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Hi, the purpose of this topic is to show Christianity borrowed from Pagan worship to build it's own beliefs system, the beliefs of both religions, and how each religion has been the historic adversary of the other. Christianity has had a far longer history of abuse towards Pagan worship, so we'll begin with that.
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Three centuries of persecution of the pagans
314 Immediately after its full legalisation, the Christian Church attacks non-Christians. The Council of Ancyra denounces the worship of Goddess Artemis.
324 The emperor Constantine declares Christianity as the only official religion of the Roman Empire. In Dydima, Minor Asia, he sacks the Oracle of the god Apollo and tortures the pagan priests to death. He also evicts all non-Christian peoples from Mount Athos and destroys all the local Hellenic temples. 325 Nicene Council. The godman gets a promotion: 'Christ is Divine'
326 Constantine, following the instructions of his mother Helen, destroys the temple of the god Asclepius in Aigeai Cilicia and many temples of the goddess Aphrodite in Jerusalem, Aphaca, Mambre, Phoenicia, Baalbek, etc.
330 Constantine steals the treasures and statues of the pagan temples of Greece to decorate Constantinople, the new capital of his Empire.
335 Constantine sacks many pagan temples in Asia Minor and Palestine and orders the execution by crucifixion of “all magicians and soothsayers.” Martyrdom of the neoplatonist philosopher Sopatrus.
341 Constantius II (Flavius Julius Constantius) persecutes “all the soothsayers and the Hellenists.” Many gentile Hellenes are either imprisoned or executed.
346 New large scale persecutions against non-Christian peoples in Constantinople. Banishment of the famous orator Libanius accused as a “magician”.
353 An edict of Constantius orders the death penalty for all kind of worship through sacrifice and “idols”.
354 A new edict orders the closing of all the pagan temples. Some of them are profaned and turned into brothels or gambling rooms. Execution of pagan priests begins. A new edict of Constantius orders the destruction of the pagan temples and the execution of all “idolaters”. First burning of libraries in various cities of the empire. The first lime factories are organised next to the closed pagan temples. A major part of the holy architecture of the pagans is turned into lime.
357 Constantius outlaws all methods of divination (astrology not excluded).
359 In Skythopolis, Syria, the Christians organise the first death camps for the torture and executions of the arrested non-Christians from all around the empire.
361 to 363 Religious tolerance and restoration of the pagan cults is declared in Constantinople (11th December 361) by the pagan emperor Julian (Flavius Claudius Julianus).
363 Assassination of Julian (26th June).
364 Emperor Jovian orders the burning of the Library of Antioch. An Imperial edict (11th September) orders the death penalty for all those that worship their ancestral gods or practice divination (“sileat omnibus perpetuo divinandi curiositas”). Three different edicts (4th February, 9th September, 23rd December) order the confiscation of all properties of the pagan temples and the death penalty for participation in pagan rituals, even private ones. The Church Council of Laodicea (Phrygia – western Asia Minor) orders that religious observances are to be conducted on Sunday and not on Saturday. Sunday becomes the new Sabbath. The practice of staying at home and resting on Saturday declared sinful and anathema to Christ.
365 An imperial edict from Emperor Valens, a zealous Arian Christian (17th November), forbids pagan officers of the army to command Christian soldiers.
370 Valens orders a tremendous persecution of non-Christian peoples in all the Eastern Empire. In Antioch, among many other non-Christians, the ex-governor Fidustius and the priests Hilarius and Patricius are executed. The philosopher Simonides is burned alive and the philosopher Maximus is decapitated. All the friends of Julian are persecuted (Orebasius, Sallustius, Pegasius etc.). Tons of books are burnt in the squares of the cities of the Eastern Empire.
372 Valens orders the governor of Minor Asia to exterminate all the Hellenes and all documents of their wisdom.
373 New prohibition of all divination methods is issued. The term “pagan” (pagani, villagers, equivalent to the modern insult, “peasants”) is introduced by the Christians to demean non-believers.
375 The temple of Asclepius in Epidaurus, Greece, is closed down by the Christians.
380 On 27th February Christianity becomes the exclusive religion of the Roman Empire by an edict of the Emperor Flavius Theodosius, requiring that:
"All the various nations which are subject to our clemency and moderation should continue in the profession of that religion which was delivered to the Romans by the divine Apostle Peter."
The non-Christians are called “loathsome, heretics, stupid and blind”. In another edict, Theodosius calls “insane” those that do not believe to the Christian God and outlaws all disagreement with the Church dogmas. Ambrosius, bishop of Milan, begins the destruction of pagan temples of his area. The Christian priests lead the hungry mob against the temple of goddess Demeter in Eleusis and try to lynch the hierophants Nestorius and Priskus. The 95 year old hierophant Nestorius ends the Eleusinian Mysteries and announces "the predominance of mental darkness over the human race."
381 At the Council of Constantinople the 'Holy Spirit' is declared 'Divine' (thus sanctioning a triune god). On 2nd May, Theodosius deprives of all their rights any Christians who return to the pagan religion. Throughout the Eastern Empire the pagan temples and libraries are looted or burned down. On 21st December, Theodosius outlaws visits to Hellenic temples. In Constantinople, the Temple of Aphrodite is turned into a brothel and the temples of the Sun and Artemis to stables.
382 “Hellelujah” (“Glory to Yahweh”) is imposed in the Christian mass.
384 Theodosius orders the Praetorian Prefect Maternus Cynegius, a dedicated Christian, to cooperate with local bishops and destroy the temples of the pagans in Northern Greece and Minor Asia.
385 to 388 Prefect Maternus Cynegius, encouraged by his fanatic wife, and bishop 'Saint' Marcellus with his gangs, scour the countryside and sack and destroy hundreds of Hellenic temples, shrines and altars. Among others they destroy the temple of Edessa, the Cabeireion of Imbros, the temple of Zeus in Apamea, the temple of Apollo in Dydima and all the temples of Palmyra. Thousands of innocent pagans from all sides of the empire suffer martyrdom in the notorious death camps of Skythopolis.
386 Theodosius outlaws the care of the sacked pagan temples.
388 Public talks on religious subjects are outlawed by Theodosius. The old orator Libanius sends his famous epistle “Pro Templis” to Theodosius with the hope that the few remaining Hellenic temples will be respected and spared.
389 to 390 All non-Christian calendars and dating-methods are outlawed. Hordes of fanatic hermits from the desert flood the cities of the Middle East and Egypt and destroy statues, altars, libraries and pagan temples, and lynch the pagans. Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, starts heavy persecutions against non-Christian peoples, turning the temple of Dionysius into a Christian church, burning down the Mithraeum of the city, destroying the temple of Zeus and burlesques the pagan priests before they are killed by stoning. The Christian mob profanes the cult images.
391 On 24th February, a new edict of Theodosius prohibits not only visits to pagan temples but also looking at the vandalised statues. New heavy persecutions occur all around the empire. In Alexandria, Egypt, pagans, led by the philosopher Olympius, revolt and after some street fights they lock themselves inside the fortified temple of the god Serapis (the Serapeion). After a violent siege, the Christians take over the building, demolish it, burn its famous library and profane the cult images.
392 On 8th November, Theodosius outlaws all the non-Christian rituals and names them “superstitions of the gentiles” (gentilicia superstitio). New full scale persecutions are ordered against pagans. The Mysteries of Samothrace are ended and the priests slaughtered. In Cyprus the local bishop “Saint” Epiphanius and “Saint” Tychon destroy almost all the temples of the island and exterminate thousands of non-Christians. The local Mysteries of goddess Aphrodite are ended. Theodosius’s edict declares: “The ones that won’t obey pater Epiphanius have no right to keep living in that island.” The pagans revolt against the Emperor and the Church in Petra, Aeropolis, Rafia, Gaza, Baalbek and other cities of the Middle East.
393 The Pythian Games, the Aktia Games and the Olympic Games are outlawed as part of the Hellenic “idolatry”. The Christians sack the temples of Olympia.
395 Two new edicts (22nd July and 7th August) cause new persecutions against pagans. Rufinus, the eunuch Prime Minister of Emperor Flavius Arcadius directs the hordes of baptised Goths (led by Alaric) to the country of the Hellenes. Encouraged by Christian monks the barbarians sack and burn many cities (Dion, Delphi, Megara, Corinth, Pheneos, Argos, Nemea, Lycosoura, Sparta, Messene, Phigaleia, Olympia, etc.), slaughter or enslave innumerable gentile Hellenes and burn down all the temples. Among others, they burn down the Eleusinian Sanctuary and burn alive all its priests (including the hierophant of Mithras Hilarius).
396 On 7th December, a new edict by Arcadius orders that paganism be treated as high treason. Imprisonment of the few remaining pagan priests and hierophants.
397 “Demolish them!” Flavius Arcadius orders that all the still standing pagan temples be demolished.
398 The 4th Church Council of Carthage prohibits everybody, including Christian bishops, from studying pagan books. Porphyrius, bishop of Gaza, demolishes almost all the pagan temples of his city (except nine of them that remain active).
399 With a new edict (13th July) Flavius Arcadius orders all remaining pagan temples, mainly in the countryside, be immediately demolished.
400 Bishop Nicetas destroys the Oracle of Dionysus in Vesai and baptises all the non-Christians of this area.
401 The Christian mob of Carthage lynches non-Christians and destroys temples and “idols”. In Gaza too, the local bishop “Saint” Porphyrius sends his followers to lynch pagans and to demolish the remaining nine still active temples of the city. The 15th Council of Chalcedon orders all the Christians that still keep good relations with their non-Christian relatives to be excommunicated (even after their death).
405 John Chrysostom sends hordes of grey-dressed monks armed with clubs and iron bars to destroy the “idols” in all the cities of Palestine.
406 John Chrysostom collects funds from rich Christian women to financially support the demolition of the Hellenic temples. In Ephesus he orders the destruction of the famous temple of Artemis. In Salamis, Cyprus, “Saints” Epiphanius and Euty****s continue the persecutions of the pagans and the total destruction of their temples and sanctuaries.
407 A new edict outlaws once more all the non-Christian acts of worship.
408 The emperor of the Western Empire, Honorius, and the emperor of the Eastern Empire, Arcadius, order all the sculptures of the pagan temples to be either destroyed or to be taken away. Private ownership of pagan sculpture is also outlawed. The local bishops lead new heavy persecutions against the pagans and new book burning. The judges that have pity for the pagans are also persecuted. “Saint” Augustine massacres hundreds of protesting pagans in Calama, Algeria.
409 Another edict orders all methods of divination including astrology to be punished by death.
415 In Alexandria, the Christian mob, urged by the bishop Cyril, attacks a few days before the Judeo-Christian Pascha (Easter) and cuts to pieces the famous and beautiful philosopher Hypatia. The pieces of her body, carried around by the Christian mob through the streets of Alexandria, are finally burned together with her books in a place called Cynaron. On 30th August, new persecutions start against all the pagan priests of North Africa who end their lives either crucified or burned alive. Emperor Theodosius II expels the Jews from Alexandria.
416 The inquisitor Hypatius, alias “The Sword of God”, exterminates the last pagans of Bithynia. In Constantinople (7th December) all non-Christian army officers, public employees and judges are dismissed.
423 Emperor Theodosius II declares (8th June) that the religion of the pagans is nothing more than “demon worship” and orders all those who persist in practicing it to be punished by imprisonment and torture.
429 The temple of goddess Athena (Parthenon) on the Acropolis of Athens is sacked. The Athenian pagans are persecuted. 431 Council of Ephesus ("Robber Synod"). Promotion for the godman – "Christ is complete God and complete man."
435 On 14th November, a new edict by Theodosius II orders the death penalty for all “heretics” and pagans of the empire. Only Judaism is considered a legal non-Christian religion.
438 Theodosius II issues an new edict (31st January) against the pagans, incriminating their “idolatry” as the reason of a recent plague!
440 to 450 The Christians demolish all the monuments, altars and temples of Athens, Olympia, and other Greek cities.
448 Theodosius II orders all non-Christian books to be burned. 450 All the temples of Aphrodisias (the City of the Goddess Aphrodite) are demolished and all its libraries burned down. The city is renamed Stavroupolis (City of the Cross). 451 Council of Chalcedon. New edict by Theodosius II (4th November) emphasises that “idolatry” is punished by death. Assertion of orthodox doctrine over the 'Monophysites' – 'JC has single, divine nature.'
457 to 491 Sporadic persecutions against the pagans of the Eastern Empire. Among others, the physician Jacobus and the philosopher Gessius are executed. Severianus, Herestios, Zosimus, Isidorus and others are tortured and imprisoned. The proselytiser Conon and his followers exterminate the last non-Christians of Imbros Island, Northeast Aegean Sea. The last worshippers of Lavranius Zeus are exterminated in Cyprus.
482 to 488 The majority of the pagans of Minor Asia are exterminated after a desperate revolt against the emperor and the Church.
486 More “underground” pagan priests are discovered, arrested, burlesqued, tortured and executed in Alexandria, Egypt. 515 Baptism becomes obligatory even for those that already say they are Christians.
The emperor of Constantinople, Anastasius, orders the massacre of the pagans in the Arabian city Zoara and the demolition of the temple of local god Theandrites.
523 Emperor Justin I outlaws the Arian heresy and campaigns to suppress Arianism everywhere. 528 Emperor Justinian outlaws the “alternative” Olympian Games of Antioch. He also orders the execution—by fire, crucifixion, tearing to pieces by wild beasts or cutting to pieces by iron nails—of all who practice “sorcery, divination, magic or idolatry” and prohibits all teachings by the pagans (“the ones suffering from the blasphemous insanity of the Hellenes”).
529 Justinian outlaws the Athenian Philosophical Academy and has its property confiscated.
532 The inquisitor Ioannis Asiacus, a fanatical monk, leads a crusade against the pagans of Minor Asia.
542 Justinian allows the inquisitor Ioannis Asiacus to forcibly convert the pagans of Phrygia, Caria and Lydia in Asia Minor. Within 35 years of this crusade, 99 churches and 12 monasteries are built on the sites of demolished pagan temples.
546 Hundreds of pagans are put to death in Constantinople by the inquisitor Ioannis Asiacus.
556 Justinian orders the notorious inquisitor Amantius to go to Antioch, to find, arrest, torture and exterminate the last non-Christians of the city and burn all the private libraries down.
562 Mass arrests, burlesquing, tortures, imprisonments and executions of gentile Hellenes in Athens, Antioch, Palmyra and Constantinople.
578 to 582 The Christians torture and crucify Hellenes all around the Eastern Empire, and exterminate the last non-Christians of Heliopolis (Baalbek).
580 The Christian inquisitors attack a secret temple of Zeus in Antioch. The priest commits suicide, but the rest of the pagans are arrested. All the prisoners, the Vice Governor Anatolius included, are tortured and sent to Constantinople to face trial. Sentenced to death they are thrown to the lions. The wild animals being unwilling to tear them to pieces, they end up crucified. Their dead bodies are dragged in the streets by the Christian mob and afterwards thrown unburied in the dump.
