Religious Ideas Research Articles

ЕВРОПЕЙСКИЕ ИСТОЧНИКИ ВИЗУАЛЬНОГО РОДОСЛОВИЯ ПЕТРА I: ЛОЗА ИЗ "АЛФАВИТА" ИОАННА МАКСИМОВИЧА 1705 Г.

The article is the first to consider in detail the semantics of depicting the family tree of Tsar Peter I on the title page of the book “Alphabet”, published in 1705 by Chernigov Archbishop John Maksimovich. Under the first sovereigns of Romanov dynasty, the visual genealogy of the tsar family was of a spiritual nature and was focused on representing the chosenness by God of the new dynasty. The image of the royal tree under study was the first in which political meaning predominated. It demonstrated the procedure for transferring the throne from great-grandfathers to ancestors on the basis, of legal law, later enshrined in Russian legislation, and not just religious ideas about the origin of the supreme power. The study of material from Western European visual genealogy of the early modern time made it possible to identify images that could serve as models for the compiler of iconography and the artist who engraved the title page of “Alphabet”. First of all, those are the works of French engraver Philippe Thomassin (1562–1622), who was the author of Bourbon family tree. His scheme was repeatedly reproduced in other European countries. Foreign influence is also revealed, both in the very principle of selection and arrangement of persons on the family tree of Peter I, and in the symbolic elements of the composition. Analysis of the image shows that the tree visualizes new political ideas and values that are actively being formed in Petrine absolutist state based on European models.

КОРАНИЧЕСКИЕ ТЕКСТЫ В ХОРОВЫХ СОЧИНЕНИЯХ СОВРЕМЕННЫХ ТАТАРСКИХ КОМПОЗИТОРОВ

The purpose of this work is to concentrate the reader’s gaze on the choral works of Tatar composers, to show that the creation of these works was inspired directly by a religious idea, and this idea manifested itself at the level of the use of Koranic texts. The research material was partly the work of S. Gabyasha, as well as works by Sh. Sharifullin, R. Kalimullin, M. Shamsutdinova, S. Zoryukova for choir, alto flute, double bass, prepared piano and percussion. The author of the article comes to the conclusion that the appeal to the Koranic texts of modern Tatar composers is not only due to the desire to join Muslim spiritual ethics, but also to comprehend their past from the present, thereby outlining the appropriate vector of musical development into the future.

Философско-религиозные предпосылки становления абстрактного искусства

The subject of this study is the philosophical and religious background of abstractionism in the visual arts. The purpose of this article is to analyze the influence of the philosophical views of A. Bergson and religious practices on the work of the founders of abstract. Given the complexity and ambiguity of the topic of the article, the following methodological approach was taken: not only artistic, but also theoretical works of the most prominent figures of abstractionism were analyzed: V. Kandinsky, K. Malevich, P. Mondrian. A theoretical review of studies on the problem of the crisis in art and abstractionism as a reaction to it is presented. The article used the methods of interpretation, hermeneutics, the comparative method, which was used to study the worldviews recorded in the artistic and theoretical works of abstractionists, the semiotic method, the axiological method in the analysis of the values of the cultural crisis of the early XX century, and the analytical method was used in the processing of research literature. The work involved an interdisciplinary approach that focuses on the study of abstractionism as a multidimensional phenomenon. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the fact that in the article for the first time the works of the above-mentioned artists were considered through the prism of the philosophy of life and intuitionism of A. Bergson, as well as religious and spiritual practices (shamanism, Taoism, ancient Greek mythology, Christianity and theosophy), elements of which were used by artists-abstractionists in their paintings. It was concluded that abstract art is characterized by the desire to break with artistic tradition, conflict with time, rejection of unambiguity, the desire to express oneself as much as possible, the cult of creative protest, contradiction and experiment, which led to formal and conceptual innovation, the formation of a new artistic consciousness under the influence of these philosophical and religious ideas.

Female Beliefs in Roman Hispania

In addition to Greco-Roman literary sources and archaeological evidence, inscriptions are the only means of reconstructing the information of certain population groups that were interested in expressing their religious ideas and honourable positions through epigraphy, which was often shaped by very specific local circumstances. The epigraphy of Roman Hispania not only provides valuable information about the daily life, social organization and religious beliefs of the population, but also reflects the adaptation and integration of local communities into the vast Roman Empire. This work provides an overview of women’s beliefs in Hispania through the pedestals and votive altars dedicated by female devotees and priestesses (local and provincial), sometimes linked to the imperial cult, who made offerings to a divinity.

