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Oracle - what does it mean? Is the oracle an object or a person? What does oracle mean.

ORACLE, -a, m.

1. In the ancient world and among the peoples of the Ancient East: a priest is a soothsayer of the will of a deity, who gave answers to any questions in an indisputable form.

2. trans. About the one whose judgments are recognized as indisputable truth (iron.).

| adj. ~sky, th, th.

S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language

ORACLE What is it ORACLE, meaning of the word ORACLE, synonyms for ORACLE, origin (etymology) ORACLE, ORACLE stress, word forms in other dictionaries

+ ORACLE- T.F. Efremova New dictionary Russian language. Explanatory- derivational

ORACLE

oracle

op A cool

1. m.

a) Divination, allegedly coming from a deity and announced by a priest (among the ancient Greeks, Romans and peoples of the ancient East).

b) The place, the temple, where they turned for divination.

a) The name of the divination book.

b) The subject on which they are guessing.

2. m.

1) Divining deity; a priest who gives answers, divinations, supposedly coming from a deity.

2) A person whose all judgments are recognized by others as immutable truth, revelation.

+ ORACLE- Modern Dictionary ed. "Big Soviet Encyclopedia»

ORACLE

(lat. oraculum, from oro - I say, I ask), among the ancient Greeks, Romans and the peoples of the East, a prediction transmitted by priests on behalf of a deity to inquiring believers, as well as a place where the prediction was announced. IN figuratively- a person whose all judgments are recognized as indisputable truth, revelation.

+ ORACLE- Dictionary foreign words

+ ORACLE- Small academic dictionary of the Russian language

ORACLE

oracle

A, m.

1. In the ancient world:

a place, a temple, where the priests prophesied on behalf of a deity, as well as a divining deity.

Delphic oracle.

Alexander went to the oracle and temple of Sivakh. Bunin, Alexander in Egypt.

2. trans. Book.

A person whose judgments are recognized as indisputable truth, revelation.

- It's hard to be a judge in someone else's case ---. If possible, release me from the embarrassing role of an oracle and decide for yourself. Chernyshevsky, Theory and practice.

3. Obsolete

Divinatory book.

A "New Complete Oracle ---" appeared in the house. And Nastasya Petrovna put on her glasses in the evenings, rolled a wax ball and began to throw it at the circles of the oracle. Bunin, Village.

(Latin oraculum)

+ ORACLE- Compiled dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

ORACLE

oracle

ORACLE

(lat. oraculum, from orare - to speak, to ask). 1) soothsayer; enigmatic saying, irrefutably stated. 2) the sayings of the gods. 3) a person who speaks something, like an oracle, whose words are given special faith.

(Source: "Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language." Chudinov A.N., 1910)

ORACLE

lat. oraculum, from orare, to speak, to ask. a) a soothsayer; foretelling. b) A person whose opinions are given special credit. c) Mysterious saying.

Which is called the oracle. In a broader sense, the oracle was understood as a soothsayer - the place where the prediction was announced, and the text of the prediction itself. IN modern language an oracle is understood as a predictor of the future, as well as a person whose all judgments are recognized as an indisputable truth, a revelation.

Origin

Like other oracles, the Pythia gave predictions on strictly defined days - only on the seventh day of the month, moreover, the sanctuary was closed for the winter. In order to guarantee the Pythia's favor, the inquirers had to offer copious sacrifices at Delphi. Simpler people, therefore, did not turn to the Pythia, but to wandering soothsayers. The Delphi oracle was closed in 393 by order of the Christian emperor Theodosius the Great as a stronghold of paganism.

Sybils and Mantica

The uniqueness of the oracles was that they were perceived as a gate through which one could directly communicate with the deity, ask him questions. In the era of Hellenism, oracles began to compete with sibyls - soothsayers scattered around the outskirts Greek world. Unlike the oracles, they did not respond to requests addressed to them, but in ecstasy prophesied the disasters that would come to people. The sayings of the sibyls were recorded in special books, which in ancient Rome were accessed only with the special permission of the senate.