583 New persecutions against the gentile Hellenes by Emperor Maurice.
590 In all the Eastern Empire the Christian accusers “discover” pagan conspiracies. New storm of torture and executions.
Original Source: Vlasis Rassias, Demolish Them! … Published in Greek, Athens 1994 Back to Home Page Into the Darkness – The Triumph of Christian Barbarism
The Papal Princes – Christian Lords of Hell on Earth
1000 Years of Carnage & Barbarity in the name of Christ
Christianising of the Heathen – The "Conversion" of the
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Wicca vs Satanism The Big Lie There are lots (and bad) information on the suposed relation between satanism and Wicca. In this page I'll try to make a brief account of some of the points that are commonly used to try to prove it, and also give reasons for why this is not true. First, and basic to all the further development of my point, is this: all pagan religions have their roots in practices that predate christianity by centuries, and developed out of the area of influence of both christianity and judaism, which evolved primarily in the Middle East Area. Second, satanism as a cult was developed as an antithesis of christianity, an antinomic judeo-christian heresy, where Satan is recognized as superior to Yahve/Jehova. It has several differnt versions, from the Satanists of the Church of Satan, followers of the teachings of LaVey and almost nihilists -and atheists-, to the "Devil Worshippers", or the people that form the Temple of Seth, or the Luciferians. There were attempts in the previous centuries to develop something similar, true, and there are documents that talk about "black masses" in France near the time of the Revolution, but this has little if anything in common with contemporary "satanism". But by definition, Satanism can't predate christianity, and even then, the developing of all the mythology about Satan. See, to be a satanist you need to start by acknowledging the judeo-christian God. Satanism is, as their followers explain, a religion that glorifies ego, without any further moral barriers other than their own will. Let's note that for christianity, Satan's main sin was pride (to consider himself equal to his creator). They use the inverted pentagram (five pointed star) as the representation of Satan's head with it's horns, ears and beard, or also the inverted christian cross. The Pentagran is a symbol widely used in ocultism. On it's upside, it symbolizes the spirit imposing over matter... this can be well seen if we inscribe a human figure inside. Upside down, this supremacy of the spirit is lost and the senses rule, being this another symbolism satanists use. Among Wiccan, we use the Pentacle, being it a five pointed star inscribed inside a circle. It symbolized the five elements of nature: fire, air, water and earth, with the fifth element -that is, spirit- located on the upper point. I'll check now some points that lead to confusion. I must make myself clear in that all these points were taken from other pages, plainly fundamentalists, that I won't bother to link to, for two main reasons. One is to prevent giving any space on my page to any such show of hostility and intolerance, the other is to avoid giving them any kind of publicity, not even negative one. Lie Nro. 1: The Wiccan Rede is Satanic The main excuse those who state this give, is a suposed version of the Rede that states "Do what thou wilt" and equal this to the lack of acknowledgement of a sacred, higher law. They also relate it with Aleister Crowley, who was called "the more perverse man of his time". This is not only not true, but also maliciously distorted. The cited bit belongs to Crowley, yes, but is taken out of context, and has little to do with what some fundamentalist groups want it to say. You can find a version of the Rede in this pages, and anyone who cares enough to read it can say it's far from the afirmation of the ego which is "Do what thou wilt" without any adition. A shorter version of the Rede is "Ain it harm no one, do what thou wilt" and some add "Except in thine own defence it be". This sets a moral stop quite important, which doesn't exist in the suposed version given by the fundamentalists. This is plainly, to descontextualize a sentence and chop it, devoiding it of it's original meaning. Lie Nro. 2: The witches (wicca) perform human sacrifices The truth is there are accounts, taken mainly from Julius Cesar's "Gaelic Wars" describing human sacrifices done by the Druids. Inmediately stating that those sacrifices were only done when in times of great need or calamities, being the victims voluntaries and/or criminals. And even this is doubted by some schollars, considering it an ancient version of war propaganda trying to show the enemy as evil. This is a discontinued practice, not valid today at all. Anyone performing a human sacrifice nowadays is not wicca, nor satanist: is a criminal, and whom you can only relate to Wicca in the same way you can relate Charles Manson or Dave Koresh to the main body of christianity. Let's tell the truth then: wiccan neither kidnap people to sacrifice, nor eat raw children as many seem to think. . Lie Nr. 3: Halloween is the biggest feast among satan worshiper witches and druids, and use it to sacrifice innocent children Samhain in the northern hemisphere is the origin of today's Halloween, and is also the Wiccan New Year. It's a feast to pay respects to the dead, and honour their memories by celebrations, very similar to the mexican "Dia de los Muertos", celebrated on a close date. For a start, it's been centuries since the druids made their last ritual human sacrifice, if they ever did. Second, druids are obviously not satan worshipers. It's possible that Satanists hold feasts on this day, but their main feast day to a Satanist is the day of his birthday. Lie Nr. 4: Wicca is a religion that was only created a century or so ago, then it's just another one of Satan's lies to take more souls. Gardnerian tradition among Wiccan was established during the '60s, following the abolition of the laws against witchcraft, allowing wiccan praticioners to show openly without fearing jail or death. Many of the other traditions were handled among the families for centuries and in the dark, fearing torture or oprobium would come on them if they admited themselves as witches. Other branches of paganism, like shammanism or the Asatru religion have survived without much problem with the law, and predate christianity for centuries. And in any case, the practices in which we based our celebration are ancient indeed, as any anthropologist could testify. Note: there is a book promoted on some sites promising to tell "All of Satan's deceivings in Wicca". This book, according to the information given on it, was writen by someone who claims to have been ordered High Priest of a coven around six months after being admited into it. As I explain in "Studying", to be initiated you're usually asked for a year and a day in service taken from the moment you bid so, to give the future wicca time enough to meditate and be really sure of his wishes, and also to build the trust on the newly come. And even then, you need years of learning before someone anoints you as High Priest/ess. It's plain to see the origins of this book are more than dubious, and nothing someone really informed can take seriously, yet in the wrong hands it could well be an erroneuos source of information. Pagans tend to take all this acusations as yet another source for a good chuckle, as most of them show a knowledge of Wicca and Satanism very close to a B Movie, and not even the cult ones. We tend to laugh at them, true, as long as it doesn't spread and starts affecting us on our daily life and turn into a source of discrimination. Whoever says any of the things stated above, is either ignorant or malicious. Still, it's nothing that surprising... after all, this ignorant attitude was the one that condemmed thousands of innocents to the stake. Something many seem to miss and try to revive with all their "alerts" and discriminative or plainly difamatory attitudes. This is the reason why I decided to remark the grossest mistakes, looking forwards to giving battle to the ignorance manifested in the acusations made, and with the secret wish that bringing the truth into light helps for a better convivence between both religions. Index
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Wicca & Christianity The relationship between Wicca and Christianity has always been difficult. The roots of this animosity between both religions are quite clear. During the european christianization, a common process took place, in which the Gods of the older religions turned into the demons of the new one, and the christian priests identified the Satan of the Scripts with the Horned God of paganism, also called Cernunnos, similar in appearance to the greek god Pan, his atributes being goat hooves, hairy body and deer or goat horns. As christianity evolved as the major religion for the european upper classes, and with the feudal system during the Middle Ages a religion such as the pagan ones, with their constant celebration of life and it's remark on the individual's responsibility upon his/her own destiny, turned up to be something less than desirable. The reason is quite simple: if each person was responsible of their own life and actions, all the perverse feudal system with it's dominion over land, life and body of the peasants had no reason to be, even less a sacred back up as it had with the Church. As a counterpart to this, documentation on the celitc pagan countries remain, stating the right of every inhabitant of the country to posses their own land, naming then a series of rights that sound amazingly similar to the modern Declaration of Human Rights. As we can see, a completely different approach on the subject. Anyway, on December 1484 the Pope Inocencius VII edicted his infamous bule, naming two priests called Heinrich Kramer and Jakob Sprenger Inquisitors. These pair wrote the Malleum Maleficarum, a detail on the procedures allowed to use to make witches confess. These procedures included, among other delicacies, hanging the victims by their wrists, shaving their body hair looking for spots or "devil nipples" (simple moles or warts, usually placed on armpits or crotch), trying to prove their adherence to Satan. These moles were suposed to be the places through which women nursed the demons, thus their name. One would think the lack of such marks would prove the innocence of the acused. Nothing like the sort. The skin's inmaculate condition was considered another proof of evil doings. The truth is, the condemnation of the accused was more based on who and how the acusation had been placed for a start, more than in the "proofs". Let's keep in mind that after several different flavours of tortures, such as red-hot irons and boots that broke all the bones in the legs, anybody would confess anything just to make it stop. But my point isn't making a retelling of one of the worst and longest butcheries humanity can recall. There is plenty of information available, perfectly documented, for those interested in finding out more. Nowadays, the relationship between Paganism and Christianity hasn't got much better, even though it's almost a century since the last person was killed or jailed accused of witchcraft. It's becoming a habbit among fundamentalist groups to try to raise the multitude against paganism. If they kept it among their own members, or perhaps when trying to witness ocasionally to an isolated pagan, it wouldn't be that bad. The real problem starts, though, when declaring them at war with what they call the "devil worshipers", based on descontextualized facts and information that completely lacks historical accuracy. And then what is meant to be a pacific convivence turns into a battlefield. I should make clear that I don't aim to suggest the general policy of christianity as a whole is to declare a new witch-hunt in the same style as the well known collective histery of Salem. But to state that is simply the message originated in some sectors, without the least respect for a religion which roots place it as almost if not older than judaism, another religion that predated christianity by far, and what makes it worse is the lack of REAL information. As an example of what could be a pacific convivence, we could name the new Catholic Apostolic Roman cathecism, that even though it considers a mortal sin to use traditional witches' practices such as divination or magick, it makes is so for it's own followers. That means, if you are a catholic, you should accept the church's views. The influence of the so called pagan uses upon christianity are undeniable for anyone that cares enough to check them out without condemning them beforehand. As a clear example of this we can name the celebreation of Christmas on December 24th, a date astoundingly close to Yule, the celtic festival of the rebirth of the God. Another possible example is communion, this one taken from Ancient Egypt, where they also made the transubstanciation of the bread, just like what is today considered dogma by the Catholic Church. And if we carry on our research with historical and anthropological accuracy, we'll find the myth of the Sacrificed God, then Resurrected, has a high occurence all over the Middle East. There are way many serious studies made on the relation between the christian and pagan festivals. A more than coherent reason for this was the intent to ease the convertion into the new religion by using festivals similar to those the converts were already used to. As anyone that knows the basic beliefs of Wicca would know, convivence between both religions is perfectly possible, though obviously you can't be both pagan and christian. Let's hope people understands this, and a near future finds us living in harmony. http://www.puertasdebabel.com/wicca/beliefs/christ.htm
-------------------- "An it harm none, do what ye will." -the Wiccan Rede Posts: 637 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Pagan Gods Copied From Christianity??? By Brad
As information becomes more available to wider audiences through the internet, the subject of "pagan" Gods often enters into debates about Christianity. The issue of whether or not Jesus was patterned after the stories and attributes of some pagan gods is one that produces some amazing claims by Christians.
They will always deny that there were any pagan Gods who existed prior to Jesus that could have influenced how Jesus was developed in Christian writings such as the New Testament.
The following essay contains identified comments from a rabid Christian writing in an Skeptic vs. Christian forum and are typical of the Christian apologetics used to debunk the idea that there may have been pagan Gods which served as templates for the Jesus story.
A skeptic introduced into the debate Christmas and the name "Mithra" who was an ancient savior god of the Persians who has striking similarities to Jesus before Jesus was supposed to have been born.
[Christian writes: Mithra? I have to assume that you're joking. In order to have a serious discussion about Christianity and atheism, then you have to turn aside your intense desire to disparage Christianity at every turn and instead let's talk intelligently and objectively.]
Notice how the Christian starts out. He immediately dismisses the idea that Mithra may have been a role model for the Jesus story by assuming that any talk about Mithra is a joke. Then the Christian accuses the skeptic of not being objective and only interested in Christianity bashing. This is a rather obvious ploy which attempts to discredit the idea that Jesus may have been copied from prior savior gods by attempting to laugh off the idea from the start.
In other words, in order to "intelligently" and "objectively" discuss Christianity, silly notions that there could have been savior gods who existed prior to Jesus and who had very similar attributes to Jesus must be put aside as nonsense. When dealing with a zealous Christian, one must always remember that there is nothing in the universe which has any "real" validity other than Jesus and the Bible.
[Christian writes: Firstly, even the experts will acknowledge that there is virtually no literary evidence as to the beliefs of Mirthraism (please refer to "The Origins of the Mithraic Mysteries" by David Ulansey).]
The experts? Experts are a dime a dozen. The experts at the Christian Institute for Creation Research declare that the earth is only about 6,000 years old. For every Christian "expert" on pagan religions, I can cite one who isn't a Christian and establishes that Mithra was a savior God who was worshipped prior to Jesus and whose origins date long before Jesus was supposed to have been born.
The real problem is that if some parts of the Jesus story were patterned after "pagan" Gods, then the validity of the New Testament as the word of God is in jeopardy and Christians can't allow that.
[Christian writes: The simple reason that Mithraism could not possibly have influenced first-century Christianity (in fact, the opposite was likely true) is that the timing is all wrong. Mithraism didn't really begin to flourish until AFTER the closing of New Testament canon (see "The Mysteries of Mithra" by Franz Cumont) and in fact, no monuments to this religion can be dated any earlier than AD 90 - 100.]
Here we see the mind of a Christian zealot in all it's radiant splendor. Instead of Jesus being copied from Mithra, he asserts Mithra was copied from Jesus. The Christian turns the tables by saying that pagan copycats used the Jesus story to invent Mithra.
It's simply not possible in this persons mind that the Jesus story could have been influenced by stories of other god/men who existed in history prior to Jesus.
Since Mithra was a Persian God who was introduced to the Romans before Jesus was ever written about, Mithra was around in some form before Jesus. Notice how the Christian dances around this by saying that Mithraism "didn't really begin to flourish" until the NT canon was closed. The issue is not when Mithraism was at it's most popular in the region, but how old it's foundations are and where they originated from.
This Christian can sing and dance and quote any number of books he wants. Here's what the Encarta online research source says about Mithra:
"Mithraism, one of the major religions of the Roman Empire, the cult of Mithra, the ancient Persian god of light and wisdom. In the Avesta, the sacred Zoroastrian writings (see Zoroastrianism) of the ancient Persians, Mithra appears as the chief yazata (Avestan, 'beneficent one'), or good spirit, and ruler of the world. He was supposed to have slain the divine bull, from whose dying body sprang all plants and animals beneficial to humanity. After the conquest of Assyria in the 7th century BC and of Babylonia in the 6th century BC, Mithra became the god of the sun, which was worshipped in his name (see Sun Worship). The Greeks of Asia Minor, by identifying Mithra with Helios, the Greek god of the sun, helped to spread the cult. It was brought to Rome about 68 BC by Cilician pirates whom the Roman general Pompey the Great had captured, and during the early empire it spread rapidly throughout Italy and the Roman provinces. It was a rival to Christianity in the Roman world."
"Mithraism was similar to Christianity in many respects, for example, in the ideals of humility and brotherly love, baptism, the rite of communion, the use of holy water, the adoration of the shepherds at Mithra's birth, the adoption of Sundays and of December 25 (Mithra's birthday) as holy days, and the belief in the immortality of the soul, the last judgment, and the resurrection. Mithraism differed from Christianity in the exclusion of women from its ceremonies and in its willingness to compromise with polytheism. The similarities, however, made possible the easy conversion of its followers to Christian doctrine." (End quote)
Also, from a web site which examines Mithraism:
"Plainly, the worship of Mithras was well ahead of the worship of Jesus. In any case there is a dated pre-Christian Mithraic inscription of Antiochus I of Commagene (69-34 BC) in eastern Asia Minor. Mithras shakes hands with the King, he wears the Phrygian cap, the Persian trousers, and a cape. His hat is star speckled and rays of light emerge from his head like a halo. His torq is a serpent. This is the image of the Roman Mithras in a scene taking place 100 years before the crucifixion."
"There were worshippers of Mithras in Rome in Pompey's time (67 BC)." "Christians are more defensive about Mithras than perhaps any other pre-Christian Roman god. The two religions had so much in common, it can hardly be denied although Christians will try to deny it as a first shot. Their second shot is that the followers of Mithras copied the Christians! Christians feel obliged to take silly positions on these issues because they seek to defend Christianity as a revealed religion, not one which evolved in a certain milieu and therefore has common features with contemporary religions. So, no religious practices that seem in any way to be like any Christian ones could have been original--they must have been taken from Christianity!" (end quotes, ref Dr M. D. Magee AskWhy! Publications Website, www.askwhy.co.uk/christianity/0690Mithras.html)
It seems rather clear that Mithra was introduced to Rome around 68 B.C. and existed in some form as a worshipped deity long before Jesus or the New Testament.
Even in the Old Testament, the Israelites were carried off into exile to Assyria and Babylon which were captured by the Persians. This was all hundreds of years prior to Jesus. The Babylonian exile is recorded in the Old Testament.
All the dancing and excuses by this Christian that Mithra was a savior God copied from Jesus is just a desperate attempt to discredit any gods which existed prior to Jesus. If certain aspects of Jesus were indeed copied from pagan gods like Mithra, the whole Jesus story and New Testament are called into question. Some dishonest Christians will always attempt to turn history on it's ear and claim that pagan Gods were copied from Jesus.
Note: At this point another Christian jumps in and writes the same thing with an additional twist:
[Christian #2 writes: If there was any borrowing it was the pagans from the Christians. Christianity is based on a historical person. A big difference from mythology.]
Historical people are not the product of virgin births as Christians claim Jesus was. Pagan god/men in mythology are however often the products of a God mating with a human female. Christians always ignore this fact. According to this historical twist employed by Christians, it means the Persians must have borrowed the Jesus story to create their version of Mithra, the savior god who was introduced and worshipped in Rome at least 68 years before Jesus ever appeared. This is the type of spin Christians have to use to keep Jesus unique and the only true savior of the universe.
The New Testament itself points out that Christianity introduced a new ritual as part of it's formula to obtain eternal life. Jesus himself tells his followers that they can have eternal life if they eat his flesh and drink his blood.
John 6:53-54 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Where did this ritual come from? Is it something that God told his people to do, or is it something pagan which became incorporated into the Jesus savior story? What's wrong with this picture? This new ritual directly contradicts the Word of God in the Old Testament. The consumption of blood, in any form, is abomination in the eyes of God.
Lev 17:10,12 And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth(consumes) any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat(consume) blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.
Are people to believe that God, whose eternal law(Psa 119:152,160) is very clear about not consuming any type of blood, completely changed his mind, and then decided to advocate the drinking of blood as part of a salvation ritual?
An often employed Christian rationalization is that since the blood Jesus told his followers to drink was only wine, there was no real violation of the law. This doesn't hold up to scriptural examination. Symbolic sin is still sin. Even Jesus proclaimed that symbolic sin was still sin(Matt 5:28).
Drinking wine and pretending that it's really the blood of a human sacrifice makes a mockery of God's law.
This new blood drinking ritual for salvation certainly didn't come from the God of the Old Testament.
[Christian writes: Now that we have settled this... ]
Notice the arrogance of fundamentalist Christianity on display here. This has been settled? This short burst of hubris has completely discredited Mithraism as a possible source for some of the characteristics of Jesus as described in the New Testament???
Did the basic foundation of Mithraism exist before or after Jesus was supposed to have appeared? How tightly do you want to close your eyes?
This illustrates why Christians cannot allow anything to taint their spin of how history actually was. If Jesus the savior god was in any way patterned after savior gods who existed prior to him, the whole doctrine of salvation through Jesus is called into dispute. The claims of a virgin birth, blood sacrifice of a human being to redeem people, the resurrection, being the bringer of light and life, and other attributes of Jesus are not unique but may be part of belief systems that existed long before Jesus appeared.