Purananuru: Legacy Thinking andPhilosophical Thoughts

Among the languages of India, Tamil has a unique classical quality. From theperiod of naturalism to the modern period, the way of various literary genres highlights many high thoughts for human life. Thus,in the history of Tamil literature, the period of naturalism, referred to in general terms as the Sangam period, embodies love and waras social values. 18 books like ThokaiEttuthokai)books and Pattubooks(Pathupattu)are naturalistic literature. It can be said that the life of the Tamil people through these literatures was based on the five types of land(Thinai)division found in Tamil Nadu. Chola country was mostly Maruthamland, Chera country was mostly Kurinji land and Pandya country was Mullai land. Proprietary society and state formation originated in Mullai land. Trading cities were built on weaving. The lifestyle of the people was based on such geographical backgrounds. These were aimed at people's morals. The romantic and heroic emotions inherent in all people were emphasized in the literature of the naturalistic period. The literary tradition of that time was compiled in traditional Tamil grammars such as preface, theme, and epithet. The antecedent acts as the conditions and the theme as the background for the occurrence of the thematic morality. Ethical principles for life were constructed as natural ideals. Among these, religious ideas do not find place as institutionalized religious ideas such as Jainism, Buddhism, Saivism, and Vaishnavism. Tamils who were very involved in natural life, admired the natural qualities of the people. Also, the deities of the five types of land (Murugan, Mayon, Indra, Varuna, Kotravai) and their worship can be found in the literature of the natural age. In this way, natural life can be seen in many places like worship, business practices, relationships etc. In this way, legacy (Kodai) traditional thoughts are found in Purananuruhundred which is one of the thokaitexts which are the literature of the naturalistic period. The impermanence of life is highlighted and the gift of giving and helping others in that life and alleviating the poverty of others is highlighted. In this way, the gift of Tamil tradition can be understood from a philosophical point of view.

Религиозные идеи и средневековое судопроизводство. Несколько замечаний об иконографическом повороте в истории права

The article explores legal medieval iconography in its inextricable connection with the religious ideas of the time and ecclesiastical settings reflected in the canon law, theology, and hagiography. The first steps in this direction were taken only in the beginning of the 21st century, even though the iconic turn in historical research has been discussed for decades. Nevertheless, recent publications on legal medieval iconography still come from the pen of art historians, philologists, or literary critics, but not legal historians. As a result, the analysis of the content of these images is often replaced by mere descriptions. The author offers quite a different approach. Instead of studying miniatures and marginalia only as illustrations to the text to which they are formally attached, she attempts to relate the content of these images with medieval religious ideas. Such a turn of study necessitates references to ecclesiastical texts, and in each individual case, as the author accentuates, it requires a distinctly specific source. Thus, the analysis of the miniature from the “Coutumes de Toulouse” (end of the 13th c.) requires the reference to the Decretum of Gratian and the Liber sextus of Boniface VIII, according to which the artist interpreted the degradation of clerics. The marginalia from the “Coutumes de Bordeaux” (1438), which illustrates the death sentence imposed on thieves, recalls the doctrine of atonement developed by Anselm of Canterbury. The image of the Virgin Mary in the scene of fox Renard’s hanging from the Smithfield decretals (second half of the 14th c.) refers to the ideas of the parasudic procedure liberatus a suspendio, repeatedly described in Marian hagiography. The treatise of French theologian Jean Gerson “Requête pour les condamnés à mort” (end of the 14th c.) should be considered as a starting point for changing the iconography of the death penalty in the next century. In general, as the author concludes, the comparison of medieval legal images with the works of canonists, theologians and hagiographic writings allows not only to understand the deeper meaning inherent in miniatures, but also to clarify the dating of manuscripts, the principles of the artists’ work and their relations with clients.