Unlike oracles, the sibyls could represent the common heritage of all Indo-European peoples - such predictors are known among the Celts, they are described in the Ramayana and Mahabharata, among the Slavs the prophetic magi performed the same function, among the Germans - Velva and Veleda.

From oracles and sibyls, priests who were engaged in mantic should be distinguished, - the interpretation of signs sent down by the gods. In ancient Rome, these included augurs, who interpreted the behavior of birds, and haruspices, who divined from the insides of sacrificial animals.

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Notes

Literature

E. V. Prikhodko. // The concept of fate in context different cultures. M.: 1994. S. 191-197.

Divination methods

Classic

Other

National

Excerpt characterizing the Oracle

“I don’t think bad things about anyone: I love everyone and feel sorry for everyone. But what am I to do?
Sonya did not give up on the gentle tone with which Natasha addressed her. The softer and more searching Natasha's expression was, the more serious and stern was Sonya's face.
“Natasha,” she said, “you asked me not to talk to you, I didn’t, now you yourself started. Natasha, I don't believe him. Why this secret?
- Again, again! Natasha interrupted.
- Natasha, I'm afraid for you.
- What to be afraid of?
“I am afraid that you will ruin yourself,” Sonya said decisively, herself frightened by what she said.
Natasha's face again expressed anger.
“And I will destroy, I will destroy, I will destroy myself as soon as possible. None of your business. Not to you, but to me it will be bad. Leave, leave me. I hate you.
- Natasha! Sonya called out in fear.
- I hate it, I hate it! And you are my enemy forever!
Natasha ran out of the room.
Natasha did not speak to Sonya anymore and avoided her. With the same expression of agitated surprise and criminality, she paced the rooms, taking up first this and then another occupation and immediately abandoning them.
No matter how hard it was for Sonya, she kept her eyes on her friend.
On the eve of the day on which the count was supposed to return, Sonya noticed that Natasha had been sitting all morning at the living room window, as if waiting for something and that she had made some kind of sign to the passing military man, whom Sonya mistook for Anatole.
Sonya began to observe her friend even more attentively and noticed that Natasha was in a strange and unnatural state all the time of dinner and evening (she answered inappropriately to questions put to her, began and did not finish phrases, laughed at everything).
After tea, Sonya saw a timid maid waiting for her at Natasha's door. She let it through, and, eavesdropping at the door, learned that the letter had again been handed over. And suddenly it became clear to Sonya that Natasha had some kind of terrible plan for this evening. Sonya knocked on her door. Natasha didn't let her in.
“She will run away with him! Sonya thought. She is capable of everything. To-day there was something particularly pathetic and resolute in her face. She burst into tears, saying goodbye to her uncle, Sonya recalled. Yes, that's right, she runs with him - but what should I do? thought Sonya, now recalling those signs that clearly proved why Natasha had some kind of terrible intention. "There is no count. What should I do, write to Kuragin, demanding an explanation from him? But who tells him to answer? Write to Pierre, as Prince Andrei asked in case of an accident? ... But maybe, in fact, she had already refused Bolkonsky (she sent a letter to Princess Marya yesterday). There are no uncles!” It seemed terrible to Sonya to tell Marya Dmitrievna, who believed so much in Natasha. But one way or another, Sonya thought, standing in a dark corridor: now or never the time has come to prove that I remember the good deeds of their family and love Nicolas. No, I won’t sleep for at least three nights, but I won’t leave this corridor and won’t let her in by force, and won’t let shame fall on their family, ”she thought.