[Christian writes again: Let me chastise you on one thing: the celebration of Christmas in December has NOTHING to do with Scripture. So, telling us that it should really be celebrated in mid-year tells us nothing. It is accepted that the early Church established December 25th as the day in order to celebrate Christ's birth in order to coordinate Christianity with the local customs. Hardly blasphemous and certainly not in any way a discredit to Scripture.]
The fact that this Christian acknowledges that the celebration of Christmas has nothing to do with scripture, but was simply an adopted pagan custom used by the early church to establish Dec 25th as the birthday of Jesus, points to evidence which this Christian doesn't want to have highlighted. That evidence is that Mithra's birthday was supposed to be Dec 25th (also the winter solstice).
The Christian attempts to brush off this adopted custom as "hardly blasphemous." What a hypocrite!!! This Christian needs to read his Bible more carefully.
Lev 20:23,26 And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nations, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.
The Bible God gives clear instructions not to adopt customs of other nations. Adopting the birthday/holiday of a pagan God like Mithra as the birthday of Jesus in order to, as this Christian asserts, "coordinate Christianity with the local customs" most certainly does qualify as blasphemy!!!
Bringing customs of pagan gods into God's congregation is a violation of huge proportions.
Deut 6:13-15 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
How are Christians serving God by following and adopting the custom of recognizing a pagan god's birthday as the birthday of Jesus??? Who does this Christian think he's kidding when he says that the adoption of this holiday is hardly blasphemous??? These actions laugh in the face of the instructions God gave in the Old Testament.
To make matters worse, Christians pretend to observe the Sabbath on Sunday. It's probably no coincidence that Mithra who was a SUN God and whose day was SUN DAY, had his day adopted by Christians as their "Sabbath" or Lord's day. Did Christians once again "coordinate Christianity with the local customs" by adopting Sunday as their day of the Lord? The Sabbath is the 7th day of the week which is Saturday.
Exo 31:15-16 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
Since Christians also deem themselves to be God's chosen people and claim that they want to worship and praise the Lord, they violate the Sabbath by not observing it on the 7th day of the week as instructed. These pious hypocrites then advertise to the world that the Bible God's laws are the moral foundation of the universe and that his laws should be followed by all "moral" societies.
The very fact that the early Christian church made these "changes" and disregarded God's instructions doesn't help the case that Christianity represents a unique religion based on the "truth" of the Bible God. Since Dec 25th as the birthday of Christ is not scriptural, there is no valid reason why Christians should celebrate it. Yet, almost all Christians do.
Regarding Christmas: The scriptures aren't discredited by the celebration of Christmas, but Christians who celebrate it ARE. They are celebrating the birthday of their LORD and SAVIOR on a pagan holiday. Jesus never instructed that his birthday be celebrated, nor is there any birth date given in the New Testament.
Apparently Christians want an excuse to celebrate without authority to do so. They set up trees, decorate them with silver tinsel, gold balls and religious ornaments, gather around it, put up lights, put on pageants, and engage in exactly the things God told them NOT to do.
Jer 10:2-5 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
God instructs his people NOT to learn or practice the ways of the nations around them. It's astounding how Christians will ignore what the Bible tells them when it conflicts with what they want to do.
Situational ethics is the order of the day. These same religious chameleons then proclaim and advertise to the world that they want to "serve God." All of the excuses Christians employ to prop up their belief system as the only valid and true way to know God are concoctions straight out of the seemingly limitless capacity of the human mind to rationalize anything and then claim God backs them up. Let any buyer of Christian advertising beware.
Author: Gwydion Oak Posted: February 2nd. 1997 Times Viewed: 52,991
For starters, I am not a Christian. I am and have been Pagan (Wiccan in particular) for several years now. So why am I writing this? Because I understand that believing Christians feel they have an obligation to share their religion with others (I was Christian once and participated actively in missionary work at that time). I have also observed over a number of years that believing Christians tend, however unintentionally, to ignore their own strengths, and to consistently put their worst face forward when dealing with those who do not share their faith. This is especially obvious when they are dealing with Wiccans, Druids, or other "pagan" religions. I have thus written this outline in the hope that it will help Christians understand better who and what Pagans really are, and, in the process become more effective in sharing their beliefs. Don't Attack
First and foremost, never, and I repeat, never attack. I make a point of reading every Christian tract on Paganism I encounter on the Internet or elsewhere, and the overwhelming majority of them are based on attacking Pagan religions, and those who practice them as "evil, " "devil-worshippers" and "calling them to repentance before they are doomed to hell forever." I have written to the authors of these tracts, asking exactly what they meant to accomplish by writing what they did. The two purposes that are always mentioned are... 1. to protect Christians from being "lured away" from the true faith. 2. to persuade Pagans to return to Christ. Unfortunately, attacks such as these usually fail totally on both counts.
To begin with, I have never yet seen anyone converted back to Christianity by threats and attacks on them . I say "back" for a good reason. Unlike the majority of Christians in this country who are raised in their faith and accept it almost as a matter of course, most Pagans have made a conscious decision to become what they are - usually after a long period of study, reflection, and practice. They thus have a strong personal and spiritual commitment to their religion. Remember also that the great majority of Pagans in the U.S. come from Judeo-Christian family and cultural backgrounds, and a scripture-filled attack usually does little more than confirm that they made the right decision in the first place.
Another important point to remember is that, to most Pagans, the need to attack others is viewed as a sign of fear and lack of self-confidence on the part of the attacker. There is an common expression in the Pagan community which runs -"Fear conquers understanding. Understanding conquers fear." It is generally felt that if a person has a strong grounding and foundation in their own religion, they will not feel any need to fear - or attack - others. While a fiery assault on Paganism makes many Christians feel better about their faith, and themselves as a "defender of the truth", the Pagan sees it as a kind of spiritual immaturity on the part of the attacker, and as a result will take neither the person, nor the message, very seriously.
Finally, attacks frequently have an odd way of backfiring. No matter what the pamphlets may say to the contrary, the overwhelming majority of Pagans are fundamentally good and decent people, who live their religion to the best of their ability, and raise their children to become mature, responsible members of their communities. They usually have numerous friends and relatives who recognize them as such, and who often don't appreciate strangers' attacks any more than the Pagans themselves do.
Last year during the holiday season, a young woman in her early twenties and her young son came into the Hope Mission, a local charity organization which provides food and shelter to the homeless. She definitely looked a little different, she had a nose ring on and was wearing a pentagram necklace. A man working at the mission suddenly confronted her and demanded to know why she was there. Before she could answer he saw the pentagram and shouted, "You're one of those witches that was in the park back on Halloween!" He knew because he had participated in a church-organized demonstration against the "open circle" the local Pagan group had held there. He then became very hostile, calling her an evil devil-worshipper in front of everyone present and shouting that "her kind" had no business coming into a Christian center and that she would receive nothing from them. To her credit, she stood her ground, and a moment later several of the other volunteers came to her defense. It turned out that the woman and her son had come to the mission to donate food for the holidays, and after doing so left without a word to the man who had berated her so publicly. The workers who had stood by the woman, however, had plenty to say - mostly about her generosity in donating the food despite his rudeness and how he had had no right to talk to her like that, even if she did belong to a group that the church did not approve of. They seemed to feel his conduct to be "un-Christian" at the very least, and hardly the kind of example that would make the young woman he'd insulted want to come back to church. In the end, he had little choice but to turn away looking like the perfect fool he had been. Get your facts straight
If you are going to have any chance at all in sharing your message, it is critical that you understand clearly what Pagans actually believe. You don't have to agree with these beliefs, but it is important that you see Pagans as they see themselves. The tracts I have read are usually filled with a fascinating assortment of pseudo-information regarding Pagan beliefs, usually accompanied by numerous Biblical scriptures, often used completely out of context. They are a poor way to learn about Pagan beliefs, as they are almost always written by hostile outsiders who have little or no personal experience with Pagans.
To start with, Pagans do not worship the devil. The simple fact is that to the great majority of Pagans, the Christian devil has no more meaning than the Christian god does. This may be even more disturbing to many Christians, but to understand Paganism this first point must be clear. I don't doubt for one minute that there are some people in this world who actually participate in "devil-worship" as Christians see it, and that those people may do some very sick, disgusting things, but you might be surprised to find that Pagans are as offended by such people as Christians are.
Pagans do not renounce Christ. There seems to be a common belief the writers of these tracts that when Pagans are initiated into their religion they renounce Christianity. This usually accompanies claims that Pagans are devil-worshippers. Again, while there may be people that worship the Christian devil and such people may renounce Christ, Pagans do not. Neither Christ nor the devil ever appear in Pagan initiations, or in any other Pagan rituals for that matter.
Pagans do not hold "grotesque Satanic rituals" on Halloween. Actually Pagans seldom, if ever, refer to this day as Halloween. To us, it is called Samhain (pronounced sow-en), a word which means "summer's end" To the ancient Celtic people it was New Years day, and many Pagans celebrate the new year at this time. Others celebrate the new year at Yule. To most Pagans Samhain is a sacred day - a time when the last harvests are gathered in before winter's arrival, and the time when family members who have passed away are remembered and honored. It is also considered a time of reflection, a time to look back on the year's accomplishments and make plans for the future. Finally, it is the time when Pagans reflect on their own mortality, and the time when the focus of life turns from physical concerns to spiritual ones. Samhain is only one of eight times of the year that Pagans celebrate - all of them focusing on a particular season or phase of life.
Pagans do not sacrifice children, animals, or anything else on their altars. Tract writers seem fascinated with the idea of animal and human sacrifice and this is always included in lurid descriptions of alleged Pagan rituals. Do modern Pagans sacrifice animals or people? No. Did they do so in the ancient past? Possibly. Sacrifices were part of nearly all ancient religions, the Biblical Hebrews being no exception. There are detailed descriptions in the Old Testament as to exactly what to sacrifice, and how it was to be done in order to be accepted. The idea of sacrificing was and still is that you must give up something valuable to you in order to gain something even more valuable or important. As many people in ancient times took this in a literal, rather than in a spiritual sense, and since they were primarily farmers and shepherds, the logical sacrifices were some of their crops or their animals. In many cultures human life was considered the ultimate value, and a human sacrifice was seen as the ultimate offering to god. According to the Bible Abraham was told by no less than Jehovah himself to take his only son and sacrifice him as a sign of his faith. While this turned out to be only a "test, " and Abraham ultimately did not have to do it - it was clear that the idea of human sacrifice and its meaning was not unknown to him - he did as he felt he had been commanded to do. As the concept of personal sacrifice moved from the physical to the spiritual realm, actual physical sacrifices ceased, and is now no more approved of in Paganism than it is in Christianity. Are there individuals and groups who still do it? No doubt. Is it a part of Paganism as a whole? No.
Pagans have no interest in luring your children out of the church. There are two very simple reasons for this. First, Pagans do not proselytize. They have no missionary program. In fact, it is not very easy to become a Pagan. Pagans generally don't teach their religion unless asked to do so by someone who has specifically sought them out. They also tend to carefully screen those who come to them, and many are rejected if they turn out to be seeking instruction for the wrong reasons - rebelling against parents and their parents' faith, desire for power, to be "cool" or "different." Religion is viewed by most Pagans to be a very personal and sacred matter, something never to be imposed on another against their wishes.
The second reason is that Pagans do not generally believe that Paganism is the "only true way." This doesn't mean that they believe that "anything is okay if you are a good person." What it does mean is that Pagans are less concerned with which particular religion a person follows, and more concerned with what kind of person their religion helps them to become. They tend to see religion as a road leading to the summit of a mountain (the summit being the ultimate goal of religion). People tend to start at different points of the mountain's base and work their way up, and there are many roads that lead to the summit. Christianity and Paganism are only two of them. There are many others. The closer to the summit one gets, the closer the roads become to each other, until they all meet at the top. Now, if you are preparing to share the gospel with Pagans, you clearly don't agree with this view, but you need to understand it, as promoters of a "one true way" are often seen through Pagan eyes as "taking the road to be the destination."
A final note. Don't attempt to tell Pagans what they "really" believe in, especially if your information is based on the tracts I've encountered. Imagine being told by a Buddhist that the Last Supper is clear evidence that Christians practice a form of ritual cannibalism each Sunday. When you attempt to explain to them the actual meaning of the Last Supper, they interrupt you to say, "It says right in the Bible that Jesus himself said 'Eat, this is my body' and 'Drink, this is my blood.' Eating a man's body or drinking their blood to take on their attributes is a common idea among savage peoples that practice cannibalism!" They then tell you that you may think that the Last Supper has a deep spiritual meaning, but that it's actually a barbaric rite and quote teachings from the Buddha that "prove" it.. When you press them to tell you exactly how they could possibly "know" such a thing - obviously you, as a practicing, believing Christian, should know far more about the subject than they possibly could - they reply that they read it in a pamphlet called "How to respond to the Christian missionaries" by a well-known Buddhist proselytizing organization (yes, this is a real example from a real tract). Accept the Fact that there is a Dark Side to Christian history - and then Focus on the Positive.
When you begin to talk about Christ to Pagans, you are likely to be presented with a number of negative comments about the Christian church (yes, many Pagans are touchy about the attacks leveled on them in the media and, being human, may very well do some attacking of their own - it's not right, but you may well come out understanding why attacks on others just don't work). Some of these comments will include the destruction of many cultures by missionaries - and the armies that always accompanied them, intolerance of other faiths, denigration of women by the church. These negative comments tend to bring out what I call the "defender of the faith" syndrome. They immediately rise to the church's defense, saying that these statements are simply not true, and denying that "real Christians" could ever do such a thing. Every negative allegation is either denied or explained away (there are evil people who used the Lord's name for their purpose, but that doesn't make Christianity evil).
The point here is that when people look at another faith, they are quick to see the negative side and slow to see the positive. The Inquisition (usually called "the burning times" by Pagans) did exist, and many innocent people -Christians as well as Pagans- were burned, tortured, and maimed in the name of "destroying the body to save the soul." Women were denigrated through much of Christian history (there was in fact a major church conference, attended by Thomas Aquinas among others which debated seriously whether women even had souls) and in some sects still are today. The massacre of cultures (and peoples) by missionaries and their armies did happen many times in history (although hardly by Christians alone), and the hate-tracts on Paganism I almost daily encounter on the Internet are clear enough example of the degree to which intolerance exists. I would love to be able to say that Paganism doesn't have it's dark side, but the Celts were not all "loving souls who hug trees, drink herb tea and wouldn't hurt a fly, " by any means. There were, and are today, many people who call themselves Pagan and then do some very unsavory and unpleasant things. The Roman emperors who declared themselves gods existed, as well as many other cruel and barbaric customs among different Pagan peoples. There are many unpleasant, negative facts about almost any religious group that does or has ever existed on the earth. But to focus on them is to miss the point.
Rather than becoming a "defender of the faith, " focus instead on the transforming power that the Christ can have on individual lives, and the positive factors of the faith. Does it surprise you that a Pagan writer can respect and even revere Jesus? It shouldn't. You will find out rapidly in working with Pagans that very few of them have any hostility to Christ whatsoever. The hostility you will encounter will be towards those who claim to be his representatives, and their unwillingness to let others claim the same right to worship in peace that they demand for themselves. Clearly you will not find this easy to accept, but, again it is crucial to understand Pagans as they understand themselves if you are to have any success sharing your message. There is a powerful and very positive side to Christ's teaching. Pagans are fully aware of both sides. It will be your task to emphasize the positive. Treat Pagans as People First
In James Michener's book Hawaii, there is a incident where two missionaries, who had been working with the Hawaiians for many years clashed over the impending marriage of one of them to a Hawaiian woman. Despite the fact that the woman was a baptized, believing Christian, the marriage was fiercely condemned. Reverend Hale quoted Biblical scripture on how the marriage constituted "being yoked with unbelievers" and condemned his former friend for "consorting with the heathen." The response to this attack was a strong rebuke to what I have found to be the greatest mistake would-be teachers of the Gospel can make. He stated that "our work here is based upon a profound contradiction. You love the Hawaiians as souls to be saved, but you despise them as people."
Think carefully about this statement. On many occasions Christians have approached me in, what was at first, a friendly manner. Sometimes I was invited to their homes for dinner, sometimes to church social activities or services. There was a conspicuous effort to "get close" to me, and the topic of religion came up very often. This continued until it became clear that I wasn't going to jump into the baptismal pool right away, and that I was firmly committed to my religion. Then the "friendship" cooled off rapidly, phone calls ceased, and many times I was later treated with open hostility by the very people who had taken it upon themselves to approach me.
This is perhaps the most disturbing tendency Pagans encounter in Christians who would share the Gospel with them, and also one of the chief reasons Christians are often bluntly considered to be hypocrites in Pagan eyes. Pagans generally do not approach people solely for the purpose of sharing their religion, and if they become friends with someone it is real friendship, with the person. This is not to say that Christians don't do the same - I have also met many Christians who value friendship, and who accept me, even if they don't like my religions views. But a crucial question that any would-be missionary must ask themselves before they begin is whether they can be a genuine friend to those they would teach - a stay a friend even if those people don't accept their message. After all, one can never be sure where you're going to run into each other. Some of my Christian acquaintances are astonished that, as a Pagan, I support the right of students to meet together for prayer in a public school classroom if they wish to. I then ask them, "why not?" That right applies to all, and I would like to think that if a group of Pagan children wished to have a drumming circle in a classroom after school (much safer than many places I could think of) they would have the right to do so. If Muslim students wanted to meet and discuss their religion in a classroom after school, they should also have this right. And for those who don't have any religious belief - they have the same right NOT to participate.