ФИЛОСОФСКОЕ НАСЛЕДИЕ Д. В. ПИВОВАРОВА: ВЕКТОРЫ РЕЛИГИОЗНОЙ ДУХОВНОСТИ

The relevance of the study of D. V. Pivovarov’s philosophical heritage, his proposed approach to under¬standing religious spirituality, the developed concept of forms of religion and religiosity (cosmocentrism, egocentrism, sociocentrism) is related to the fact that today Russia is in search of that spiritual foundation that could unite all Rus¬sians. The purpose of the article is to show the methodological possibilities of applying D. V. Pivovarov’s concept to com¬prehend the phenomenon of «new spirituality» expressed through such concepts introduced by modern Russian legal acts: «Russian nation», «all-Russian civil identity», «common cultural (civilizational) code of the Russian people». To describe the approach of D.V. Pivovarov, the principles of system analysis are used, which allows us to evaluate the contribution of an outstanding Ural scientist to Russian religious studies; the judgments and conclusions of the author of the concept are used as methodological guidelines for the analysis of the phenomenon of «new spirituality». As a result of the study, the authors came to the conclusion that it is possible to interpret the phenomenon of «new spirituality» as an attempt to create such a «solid core» of sacred values of the unified Russian culture, which will en¬sure the non-conflict coexistence of the ideals of cosmocentrism, sociocentrism and egocentrism. The practical significance is seen in the fact that, being an important methodological tool, the approach proposed by D. V. Pivovarov will find application in the study and explanation of new religious ideas and spiritual practices ad¬equate to the needs of the time, in the teaching of historical and religious studies courses, in assessing the effectiveness of mechanisms for strengthening Russian identity.

“After the Ball” by Leo Tolstoy in the context of his religious and philosophical ideas

“After the Ball” by Leo Tolstoy in the context of his religious and philosophical ideas

CORRESPONDENCE OF THE CONCEPT OF «ISNAN KAMIL» IN ISLAM WITH THE CONCEPT OF «MIND» IN ABAI

The purpose of the study is to determine the relationship between the concept of «insan kamil» (a perfect man) and the concept of «mind» in the Words of Edification of Abai Kunanbaev. Particular atten-tion is paid to the religious and philosophical aspects of «insan kamil» in Islam, and the views of thinkers who analyzed it. Various versions of «insan kamil» are listed and the features of its appearance are con-sidered, including the essence of the ontological and anthropological concepts of Ibn Arabi, Al-Ghazali, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi, in particular, their teachings on the role of man, being and mind.The study showed the compatibility of categories based on symbolism in the Words of Edification of Abai, including the concepts of «mind» and «a wise person», with the characteristics and interpretations of a perfect person. In the course of this study, information was collected regarding the theoretical basis of this topic, and it made it possible, through comparative historical, diachronic and synchronic data analysis, to determine the general views of thinkers around the concept of «mind.»In the course of the study, religious and anthropological ideas and concepts in words of edification, the scientific and philosophical function of the mind, various ethical issues that reveal the existence of a perfect person are considered, the problem of the relationship between action and intention, and the significance of spiritual existence are determined. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that the results of the study can be used to identify the issue of the relationship between the concept of «insan kamil» among Islamic thinkers and the concept of «mind» by Abai in the subject areas of the his-tory of philosophy and religious studies.

Четыре религиозных системы в сериале «Мир Дикого Запада»

The paper focuses on the religious ideas of the series «Westworld». The meanings of the labyrinth as a place of gaining self-awareness and a space of pagan sacrifices are revealed. It is shown that in the series the creation of the world and man demonstrates the features of various religious systems: Old Testament monotheism, Zoroastrian dualism and Christianity. Parallels are drawn between the development of the plot of the second season and the biblical plot of the Exodus. The symbolism of the Tower of Babel in the third and fourth seasons of the series is analyzed, as well as the concept of Christian sacrifice given by means of technology in the post-Christian world.

Yakut National Holiday – Ysyakh: traditions and modernity

The subject of the study is the transformation of rites and rituals in the structural part of the traditional Ysyakh holiday among the Yakuts. In the traditional sense of the Yakuts, ysyakh was a calendar and ceremonial holiday after which the economic cattle breeding year began. In addition, the traditional holiday vividly reflected the religious ideas of the Yakuts – receiving blessings from the bright deities of Ayyy. During the genesis and transformation of this holiday through the prism of historical periods, the appearance of the holiday and religious beliefs are transformed, but the use of ritual utensils and food remains within the framework of rituals. In the work, the subject of research is mainly revealed through the prism of tradition and modernity. The work is divided into the structure and rituals of the traditional holiday in the first part, in the second half the authors' materials on the modern celebration of Ysyakh in 2022. The main methods in the article are diachronic, the method of included observation, as well as interviewing. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that the national holiday Ysyakh is considered within the framework of its genesis, from tradition to modernity. Today, the holiday is an important ethnocultural and regional event in the territory of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the work contains relevant materials from the Olonkho Ysyakhs and the local urban district in the territory of the Vilyui group of uluses for 2022. As a result of the work, the authors conclude that despite the historical conditions through which this holiday passed, it retained its original idea: the beginning of a new economic cycle, the birth of nature, the worship of the bright deities of Ayyy, the preservation of the sacredness of food in rituals and rituals.

