ORACLE, the response delivered by a deity or supernatural being to a worshiper or inquirer; also the place where the response was delivered. These responses were sup. posed to he given by a certain divine afflatus, either through means of mankind, as in the orgasms of the Pythia, and the dreams of the worshipper in the temples; or by its effect on certain objects, as the tinkling of the caldron at Dodona, the rustling of the sacred laurel, the murmuring of the streams; or by the actions of sacred animals, as exempli fied in the Apis or sacred bull of Memphis, and the feeding of holy chickens of the Romans. This arose, in fact, from the idea that the deity signified his intentions to men by signs or inspirations, which, however, had always to be interpreted to the inquirer by the priesthood. Such responses were, however, closely allied to augury, which differed in this respect that auguries could be taken anywhere, while the oracular spots were defined and limited. Oracle dates from the highest antiquity, and flourished in the most remote ages, and gradually declined with the increasing knowledge of mankind. Among the Egyptians all the temples were probably oracular, although only a few are mentioned by Herodotus, as the oracle of ',atone, in the city of Buto; those of Hercules, Mars, Thebes, and Meroc. In the hieroglyphic texts the gods speak constantly iu an oracular manner, and their consultation by the Pharaohs is occasionally mentioned. In later days the most renowned of these oracles was that of Ammon, itt the Oasis (q.v.), where oracular responses were rendered either by the shaking of the statue of the god, or by his appearance in a certain manner. Oracles were also used by the Hebrews, as in the consultation of the Urim and Thummim by the high priest, and the unlawful use of Teraphims, and consultations of the gods of Phenicia and Samaria. The Hebrew ora cles were by word of month, as the speech of God to Moses, dreams, visions, and pro phetical denunciations; besides which, there were oracles in Phenicia, as that of 13elze bub and others of the Baalim. They were also in use throughout 13ehylonia and Chal dma, where the responses were delivered by dreams given to4he priestesses, who slept alone in the temples as concubines of the gods. So numerous were they in the ancient world, that 300 are said to have been in existence.
The most celebrated oracles of Asia Minor were those of Tclmissus in Caria or Lycia, which gave responses by dreams, and that of Apollo at Patera; but the Grecian oracles enjoyed the highest reputation for truthfulness, and the most celebrated of these were the Dodoncan, the Delphic, and that of Trophonius and Amphiaraus. The Dodonean (see DomaNA) was the only oracle in Greece which was given by Jupiter; the others were either those of Apollo, or of certain soothsayers, to whom that god had imparted the gift of prophecy, or of other gods. The most renowned of all was the Delphic oracle (see DELPIII), and was Panhellenle, or open to all Greece, consulted for public purposes, and occupying a position resembling in some respects that of the papacy in the middle ages in Europe. The name of the first priestess who gave oracles was
Phemence. The consultations were generally in the Delphic mouth, ligsios or April, and once a day on other months; and the precedence of consulting- the oracle was deter mined by lot, but rich presents obtained for Crcesus and the Lydians the privilege of first consultation. Sacrifices were offered by the inquirers, who walked with laurel crowns on their heads, and delivered in sealed questions; the response was deemed infal lible, and was usually dictated by justice, sound sense, and reason, till the growing politi cal importance of the shrine rendered the guardians of it fearful to offend, when they framed the answers in ambiguous terms, or allowed the influence of gold and presents to corrupt the inspirations. The other oracles of Apollo were at Aba in Phocis; at Ptoon, where a man prophesied, which was destroyed in the days of Alexander the Great; and at Ismenus, s. of Thebes, Hysia, Tegyra, and Eutressis. In Asia Miftor the most cele brated was that of Branchidte, close to Miletus, celebrated in Egypt, Gryneum, and Delos. Besides that of Dodona, Zeus had another at Olympia; and those of various other deities existed elsewhere. A secondary Blass of oracles of heroic or prophetic persons existed in Greece, the two most celebrated of which were those of Amphiaraus and Trophonius. The first mentioned was one of the five great oracles in the days of Crmsns, and was situate at Oropus, in Attica, being the shrine of a deified magician, or interpreter of dreams, having a fountain close to it. Those who consulted it fasted a whole day, abstained from wine, sacrificed a ram to Amphiaraus, and slept on the skin in the temple, where their destiny was revealed by dreams. That of Troph onius was at Lebadea, in Bceotia, and owed its origin to a deified seer. It was given in a cave, into which the votary descended, bathed, and annointed, holding a honeyed cake. He obtained a knowledge of futurity by what he saw or heard, and returned dejected from the cavern. Then, seated upon the seat of 3Inemosyne, he gave an account of what he had heard, and, conducted to the chapel of good fortune or good genius, recovered his usual composure. There were some other oracles of minor impor tance. Besides these oracles, written ones existed of the prophecies of celebrated seers, as Bacis and Mustens, which were collected by the Pisistratidte, and kept in the acropolis of Athens. Those of the Euelus, Panolmus, and Lycus were also celebrated. Others of the Sibyls or prophetic women, daughters of Zeus and Lamle, were popular, and at a later period (see SIBYLS), Athenais and others, prophesied in the days of the Seleucidm. Amongst the oriental nations, as the Arabs and others, divination was and is extensively practiced, but there are no set oracles. The Celtic Druids are said to have delivered responses, and the oracle of the Celtic god Belenus or Abell°, in the Isle de Sein, was celebrated. Herod. Hist. v. 89, viii. 82; Omit's, iv. 7; Hare, Ancient Greeks, (12mo, Load. 183G, p. 141); Bos, Antiquities of Greece (1823, p. 31).