[dreis@uoregon.edu]

[dreis@uoregon.edu]

I. Introduction
During the imperial period, many voluntary religious groups became popular as people 1) sought a spiritual experience more intimate than that found in mainstream cult practice, and 2) searched for ways to find meaningful identities in a vast and impersonal empire. Rives’ sixth chapter explores 1) the appeal of these groups (by examining esoteric wisdom traditions and examples of divinely inspired teachers), and 2) the advantages they offered practitioners (focusing on alternatives to mainstream religion, the intensification of religious experience, and an interest in salvation from this world). The Cult of Mithras video examines the characteristics features of the mystery cult dedicated to the god Mithras.

II. Discussion Question
Assignment: Group 1 should post a blog response to question 1; Group 2 should post a blog response to question 2.

1. Warrior, 5.7-8; 7.18; 8.9-10; 9.13-16; 12.1-22. [These selections focus on the use of the Sibylline oracles, the cult of Mithras, and the prevalence of magic and the occult.] Rives explains that ancient Romans interested in esoteric religions had a wide variety of options available to them. He also identifies three specific advantages that these options afforded spiritual seekers. What do Warrior’s selections on reveal about the function and role of the Sibylline oracles and magic/the occult in ancient Roman life? What topics do the selections on magic cover and why do you think there was such widespread interest in this religious approach? What do we know about the cult of Mithras (i.e., membership, the cave, and initiation rituals)? How do Warrior’s selections describe the initiation process, the members’ connection with astrological symbols, and their relationship with Mithras?

2. Corpus Hermeticum XIII [= pp. 65-71 in the Corpus Hermeticum file found on Blackboard]. Offer a brief description of the Hermetic tradition: which god does this group focus on and what characteristics does he possess; what is the Hermetic perspective on the cosmos and human beings, and what do they teach about salvation? Thereafter, examine Corpus Hermeticum XIII, a dialogue between the divine Hermes and his student Tat on the topic of rebirth and salvation (issues mentioned cryptically in an earlier class session). Try to synthesize the teachings of Hermes on this topic: what does Tat learn about the cosmos and the human condition, what techniques does Hermes employ to achieve enlightenment, and how do Hermes and Tat describe this state of mind? Where does this text fit into Rives’ discussion of religious esoterica? What advantage does the dialogue genre have for discussing the topic of salvation? Where do you think this text fits in to the models of religious esoterica that Rives outlines in chapter six? (Rives specifically discusses the Hermetic tradition on pp. 161, 167, and 179, but consider his thoughts throughout the chapter.)

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