The Images of Sacred Trees in Ancient Egyptian Fairy Tales

The paper examines the semantics of trees described in the ancient Egyptian fairy tales “Tale of Two Brothers” and in the “Story of Sinuhe”. The purpose of the study is to identify the semantics of trees in these fairy tales, their relationship with the religious ideas of the Egyptians and specifies of ideas about the calendar cycle displayed in these texts. The author traces literary parallels between the images of fairy-tale trees and the motifs of the “Book of the Dead”, which tells about the posthumous life of the soul of the deceased in the Netherworld. The study reveals that in the “Tale of Two Brothers”, the cedar and two persea trees are correlated with the Osiris and solar cults. The persea trees represent the rays of the sun, Osiris and the deceased as the blessed spirit Akh. The cedar inflorescence located at the top of the tree is also associated with the image of the sun. It was found that in this fairy tale, the description of tree life and the hero’s repeated birth reflect the change of calendar cycles from the flood season to the harvest season, from the period of visibility of celestial bodies and plants to the period of their invisibility. The sycamore, mentioned in the “Story of Sinuhe”, is the sacred tree of Hathor, Isis and Nut and appears as a symbol of the heaven with which these goddesses were associated.

A Narrative Review on Jerusalem Syndrome: Exploring Diagnosis, Treatment and Cultural Impacts

Visitors to Jerusalem who are not religious may experience “Jerusalem Syndrome,” characterised by obsessive religious ideas and delusions that can lead to psychosis. There are three varieties of this disorder. However, it is not officially recognised: Type-I affects individuals who have already experienced psychosis; Type-II affects persons who held unusual ideas before travelling to Jerusalem; and Type-III affects people who were initially mentally stable but developed psychosis while in Jerusalem. The review explores the effects of Jerusalem Syndrome on mental health, drawing comparisons with “Paris Syndrome.” Notable similarities with schizophrenia point to different initiators related to Jerusalem’s significance. Jerusalem Syndrome is treated with individualised mental care that combines medication and psychotherapy.

RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS AND SOCIAL PICTURE OF THE WORLD IN TOLGAU WORKS OF BUKHAR ZHYRAU

This article analyzes the relationship between religious concepts and the formation of a social picture of the world on the example of the work of the outstanding Kazakh figure and thinker Bukhar Zhyrau. The study is based on the analysis of poems, words of wisdom and philosophical works of Zhyrau, as well as on a contextual analysis of the historical and sociocultural features of his era. The article discusses the main topics related to religious ideas, ethics and worldview, which are absorbed into the work of Bukhar Zhyrau and influence the formation of his understanding of the world and society. The results of the study may be useful for understanding the influence of religious knowledge on the formation of cultural and social values in the context of the tradition and history of Kazakh literature. The purpose of the study is to explain the influence of religious education on the formation of cultural and social values in the context of traditions and history of Kazakh literature, as well as the formation of spiritual and moral values of the younger generation in educational practice. It is quite possible that the introduction of these principles and values in the cognition and lifestyle of modern society will contribute to the positive solution of current problems related to spirituality and morality. In addition, this article provides a deep analysis of philosophical wisdom and artistic creativity of Bukhar Zhyrau, identification of religious and cognitive concepts, spiritual and moral problems addressed in his works, their significance and relevance for modern society. It is assumed that the results of the study will be useful for the development of Kazakh literature and culture, philosophy, as well as the field of social sciences and will allow a deeper understanding of religious, spiritual and moral values celebrated in the works of Bukhar Zhyrau.

