Ancient Greek Religion and Philosophy in the Context of Mutual Learning Between Eastern and Western Civilizations

Dear Colleagues,

Ancient Greek religion and philosophy have long been regarded as foundational to Western civilization. Yet they did not emerge in isolation. Greek religious and philosophical traditions took shape through sustained contact with the civilizations of the ancient Near East, Egypt, and the wider Mediterranean world. Mythic narratives, ritual practices, cosmological speculation, conceptions of the soul, mathematical and astronomical knowledge, and ideas of divine and political order all contributed to the formation of Greek religious and philosophical thought. From the perspective of intellectual history, early Greek philosophy, especially as it developed in western Asia Minor and the Ionian world, did not simply abandon myth and religion; rather, it inherited, transformed, and rationally reformulated traditional religious conceptions, ritual practices, and sacred accounts of cosmic order.

This Special Issue aims to reconsider ancient Greek religion and philosophy within the broader context of East–West civilizational exchange. It seeks to explore both the formative influences of Eastern Mediterranean, Near Eastern, Egyptian, and Hebrew traditions on Greek thought and the later transmission and transformation of Greek religious and philosophical ideas in Hellenistic, Roman, Christian, medieval, and comparative contexts. The topic is closely related to the scope of Religions, especially its interest in religious thought, religious history, theology, philosophy of religion, comparative religion, and the interaction between religious traditions and broader cultural formations. By bringing together approaches from religious studies, classics, philosophy, theology, intellectual history, philology, and comparative civilization studies, this Special Issue seeks to provide a platform for interdisciplinary reflection on the religious and philosophical dimensions of ancient Greek civilization.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Ancient Greek religious thought and its connections with ancient Near Eastern civilizations;
• Myth, ritual, sacrifice, and theological conceptions in ancient Greek religion;
• Greek cosmology, conceptions of the soul, death, immortality, and afterlife;
• The interaction between ancient Greek philosophy and religious traditions from the Presocratics to the Hellenistic period;
• Ancient Greek religion, philosophy, and the formation of Christian thought;
• Ancient Greek religion, philosophy, and medieval theology;
• Ancient Greek religion and philosophy in comparison with Chinese religions;
• Ancient Greek religion and philosophy in the history of Western civilization and their modern reinterpretation.

We hope that this Special Issue will stimulate new research on ancient Greek religion and philosophy by situating them within a broader intercivilizational horizon. Rather than treating Greek religion and philosophy as self-contained traditions, this collection aims to highlight their historical formation, cross-cultural transmission, and long-term intellectual significance. It is expected to encourage dialogue among scholars of classics, religious studies, philosophy, theology, ancient history, and comparative civilization studies, and to contribute to a more global understanding of ancient Greek thought and its religious, philosophical, and cultural legacy.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors, or to the Assistant Editor Ms. Loretta Chen (loretta.chen@mdpi.com) of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Zhimeng Lin
Prof. Dr. Wei Hua
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• ancient Greek religion
• ancient Greek philosophy
• mediterranean civilizations
• east-west civilizational exchange
• ancient near east
• ancient Egypt
• Greek mythology
• cosmology
• soul and afterlife
• Christian thought