000			01971nam a22002297a 4500
005			20180917145702.0
008			180917b xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
020			_a9781349378487
028			_aAtlantic Publishers & Distributors (P)LTD. _b;7/22,Anasri Road, Daryaganj,New Delhi-110002 _c;1082223 _d;05/09/2018
082			_a200.09 RIG
100			_aMarguerite Rigoglioso
245			_aThe cult of divine birth in ancient Greece _c/Marguerite Rigoglioso
260			_aNew York _b: Palgrave Macmillan _c, 2009.
300			_ax, 278 pages _c;24 cm.
365			_b1763
505			_a A taxonomy of divine birth priestesshoods -- Divinity, birth, and virginity : the Greek worldview -- Athena's divine birth priestesshood -- Artemis's divine birth priestesshood -- Hera's divine birth priestesshood -- The divine birth priestesshood at Dodona -- The divine birth priestesshood at Delphi -- Is virgin birth possible? and other outrageous questions.
520			_a Greek religion is filled with strange sexual artifacts - stories of mortal women's couplings with gods, rituals like the basilinna's "marriage" to Dionysus, beliefs in the impregnating power of snakes and deities, and more. In this provocative study, Marguerite Rigoglioso suggests these are remnants of an early Greek cult of divine birth, not unlike that of Egypt. Scouring myth, legend, and history from a female-oriented perspective, she argues that many in the highest echelons of Greek civilization believed non-ordinary conception was the only means possible of bringing forth true leaders, and that special virgin priestesshoods were dedicated to this practice. Her book adds a unique perspective to our understanding of antiquity, and has significant implications for the study of Christianity and other religions in which divine birth claims are central.
650			_aReligion
655			_aVirgin birth (Mythology) _bWomen priests
700			_aMarguerite Rigoglioso
942			_cBOOK
999			_c50163 _d50163