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E. non-Greeks) are barred from the holy festivals, just like murderers. Μυστ ρια and ερ are the holy institutions here; τελετ is their perfor- mance. Demosthenes, Aristog. , sketches the subversive behaviour of Aristogiton and his companions, and urges the judges to render a just but severe judgment and, in doing so, hold in esteem Ε νομ α, who holds justice dear. In the same measure, they should respect: τ ν παρα τητον κα σεμν ν Δ κην, ν τ ς γιωτ τας μ ν τελετ ς καταδε ξας Ορφε ς παρ τ ν το Δι ς ρ νον φησ κα ημ νην π ντα τ τ ν ν ρ πων φορ ν.

The argument about the untenability of this view about the gods continues more or less like this: if the gods can truly be mollified by such means, one could enjoy oneself most if one first gave free rein to one’s sinful desires and later, by means of prayers and other rituals, persuaded the gods that one should escape punishment. Resp. a: λλ γ ρ ν Αιδου δ κην δ σομεν ν ν ν δε δικ σωμεν, α το πα δες πα δων. λλ’, φ λε, φ σει λογιζ μενος, α τελετα α μ γα δ νανται κα ο λ σιοι εο , ς α μ γισται π λεις λ γουσι κα ο ε ν πα δες ποιητα κα προφ ται τ ν ε ν γεν μενοι, ο τα τα ο τως χειν μην ουσιν.

The τελετα here are the ecstatic Bacchic rites; it may be noted that the word here turns into: ever-recurring sacred act, official sacred festival. Incidentally, this was already the case in Pindar, where the Olympic games and Panathenaea are called τελετα (see above), and this meaning also often occurs in later sources. Τελετ has this same meaning Bacch. , where Pentheus says to Tiresias: ε μ σε γ ρας πολι ν ξερρ ετο, κα σ’ ν ν β κχαισι δ σμιος μ σαις, τελετ ς πονηρ ς ε σ γων. If your grey old age did not protect you, you would now be sitting in the dungeon with your bacchantes for introducing depraved rites.