Greece and the Olympics have been synonymous since the first discus was flung in ancient times. The Greek Orthodox Church dominates spiritual affairs in modern Greece.
So what does any of this have to do with the 2004 Games? It's all about image. Think capital letter and lower case. God vs. gods.
The ancient Games, dating to 776 B.C., began as a tribute to Zeus and the other gods of the Greek classical period. But as Christianity became a growing force in Byzantine Greece, the Olympic Games were banned in A.D. 393 after a successful run of more than 1,100 years.
In the weeks before these Summer Games began, a few outspoken and fundamentalist-minded priests preached that old-time religion, complaining --- in print --- that the Olympics were sacrilegious. "We're reveling too much in the pagan pastimes. I don't approve," Father Peter, a priest in Marathon, told Runner's World magazine in its latest issue. Other clerics just days ago told reporters they were concerned about the content of the Opening Ceremony, which offered depictions of the ancient gods.
But church elders discouraged such anti-Olympics talk and attended the opening ceremonies. They also issued a brochure to foreign visitors welcoming them to the Games, reminding them that the Greek gods were mythological and that Christian Orthodoxy is the religion of 97 percent of Greece's 10.3 million people. "We don't mind that the Olympics are like this as long as the meaning of the ancient gods isn't turned into idolatry," said Father Tomas Synodinos, chancellor of the archdiocese of Athens. "We must be honest and admit it is part of the country's history."