Anatole Lately moved to Dolokhov. The plan for the abduction of Rostova had already been thought out and prepared by Dolokhov for several days, and on the day when Sonya, having overheard Natasha at the door, decided to protect her, this plan was to be carried out. Natasha promised to go out to Kuragin on the back porch at ten o'clock in the evening. Kuragin was supposed to put her in a prepared troika and take her 60 miles from Moscow to the village of Kamenka, where a trimmed priest was prepared, who was supposed to marry them. In Kamenka, a set-up was ready, which was supposed to take them to the Varshavskaya road, and there they were supposed to ride abroad on postage.
Anatole had a passport, and a traveler's, and ten thousand money taken from his sister, and ten thousand borrowed through Dolokhov.
Two witnesses—Khvostikov, the former clerk whom Dolokhov and Makarin used to play games, a retired hussar, a good-natured and weak man who had boundless love for Kuragin—were sitting in the first room at tea.
In Dolokhov's large office, decorated from wall to ceiling with Persian carpets, bearskins and weapons, Dolokhov sat in a traveling beshmet and boots in front of an open bureau, on which lay bills and wads of money. Anatole, in his unbuttoned uniform, walked from the room where the witnesses were sitting, through the study to the back room, where his French footman and others were packing the last things. Dolokhov counted money and wrote it down.
“Well,” he said, “Khvostikov should be given two thousand.
- Well, let me, - said Anatole.
- Makarka (that's what they called Makarina), this one disinterestedly for you through fire and into water. Well, the scores are over, - said Dolokhov, showing him a note. - So?
“Yes, of course, that’s how it is,” said Anatole, apparently not listening to Dolokhov and with a smile that did not leave his face, looking ahead of him.

Dictionary Ushakov

Oracle

ora cool, oracle, husband. (lat. oraculum).

1. In the ancient world - a temple where priests turned for predictions on behalf of a deity ( ist.). Delphic oracle.

2. The divining deity itself ist.). “Suddenly - oh miracle, oh shame! - the oracle spoke nonsense, began to answer clumsily and absurdly. Krylov.

| trans. soothsayer, predictor of the future books. obsolete).

3. In the old days - a fortune-telling book.

Political Science: Dictionary-Reference

Oracle

(lat. oraculum, from oro I say, please)

among the ancient Greeks, Romans and the peoples of the East, a prediction transmitted by priests on behalf of a deity to inquiring believers, as well as a place where the prediction was announced. In a figurative sense, a person whose all judgments are recognized as an indisputable truth, a revelation.

Culturology. Dictionary-reference

Oracle

(lat. oraculum, oro - I say, I ask) - among the ancient Greeks, Romans and the peoples of the East, a prediction allegedly coming from a deity and transmitted by priests to inquiring believers, as well as the place where the prediction was announced. Peren. - an oracle is a person whose all judgments are recognized as an indisputable truth, a revelation.

Antique world. Dictionary-reference

Oracle

a place (usually in a sanctuary) where divine prophecies and answers to questions posed to the gods were received. The answer was received in the form of signs, dreams, with the help of lots, in the form of sayings, etc. The most famous was O. Apollo in Delphi, who answered political and religious questions, appointed punishment for sacrilege and shed blood. TO. Delphic oracle the priestess-soothsayer (Pythia) addressed. She went into a trance and shouted out incoherent words that were interpreted as the will of a deity.

(Mythological Dictionary / G.V. Shcheglov, V. Archer - M.: ACT: Astrel: Transitbook, 2006)

Some of the Egyptian gods served as oracles, especially during the New Kingdom and Late period when the power of the priests was at its maximum. Particularly significant is the example of the oracle of Amon-Ra in his Theban temple, where the statue of the god could move, set in motion by an invisible hand.

(Egyptian Mythology: Encyclopedia. 2004)

(I.A. Lisovy, K.A. Revyako. The ancient world in terms, names and titles: Dictionary-reference book on history and culture Ancient Greece and Rome / Scientific. ed. A.I. Nemirovsky. - 3rd ed. - Minsk: Belarus, 2001)

Dictionary of forgotten and difficult words of the 18th-19th centuries

Oracle

, A , m.

1. soothsayer; a place, a temple, where the priests prophesied on behalf of the deity.

* Oracles of the Ages! Here I ask you! In majestic solitude, your joyful voice is heard more. // Pushkin. Poems // *

2. A person whose judgments are recognized as indisputable truth ( portable, book.).

* I I recognized you, my oracle! Not by the patterned variegation of these unsigned scribbles, But by the cheerful wit. // Pushkin. Poems //; To be an idol, an oracle in the house, to interfere in orders, in family gossip and squabbles - is this really worthy of a man?// Turgenev. Rudin //; The son gradually weaned the old man from vices, from curiosity and from minute-by-minute chatter, and finally brought him to the point that he listened to him in everything, like an oracle, and did not dare to open his mouth without his permission.. // Dostoevsky. Poor people //* *

3. Divination method.

* ...He also made an oracle from candy tickets: red maidens guess about suitors from candy tickets, and he -will he be beaten tomorrow or not. // Pomyalovsky. Essays on Bursa //*. *

Dictionary of mythology M. Ladygin.