Accept that You Can't Win Them All
Realize before you begin that you will not convert everyone you meet, and know when to stop. Many missionaries I have met seem to regard it as a personal failure if someone they are teaching decides not to join their church - or as a deliberate rejection of them. In most cases, neither is true. If a Pagan finally tells you that they have found their path, and wishes you well on yours, that simply means that you need to let go, and as one Mennonite pastor I heard put it, 'remember that I cannot see all things, and leave it to the Lord to judge." You don't have to accept their beliefs, or agree with them, but since you never know what the future may hold, suspend judgment. That is the spirit of religious tolerance (which never did mean you have to accept another religion - merely that everyone has a basic right to believe according to their conscience.
In closing, remember the Golden Rule - which in one form or another runs in all religions. Treat Pagans you would teach with the same respect, as people, that you would want for yourself. You may very well find yourself dealing with missionaries of other faiths one day (it happens - evangelical movements are growing rapidly among Muslims, Buddhists, for example). These guidelines should serve you just as well when you stand on the other side of the discussion - as the person they would convert.
Bright Blessings! (a Pagan closing often used in writing)
Gwydion
Gwydion is a solitary Wiccan that presently resides in Elkhart, Indiana. He lived in Taiwan for over a decade, where he worked and studied. He is proudly "owned" by two boys, a dog, a ferret, and a substantial wildlife collection in his back yard.
posted
Was the New Testament Influenced by Pagan Religions?by Ronald Nash
During the first half of the twentieth century, a number of liberal authors and professors claimed that the New Testament teaching about Jesus’ death and resurrection, the New Birth, and the Christian practices of baptism and the Lord’s Supper were derived from the pagan mystery religions. Of major concern in all this is the charge that the New Testament doctrine of salvation parallels themes commonly found in the mystery religions: a savior-god dies violently for those he will eventually deliver, after which that god is restored to life.
Was the New Testament influenced by the pagan religions of the first century A.D.? Even though I surveyed this matter in a 1992 book,1 the issues are so important — especially for Christian college students who often do not know where to look for answers — that there is considerable merit in addressing this question in a popular, nontechnical format.
WHAT WERE THE MYSTERY RELIGIONS?
Other than Judaism and Christianity, the mystery religions were the most influential religions in the early centuries after Christ. The reason these cults were called “mystery religions” is that they involved secret ceremonies known only to those initiated into the cult. The major benefit of these practices was thought to be some kind of salvation.
The mystery religions were not, of course, the only manifestations of the religious spirit in the eastern Roman Empire. One could also find public cults not requiring an initiation ceremony into secret beliefs and practices. The Greek Olympian religion and its Roman counterpart are examples of this type of religion.
Each Mediterranean region produced its own mystery religion. Out of Greece came the cults of Demeter and Dionysus, as well as the Eleusinian and Orphic mystery religions, which developed later.2 Asia Minor gave birth to the cult of Cybele, the Great Mother, and her beloved, a shepherd named Attis. The cult of Isis and Osiris (later changed to Serapis) originated in Egypt, while Syria and Palestine saw the rise of the cult of Adonis. Finally, Persia (Iran) was a leading early locale for the cult of Mithras, which — due to its frequent use of the imagery of war — held a special appeal to Roman soldiers. The earlier Greek mystery religions were state religions in the sense that they attained the status of a public or civil cult and served a national or public function. The later non-Greek mysteries were personal, private, and individualistic.
Basic Traits
One must avoid any suggestion that there was one common mystery religion. While a tendency toward eclecticism or synthesis developed after A.D. 300, each of the mystery cults was a separate and distinct religion during the century that saw the birth of the Christian church. Moreover, each mystery cult assumed different forms in different cultural settings and underwent significant changes, especially after A.D. 100. Nevertheless, the mystery religions exhibited five common traits.
(1) Central to each mystery was its use of an annual vegetation cycle in which life is renewed each spring and dies each fall. Followers of the mystery cults found deep symbolic significance in the natural processes of growth, death, decay, and rebirth.
(2) As noted above, each cult made important use of secret ceremonies or mysteries, often in connection with an initiation rite. Each mystery religion also passed on a “secret” to the initiate that included information about the life of the cult’s god or goddess and how humans might achieve unity with that deity. This “knowledge” was always a secret or esoteric knowledge, unattainable by any outside the circle of the cult.
(3) Each mystery also centered around a myth in which the deity either returned to life after death or else triumphed over his enemies. Implicit in the myth was the theme of redemption from everything earthly and temporal. The secret meaning of the cult and its accompanying myth was expressed in a “sacramental drama” that appealed largely to the feelings and emotions of the initiates. This religious ecstasy was supposed to lead them to think they were experiencing the beginning of a new life.
(4) The mysteries had little or no use for doctrine and correct belief. They were primarily concerned with the emotional life of their followers. The cults used many different means to affect the emotions and imaginations of initiates and hence bring about “union with the god”: processions, fasting, a play, acts of purification, blazing lights, and esoteric liturgies. This lack of any emphasis on correct belief marked an important difference between the mysteries and Christianity. The Christian faith was exclusivistic in the sense that it recognized only one legitimate path to God and salvation, Jesus Christ. The mysteries were inclusivistic in the sense that nothing prevented a believer in one cult from following other mysteries.
(5) The immediate goal of the initiates was a mystical experience that led them to feel they had achieved union with their god. Beyond this quest for mystical union were two more ultimate goals: some kind of redemption or salvation, and immortality.
Evolution
Before A.D. 100, the mystery religions were still largely confined to specific localities and were still a relatively novel phenomenon. After A.D. 100, they gradually began to attain a widespread popular influence throughout the Roman Empire. But they also underwent significant changes that often resulted from the various cults absorbing elements from each other. As devotees of the mysteries became increasingly eclectic in their beliefs and practices, new and odd combinations of the older mysteries began to emerge. And as the cults continued to tone down the more objectionable features of their older practices, they began to attract greater numbers of followers.
RECONSTRUCTING THE MYSTERIES
It is not until we come to the third century A.D. that we find sufficient source material (i.e., information about the mystery religions from the writings of the time) to permit a relatively complete reconstruction of their content. Far too many writers use this late source material (after A.D. 200) to form reconstructions of the third-century mystery experience and then uncritically reason back to what they think must have been the earlier nature of the cults. This practice is exceptionally bad scholarship and should not be allowed to stand without challenge. Information about a cult that comes several hundred years after the close of the New Testament canon must not be read back into what is presumed to be the status of the cult during the first century A.D. The crucial question is not what possible influence the mysteries may have had on segments of Christendom after A.D. 400, but what effect the emerging mysteries may have had on the New Testament in the first century.
The Cult of Isis and Osiris
The cult of Isis originated in Egypt and went through two major stages. In its older Egyptian version, which was not a mystery religion, Isis was regarded as the goddess of heaven, earth, the sea, and the unseen world below. In this earlier stage, Isis had a husband named Osiris. The cult of Isis became a mystery religion only after Ptolemy the First introduced major changes, sometime after 300 B.C. In the later stage, a new god named Serapis became Isis’s consort. Ptolemy introduced these changes in order to synthesize Egyptian and Greek concerns in his kingdom, thus hastening the Hellenization of Egypt.
From Egypt, the cult of Isis gradually made its way to Rome. While Rome was at first repelled by the cult, the religion finally entered the city during the reign of Caligula (A.D. 37-41). Its influence spread gradually during the next two centuries, and in some locales it became a major rival of Christianity. The cult’s success in the Roman Empire seems to have resulted from its impressive ritual and the hope of immortality offered to its followers.
The basic myth of the Isis cult concerned Osiris, her husband during the earlier Egyptian and nonmystery stage of the religion. According to the most common version of the myth, Osiris was murdered by his brother who then sank the coffin containing Osiris’s body into the Nile river. Isis discovered the body and returned it to Egypt. But her brother-in-law once again gained access to the body, this time dismembering it into fourteen pieces which he scattered widely. Following a long search, Isis recovered each part of the body. It is at this point that the language used to describe what followed is crucial. Sometimes those telling the story are satisfied to say that Osiris came back to life, even though such language claims far more than the myth allows. Some writers go even further and refer to the alleged “resurrection” of Osiris. One liberal scholar illustrates how biased some writers are when they describe the pagan myth in Christian language: “The dead body of Osiris floated in the Nile and he returned to life, this being accomplished by a baptism in the waters of the Nile.”3
This biased and sloppy use of language suggests three misleading analogies between Osiris and Christ: (1) a savior god dies and (2) then experiences a resurrection accompanied by (3) water baptism. But the alleged similarities, as well as the language used to describe them, turn out to be fabrications of the modern scholar and are not part of the original myth. Comparisons between the resurrection of Jesus and the resuscitation of Osiris are greatly exaggerated.4 Not every version of the myth has Osiris returning to life; in some he simply becomes king of the underworld. Equally far-fetched are attempts to find an analogue of Christian baptism in the Osins myth.5 The fate of Osiris’s coffin in the Nile is as relevant to baptism as the sinking of Atlantis.
As previously noted, during its later mystery stage, the male deity of the Isis cult is no longer the dying Osiris but Serapis. Serapis is often portrayed as a sun god, and it is clear that he was not a dying god. Obviously then, neither could he be a rising god. Thus, it is worth remembering that the post-Ptolemaic mystery version of the Isis cult that was in circulation from about 300 B.C. through the early centuries of the Christian era had absolutely nothing that could resemble a dying and rising savior-god.
The Cult of Cybele and Attis
Cybele, also known as the Great Mother, was worshiped through much of the Hellenistic world. She undoubtedly began as a goddess of nature. Her early worship included orgiastic ceremonies in which her frenzied male worshipers were led to castrate themselves, following which they became “Galli” or eunuch-priests of the goddess. Cybele eventually came to be viewed as the Mother of all gods and the mistress of all life.
Most of our information about the cult describes its practices during its later Roman period. But the details are slim and almost all the source material is relatively late, certainly datable long after the close of the New Testament canon.
According to myth, Cybele loved a shepherd named Attis. Because Attis was unfaithful, she drove him insane. Overcome by madness, Attis castrated himself and died. This drove Cybele into great mourning, and it introduced death into the natural world. But then Cybele restored Attis to life, an event that also brought the world of nature back to life.
The presuppositions of the interpreter tend to determine the language used to describe what followed Attis’s death. Many writers refer carelessly to the “resurrection of Attis.” But surely this is an exaggeration. There is no mention of anything resembling a resurrection in the myth, which suggests that Cybele could only preserve Attis’s dead body. Beyond this, there is mention of the body’s hair continuing to grow, along with some movement of his little finger. In some versions of the myth, Attis’s return to life took the form of his being changed into an evergreen tree. Since the basic idea underlying the myth was the annual vegetation cycle, any resemblance to the bodily resurrection of Christ is greatly exaggerated.
Eventually a public rehearsal of the Attis myth became an annual event in which worshipers shared in Attis’s “immortality.” Each spring the followers of Cybele would mourn for the dead Attis in acts of fasting and flagellation.
It was only during the later Roman celebrations (after A.D. 300) of the spring festival that anything remotely connected with a “resurrection” appears. The pine tree symbolizing Attis was cut down and then carried corpse-like into the sanctuary. Later in the prolonged festival, the tree was buried while the initiates worked themselves into a frenzy that included gashing themselves with knives. The next night, the “grave” of the tree was opened and the “resurrection of Attis” was celebrated. But the language of these late sources is highly ambiguous. In truth, no clear-cut, unambiguous reference to the supposed “resurrection” of Attis appears, even in the very late literature from the fourth century after Christ.
The Taurobolium
The best-known rite of the cult of the Great Mother was the tauroboliurn. It is important to note, however, that this ritual was not part of the cult in its earlier stages. It entered the religion sometime after the middle of the second century A.D.
During the ceremony, initiates stood or reclined in a pit as a bull was slaughtered on a platform above them.6 The initiate would then be bathed in the warm blood of the dying animal. It has been alleged that the taurobolium was a source for Christian language about being washed in the blood of the lamb (Rev. 7:14) or sprinkled with the blood of Jesus (1 Pet. 1:2). It has also been cited as the source for Paul’s teaching in Romans 6:1-4, where he relates Christian baptism to the Christian’s identification with Christ’s death and resurrection.
No notion of death and resurrection was ever part of the taurobolium, however. The best available evidence requires us to date the ritual about one hundred years after Paul wrote Romans 6:1-4. Not one existing text supports the claim that the taurobolium memorialized the death and “resurrection” of Attis. The pagan rite could not possibly have been the source for Paul’s teaching in Romans 6. Only near the end of the fourth century A.D. did the ritual add the notion of rebirth. Several important scholars see a Christian influence at work in this later development.7 It is clear, then, that the chronological development of the rite makes it impossible for it to have influenced first-century Christianity. The New Testament teaching about the shedding of blood should be viewed in the context of its Old Testament background — the Passover and the temple sacrifice.
Mithraism
Attempts to reconstruct the beliefs and practices of Mithraism face enormous challenges because of the scanty information that has survived Proponents of the cult explained the world in terms of two ultimate and opposing principles, one good (depicted as light) and the other evil (darkness). Human beings must choose which side they will fight for; they are trapped in the conflict between light and darkness. Mithra came to be regarded as the most powerful mediator who could help humans ward off attacks from demonic forces.8
The major reason why no Mithraic influence on first-century Christianity is possible is the timing: it’s all wrong! The flowering of Mithraism occurred after the close of the New Testament canon, much too late for it to have influenced anything that appears in the New Testament.9 Moreover, no monuments for the cult can be dated earlier than A.D. 90-100, and even this dating requires us to make some exceedingly generous assumptions. Chronological difficulties, then, make the possibility of a Mithraic influence on early Christianity extremely improbable. Certainly, there remains no credible evidence for such an influence.
STRIKING PARALLELS?
Enough has been said thus far to permit comment on one of the major faults of the above-mentioned liberal scholars. I refer to the frequency with which their writings evidence a careless, even sloppy use of language. One frequently encounters scholars who first use Christian terminology to describe pagan beliefs and practices, and then marvel at the striking parallels they think they have discovered. One can go a long way toward “proving” early Christian dependence on the mysteries by describing some mystery belief or practice in Christian terminology. J. Godwin does this in his book, Mystery Religions in the Ancient World, which describes the criobolium (see footnote 6) as a “blood baptism” in which the initiate is “washed in the blood of the lamb.”10 While uninformed readers might be stunned by this remarkable similarity to Christianity (see Rev. 7:14), knowledgeable readers will see such a claim as the reflection of a strong, negative bias against Christianity.
Exaggerations and oversimplifications abound in this kind of literature. One encounters overblown claims about alleged likenesses between baptism and the Lord’s Supper and similar “sacraments” in certain mystery cults. Attempts to find analogies between the resurrection of Christ and the alleged “resurrections” of the mystery deities involve massive amounts of oversimplification and inattention to detail.
Pagan Rituals and the Christian Sacraments
The mere fact that Christianity has a sacred meal and a washing of the body is supposed to prove that it borrowed these ceremonies from similar meals and washings in the pagan cults. By themselves, of course, such outward similarities prove nothing. After all, religious ceremonies can assume only a limited number of forms, and they will naturally relate to important or common aspects of human life. The more important question is the meaning of the pagan practices. Ceremonial washings that antedate the New Testament have a different meaning from New Testament baptism, while pagan washings after A.D. 100 come too late to influence the New Testament and, indeed, might themselves have been influenced by Christianity.11 Sacred meals in the pre-Christian Greek mysteries fail to prove anything since the chronology is all wrong. The Greek ceremonies that are supposed to have influenced first-century Christians had long since disappeared by the time we get to Jesus and Paul. Sacred meals in such post-Christian mysteries as Mithraism come too late.
Unlike the initiation rites of the mystery cults, Christian baptism looks back to what a real, historical person — Jesus Christ — did in history. Advocates of the mystery cults believed their “sacraments” had the power to give the individual the benefits of immortality in a mechanical or magical way, without his or her undergoing any moral or spiritual transformation. This certainly was not Paul’s view, either of salvation or of the operation of the Christian sacraments. In contrast with pagan initiation ceremonies, Christian baptism is not a mechanical or magical ceremony. It is clear that the sources of Christian baptism are not to be found either in the taurobolium (which is post first-century anyway) or in the washings of the pagan mysteries. Its sources lie rather in the washings of purification found in the Old Testament and in the Jewish practice of baptizing proselytes, the latter being the most likely source for the baptistic practices of John the Baptist.
Of all the mystery cults, only Mithraism had anything that resembled the Lord’s Supper. A piece of bread and a cup of water were placed before initiates while the priest of Mithra spoke some ceremonial words. But the late introduction of this ritual precludes its having any influence upon first-century Christianity.
Claims that the Lord’s Supper was derived from pagan sacred meals are grounded in exaggerations and oversimplifications. The supposed parallels and analogies break down completely.12 Any quest for the historical antecedents of the Lord’s Supper is more likely to succeed if it stays closer to the Jewish foundations of the Christian faith than if it wanders off into the practices of the pagan cults. The Lord’s Supper looked back to a real, historical person and to something He did in history. The occasion for Jesus’ introduction of the Christian Lord’s Supper was the Jewish Passover feast. Attempts to find pagan sources for baptism and the Lord’s Supper must be judged to fail.
