ABSTRACT
Chapter 8 explores the interaction between Athenian law and religion. I argue that, while the institutions of the Athenian Democracy were based on reason and secular concepts, religion still had a significant impact upon public life, especially when festivals or rituals were intentionally neglected or violated. Section 8.2 offers a background discussion on the relationship between religion and the law, with particular emphasis upon the differences between the pagan Graeco-Roman world and Christianity. Section 8.3 includes a discussion on the main festivals of the Athenian state, especially the ones which played an important role in the public life and political agenda of the city. The next section explores prosecutions for religious offences, especially the probole and the graphe asebeias. The final section discusses homicide and its associations with religion.
