Islamic sense is one that is free from polytheism, lust and carnal desires of want and wealth. Islam is centered on a community and having individuals be clean and work to be clean creates a clean, pure and ultimately more spiritual community. Similar to miasma, things that have najis can be cleaned in a variety of ways. The most important, significant and the most similar to ancient Greek religion is water. In the previously discussed festival of maimakterion, the Athenians go down to a river to clean themselves as part of it. The Greeks also believed in the healing power of salt water and there was nothing a good swim in the ocean or libation to Poseidon couldn’t help. The Greeks left clay jars filled with water outside the bounds of the sanctuary so that worshipers could purify themselves before entering. In Islam,
Professor Anne Stewart
December 2014
Greek religion is focused on representing and interpreting the external world. The Greeks wanted to control and define chaos. This is similar to many religions as many religions focus on creating order in a chaotic world. In ancient Greece life was precarious. Life was dangerous and unpredictable. Something that separates Greek religion from others is that there is no sacred text. This makes studying it difficult and sometimes a lot is left up to interpretation. There is no word of God, like in Christianity interpreted through the Bible, or Hebrew Torah or Islamic Qur’an. In this way Greek religion is fundamentally improvisatory. However, it is also systematic. The central ritual is offerings …show more content…
Najasat means, “unclean” or “impure.” Based on Sharia law, Muslims believe that in inherent and acquired types of najasat. Something that is inherently unclean is called ayn najis. A pure thing comes into contact with something that is ayn najis and is called najis. There are nine ayn najis in Islam, or nine things that are impure. This specificity of rules is where miasma in ancient Greece differs greatly. Miasma certainly is up to more interpretation. For example, it can be unknown at times if one has miasma, while in Islam because of the explicit nature of Sharia law, it is clear every time something is made impure. Muslims place great importance on cleanliness both physically and spiritually. Physical cleanliness and good personal hygiene are requirements of Islam. Physical cleanliness is the first step on the path to spiritual cleanliness. The purpose of Islamic spiritual cleanliness is to achieve a pure inner-self. A pure inner-self in the Islamic sense is one that is free from polytheism, lust and carnal desires of want and wealth. Islam is centered on a community and having individuals be clean and work to be clean creates a clean, pure and ultimately more spiritual community. Similar to miasma, things that have najis can be cleaned in a variety of ways. The most important, significant and the most similar to ancient Greek religion is water. In the previously discussed festival of maimakterion, the Athenians go down to a river to clean themselves as part of it. The Greeks also believed in the healing power of salt water and there was nothing a good swim in the ocean or libation to Poseidon couldn’t help. The Greeks left clay jars filled with water outside the bounds of the sanctuary so that worshipers could purify themselves before entering. In Islam,