The Death of the Mystery Gods and the Death of Jesus
The best way to evaluate the alleged dependence of early Christian beliefs about Christ’s death and resurrection on the pagan myths of a dying and rising savior-god is to examine carefully the supposed parallels. The death of Jesus differs from the deaths of the pagan gods in at least six ways:
(1) None of the so-called savior-gods died for someone else. The notion of the Son of God dying in place of His creatures is unique to Christianity.13
(2) Only Jesus died for sin. As Günter Wagner observes, to none of the pagan gods “has the intention of helping men been attributed. The sort of death that they died is quite different (hunting accident, self-emasculation, etc.).”14
(3) Jesus died once and for all (Heb. 7:27; 9:25-28; 10:10-14). In contrast, the mystery gods were vegetation deities whose repeated deaths and resuscitations depict the annual cycle of nature.
(4) Jesus’ death was an actual event in history. The death of the mystery god appears in a mythical drama with no historical ties; its continued rehearsal celebrates the recurring death and rebirth of nature. The incontestable fact that the early church believed that its proclamation of Jesus’ death and resurrection was grounded in an actual historical event makes absurd any attempt to derive this belief from the mythical, nonhistorical stories of the pagan cults.15
(5) Unlike the mystery gods, Jesus died voluntarily. Nothing like this appears even implicitly in the mysteries.
(6) And finally, Jesus’ death was not a defeat but a triumph. Christianity stands entirely apart from the pagan mysteries in that its report of Jesus’ death is a message of triumph. Even as Jesus was experiencing the pain and humiliation of the cross, He was the victor. The New Testament’s mood of exultation contrasts sharply with that of the mystery religions, whose followers wept and mourned for the terrible fate that overtook their gods.16
The Risen Christ and the “Rising Savior-Gods”
Which mystery gods actually experienced a resurrection from the dead? Certainly no early texts refer to any resurrection of Attis. Nor is the case for a resurrection of Osiris any stronger. One can speak of a “resurrection” in the stories of Osiris, Attis, and Adonis only in the most extended of senses.17 For example, after Isis gathered together the pieces of Osiris’s dismembered body, Osiris became “Lord of the Underworld.” This is a poor substitute for a resurrection like that of Jesus Christ. And, no claim can be made that Mithras was a dying and rising god. The tide of scholarly opinion has turned dramatically against attempts to make early Christianity dependent on the so-called dying and rising gods of Hellenistic paganism.18 Any unbiased examination of the evidence shows that such claims must be rejected.
Christian Rebirth and Cultic Initiation Rites
Liberal writings on the subject are full of sweeping generalizations to the effect that early Christianity borrowed its notion of rebirth from the pagan mysteries.19 But the evidence makes it clear that there was no pre-Christian doctrine of rebirth for the Christians to borrow. There are actually very few references to the notion of rebirth in the evidence that has survived, and even these are either very late or very ambiguous. They provide no help in settling the question of the source of the New Testament use of the concept. The claim that pre-Christian mysteries regarded their initiation rites as a kind of rebirth is unsupported by any evidence contemporary with such alleged practices. Instead, a view found in much later texts is read back into earlier rites, which are then interpreted quite speculatively as dramatic portrayals of the initiate’s “new birth.” The belief that pre-Christian mysteries used “rebirth” as a technical term lacks support from even one single text.
Most contemporary scholars maintain that the mystery use of the concept of rebirth (testified to only in evidence dated after A.D. 300) differs so significantly from its New Testament usage that any possibility of a close link is ruled out. The most that such scholars are willing to concede is the possibility that some Christians borrowed the metaphor or imagery from the common speech of the time and recast it to fit their distinctive theological beliefs. So even if the metaphor of rebirth was Hellenistic, its content within Christianity was unique.20
SEVEN ARGUMENTS AGAINST CHRISTIAN DEPENDENCE ON THE MYSTERIES
I conclude by noting seven points that undermine liberal efforts to show that first-century Christianity borrowed essential beliefs and practices from the pagan mystery religions.
(1) Arguments offered to “prove” a Christian dependence on the mysteries illustrate the logical fallacy of false cause. This fallacy is committed whenever someone reasons that just because two things exist side by side, one of them must have caused the other. As we all should know, mere coincidence does not prove causal connection. Nor does similarity prove dependence.
(2) Many alleged similarities between Christianity and the mysteries are either greatly exaggerated or fabricated. Scholars often describe pagan rituals in language they borrow from Christianity. The careless use of language could lead one to speak of a “Last Supper” in Mithraism or a “baptism” in the cult of Isis. It is inexcusable nonsense to take the word “savior” with all of its New Testament connotations and apply it to Osiris or Attis as though they were savior-gods in any similar sense.
(3) The chronology is all wrong. Almost all of our sources of information about the pagan religions alleged to have influenced early Christianity are dated very late. We frequently find writers quoting from documents written 300 years later than Paul in efforts to produce ideas that allegedly influenced Paul. We must reject the assumption that just because a cult had a certain belief or practice in the third or fourth century after Christ, it therefore had the same belief or practice in the first century.
(4) Paul would never have consciously borrowed from the pagan religions. All of our information about him makes it highly unlikely that he was in any sense influenced by pagan sources. He placed great emphasis on his early training in a strict form of Judaism (Phil. 3:5). He warned the Colossians against the very sort of influence that advocates of Christian syncretism have attributed to him, namely, letting their minds be captured by alien speculations (Col. 2:8).
(5) Early Christianity was an exclusivistic faith. As J. Machen explains, the mystery cults were nonexclusive. “A man could become initiated into the mysteries of Isis or Mithras without at all giving up his former beliefs; but if he were to be received into the Church, according to the preaching of Paul, he must forsake all other Saviors for the Lord Jesus Christ....Amid the prevailing syncretism of the Greco-Roman world, the religion of Paul, with the religion of Israel, stands absolutely alone.”2’ This Christian exclusivism should be a starting point for all reflection about the possible relations between Christianity and its pagan competitors. Any hint of syncretism in the New Testament would have caused immediate controversy.
(6) Unlike the mysteries, the religion of Paul was grounded on events that actually happened in history. The mysticism of the mystery cults was essentially nonhistorical. Their myths were dramas, or pictures, of what the initiate went through, not real historical events, as Paul regarded Christ’s death and resurrection to be. The Christian affirmation that the death and resurrection of Christ happened to a historical person at a particular time and place has absolutely no parallel in any pagan mystery religion.
(7) What few parallels may still remain may reflect a Christian influence on the pagan systems. As Bruce Metzger has argued, “It must not be uncritically assumed that the Mysteries always influenced Christianity, for it is not only possible but probable that in certain cases, the influence moved in the opposite direction.”22
It should not be surprising that leaders of cults that were being successfully challenged by Christianity should do something to counter the challenge.
What better way to do this than by offering a pagan substitute?
Pagan attempts to counter the growing influence of Christianity by imitating it are clearly apparent in measures instituted by Julian the Apostate, who was the Roman emperor from A.D. 361 to 363.
A FINAL WORD
Liberal efforts to undermine the uniqueness of the Christian revelation via claims of a pagan religious influence collapse quickly once a full account of the information is available. It is clear that the liberal arguments exhibit astoundingly bad scholarship. Indeed, this conclusion may be too generous. According to one writer, a more accurate account of these bad arguments would describe them as “prejudiced irresponsibility.”23 But in order to become completely informed on these matters, wise readers will work through material cited in the brief bibliography.
You guys are fallling for it hook line and sinker.
Better research both sides of the coin before ya join your coven.
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The considered age of Mithraism religion borrowed elements from Christianity (ency. of Religion) and not the other way around.
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An example might be the practice of the taurobolium in the cult of Cybele or Great Mother. This initiation rite, in which the blood of a sacrificed bull is allowed to pour over a neophyte, is claimed by some to be the source of baptism in Christianity. Arguments have been made that the language "blood of the lamb" (Rev. 7:14), and "blood of Jesus" (1 Peter 1:2) was borrowed from the language of the taurobolium and criobolium in which a ram was slaughtered. In fact, a better argument can be made that the cult borrowed its language from the Christian tradition.
The cult of Cybele did not use the taurobolium until the second century A.D.; the best available evidence for dating the practice places its origin about one hundred years after Paul wrote his epistles.{7} German scholar Gunter Wagner points out that there was no notion of death and resurrection in the cultic practice.
After noting the change in meaning that the taurobolium experienced over time, scholar Robert Duthoy writes:
It is obvious that this alteration in the taurobolium must have been due to Christianity, when we consider that by A.D. 300 it had become the great competitor of the heathen religions and was known to everyone.{8}
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More Weaknesses in the Strong Dependency View A simple but powerful argument against the likelihood that Paul would have turned to pagan thought for his theology was his strict Jewish training. In Philippians 3:5 Paul boasts of being a Hebrew of Hebrews. He had studied under Gamaliel, the most celebrated teacher of the most orthodox of the Jewish parties, the Pharisees. And in Colossians he warns against the very syncretism he is being accused of proposing. According to Bruce Metzger: [W]ith regard to Paul himself, scholars are coming once again to acknowledge that the Apostle's prevailing set of mind was rabbinically oriented, and that his newly found Christian faith ran in molds previously formed at the feet of Gamaliel.{9}
We find no accusations in the New Testament of Paul incorporating pagan thought into his theology, nor does he defend himself against such claims.
The very nature of the mystery cults, with the conflicting pantheon of deities and mythical beings, makes it highly unlikely that the strict monotheism and the body of doctrines found in the New Testament would be their source. Although the mystery religions did move towards advancing a solar god above all the others, this change began after 100 A.D., too late to impact the theology of the New Testament.
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Muslim author Yousuf Saleem Chishti writes that the doctrines of the deity of Christ and the atonement are pagan teachings that come from the apostle Paul, not from Christ Himself.{12} He states that, "The Christian doctrine of atonement was greatly coloured by the influence of the mystery religions, especially Mithraism, which had its own son of God and virgin Mother, and crucifixion and resurrection after expiating for the sins of mankind and finally his ascension to the seventh heaven."{13} Were these doctrines something Paul made up or borrowed? What did Jesus teach regarding the atonement? First, both Jesus and Paul taught that Christianity was the fulfillment of Judaism. In Matthew 5:17 Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law and the teaching of the Prophets, not to abolish them. In Colossians (2:16-17), Paul writes that the religious codes of the Old Testament were merely a foreshadowing of the things that were to come, and that the new reality is found in Christ. Both Christ and Paul taught the necessity of the blood atonement for sin. Jesus stated that, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). At the Last Supper He added, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28). Paul affirmed Christ's teachings when he wrote, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace" (Ephesians 1:7). Tying the doctrine back to the Old Testament, Paul wrote, "Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7).
The idea that Jesus was the Son of God, born of a virgin, dying on the cross, and being resurrected are hardly Paul's ideas alone. They are found in the earliest Christian writings and held consistently wherever the faith spread. The parallels between Christianity and Mithraism claimed by Chishti are hard to evaluate or confirm. He gives us no references as evidence for the similarities.{14} Other scholars who have looked at the issue find that most of the similarities disappear on close inspection. Where they do occur, it can be argued that Mithraism borrowed ideas from Christianity rather than vice versa. Bruce Metzger writes,
"It must not be uncritically assumed that the Mysteries always influenced Christianity,
for it is not only possible but probable that in certain cases,
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Because of the lack of textual evidence for early Mithraism, there is no way to positively assert that the ideas that seem to correspond to Christianity were ever taught prior to the second century A.D. after all of the Christian texts that make up the New Testament had been in wide-spread circulation. In fact, most scholars take a dim view of that idea. Dr. Edwin Yamauchi dismisses this hypothesis in stating "Those who seek to adduce Mithra as a prototype of the risen Christ ignore the late date for the expansion of Mithraism to the west (cf. M. J. Vermaseren, Mithras, The Secret God, 1963, p. 76)."3
In fact, Mithraism seems to change drastically from its Persian roots when it becomes a Roman cult. Romans adapted the military cult into something much more comfortable and understandable for their form of worship. Scholars Beard, North and Price agree stating, "The form of the cult most familiar to us, the initiatory cult, does not seem to derive from Persia at all. It is found first in the west, has no significant resemblance to its supposed Persian 'origins', and seems largely to be a western construct." 4
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Whenever one encounters a proposed example of pagan influence, one should demand that its existence be properly documented, not just asserted. The danger of accepting an inaccurate claim is too great. The amount of misinformation in this area is great enough that it is advisable never to accept a reported parallel as true unless it can be demonstrated from primary source documents or through reliable, scholarly secondary sources. After receiving documentation supporting the claim of a pagan parallel, one should ask a number of questions:
1. Is there a parallel? Frequently, there is not. The claim of a parallel may be erroneous, especially when the documentation provided is based on an old or undisclosed source.
For example: "The Egyptians had a trinity. They worshiped Osiris, Isis, and Horus, thousands of years before the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were known" (Robert Ingersoll, Why I Am an Agnostic). This is not true. The Egyptians had an Ennead—a pantheon of nine major gods and goddesses. Osiris, Isis, and Horus were simply three divinities in the pantheon who were closely related by marriage and blood (not surprising, since the Ennead itself was an extended family) and who figured in the same myth cycle. They did not represent the three persons of a single divine being (the Christian understanding of the Trinity). The claim of an Egyptian trinity is simply wrong. There is no parallel.
Is the parallel antecedent or consequent? Even if there is a pagan parallel that is causally related to a non-pagan counterpart, this does not establish which gave rise to the other. It may be that the pagan parallel is a late borrowing from a non-pagan source. Frequently, the pagan sources we have are so late that they have been shaped in reaction to Jewish and Christian ideas. Sometimes it is possible to tell that pagans have been borrowing from non-pagans. Other times, it cannot be discerned who is borrowing from whom (or, indeed, if anyone is borrowing from anyone).
For example: The ideas expressed in the Norse Elder Edda about the end and regeneration of the world were probably influenced by the teachings of Christians with whom the Norse had been in contact for centuries (H. A. Guerber, The Norsemen, 339f).
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Archaeologists unveil ancient church in Israel Discovery made on prison grounds near biblical site Armageddon
MEGIDDO PRISON, Israel - Israeli prisoner Ramil Razilo was removing rubble from the planned site of a new prison ward when his shovel uncovered the edge of an elaborate mosaic, unveiling what Israeli archaeologists said Sunday may be the Holy Land’s oldest church.
The discovery of the church in the northern Israeli town of Megiddo, near the biblical Armageddon, was hailed by experts as an important discovery that could reveal details about the development of the early church in the region. Archaeologists said the church dated from the third century, decades before Constantine legalized Christianity across the Byzantine Empire.
“What’s clear today is that it’s the oldest archaeological remains of a church in Israel, maybe even in the entire region. Whether in the entire world, it’s still too early to say,” said Yotam Tepper, the excavation’s head archaeologist.
Israeli officials were giddy about the discovery, with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon calling the church “an amazing story.”
Vatican officials also hailed the find.
“A discovery of this kind will make Israel more interesting to all Christians, for the church all over the world,” said Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vatican envoy to Jerusalem. “If it’s true that the church and the beautiful mosaics are from the third century, it would be one of the most ancient churches in the Middle East.”
Razilo, who is serving a two-year sentence for traffic violations, was one of about 50 prisoners brought into the high-security Megiddo Prison to help excavate the area before the construction of new wards for 1,200 Palestinian prisoners.
Razilo was shocked to uncover the edge of the mosaic. The inmates worked for months to uncover all the parts of the mosaic — the floor of the church, he said.
“We continued to look and slowly we found this whole beautiful thing,” said Razilo, who used a sponge and a bucket of water to clean dirt off the uncovered mosaics Sunday.
Two mosaics inside the church — one covered with fish, an ancient Christian symbol that predated the widespread use of the cross symbol — tell the story of a Roman officer and a woman named Aketous who donated money to build the church in the memory “of the god, Jesus Christ.”
Pottery remnants from the third century, the style of Greek writing used in the inscriptions, ancient geometric patterns in the mosaics and the depiction of fish rather than the cross indicate that the church was no longer used by the fourth century, Tepper said.
The church’s location, not far from the spot where the New Testament says the final battle between good and evil will take place, also made sense because a bishop was active in the area at the time, said Tepper, who works with the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The inscription, which specifies that Aketous donated a table to the church, indicates the house of worship predated the Byzantine era, when Christians began using altars in place of tables in their rituals, Tepper said. Remnants of a table were uncovered between the two mosaics.
The building — most of which was destroyed — also was not built in the Basilica style that was standard under the Byzantines, he added.
Stephen Pfann, a biblical scholar and professor at the Holy Land University, said the second and third centuries were transitional periods where people sought to define their religious beliefs and modes of worship. Iconography and inscriptions found in Nazareth and Caperneum — places where Jesus lived — show that people went there to worship, although most did so secretly.
“This was a time of persecution and in this way it is quite surprising that there would be such a blatant expression of Christ in a mosaic, but it may be the very reason why the church was destroyed,” Pfann said.
