- Sortes Homericae (Homeric Lots) → A person would randomly select a passage from Homer’s works (e.g., Iliad or Odyssey) and interpret it as an answer to their question.
- Sortes Virgilianae (Virgilian Lots) → Similar practice using Virgil’s Aeneid, often used in imperial Rome.
- Oracles & Necromancy → Some oracles and necromancers used sortes by invoking the dead, using randomized verses to divine messages.
- In the Hebrew Bible & Judaism →
- The casting of lots (גורל, goral) was a legitimate way to determine divine will, often used in the Temple and among the Levites.
- Examples:
- The High Priest used lots to choose between the sacrificial goats on Yom Kippur (Leviticus 16:8-10).
- The division of the Promised Land was determined by lots (Joshua 18:10).
- In Early Christianity →
- Acts 1:26 → The apostles cast lots to choose Matthias as the replacement for Judas Iscariot.
- Christian sortes → Early Christians adapted sortes divination, often using Biblical texts (Sortes Biblicae) in the same way pagans used Homer or Virgil.
- A sacred text (Homer, Virgil, or Scripture) was opened at random, and the first verse or passage seen was taken as a divine answer.
- Some used mechanical methods, such as casting dice, marked sticks, or small tablets to select a passage.
- If a skilled practitioner was involved, they could guide the process or interpret ambiguous results.
- Shared Methodology: Both oracles and Jewish priests used lots to determine divine will.
- Overlap in Practice: Sortes were used in pagan necromancy, Jewish temple rituals, and Christian decision-making.
- Mystery & Interpretation: Both traditions believed that hidden knowledge could be accessed through the randomization of sacred words.
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Sortes (Σορταί) – Ancient Divination by Lots
The term sortes (Latin for "lots") refers to a form of divination where people sought answers to questions by casting lots and interpreting the outcome. This practice was used in both pagan and Judeo-Christian traditions.
1. Sortes in the Greco-Roman World
2. Sortes in Jewish & Christian Traditions
3. How Sortes Worked
4. Connection Between Pagan and Judeo-Christian Sortes
Conclusion
Sortes were a cross-cultural divination method, with deep connections to oracles, necromancy, and religious practice in both pagan and Judeo-Christian traditions. The randomization of sacred texts was seen as a way to receive divine answers, linking the oracles of antiquity with the lots used in Judaism and Christianity.