На переломе: Ф. А. Степун о революции 1917 г. и советском строительстве в России

The aim of the article is to highlight the historical, philosophical and religious views of Fyodor Augustovich Stepun (1884–1965), a scientist, philosopher, Christian thinker, about the 1917 Revolution and post-revolutionary Soviet construction in Russia. The relevance of the topic is justified, and the necessity of its further study is emphasized. The author characterizes the corpus of sources, including Stepun’s works of different years that comprehend this topic. The author emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of Stepun’s research strategy that combines scientific methods of knowledge, such as the critical method, the method of ideal-typical construction, the biographical method, the method of philosophical criticism of literary texts, and the main provisions of religious symbolism, which implies the study of history in the context of higher religious ideas. Based on such an interdisciplinary approach, Stepun considered the revolution as a religious and historical tragedy of the Russian people and the Christian world as a whole, while paying attention to a careful study of the factual material. Stepun’s ideas about the causes of the Revolution of 1917 are highlighted, in the structure of which he attributed a key place to the counterproductive policy of the Russian autocracy and World War I, which was unsuccessful for Russia. The complexity of Stepun’s ideas about the February and October revolutions is emphasized. Attention is focused on his positive attitude to the February Revolution, the main goal of which was the democratization of the Russian political system. Stepun also accepted the October Revolution, which raised the world-wide theme of socialism, connected, in his opinion, with the Christian project of the transformation of the world. The thinker’s ideas about the religious consciousness of the people as a factor of their political activity in the revolutionary epoch are analyzed. A positive attitude is observed. Stepun’s ideas about the revolutionary game, in his interpretation reflecting the population’s search for forms of social adaptation in the first post-revolutionary years, are considered. His deep rejection of Bolshevism as a political system with its God-fighting and class ideology, which contributed to the widespread state violence and immoralism in the country, is emphasized. It is concluded that Stepun’s conception of the 1917 Revolution and Soviet construction in Russia is meaningful, and that it is relevant to contemporary Russian society.

The Risks to Germany’s Peace and Security Generated by the Reichsbürger Movement or “Citizens of the Reich” Based on Political and Religious Convictions

In recent years, the extreme right in Germany has expanded, the phenomenon gaining momentum. The far-right groups and organisations in Germany were, are and will be dominated by an ideology that amalgamates religious or non-religious ideas but that defends German culture and spirituality according to its visions and objectives. Adherents of far-right ideology combine these ideas with conspiracy theories, and on such a background, some of them change their attitude towards society and become violent. For example, right-wing extremists attacked the Parliament, the symbol of democracy, for the first time in Germany, namely on 29 August 2020, and later on 6 January 2021, protesters, including right-wing extremists, attacked the Congress of the United States of America. One of the organisations, such as the Reichsbürger Movement, which means Citizens of the Reich, who reject the current borders of Germany and want the return to those established in 1871, set up cells and planned activities recently catalogued as terrorists by German prosecutors, in December 2022 and May 2023. For the Citizens of the Reich, there is no Federal Republic of Germany because this country is part of a conspiracy and part of a satanic state system, and they recognise only Imperial Germany. According to the religious beliefs of some of them, the imperial constitution was received from God and must be respected, and they are in an apocalyptic battle between good and evil. The model invoked by some of them is that of Jesus Christ who changed society, erroneously invoking biblical precepts to bolster their claims.

Riscurile la adresa păcii și securității Germaniei generate de mișcarea Reichsbürger sau „cetăţenii Reichului” pe fondul convingerilor politice și religioase

In recent years, the extreme right in Germany has expanded, the phenomenon gaining momentum. The far-right groups and organisations in Germany were, are and will be dominated by an ideology that amalgamates religious or non-religious ideas but that defends German culture and spirituality according to its visions and objectives. Adherents of far-right ideology combine these ideas with conspiracy theories, and on such a background, some of them change their attitude towards society and become violent. For example, right-wing extremists attacked the Parliament, the symbol of democracy, for the first time in Germany, namely on 29 August 2020, and later on 6 January 2021, protesters, including right-wing extremists, attacked the Congress of the United States of America. One of the organisations, such as the Reichsbürger Movement, which means Citizens of the Reich, who reject the current borders of Germany and want the return to those established in 1871, set up cells and planned activities recently catalogued as terrorists by German prosecutors, in December 2022 and May 2023. For the Citizens of the Reich, there is no Federal Republic of Germany because this country is part of a conspiracy and part of a satanic state system, and they recognise only Imperial Germany. According to the religious beliefs of some of them, the imperial constitution was received from God and must be respected, and they are in an apocalyptic battle between good and evil. The model invoked by some of them is that of Jesus Christ who changed society, erroneously invoking biblical precepts to bolster their claims.