Oracle

Oracle- V ancient Greek mythology a place and a priest who prophesies the will of the gods to people.

Sources:

● M.B. Ladygin, O.M. Ladygina A Brief Mythological Dictionary - M .: NOU Publishing House " polar Star", 2003.

Antiquity from A to Z. Dictionary-reference book

Oracle

antique concept, denoting the place where they received the answer of the deity to question asked. They were given in different forms: with the help of lots, signs, dreams, in the form of sayings. The existence of oracles was due to the religion of Apollo, the most important diviner god. With the spread of Christianity, oracles were banned.

encyclopedic Dictionary

Oracle

(lat. oraculum, from oro - I say, I ask), among the ancient Greeks, Romans and the peoples of the East, a prediction transmitted by priests on behalf of a deity to inquiring believers, as well as a place where the prediction was announced. In a figurative sense, a person whose all judgments are recognized as an indisputable truth, a revelation.

Ozhegov's dictionary

OR A cool, A, m.

1. In the ancient world and among the peoples of the Ancient East: a priest is a soothsayer of the will of a deity, who gave answers to any questions in an indisputable form.

2. trans. About the one whose judgments are recognized as indisputable truth (iron.).

| adj. oracle, oh, oh.

Dictionary of Efremova

Oracle

m.
1. :
  1. Divination, allegedly coming from a deity and announced by a priest (among the ancient Greeks, Romans and peoples of the ancient East).
  2. A place, a temple, where they turned for divination.
2. :
  1. The name of the divination book.
  2. The subject on which they guess.
m.
1. Divining deity; a priest who gives answers, divinations, supposedly coming from a deity.
2. A person whose all judgments are recognized by others as immutable truth, revelation.

Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

Oracle

(lat. oraculum) - in ancient times, one of the means by which a person tried to enter into direct communication with the deity. O.'s sayings were considered revelations of a deity; they were received by the questioners in a certain place, through well-known intermediaries, mostly the priests of a given deity, who were also the interpreters of the received revelation. All O. can be summed up under three categories: predictions were obtained either in the form of maxims, or in the form of symbols, or in the form of dreams. In the most famous of all O. - Delphic - stupefying vapors emerging from a cleft of the rock led the prophetess into a state of clairvoyance; in Dodona, the will of the deity was judged by the movements of the leaves on the sacred oak, by the sounds emanating from metal vessels, by the murmur of the sacred spring, in Delos they followed the rustle of the laurel, in O. Zeus of Ammon in Libya - for known phenomena on the image of a deity, composed of precious stones; in Rome, at the command of the senate and in the presence of the magistrate, the Sibylline books were opened. It is difficult to judge how convinced the priests themselves were of the truth of the revelations; in any case, to see in O. only a conscious deception on the part of the priests would be a one-sided judgment and devoid of historical perspective. Even the vague form of answers, especially characteristic of the Delphic O., does not in itself indicate conscious deceit, although it cannot be denied that the priests often ensured their infallibility by ambiguous answers suitable for any occasion. The emergence of O. this place was due either to a beneficent source, with which Greek thought usually associated the proximity of a deity, or to natural phenomena (steam from a hot spring, etc.), which caused a state of exaltation. O. arose in the areas where the remains of some famous clairvoyant rested. In the latter case, the inquirers were usually personally subjected to the spiritualizing action of the deity; so, for example, in O. Amphiaraia, the questioner, after a three-day abstinence from wine and a one-day fast, had to fall asleep in the temple, so that the will of the deity would be revealed to him in a dream. The appointment of O. was not only to reveal the future, but also to lead the life of the people on behalf of the deity in those exceptional cases when human wisdom turned out to be untenable. State officials also resorted to O. when their personal authority was insufficient to carry out one or another measure. For known periods Greek history O. receive, therefore, the importance of political institutions. The O., whose advice was sought in all important undertakings, contributed greatly to the maintenance among the scattered Greeks of the consciousness of national unity and the implementation of all-Greek enterprises. They patronized agriculture, the colonization of new lands, etc. O. in Meroe, in Egypt, was considered the oldest of all O., and he was immediately followed by O. in Egyptian Thebes and O. Zeus of Ammon. In Greece, O. enjoyed the greatest authority in Dodona, and later O. in Delphi. In addition, Zeus had his O. back in Elis, Pisa and Crete, Apollo - in Claros near Colophon and on Delos. O. Branchhidov in Miletus was dedicated to Apollo and Artemis. O. heroes were O. Amphiaraia in Oropos, O. Tryphonius and Hercules - in Tempest, in Achaia. O. with the evocation of the spirits of the departed existed in Heraclea Pontica and on Lake Avernus. To O. should be included and the sayings of the so-called. sibyls (see), especially Eritrean and (in Italy) Kumean. The Romans had O. Faun and Fortune in Prenest, O. Palikov; but they willingly turned to both Greek and Egyptian O. In Greece, O. lost their significance only after the complete fall of the freedom and independence of the Greeks, but even then, deprived of any authority, they eked out their existence until the reign of Theodosius, when they were finally closed. Wed F. A. Wolf, "Vermischte Schriften" (Halle, 1802); Wirkemann, "De variis oraculorum generibus" (Marb., 1835); Döhler, "Die Orakel" (B., 1872); Karapanos, "Dodone et ses ruines" (P., 1878); Hendess, "Oracula graeca" (Galle, 1877); Bouché-Leclercq, "Histoire de la divination dans l"antiquité" (P., 1879-91); Buresch, "Klaros" (Lpts., 1889); Diels, "Sibyllinisch e Blä tter" (B., 1890) .

An oracle is a clairvoyant who could see the future, past and present, both on a general scale throughout the world, in his state, and see the life of a person in full - his future, past and present. In ancient times, the oracle was addressed in doubt as a guide, which always has the door open to the divine forces, which helped him to look into the future and past of each person individually! Oracles lived in ancient Greece, thanks to their gift of clairvoyance, they could see trouble and suggest how to prevent it! In military affairs, they could give advice to the commander of that time and adjust his actions so that the campaign was more successful and profitable for them!

The oracles had their own religion, their own gods, whom they worshiped every day and brought them some kind of sacrifice or gift, so that they would help them better understand and understand this world and at the same time penetrate into a certain space, which gave them special knowledge not available human mind! But at the same time, most often they kept this knowledge in secret and passed it on by inheritance! Thanks to the awareness of this nature of this world and the ability to merge into one with the universe, with the earth, with the world of spirits, with dark forces, as well as with light forces, in addition, they could not only merge with the atmosphere, with nature, but control! If there was a drought on earth for a long time, people turned to the oracles and then the oracles entered into the strongest meditation and it rained on the earth, and vice versa in cases when there was a flood, they again entered the state of the highway and the rain stopped on the earth!

The oracles always tried to live in a special place - where a huge flow of energy emanates, a huge flow of energy, most often, as before, and right now, is in doubt in the places where the earth's crust is broken. There at the break earth's crust they were looking for a special place - the strongest, from which a special constant stream of very powerful energy emanated, they came into contact with this energy and even the strongest and healthy man he could not stay there for a long time and the oracles lived there, receiving special strength there, but at the same time constantly getting sick, since even their body could not withstand such a special flow of energy.

Most often, the Oracles lived as hermits. In not very neat and clean clothes, they ate only what people brought them or some gifts brought from people or kings, they didn’t take much care of themselves, they were not neat, dirty and they had a special licking look - a little blurry, but at the same time everything concentrated, able to penetrate into the depths of the essence of people to the very depths of his soul and awareness of this world. They had such an unusual look - since they often traveled, having connected in their minds to the cosmos of the universe, they could be in different places, sometimes in two places at the same time, but this is what the chosen ones knew how to do, and travel not only in our world , but also went beyond it, traveled to Parallel Worlds, to other galaxies, as well as to planets located in our universe. There they received everywhere special knowledge, special powers, energy, skills that sometimes they passed on to people and not only.