The dig will continue as archaeologists try to uncover the rest of the building and its surroundings, including what they believe could be a baptismal site, Tepper said
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Some Critiques of the Feminist/New Age "Goddess" Claims
on Marija Gimbutas' 'Idyllic Goddess' Theories:
- from "Idyllic Theory of Goddess Creates Storm" by Peter Steinfels (New York Times, Feb. 13, 1990):
"the skepticism about this thesis by many leading archaeologists and anthropologists is unmistakable, although it always comes with expressions of deep respect for Dr. Gimbutas' other contributions and with concern for her struggles with lymphatic cancer. Yet the growing acceptance of her theories among nonexperts has led some of these scholars to feel that they should make their own criticism more widely known. In the end, they say, Dr. Gimbutas' work raises sensitive questions not only about prehistoric civilization but also about the relationship between speculation and scholarship and between scholarship and social movements.... Her ideas have been welcomed by eminent figures like the mythologist Joseph Campbell, who wrote a forward to Dr. Gimbutas' latest volume before he died in 1987, and the anthropologist Ashley Montagu, who hailed that book as "a benchmark in the history of civilization." But many other investigators of prehistoric Europe have not shared the enthusiasm. Bernard Wailes, a professor of anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, says that most of Dr. Gimbutas' peers consider her "immensely knowledgable but not very good in critical analysis. " "She amasses all the data and then leaps to conclusions without any intervening argument," Dr. Wailes said. "Most of us tend to say, oh my God, here goes Marija again," he said. Ruth Tringham is a professor of anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley, who is an authority on the same time and geographical area of prehistoric Europe as Dr. Gimbutas. Choosing pages at random from "The Language of the Goddess," she repeatedly voiced dismay over assertions that demanded, she said, serious qualifications. "No other archaeologist I know would express this certainty," Dr. Tringham said. Linda Ellis, an archaeologist at San Francisco State University ... makes it clear that she thinks Dr. Gimbutas has gone too far. David Anthony, an assistant professor of anthropology at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., whose area of research also coincide closely with Dr. Gimbutas's, said that contrary to her claims, the cultures of Old Europe built fortified sites that indicate the presence of warfare. There is also evidence of weapons, including some used as symbols of status, and of human sacrifice, hierarchy, and social inequality ... There is also no evidence that women played the central role, in either the social structure or the religion of Old Europe, he said. These were "important and impressive societies," he said, but rather than Dr. Gimbutas' "Walt Disney version" they were "extremely foreign to anything we're familiar with"... "In a way she's a very brave woman, very brave to step over the boundary and take a guess," said Dr. Ellis. But Dr. Ellis strongly rejects Dr. Gimbutas' detailed assertions. Dr. Gimbutas calls the enthusiastic reception of her work by artists and feminists "an incredible gift" coming late in her life. But "I was not a feminist and never had any thought I would be helping feminists," she said. Still, "The Language of the Goddess" rings with a fervent belief that knowledge about a Goddess-worshipping past can guide the world toward a sexually egalitarian, nonviolent, and "earth- centered" future.
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- from "The Goddess Theory" by Jacques Leslie (Los Angeles Times Magazine, June 11, 1989)
"Nevertheless, Gimbutas remains a black sheep within academia; even colleagues who admire her other work express skepticism about her description of ancient Europe. Edgar C. Polome, a leading Indo-European scholar at the University of Texas and co-editor of a volume of essays published in honor of Gimbutas, calls her portrayal of Old Europe "a bit of a dream- world." Kees Bolle, a UCLA religion history professor and a friend of Gimbutas', says she has "a peculiar romantic strand" that causes her to "overestimate" pre-Indo-European societies. Most archaeologists think that Gimbutas' interpretation goes far beyond the tenative conclusions that can be drawn from her data. Ian Hodder, a Cambridge University archaeologist whose field of expertise overlaps Gimbutas', calls her work "extremely important" because it provides a "coherent and wide-ranging view of the evidence," but he rejects her interpretation of symbols. "She looks at squiggles on a pot and says it's a primeval egg or a snake, or she looks at female figurines and says they're mother goddesses. I don't really think there's an awful lot of evidence to support that level of interpretation." Alan McPherron, an anthroplogy professor at the University of Pittsburgh, buttresses Hodder's view. McPherron says that after he published a book describing a dig he led in Yugoslavia, Gimbutas designated one of the excavated structures a temple, even though it was distinguished from surrounding houses only by its slightly greater size. "In my opinion, it's no more a temple than I am a monkey," McPherron says. Many archaeologists believe that one reason Gimbutas has caught laymen's attention is that she habitually presents debatable assertions as fact. Ruth Tringham, an archaeologist at UC Berkeley, says the evidence from early societies is far too murky to allow such definitive statements. "I would never write, 'This is the obvious conclusion' - there is nothing obvious about what we write. Whatever we write is always, 'it could be this, it could be that'. Our problem is that the public isn't attracted by that kind of ambiguous thinking." Since Gimbutas often omits the logical steps by which she arrives at her conclusions, Tringham says she has no way to judge the validity of the conclusions, and therefore can't accept them. Tringham is unconvinced, for example, that Gimbutas' figurines represent goddesses, or that neolithic cultures were dominated by women. Like many other archaeologists, Tringham is reluctant to criticise Gimbutas because she does not wish to thwart the feminist objectives with which Gimbutas' ideas are associated. Nevertheless, she says: "What Gimbutas is trying to do is to make a generalized stage of evolution type of interpretation, in which all societies at one time are [dominated by women] and then they all change to another kind. But prehistory is much more complicated than that. Anthropologists left that behind a long time ago"..... In some ways, the controversy reflects a classic conflict between science and art. To scholars who think that archaeology is legitimate only to the degree that it is grounded in science, Gimbutas' grandiose claims are too far-fetched even to merit consideration. And she considers her colleagues too passionless, too unintuitive, too alienated from nature to understand the prehistoric past. Gimbutas' theories are suspect, conceivably flatly wrong, yet they resonate far more than her colleagues' arid treatises. Whether or not the world she describes existed, her advocates feel as if they've glimpsed it, and long for its return.
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- from "Did Goddess Worship Mark Ancient Age of Peace? by Jay Matthews (The Washington Post, Jan. 7, 1990)
The Lithuanian-born UCLA professor's work stands as one of the most breathtaking examples of a new surge of feminist- oriented scholarship and has inspired some skepticism. Brian ***an, archaeologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, called the thesis "pretty controversial," and a female scholar, who asked not to be identified, spoke of "goddess groupies ... trying to influence modern social change in a direction a lot of us would like to go" ... ***an said the notion of a peaceful, female-centered ancient Europe dates back at least a century but has enjoyed a resurgence in the last decade or two as the feminist perspective has affected the way university scholars are examining old questions. Margarey Conkey, associate professor of anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley, said she thinks Gimbutas has made "important contributions" in emphasising the "mythological traditions" of prehistoric societies but that she and others have "a lot of problems" with Gimbutas' sweeping conclusions.... "Little by little, we became a patriarchal and warrior society," [Gimbutas] said. "We dominate nature; we don't feel we belong to her. This warrior society goes back to the Indo- European conquest of Europe, which eventually led to such people as Stalin and Hitler. We have to come back to our roots."
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- from "The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles" by Ronald Hutton (Oxford: Blackwell, 1991) - p. 37-42
"By the 1950s, prehistorians had achieved agreement upon the question of their origins [European megaliths]. They were described as being the result of an idea brought up from more advanced Mediterranean civilizations, together with the cult of a Great Goddess or Earth Mother. Both parts of this concept were shattered at the end of the 1960s, the notion of the Goddess in circumstances which will be described later, and the belief in a Mediterranean origin by the discovery of faults in the Carbon 14 dating process... [p. 19] It was the world of late nineteenth and early twentieth- century scholarship which extended the idea into principle that prehistoric peoples had believed in such a universal deity [Goddess]. Once this decision had been taken, evidence was easily produced to suubstantiate it, by the simple device of treating any female representations from the Old and New Stone Ages as images of this being. Refernce has been made in chapter 1 to the practice in the case of the Paleolithic 'Venuses'. Any male image could be explained away as the son and/or lover of the Great Mother. During the mid-twentieth century, scholars such as Professor [Glyn] Daniel and the equally celebrated O.G.S. Crawford extended the Goddess' range by accepting that any representation of a human being in the Stone Ages, if not firmly identified as male, could be accepted as her images. Even a face, or a pair of eyes, were interpreted in this way. Because spirals could be thought of as symbols of eyes, they also formed part of the Goddess' iconography, as did circles, cups, and pits. In the mind of a historian of art like Michael Dames, the process reached the point at which a hole in a stone signified her presence. Mr. Dames was doing no more than summing up a century of orthodox scholarship when he proclaimed that 'Great Goddess and Neolithic go together as naturally as mother and child' [_The Silbury Treasure_, London, 1976, p. 51]. As a matter of fact, when Dames published those words in 1976, they were about seven years out of date. In 1968 and 1969 two prehistorians directed criticisms at this whole edifice of accepted scholarly belief which brought it all down for ever. One was Peter Ucko, in his monograph _Anthropomorphic Figurines of Predynastic Egypt and Neolithic Crete_ .... Professor Ucko reminded readers that a large minority of Neolithic figurines were male or asexual, that few if any statuettes had signs of majesty or supernatural power, and that few of them had accentuated sexual characteristics (the 'pubic triangles' on many of them could be loincloths). He warned against glib interpretations of the gestures portrayed upon figures; thus, early Egyptian figurines of women holding their breasts had been taken as 'obviously' significant of maternity or fertility, but the Pyramid Texts had revealed that in Egypt this was the female sign of grief.... all over the globe clay models very similar to those of the Neolithic are made as children's dolls. Just as in the modern West, most are intended for girls and are themselves female. Another widespread use of such figures is in sympathetic magic ... there was absolutely no need to interpret them everywhere as the same female or male deity. The second attack was made by Andrew Fleming, in an article in the periodical _World Archaeology_ uncompromisingly entitled 'The Myth of the Mother Goddess.' He pointed out the simple fact that there was absolutely no proof that spirals, circles, and dots were symbols for eyes, that eyes, faces, and genderless figures were symbols of a female or that female figures were symbols of a goddess. This blew to pieces the accepted chain of goddess-related imagery from Anatolia round the coasts to Scandinavia. He was helped by the revolution in the carbon-dating process, which disproved the associated belief that megalithic architecture had travelled from the Levant with the cult of the Great Mother... There was no answer possible to Ucko and Fleming, and during the 1970s the scepticism which they embodied proceeded to erode more of the Mother Goddess's reputed range. Ruth Whitehouse ['Megaliths of the Central Mediterranean' in Renfrew, _The Megalithic Monuments of Western Europe_] considered the statue pillars of Italy, Sardinia, and Corsica, which had been treated as part of the deity's iconography, and found that only a few had any female characteristics; many, indeed, carried weapons. Even Malta, long considered one of the most obvious centres of Neolithic goddess worship, fell before David Trump ['Megalithic Architecture in Malta' in Renfrew, op. cit.]. He pointed out that although some of the Maltese statuettes were certainly female, many of the large cult statues were kilted, flat-chested and generally androgynous... However, the same mood of iconoclasm in the late 1960s which inspired Peter Ucko and Andrew Fleming brought into being a women's movement bent upon challenging patriarchy in both society and religion. Professor Ucko's book was an academic monograph with a forbidding title, while Dr. Fleming's essay was lodged in a scholarly periodical; the old popular works were still lining public library shelves (and indeed being reprinted), and they provided some radicals with precisely the universal female deity they had been seeking. At the very moment that the concept of the Neolithic Great Mother crumbled inside academe, it found more enthusiastic adherents among the general public than ever before. This tendency was enhanced by the appearance in 1974 of Marija Gimbutas' beautiful book _The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe_ [Berkeley: University of California Press]. It deserved praise for two great achievements: it established that the Neolithic cultures of the Balkans had left a huge trove of figurines, statues and painted ceramics, and it provided a feast of new images for historians of art and indeed for artists themselves. Yet Professor Gimbutas' interpretation of those images caused much scholarly concern. She accepted Peter Ucko's work to the extent of speaking of different goddesses and gods instead of one. But she completely ignored his other criteria by regarding a very large range of human representations, especially among the statuettes, as divine, and proceeding to classify them confidently with no justification other than her own taste. She explained the significance of geometrical symbols in the same fashion, and in subsequent works went on to complete her portrait of a goddess-worshipping, woman-centered, peaceful and creative Neolithic Balkan civilization, destroyed by savage patriarchal invaders. There is good archaeological evidence to cast doubt upon this, but Professor Gimbutas has refused to recognize it. The mixture of affection and frustration which her work inspires is neatly summed up by her Festschrift, the collection of essays by admiring colleagues customarily presented to a distinguished scholar who is approaching the formal age of retirement. That delivered to Professor Gimbutas is characterized by both deep respect for herself and profound dissent from her views... [Catal Huyuk in Turkey, discovered by James Mellart in the 1950s, is the largest Neolithic settlement yet known.] Mr. Mellart returned to the subject once more, in a detailed text for students, _The Neolithic of the Far East_, published in 1975. By now Peter Ucko's warnings had made their impact upon academe, and Mr. Mellart scrupulously avoided any interpretations of the kind which he had made earlier. He now spoke only of 'female figurines', male statuettes', and ex-voto figures', and raised the possibility that some were dolls. When he wrote of the Balkans, in the wake of Marija Gimbutas's book, he carefully declined to repeat any of her interpretations of the finds there. But this dry, densely written academic text made no impression upon the public, whereas his own popular book of ten years earlier [_Earliest Civilizations of the Near East_] had now been reissued in paperback. Read with the works of Professor Gimbutas, it produced strong and escalating interest in Catal Huyuk among the same sort of feminist writers and artists who were taking up the Mother Goddess. By the time feminist philosopher Riane Eisler published in the mid-1980s [San Francisco: _The Chalice and the Blade_, 1987], the settlement was confidently believed by them to have been matriarchal in its society as well as its religion, and also - or rather, 'therefore' - a peaceful community requiring neither weapons nor defences (a claim contradicted in Mr. Mellart's original textbook)... Ian Hodder has recently taken a fresh look at this evidence and the context in which it is set ['Contextual Archaeology: An Interpretation of Catal Huyuk and a discussion of the Origins of Agriculture', _London University Institute of Archaeology Bulletin_ 1987, 24, pp.43-56]. He notes that women were buried with ornaments and cosmetic boxes, men with weapons of war and hunting and implements of agriculture; that women were portrayed far more often in the figurines, usually nude, while men were portrayed most often in the wall-paintings, clothed and usually engaged in hunting; that the art placed a great emphasis on wild nature and little upon agriculture or domestic tasks; and that the living spaces around the hearths and the cooking-pots were never decorated like the rest of the hearth...
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On Gimbutas' "Kurgan Invasion" Hypothesis:
- from "In Search of the Indo-Europeans" by J.P. Mallory (London: Thames & Hudson, 1991)
...the present formulation of this theory owes much to the publications of Marija Gimbutas who has argued for over twenty- five years that the Proto-Indo-Europeans should be identified with her Kurgan tradition ... The capsule image of the Kurgan tradition is a warlike pastoral society, highly mobile ... [p. 182-3] The Kurgan solution is attractive and has been accepted by many archaeologists and linguists, in part or in total ... One might at first imagine that the economy of argument involved with the Kurgan solution should oblige us to accept it outright. But critics do exist and their objections can be summarized quite simply - almost all of the arguments for invasion and cultural transformations are far better explained without reference to Kurgan expansions, and most of the evidence so far presented is either totally contradicted by other evidence or is the result of gross misinterpretation of the cultural history of Eastern, Central, and Northern Europe [p. 185; detailed discussion follows in next two chapters].
- from _European Prehistory_ by Sarunas Milisauskas (New York: Academic Press, 1978, p. 183.)
Many scholars, especially Gimbutas (1956, 1965, 1973) have maintained that the Late Neolithic saw not only the influx of pastoralists from the steppe regions of the southern Ukraine but also the appearance of the Indo-European speaking peoples in various parts of Europe. However, to demonstrate a prehistoric migration or even the presence of a pastoral economy is not a simple matter. As we shall see, the migration hypothesis should be treated with caution.
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on Marija Gimbutas' "Language of the Goddess"
- from Hutton, op. cit., p. 346.
Its many illustrations make it a wonderful gift to artists: that apart, it is a personal dream-world infused with the author's political preoccupations. It makes wholly arbitrary and selective interpretation of the prehistoric symbols which it reproduces, and tacks onto this an interpretation of the historic Great Witch Hunt which is based not even upon dubious scholarship but upon assertions of modern pagans made without research. Overall, the book is an extended and very beautiful radical feminist tract.
- from a review by Ruby Rohrlich in "The Women's Review of Books" (Vol. VII, No. 9, June, 1990)
The reknowned archaeologist Leonard Woolley has shown that in Sumer, the first civilization in the Old World, the earliest dynastic rulers practiced human sacrifice. Others have made similar findings. Gimbutas seems to accept human sacrifice as a corroboration, not a refutation, of hr thesis; she argues that such sacrifice strengthens the life-force by conveying the energy of the victim to the sacrificer... Gimbutas proposes a single, simplistic theory - invasion by violent, patriarchal Indo-Europeans - to account for the changes that radically transformed human society in this period... Despite its theoretical weaknesses, _The Language of the Goddess_ is a book to cherish for its spectacular reproductions alone ... If nothing else, Gimbutas' herculean labors have borne fruit in a magnificent collection of the art of our early ancestors, a treasure trove for anthropologists, art historians, teachers, and students.
[RS note: Rohrlich is a feminist scholar who makes the highly-dubious claim that ancient Crete was a "matriarchy" (in _Becoming Visible - Women in European History_, Bridenthal & Koonz, eds., Houghton Mifflin, 1977, chapter 2)]
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Dubious Assertions by Marija Gimbutas:
- from an interview in the "Whole Earth Review", Spring, 1989.