Ossetian Folk Holiday Ichina

The article studies one of the most significant Ossetian folk festivals called Ichina (Ich’yna / Ik’ina). This research contributes to a more comprehensive reconstruction of traditional religious and mythological representations of the Ossetians, which determines the relevance of the research topic. The scientific novelty of research lies in the formulation of the problem: Ichina is still one of the least studied traditional holidays of Ossetians, so the question of the ratio of exogenous and endogenous elements in it is being raised for the first time. Also, for the first time, an attempt is being made to identify the archaic mythological basis of traditional ideas associated with this holiday. It is known that the name Ichina is derived from the Greek word Enkenia, which denotes the Christian holiday of the Renewal of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem. The aim of the study is to try to identify elements of exogenous religious ideas in the Ossetian holiday of Ichin, as well as the underlying traditional Ossetian beliefs. Analysis of various sources shows that the Ichin holiday, while generally corresponding to the Christian Enkenia, also contains elements that relate it to the Jewish holiday of Renewal. In particular, Ichina discovers a specific connection with the fire-light symbolism, which, however, does not necessarily indicate a direct familiarity with Jewish rites and could be perceived within the Christian tradition. Ethnographic materials refer the time of the holiday to the autumn period of the cattle breeding cycle. At the same time, in folklore texts about this holiday there is an implicit indication of the correlation between the transition to the wintering of livestock and the transition to the wintering of snakes. The use of comparative mythological material makes it possible to clarify this unusual connection. Since the functions of the guardian of livestock in mythology often belong to a serpentine deity, it is concluded that the holiday basically dates back to the ancient pastoral cult of a deity endowed with serpentine features.

The Cultural and Linguistic Diversity of Migrants in South Africa

This article reflects on the position of migrants in a South African setting and on their integration in the host community, with attention paid to family religious affiliation. As an interdisciplinary contribution, it introduces the concepts of “language policy” and “family language policy” in reference to African migrants’ narratives of adults who recently moved to the Western Cape in search of security and better life chances. Multilingual repertoires shape social mobility options, and vulnerable people draw on religious ideas to interpret their life journeys while seeking a better future. Also, in maintenance of heritage languages, religion often plays a central role. The notion of “family” applied to migrant workers rarely fits traditional definitions. The paper attends to how migrants’ and refugees’ mobility affects their experiences in culturally, linguistically, and religiously diverse communities. Finally—mostly embedded in a discussion of other pertinent themes—the article indicates how migrants refer to the role of church and religion in their itineraries.

“Mills of God”: Two Ways of Envisaging Justice and Punishment in Greek Antiquity

This paper discusses two typical Greek traditions of envisaging punishments for wrongdoings: one is the religious idea of inherited responsibility, and the other is the invention and evolution of the notion of hell. The former idea, sometimes summarized by authorities such as Gustave Glotz, Eric Dodds, and Hugh Lloyd-Jones under the terms inherited guilt, ancestral fault, and responsabilité héréditaire, is one of the major themes running through the writings of authors of both the Archaic and Classical periods, and is found in genres such as elegy, historiography, oratory, and prominently tragedy. As a core idea of Greek literature, it suggests that the descendants of wrongdoers are punished not for their own sins but for those of their ancestors. With the exclusion of ideas of a punishing hell, an afterlife, and the transmigration of souls, the doctrine of inherited responsibility has its own necessity for sustaining belief in the efficacy of divine punishment, given the common human experience that evil generally escapes punishment. Solon is the first Greek author to make such a statement explicitly. The latter tradition has a much longer history, which runs from Homer to Plato. Nonetheless, the descriptions of hell from Homer onwards do not remain consistent and uniform. Its evolution with the gradual incorporation of religious ideas such as afterlife punishment and transmigration of souls witnesses the need for a much more self-sufficient interpretation of cosmic justice than the notion of inherited responsibility. One interesting fact about the two traditions is that both have coexisted in the same period of time in the testimony of contemporary authors and even in the same author, notably Herodotus and Plato. Nonetheless, “with the growing emancipation of the individual from the old family solidarity”, the former idea has to give way to the latter. And in turn, the notion of inherited responsibility that gradually becomes unacceptable prompts the maturation of hell by the introduction of new elements from eschatological movements. This paper is divided into five parts. The first part serves as an introduction. The second part discusses the Homeric depiction of the Hades, which represents an early Greek understanding of the life of the dead. The third part is devoted to a detailed analysis of Solon’s notion of inherited responsibility and the various factors that contribute to its final explicit articulation. The fourth part focuses on the Orphic ideas of afterlife trial and transmigration of souls and their introduction into what we may call Platonic hell culminant in antiquity, which aims to offer a more self-contained system of justice and punishment. The fifth part is a conclusion.