They also traveled around our planet, communicating with other living beings that live in our world, invisible to the human eye, sometimes they had some kind of communication with these creatures or even fought in rare cases, but at the same time they always tried in the subtle world always behave very carefully and not irritate the inhabitants of the other world and the subtle world.

In our time oracles can be compared with sorcerers, with people who have certain super abilities, who see a little deeper than ordinary people, etc.

ora cool, oracle, husband. (lat. oraculum).

1. In the ancient world - a temple where priests turned for predictions on behalf of a deity ( ist.). Delphic oracle.

2. The divining deity itself ist.). “Suddenly - oh miracle, oh shame! - the oracle spoke nonsense, began to answer awkwardly and absurdly. Krylov.

| trans. soothsayer, predictor of the future books. obsolete).

3. In the old days - a fortune-telling book.

Political Science: Dictionary-Reference

(lat. oraculum, from oro I say, please)

among the ancient Greeks, Romans and peoples of the East, prediction

Culturology. Dictionary-reference

(lat. oraculum, oro - I say, I ask) - among the ancient Greeks, Romans and the peoples of the East, a prediction, allegedly coming from a deity and transmitted by priests to inquiring believers, as well as the place where the prediction was announced. Peren. - an oracle is a person whose all judgments are recognized as an indisputable truth, a revelation.

Antique world. Dictionary-reference

a place (usually in a sanctuary) where divine prophecies and answers to questions posed to the gods were received. The answer was received in the form of signs, dreams, with the help of lots, in the form of sayings, etc. The most famous was O. Apollo in Delphi, who answered political and religious questions, appointed punishment for sacrilege and shed blood. A priestess-soothsayer (Pythia) addressed the Delphic oracle. She went into a trance and shouted out incoherent words that were interpreted as the will of a deity.

(Mythological Dictionary / G.V. Shcheglov, V. Archer - M.: ACT: Astrel: Transitbook, 2006)

Some of the Egyptian gods performed the functions of oracles, especially during the New Kingdom and the Late Period, when the power of the priests was at its maximum. Particularly significant is the example of the oracle of Amon-Ra in his Theban temple, where the statue of the god could move, set in motion by an invisible hand.

(Egyptian Mythology: Encyclopedia. 2004)

see Mantika.

(I.A. Lisovy, K.A. Revyako. The ancient world in terms, names and titles: Dictionary-reference book on the history and culture of Ancient Greece and Rome / Scientific ed. A.I. Nemirovsky. - 3rd ed. - Minsk: Belarus, 2001)

Dictionary of forgotten and difficult words of the 18th-19th centuries

, A , m.

1. soothsayer; a place, a temple, where the priests prophesied on behalf of the deity.

* Oracles of the Ages! Here I ask you! In majestic solitude, your joyful voice is heard more. // Pushkin. Poems // *

2. A person whose judgments are recognized as indisputable truth ( portable, book.).

3. Divination method.

* ...He also made an oracle from candy tickets: red maidens guess about suitors from candy tickets, and he -will he be beaten tomorrow or not. // Pomyalovsky. Essays on Bursa //*. *

Antiquity from A to Z. Dictionary-reference book

an ancient concept denoting a place where a deity's answer to a question was received. They were given in different forms: with the help of lots, signs, dreams, in the form of sayings. The existence of oracles was due to the religion of Apollo, the most important diviner god. With the spread of Christianity, oracles were banned.

encyclopedic Dictionary

(lat. oraculum, from oro - I say, I ask), among the ancient Greeks, Romans and the peoples of the East, a prediction, transmitted by priests on behalf of the deity to the inquiring believers, as well as the place where the prediction was announced. In a figurative sense, a person whose all judgments are recognized as an indisputable truth, a revelation.

Ozhegov's dictionary

OR A cool, A, m.