" 'Old Europe' is my term for the culture which was matrifocal, not patriarchal, non-Indo-European.... The social structure *didn't* change [for 20,000 years]. The matrifocal social structure continued from the Paleolithic into the Neolithic and therefore the goddesses were the same.... I discovered at Achilleion - this is northern Greece - one temple above another. They were in the shape of houses.... The huge herds [of the Indo-European pastoral nomads] had to be controlled by the man, and I think this was the primary cause why patriarchy became established. Question: How can you tell if you've gone too far in drawing conclusions? Gimbutas: Well, this has to do with your intuition and experience. Just like an art creation you must feel that you are right in what you are saying.
- from _The Language of the Goddess_ (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1989, p. xx - xxi):
The Goddess-centered art with its striking absence of images of warfare and male domination, reflects a social order in which women as heads of clans or queen-priestesses played a central part. Old Europe and Anatolia, as well as Minoan Crete, were a gylany. [MG footnote: Riana Eisler in her book _The Chalice and the Blade_ (1987) proposes the term gylyany (_gy_ from "woman," _an_ from _andros_, "man", and the letter l between the two standing for the linking of both halves of humanity) for the social structure where both sexes were equal.] A balanced, nonpatriarchal and nonmatriarchal social system is reflected by religion, mythologies, and folklore, by studies of the social structure of Old European and Minoan cultures, and is supported by the continuity of the elements of a matrilineal system in ancient Greece, Etruria, Rome, the Basque, and other countries of Europe... So the repeated disturbances and incursions by Kurgan people (whom I view as Proto-Indo-European) put an end to the Old European culture roughly between 4300 and 2800 B.C., changing it from gylanic to androcratic and from matrilineal to patrilineal. The Aegean and Mediterranean regions and western Europe escaped the process the longest; there, especially in the islands such as Thera, Crete, Malta, and Sardinia, Old European culture flourished in an enviably peaceful and creative civilization until 1500 B.C., a thousand to 1500 years after central Europe had been thoroughly transformed... We are still living under the sway of that aggressive male invasion and only beginning to discover our long alienation from our authentic European Heritage - gylanic, nonviolent, earth- centered culture.
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on Riane Eisler's "The Chalice and the Blade":
- from "The Goddess Theory" by Jacques Leslie (Los Angeles Times Magazine, June 11, 1989)
"Equally significantlly, a book called "The Chalice and the Blade," written by Riane Eisler, used Gimbutas' ideas as its cornerstone for arguing that features of modern civilization such as patriarchy, warfare, and competitiveness are recent historical developments, introduced by the villanous Indo-Europeans. Far from being inevitable, Eisler claims, the ills of modern civilization can be blamed on its unbalanced embrace of masculine values. Societies that cherish the Earth, as Gimbutas and Eisler argue that the Old Europeans did, would not waste their wealth on nuclear arsenals, nor would they allow life on the planet to be threatened by environmental problems. Published in 1987, "The Chalice and the Blade" is now in its seventh printing and enjoys a kind of cult prominence within the women's movement.
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Conclusion:
The feminist/New Age "Idyllic Goddess" theory is not an intellectually-respectable hypothesis. It was invented by conjecturing far beyond what available facts will permit, guided by a political agenda, and "validated" by intuition. While a belief in a universal Goddess of the Neolithic was widely-held by scholars several decades ago, recent scholarly critiques have exposed serious difficulties with this view, and it is now quite discredited within academe. The overwhelming majority of anthropologists and archaeologists reject Gimbutas' interpreta- tions and conjectures on "the Goddess"; however, most of them are reluctant to speak out too strongly, out of sympathy for their ailing colleague, and for her feminist goals.
Yet in spite of its rejection by scholars, the Idyllic Goddess theory has found enormous support among certain segments of the general public, because it appeals to their preconceived beliefs. Thus Gimbutas' Goddess theories should be placed alongside those of Velikovsky and Von Daniken: belief-systems which, while enjoying a cult-like popularity among certain groups of laymen, are rejected virtually _in toto_ by scholars who have worked in the field. They are classic examples of pseudo-science.
Robert Sheaffer
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Heather, I admit I had to laugh when I saw the heading "How to Share the Gospel with Pagans". The "gospel", IMO, should not be shared with anyone at all unless they ask for it to be. I think there is way more than adequate evidence to prove that xtianity is modeled almost verbatim on Paganism and THAT is precisely why the xtians felt so compelled to eradicate Paganism and force Pagans to convert. You see, we could serve no purpose but to foil their grand plan for control through fear. They wanted to stop us from using our gifts, but they have not been very successful, I'd say because what do you think is the fastest growing religion in this country right now? Hint - it's not xtianity.
There are a lot of people out there who are unbalanced and unstable who call themselves "Pagans", but they are free to CALL themselves whatever they wish but at the end of the day they don't walk the talk. I have met many of them and for the most part they are well intended, but victims of a lack of guidance and I am glad to teach and help any who ASK. Then there's the ones who are lacking a part of their soul and live only to siphon energy from others (I am sure that you have encountered this sort on your journey down this path - you know the feeling of being drained). For them I offer nothing because they are the ones most certain to use it for negative ends. Usually that sort are fortunately unable to comprehend what this about anyway and should have just stayed xtian.
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Within a Christian context, Paganism (from Latin paganus) and Heathenry are catch-all terms which have come to connote a broad set of spiritual/religious beliefs and practices of a natural religion, as opposed to the Abrahamic religions. These beliefs, which are not necessarily compatible with each other, are usually characterized by polytheism and animism. Often, the term has the same pejorative connotations as infidel and Kafir.
Etymology
Pagan The term pagan is from Latin paganus, an adjective originally meaning "rural", "rustic" or "of the country". As a noun, paganus was used to mean "country dweller, villager". "Peasant" is a cognate, via Old French paisent. C. f. Harry Thurston Peck, Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquity (1897) [1].
In its distant origins, these usages derived from pagus, "province, countryside", earlier "something stuck in the ground", as a landmark, cognate to Greek άγος "rocky hill". The root pag- means "fixed" and is also the source of the words "page", "pale" (stake), and "pole", as well as "pact" and "peace". Later, through metaphorical use, paganus came to mean 'rural district, village' and 'country dweller' and, as the Roman Empire declined into military autocracy and anarchy, in the 4th and 5th centuries it came to mean "civilian", in a sense parallel to the English usage "the locals". It was only after the Roman introduction of serfdom, in which agricultural workers were legally bound to the land (see Serf), that it began to have negative connotations, and imply the simple ancient religion of country people, which Virgil had mentioned respectfully in Georgics. Like its approximate synonym heathen (see below), it was adopted by Middle English-speaking Christians as a slur to refer to those too rustic to embrace Christianity.
Neoplatonists in the Early Christian church attempted to Christianize the values of sophisticated pagans such as Plato and Virgil. This had some influence among the literate class, but did little to counter the more general prejudice expressed in "pagan".
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Although the etymology of pagan can be tracked and its antiquity is known, the term paganism, appears not to have been widely used until much later, though paganismus is a term employed by Augustine. There is no evidence that the term is used in English before the 17th century. The OED instances Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776): "The divisions of Christianity suspended the ruin of paganism."
It is possible that the various pagan practices were not seen as instances of a more general 'paganism' at all until the point when the term was used to blur distinctions between non-Christian beliefs and make of them one homogenous, primitive mass. The term paganism thus belongs in a colonial or missionary context, in which it is used to describe a state rather than an organized belief system.
Common Word Usage The term has historically been used as a pejorative by adherents of monotheistic religions (such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam) to indicate a disbeliever in their religion. "Paganism" is also sometimes used to mean the lack of (an accepted monotheistic) religion, and therefore sometimes means essentially the same as atheism. "Paganism" frequently refers to the religions of classical antiquity, most notably Greek mythology or Roman religion, and can be used neutrally or admiringly by those who refer to those complexes of belief. However, until the rise of Romanticism and the general acceptance of freedom of religion in Western civilization, "paganism" was almost always used disparagingly of heterodox beliefs falling outside of the established political framework of the Christian Church. It has more recently (from the 19th century) been used admiringly by those who believe the monotheistic religions to be confining or colourless.
"Pagan" came to be equated with a popular, Christianized sense of "epicurean" to signify a person who is sensual, materialistic, self-indulgent, unconcerned with the future and uninterested in sophisticated religion. The word was usually used in this worldly sense by those who were drawing attention to the limitations of paganism, as when G.K. Chesterton wrote:
"The pagan set out, with admirable sense, to enjoy himself. By the end of his civilization he had discovered that a man cannot enjoy himself and continue to enjoy anything else."
Perhaps such usages reflect more light on Victorians than on the world of Antiquity.
Heathenry Old English hæðen refers to people who are neither Christians nor Jews. The term is used for Germanic paganism, or Germanic Neopaganism. The term 'heathenry' can be used to denote both the ancient pagan religion of the Germanic peoples and modern reconstructed versions of that religion such as Ásatrú. The linguistic/anthropological term 'Germanic' refers to a group of Northern European tribes who at one point shared a common language, culture and religion. By the year 500 CE, the Germanic culture had spread out into the areas of Europe which were to become present day Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Holland, and England. By the year 700 CE, the various dialects of the common-Germanic language were becoming mutually unintelligible and evolving into German, Dutch, English, and the Scandinavian languages.
Heathenry, like all ancient European pagan religions, is polytheistic.
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Pagan classifications Pagan subdivisions coined by Isaac Bonewits [2]
Paleo-Paganism: A Pagan culture that has not been disrupted by other civilizations or other cultures. This does not include any known cultures. Indeed, this absolutely, by definition, cannot include any sort of living culture, since all cultures have been "disrupted" by their neighbors to some extent or another. Meso-Paganism: A group, which is, or has been, influenced by a conquering culture, but has been able to maintain an independence of religious practices. This includes Native Americans and Australian Aborigine Bushmen. Syncreto-Paganism: A culture, which has been conquered but adopts and merges the conquering culture's religious practices with their own. This includes Haitian Vodou, and Santería. Neo-Paganism: An attempt by modern people to reconnect with nature, pre-Christian religions, or other nature-based spiritual paths. This definition includes such religions as Ásatrú, Neo-Druidism, and Wicca. This system of classification completely leaves out any possibility of classifying Hindu religions or Shinto as "paganism", due to Hinduism and Shinto being the religions of dominant cultures (India and Japan). Likewise, it would exclude the state religion of the pre-Christian Roman Empire.
These subdivisions are circulated on the Internet as 'anthropological' definitions of Paganism, but they do not derive from anthropology.
Pagan religions
Ancient Greek religion Roman religion Finnish paganism Ancient Near East Paganism Paganism in the Eastern Alps Uniterranism
Neopaganism
Main article: Neopaganism
In another sense, as used by modern practitioners, paganism is a polytheistic, panentheistic or pantheistic often nature-based religious practice, but again can be atheism sometimes as well. This includes reconstructed religions such as Hellenismos, Ásatrú as well as more recently founded religions such as Wicca c. 1960, and these are normally categorised as "Neopaganism". Although Neopagans often refer to themselves simply as "Pagan", for purposes of clarity this article will focus on the ancient religion, while Neopaganism is discussed in its own article.
This also includes religions such as Forn Sed, Celtic Neo-druidism, Longobardic odinism, Lithuanian Romuva, and Slavic Rodoverie that claim to revive an ancient religion rather than reconstruct it, though in general the difference is not absolutely fixed. Many of these revivals, Wicca, Asatru and Neo-druidism in particular, have their roots in 19th century Romanticism and retain noticeable elements of occultism or theosphy that were current then, setting them apart from historical rural (paganus) folk religion. The Íslenska Ásatrúarfélagið is a notable exception in that it was derived more or less directly from remnants in rural folklore. Still, some practitioners even of syncretized directions tend to object to the term "Neopaganism" for their religion as they consider what they are doing not to be a new thing. It must be said, also, that since the 1990s, the number of reconstructionist movements that reject romantic or occult influences has increased, even if those Neopagans who make a conscious effort to separate pre-Christian from romantic influences are still a minority.
Modern nature religion Many current Pagans in industrial societies base their beliefs and practices on a connection to Nature, and a divinity within all living things, but this may not hold true for all forms of Paganism, past or present. Some believe that there are many deities, while some believe that the combined subconscious spirit of all living things forms the universal deity. Paganism predates modern monotheism, although its origins are lost in prehistory. Ancient paganism, which tended in many cases to be a deification of the local deity, as Athena in Athens, saw each local emanation as an aspect of an Olympian deity during the Classical period and then after Alexander to syncretize the deity with the political process, with "state divinities" increasingly assigned to various localities, as Roma personified Rome. Many ancient regimes would claim to be the representative on earth of these gods, and would depend on more or less elaborate bureaucracies of state-supported priests and scribes to lend public support to their claims. This is something paganism shares with more 'mainstream' revealed religions, as can be seen in the history of the Catholic church, the Church of England and the ancient and current trends in Islam.
In one well-established sense, paganism is the belief in any non-monotheistic religion, which would mean that the Pythagoreans of ancient Greece would not be considered pagan in that sense, since they were monotheist, but not in the Abrahamic tradition. In an extreme sense, and like the pejorative sense below, any belief, ritual or pastime not sanctioned by a religion accepted as orthodox by those doing the describing, such as Burning Man, Halloween, or even Christmas, can be described as pagan by the person or people who object to them.
posted
I think we have to look at this topic objectively, without bias, and discuss the facts first and foremost. Since this also relates to my own research, I'd like to suggest what I believe to be the main points here:
1. Pagan worship came first, that's not even up for debate, it did.
2. There has been some evidence that stories in both the new and old testaments of the Bible came from regional stories.
3. Did Jesus actually exist? I like to think so, but I have to admit that the evidence for him, let alone doing all that was said he did, is a little shaky.
4. Did Mithra later copy anything off of Christianity? How much did Christianity take from Mithra? Might be a good idea to look at both those things. In any event, I don't think it would be a good idea to accept a single source for most of these things.
Posts: 137 | From: Mt. Olympus | Registered: Sep 2005
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quote:Yet in spite of its rejection by scholars, the Idyllic Goddess theory has found enormous support among certain segments of the general public, because it appeals to their preconceived beliefs. Thus Gimbutas' Goddess theories should be placed alongside those of Velikovsky and Von Daniken: belief-systems which, while enjoying a cult-like popularity among certain groups of laymen, are rejected virtually _in toto_ by scholars who have worked in the field. They are classic examples of pseudo-science.
Whoever wrote some of these articles hasn't done their research. Goddess worship predates all other religions. Scholars haven't rejected it, they were the ones to come up with it in the first place.
The Venus of Willendorf figures are all over Europe starting 30,000 bc. Whether we call them fertility figures or goddess icons, it's pretty obvious that they are meant to honor the idea of a woman's fertility, hence, the goddess. As for the reasons skeptics give to why they're around and who carved them, that is pure conjecture, you have to go with the most obvious reason: to celebrate a woman's fertility. Whether you can get a single goddess out of that, well, that's a whole other story, but it is an icon of a woman, and versions of it are found everywhere. Catal Hoyuk has the goddess, Crete, with some of the first writing, was also a civilization that worshipped a goddess as a central theme. Crete was a very peaceful civilization. When people imagine an "idyllic civilization," it's because they're thinking of the civilization on Crete, whcih there are writings of.
Posts: 137 | From: Mt. Olympus | Registered: Sep 2005
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The Bock saga tells of the "Eight Powers".... www.bocksaga.de
This was from the original people, long before Ice-time. This was long before any concept of worship of god/goddess.
In Crete was the "goddess" holding two serpents, the symbol of the All-father, perhaps, as has been said, indicating the origin of two All-fathers, Jupiter and Zeus, West and East.
-------------------- "Illigitimi non carborundum!" All knowledge is to be used in the manner that will give help and assistance to others, and the desire is that the laws of the Creator be manifested in the physical world. E.Cayce 254-17 Posts: 3131 | From: Port Townsend WA | Registered: Feb 2004
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Hi Rockessence, I'd like to hear more about the "Eight Powers." How far does the Bock Saga stretch back? The Venus figures are dated back to 30,000 bc. The Snake Goddess of Minoan culture dates back to 1600 bcc, if I remember correctly.
Posts: 137 | From: Mt. Olympus | Registered: Sep 2005
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Not to make light of anyone's beliefs (I realize this whole topic is a sensitive issue), much has been made of the Roman persecution of Christians. But outside the Bible, how much of that is verifiable?
quote:Roman persecutions in Non-Biblical Sources Aside from the occasional lynching, the first organized, state-supported persecution of Christians is the one initiated by Nero in 64 AD, in a search for scapegoats after the Great Fire of Rome. Though accepted as fact by many, the "persecution" of Nero is considered by some to be an anachronism. The only reference we have comes from the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus in his annals. He refers to the victims of persecution as "Christians" though this was not known to be a common label for the faith at the time. Nevertheless, the Acts of the Apostles, written by an assistant to Paul, notes the use of the term in Syria before 50 a.d. (Acts 11:26). 1 Peter 4:16 also uses the term in a letter to Asia Minor.
