The Oracle of the Pythian Prophetess at Delphi
By Daniel C. Peterson and William J. Hamblin
Among the Greeks, the most important prophet was the priestess known as the Pythia, who resided at the temple of Apollo at Delphi. Perched at the base of the sacred mount Parnassus on the slopes of a beautiful isolated valley, the oracle of Delphi attracted petitioners and worshipers from throughout the Mediterranean world for over a thousand years.
Built in the eighth century BC, the splendid temple of Apollo was surrounded by a “temenos” wall, marking off the boundaries of the sacred complex. Outer gates were inscribed with famous Greek proverbs such as “Nothing in excess” and “Know thyself,” reflecting the spiritual qualities required of visitors. A sacred way led up to the temple of Apollo, in which was a carved stone that marked the “navel” or exact center of the world. A beautiful grove graced the precincts.
Before giving an oracle, both the Pythia and the petitioners were required to purify themselves at the nearby Castalian springs. Then, wearing priestly robes, crowned with laurel leaves and sitting on a tripod in the holy of holies, the Pythia was possessed by the power of Apollo, and in a trance-like state uttered incomprehensible statements which were interpreted by a nearby priest into Greek poetry. (This phenomenon-ecstatic divinely inspired prophecies in an unknown language-is called glossolalia, and may be related to the “speaking in tongues” described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 14.)
The prophetess of Delphi was consulted on many different matters, private and public, religious, economic, and political. Many of the oracles of the Pythia have been preserved both in Greek literature and in an amazing collection of bronze plates on which the questions and prophetic answers were inscribed. Hundreds of these plates were kept over the centuries in temple treasuries; dozens have been discovered by archaeologists. The most famous oracles of Delphi are recorded by Herodotus. For instance, Croesus, the last king of Lydia (in modern Turkey) asked the Pythia if he should fight the rising power of Cyrus the Persian. The Pythia replied enigmatically that if Croesus went to war a great kingdom would fall. Only after Croesus had been defeated by Cyrus did he realize that the kingdom was his own.
Anciently no one could present himself before the gods with empty hands; petitioners at Delphi always gave rich contributions known as votive offerings. Such was the fame of Delphi that the Greek city-states were eventually required to build nearly thirty large treasuries to hold the enormous collection of precious gifts. Yet the vast wealth accumulated in the temple at Delphi was an irresistible magnet for invaders. The temple treasures were plundered by the Persians in 480 BC, but saved from destruction by invading Celtic Gauls in 279 BC by miraculous intervention of the gods. (The latter in due course made their way into modern Turkey where they settled in a region which came to be known as Galatia-the land of the Gauls. Eventually their Christianized descendents became famous as recipients of a letter from Paul.)
The Greeks honored Apollo and his prophetess at the Pythian Games, a competition in sports, drama and poetry second in importance only to the more famous games at Olympia. A huge theater stands near the temple of Apollo at Delphi, in which great Greek dramatists such as Euripides and Sophocles once produced their plays.
After the Romans conquered Greece, the importance of Delphi slowly declined, although the Roman emperors still honored the oracle with gifts and buildings. By the second century AD, the famous historian and moral philosopher Plutarch-who was himself a priest at Delphi-wrote an essay “On the Obsolescence of the Oracles” in which he tried to rationalize the obvious decline of prophetic power at Delphi. Finally, the temple was closed by order of the Christian emperor Theodosius I in 390 AD. Earthquakes and neglect left Delphi in ruins for centuries until modern archaeologists excavated and restored the site, which now attracts tourists from throughout the world.
For photographs of Delphi, see