1. In the ancient world and among the peoples of the Ancient East: a priest is a soothsayer of the will of a deity, who gave answers to any questions in an indisputable form.

2. trans. About the one whose judgments are recognized as indisputable truth (iron.).

| adj. oracle, oh, oh.

Dictionary of Efremova

Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

(lat. oraculum) - in ancient times, one of the means by which a person tried to enter into direct communication with the deity. O.'s sayings were considered revelations of a deity; they were received by the questioners in a certain place, through well-known intermediaries, mostly the priests of a given deity, who were also the interpreters of the received revelation. All O. can be summed up under three categories: predictions were obtained either in the form of maxims, or in the form of symbols, or in the form of dreams. In the most famous of all O. - Delphic - stupefying vapors emerging from a cleft of the rock led the prophetess into a state of clairvoyance; in Dodona, the will of the deity was judged by the movements of the leaves on the sacred oak, by the sounds emanating from metal vessels, by the murmur of the sacred spring; in Delos, they followed the rustle of laurel; precious stones; in Rome, at the command of the senate and in the presence of the magistrate, the Sibylline books were opened. It is difficult to judge how convinced the priests themselves were of the truth of the revelations; in any case, to see in O. only a conscious deception on the part of the priests would be a one-sided judgment and devoid of historical perspective. Even the vague form of answers, especially characteristic of the Delphic O., does not in itself indicate conscious deceit, although it cannot be denied that the priests often ensured their infallibility by ambiguous answers suitable for any occasion. The emergence of O. this place was due either to a beneficent source, with which Greek thought usually associated the proximity of a deity, or to natural phenomena (steam from a hot spring, etc.), which caused a state of exaltation. O. arose in the areas where the remains of some famous clairvoyant rested. In the latter case, the inquirers were usually personally subjected to the spiritualizing action of the deity; so, for example, in O. Amphiaraia, the questioner, after a three-day abstinence from wine and a one-day fast, had to fall asleep in the temple, so that the will of the deity would be revealed to him in a dream. The appointment of O. was not only to reveal the future, but also to lead the life of the people on behalf of the deity in those exceptional cases when human wisdom turned out to be untenable. State officials also resorted to O. when their personal authority was insufficient to carry out one or another measure. For certain periods of Greek history, O. receive, therefore, the significance of political institutions. The O., whose advice was sought in all important undertakings, contributed greatly to the maintenance among the scattered Greeks of the consciousness of national unity and the implementation of all-Greek enterprises. They patronized agriculture, the colonization of new lands, etc. O. in Meroe, in Egypt, was considered the oldest of all O., and he was immediately followed by O. in Egyptian Thebes and O. Zeus of Ammon. In Greece, O. enjoyed the greatest authority in Dodona, and later O. in Delphi. In addition, Zeus had his O. back in Elis, Pisa and Crete, Apollo - in Claros near Colophon and on Delos. O. Branchhidov in Miletus was dedicated to Apollo and Artemis. O. heroes were O. Amphiaraia in Oropos, O. Tryphonius and Hercules - in Tempest, in Achaia. O. with the evocation of the spirits of the departed existed in Heraclea Pontica and on Lake Avernus. To O. should be included and the sayings of the so-called. sibyls (see), especially Eritrean and (in Italy) Kumean. The Romans had O. Faun and Fortune in Prenest, O. Palikov; but they willingly turned to both Greek and Egyptian O. In Greece, O. lost their significance only after the complete fall of the freedom and independence of the Greeks, but even then, deprived of any authority, they eked out their existence until the reign of Theodosius, when they were finally closed. Wed F. A. Wolf, "Vermischte Schriften" (Halle, 1802); Wirkemann, "De variis oraculorum generibus" (Marb., 1835); Döhler, "Die Orakel" (B., 1872); Karapanos, "Dodone et ses ruines" (P., 1878); Hendess, "Oracula graeca" (Galle, 1877); Bouché-Leclercq, "Histoire de la divination dans l"antiquité" (P., 1879-91); Buresch, "Klaros" (Lpts., 1889); Diels, "Sibyllinisch e Blä tter" (B., 1890) .

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