CSS English Precis 2022
The fear of human beings when faced with the mysteries of life and their weakness by comparison with the vastness of nature created in them a need to communicate with the divine, with the superior powers which they believed regulated the universe and determined their own fates. Knowledge of wishes of the gods was always a sure guide for human behavior. In ancient Greece, the precise nature of these wishes was 'decoded' by the art of giving oracles, practiced by soothsayers who had the gift of understanding the signs of signals sent by the gods.
The soothsayers uttered their oracles by interpreting flashes of lightening, rolls of thunder or the flights of certain birds of prey (omens); alternatively, they might observe the direction in which the fire burned when a sacrifice was willingness to approach the altar. The interpretation of dreams was popular too, and so was palmistry. The most notable soothsayers of ancient Greece were Tiresias, Calchas, Helenus, Amphiaraus and Cassandra.
However, there were abundant instances in which the gods did not manifest themselves to the faithful in the forms of signs but spoke directly to an intermediate who for a short time was overcome by a 'divine mania' and in which he or she delivered the message from the gods to the suppliants.
These practices for foreseeing the future were the basis on which the ancient Greek oracles operated. Each oracle was located within a properly organized sanctuary and was directly associated with on or other of the gods. Apollo was the archetypal soothsayer for the Greeks, the god who was responsible for conveying to mortals the decisions pronounced by Zeus. The most important of all the oracles, that at the Delphi, delivered the messages with the intervention of Apollo, while the oldest that of Dodona, functioned with the assistance of Zeus. (304 words)
Precis: When man believed that there is a divine power, which determines their fate, they tried to know the wishes of that superior power (gods). To understanding the message of the gods they sought help of soothsayers. The soothsayers interpreted oracles from different signs and omens. There were some notable soothsayers having expertise in palmistry and interpretation of dreams. Many a time gods spoke directly to an intermediate to deliver the message to the suppliants. Ancient Greek oracles associated with different gods were located at different places. There was a division of functions among gods. Apollo and Zeus were famous Greek gods.
Title: In search of God.