The text in question is:
Nero looked around for a scapegoat, and inflicted the most fiendish tortures on a group of persons already hated for their crimes. This was the sect known as Christians. Their founder, one Christus, had been put to death by the procurator, Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius. This checked the abominable superstition for a while, but it broke out again and spread, not merely through Judea, where it originated, but even to Rome itself, the great reservoir and collecting ground for every kind of depravity and filth. Those who confessed to being Christians were at once arrested, but on their testimony a great crowd of people were convicted, not so much on the charge of arson, but of hatred of the entire human race.-- Book 15, Chapter 44
Some comminators believe that it is unlikely that such hatred of an obscure sect could have developed so rapidly, especially since this obscure sect did not have a distinctive name for itself and was considered by outsiders to be part of a much larger sect, Judaism. Although Church Father's emphatically try to make the case for widespread persecution of Christians at their present time and in the past, no Christian (or non-Christian) author quotes the reference to the "Neronian persecution" until the 5th century, when it is quoted by the apologist Sulpicius Severus in a work replete with anachronisms and fanciful miracles. Indeed, some "Christians", if one could call the sect in its early stages of development that, may indeed have been persecuted for their religious ideals, though it would have been mere venting of Roman anti-Semitism at the obscure "Jewish" sect after the costly and foolhardy revolts in Judea, and not particular hatred of these people for worshipping "Christus."
By the mid 2nd century, mobs could be found willing to throw stones at Christians, and they might be mobilized by rival sects. Lucian tells of an elaborate and successful hoax perpretrated by a "prophet" of Asclepius, using a tame snake, in Pontus and Paphlygonia. When rumor seemed about to expose his fraud, the witty essayist reports in his scathing essay Alexander the false prophet,
he issued a promulgation designed to scare them, saying that Pontus was full of atheists and Christians who had the hardihood to utter the vilest abuse of him; these he bade them drive away with stones if they wanted to have the god gracious. Further state persecutions were desultory until the persecution under Diocletian and more so Galerius that began in 303 AD. The persecution under Decius from the winter of 250 to the following spring of 251 martyred Pope Fabian, Bishop of Rome, involved Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, in controversy, and figures large in the founding myths of the seven bishops sent to Christianize Gaul, but finds no confirmation outside the vita of Cyprian composed by Pontius the deacon and writings in the hagiographic tradition. Gregory of Tours glosses the persecutions in his "History of the Franks" written in the decade before 594:
"Under the emperor Decius many persecutions arose against the name of Christ, and there was such a slaughter of believers that they could not be numbered. Babillas, bishop of Antioch, with his three little sons, Urban, Prilidan and Epolon, and Xystus, bishop of Rome, Laurentius, an archdeacon, and Hyppolitus, were made perfect by martyrdom because they confessed the name of the Lord. Valentinian and Novatian were then the chief heretics and were active against our faith, the enemy urging them on. At this time seven men were ordained as bishops and sent into the Gauls to preach, as the history of the martyrdom of the holy martyr Saturninus relates. For it says: " In the consulship of Decius and Gratus, as faithful memory recalls, the city of Toulouse received the holy Saturninus as its first and greatest bishop." These bishops were sent: bishop Catianus to Tours; bishop Trophimus to Arles; bishop Paul to Narbonne; bishop Saturninus to Toulouse; bishop Dionisius to Paris; bishop Stremonius to Clermont, bishop Martial to Limoges." (Book i.30-31) Christian sources aver that a decree was issued requiring public sacrifice, a formality equivalent to a testimonial of allegiance to the Emperor and the established order. Decius authorized roving commissions visiting the cities and villages to supervise the execution of the sacrifices and to deliver written certificates to all citizens who performed them. Christians were often given opportunities to avoid further punishment by publicly offering sacrifices or burning incense to Roman gods, and were accused by the Romans of impiety when they refused. Refusal was punished by arrest, imprisonment, torture, and executions. Christians fled to safe havens in the countryside and some purchased their certificates, called libelli. Several councils held at Carthage debated the extent to which the community should accept these lapsed Christians.
It should be noted that today massive numbers of martyrs claimed by the early Church during these persecutions are not generally accepted by scholars. Gibbon, in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, estimates that "the whole might consequently amount to about fifteen hundred ... an annual consumption of 150 martyrs." The Western provinces were little affected, and even in the East where Christianity was recognized as a growing threat, the persecutions were light and sporadic. Claims of martyrdom were exaggerated by the early Church Fathers in order to gain converts.
The career and writings of Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, throw light on the aftermath of the Decian persecutions in the Carthaginian Christian community. (Fuller details are at the entry Cyprian.)
Some early Christians sought out and welcomed their persecutions:
Roman authorities tried hard to avoid Christians because they "goaded, chided, belittled and insulted the crowds until they demanded their death.";193; One man shouted to the Roman officials: "I want to die! I am a Christian," leading the officials to respond: "If they wanted to kill themselves, there was plenty of cliffs they could jump off.";194; But the Christians, following Tertullian's dicta that "martyrdom is required by God," forced their own martyrdom so they could die in an ecstatic trance: "Although their tortures were gruesome, the martyrs did not suffer, enjoying their analgesic state."195 [4]
The conditions under which martyrdom was an acceptable fate or under which it was suicidally embraced occupied writers of the early Christian Church. Broadly speaking, martyrs were considered uniquely exemplary of the Christian faith, and few early saints were not also martyrs. However, suicide is murder, and is associated with treason to the faith - the very opposite of martyrdom - the way of Judas the traitor, not of Jesus the savior. This confusion of early Christians over the values of martyrdom led to some breakaways from the Church in Rome, most notably the Donatists. Their was one sect, the Circumcellions, AKA the "agonostici", Latin for "fighter", and root of our English word "antagonist", that is of special regard in this matter. The Circumcellions had come to regard martyrdom as the true Christian virtue (as Church Father Tertullian said, a martyr’s death day was actually his birthday), and thus came to disregard chastity, sobriety, humbleness, charity, and most of the other good things we today associate with Christianity. Instead, they focused on bringing about their martyrdom-- by any means possible. Since Jesus had told Peter to put down his sword in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Circumcellions piously avoided bladed weapons and instead opted for the use of blunt clubs, which they called "Isrealites." Using their "Israelites", the Circumcellions would attack random travelers on the road, while shouting "Praise the Lord!" in Latin. The object of these random beatings was the death of the intrepid martyr, who hoped that clobbering someone over the head with an "Israelite" would provoke said person to send the happy Circumcellion straight to Heaven. Since the Circumcellions did not bother themselves with chastity or poverty, they often cavorted with the opposite (or same!) sex and would kill and rob those unfortunate travelers who did not assist their "martyrdom" with a sufficiently potent counter-attack. When the "Israelite" method failed, the determined Circumcellion would obtain his martyrdom through a not-so-quick dip in the pool, or a one way ticket off the nearest cliffside. The 2nd century Martyrdom of Polycarp, records the story of Quintus, a Christian who handed himself over to the Roman authorities, but turned coward and sacrificed to the Roman gods when he saw the wild beasts in the colosseum: "For this reason therefore, brothers, we do not praise those who hand themselves over, since the gospel does not so teach." John the Evangelist never accused Jesus of suicide or self-destruction, but rather says that Jesus chose not to resist arrest and crucifixion.
Early persecutions outside the Roman Empire In 337, a spate in the ongoing hostilities between Sassanid Persia and the Roman Empire led to anti-Christian persecutions by the Persians of Christians who were perceived as potentially treacherous friends to a Christianized Rome under Constantine. Over the next few decades, thousands of Christians died. In the 3rd and 4th centuries, Christian missionaries, most successfully Ulfilas converted the Goths to Arian Christianity, which the Goths saw as an attack on their religion and culture. The Visigoth King Athanaric began persecuting Christians, many of whom were killed. In the 5th and 6th century, Arianism became prevalent among the Goths; during their forays into Italy, Gaul (France) and Spain they destroyed many churches and killed a number of Christian clergy.
In 429 the Vandals (who were Arians) conquered Roman Africa. Catholics were discriminated against; Catholic Church property was confiscated. Thousands of Catholics were banished from Vandal held territory.
The New Catholic Encyclopedia notes that "Ancient, medieval and early modern hagiographers were inclined to exaggerate the number of martyrs. Since the title of martyr is the highest title to which a Christian can aspire, this tendency is natural". Estimates of Christians killed for religious reasons before the year 313 vary greatly, depending on the scholar quoted, from a high of almost 100,000 to a low of 10,000.
Almost 30 years ago I published a book called THE DIVINE MYSTERY (Ross-Erikson 1976). Written by Allen Upward in 1910 it concerns the treatment of the "genius" in pagan or pre-Christian cultures. Upward's studies which included ancient Greek and Hebrew sources, also focused on sacrifice in Mesoamerican and African cultures before they had encountered Christianity. Among many other insights Upward concluded... "Christolatry, the worship of man consecrated as king or genius of the people, with a view to his subsequently being killed and eaten, may be pronounced one of the oldest and most widespread of religions... traces of it still exist in the peasantry showing that it prevailed over all Europe in primitive times." And ... "The word 'Sacrifice' is here restricted to its strict etymological sense of 'making sacred'." (pp.96-98) Upward found repeated instances in pre-Christian cultures of the "genius" becoming "King" and then becoming the "Saviour" by scarificing himself, before becoming the "Redeemer".
The book was kept in manuscript form for decades by the poet Ezra Pound, and given to my brother Buzz and me by our friend the late poet Peter Whigham. Despite our efforts the book was not received well by the public (probably not understood by very many), and it is probably now difficult to find. (I have one copy that I refer to, possibly a few others in some boxes in the garage). However, I think that many of you find much to interest you within its pages.
"The origins of humans, their languages, natural sexual/procreative systems and practices, accessible powers, heretofore secret knowledge, understanding, wisdom and culture are now rolling out from the Bock Family for the first time into the general public via ALPHERNAS BETEN and BOCK SAGA, following intentions formulated and decisions made 10,019 years ago (as of the year 2003).
The out-rolling of this, the human saga (sa=give; ga=receive) begins with declaring and offering the root and single common origin of human communication, i.e. The Ring, the alphabet, the Sound System of ROT (say approximately “root”): ALPHERNAS BETEN.
A main line has been developed and, over time its details expanded, beginning many millions of years before ICE TIME, establishing the lineage from the first BOCK, the first human being, unto the last BOCK, IOR BOCK, this line or continuum of procreation having been central to and responsible for the undertaking and process of populating planet earth by and with humans. This population process began at the old north pole, expanding over millions of years and carefully recording it’s history for future humans to enjoy and appreciate until it was interrupted 50,010,019 years ago (as of July 24, 2003). At that time Earth’s axis of rotation declinated, and the original and long standing breeding and information system suddenly and catastrophically came to an end as ICE TIME abruptly befell this formerly entirely tropical planet."
-------------------- "Illigitimi non carborundum!" All knowledge is to be used in the manner that will give help and assistance to others, and the desire is that the laws of the Creator be manifested in the physical world. E.Cayce 254-17 Posts: 3131 | From: Port Townsend WA | Registered: Feb 2004
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As you can see, as mentioned in my post above, in ROT (root) language SA : give. I will search for more for the word Sa-Cri-f-ice.
-------------------- "Illigitimi non carborundum!" All knowledge is to be used in the manner that will give help and assistance to others, and the desire is that the laws of the Creator be manifested in the physical world. E.Cayce 254-17 Posts: 3131 | From: Port Townsend WA | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Allison: Heather, I admit I had to laugh when I saw the heading "How to Share the Gospel with Pagans". The "gospel", IMO, should not be shared with anyone at all unless they ask for it to be. I think there is way more than adequate evidence to prove that xtianity is modeled almost verbatim on Paganism and THAT is precisely why the xtians felt so compelled to eradicate Paganism and force Pagans to convert. You see, we could serve no purpose but to foil their grand plan for control through fear. They wanted to stop us from using our gifts, but they have not been very successful, I'd say because what do you think is the fastest growing religion in this country right now? Hint - it's not xtianity.
There are a lot of people out there who are unbalanced and unstable who call themselves "Pagans", but they are free to CALL themselves whatever they wish but at the end of the day they don't walk the talk. I have met many of them and for the most part they are well intended, but victims of a lack of guidance and I am glad to teach and help any who ASK. Then there's the ones who are lacking a part of their soul and live only to siphon energy from others (I am sure that you have encountered this sort on your journey down this path - you know the feeling of being drained). For them I offer nothing because they are the ones most certain to use it for negative ends. Usually that sort are fortunately unable to comprehend what this about anyway and should have just stayed xtian.
Hi Allison,
The article probably should have been entitled: "How to Share the Gospel with Pagans (but you really shouldn't bother because we already know all about it and that's why we're Pagans in the first place.").
Just kidding to the Christians out there who might not have a sense of humor - I used to be Christian myself.
Allison, I totally agree with you the Christianity is modelled almost entirely off of paganism. In fact, I'm not really certain if anything new came on it at all. If I remember correctly, Zorastism was the first religion to be monotheistic and to Christianity probably even borrowed it's concepts of good and evil from it as well.
As I see it, the one thing that Christianity did do ( as well as Judasism and the Muslim religions as well) is to make a point to diminish the status of women. I don't see being a pagan as chance to lord it over other people, but to be more at peace with myself and make other people feel peace as well. If other women feel a greater sense of self worth by finding out that earlier religions didn't treat us as second class citizens, well, so much the better.
I also agree that paganism (like Christianity) has it's share of weird people in it as well, but the majority of the people I have met in it have been nice and just want to be more in touch with the earth. They're a whole lot more understanding and open-minded than people from other religions.
Bright Blessings!
Heather
-------------------- "An it harm none, do what ye will." -the Wiccan Rede Posts: 637 | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote:Originally posted by George Erikson: Heather, Valerie, Artemis, et al
Almost 30 years ago I published a book called THE DIVINE MYSTERY (Ross-Erikson 1976). Written by Allen Upward in 1910 it concerns the treatment of the "genius" in pagan or pre-Christian cultures. Upward's studies which included ancient Greek and Hebrew sources, also focused on sacrifice in Mesoamerican and African cultures before they had encountered Christianity. Among many other insights Upward concluded... "Christolatry, the worship of man consecrated as king or genius of the people, with a view to his subsequently being killed and eaten, may be pronounced one of the oldest and most widespread of religions... traces of it still exist in the peasantry showing that it prevailed over all Europe in primitive times." And ... "The word 'Sacrifice' is here restricted to its strict etymological sense of 'making sacred'." (pp.96-98) Upward found repeated instances in pre-Christian cultures of the "genius" becoming "King" and then becoming the "Saviour" by scarificing himself, before becoming the "Redeemer".
The book was kept in manuscript form for decades by the poet Ezra Pound, and given to my brother Buzz and me by our friend the late poet Peter Whigham. Despite our efforts the book was not received well by the public (probably not understood by very many), and it is probably now difficult to find. (I have one copy that I refer to, possibly a few others in some boxes in the garage). However, I think that many of you find much to interest you within its pages.
I'm not surprised that the book wasn't well received by the public. It has only been recently that people have been more accepting that books like the Da Vinci Code have made people think more about their basic beliefs. Most of us were so brain-washed into the religions we were brought up with that we forget that there were other ones that came earlier that the newer ones may have borrowed from. I suppose what really irks me about Christianity is that so many out there are so interested ibn squashing the truth about it's roots, to the point of persecuting pagans. So, do you remember what else the book brought up?
-------------------- "An it harm none, do what ye will." -the Wiccan Rede Posts: 637 | Registered: Nov 2004
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The Divine Mystery is a book from a long time ago in my memory. Your posts inspired me to look at it again. Just off the top of my head I remember that Upward documented the practices of several pagan African societies that had a feast or a sacrifice (or both!) two to four days after the Winter Solstice. Basically, it was a celebration that the days had stopped gettting shorter and had begun to increase in length. This date, December 25, we now associate with the birth of Jesus, but it was significant date in Pagan ritual for many pre-Christians.
That is true, both Christmas and Halloween have their roots in pagan beliefs. I checked for the book on the Internet and it looks like it was published a long ways back, 1978! But the comparisions between what Christianity has derived from pagan beliefs have been around a long time.
The Green Man also appears as an icon on many early Christian churches. He's an icon from pagan times and one of the more obvious things taken from pagans:
quote:Green Man researcher Mike Harding has estimated that there are five times the numbers of Green Man figures in Exeter Cathedral as there are of Jesus. This would certainly imply that they have held an important function and spiritual place in the Christian church for a significant period of time prior to the Reformation.
The early Churches’ obvious comfort with Pagan imagery is most noticeable on the tomb of Saint Abre in the Church of Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand in Poitiers. The tomb, dating from the 4th or 5 century C.E., is decorated with a variety of Pagan themes, including dolphins, and a foliate head. Basford notes, “it is a curious carving, quite unlike the Hellenistic leaf masks. The head is surrounded by contiguous and overlapping leaves which may represent the hair and beard, while large sprays of stylized foliage and flowers spring from the nostrils and extend on either side of the head, like fantastic moustaches.”(10) It is this carving, according to Basford, which may be the prototype of the Green Man images of the medieval period. The foliate head at Saint Abre is the first example of the sprouting head in Europe. It was from this same area in France that the Gothic style of Green Man developed.(11)
For approximately three hundred years, between the 10th and 12th centuries, the foliate mask became mutated to represent evil and sin—in fact; the foliate head became part of the exclusive realm of demonology. To this day, many examples of these demon masks exist—including some in the United States. The 13th century reversed this trend with a delightful focus on the lifelike and natural quality of the carved leaves. The obvious struggle between nature and man is shown in many of the Green Man images during the 13th to 15th centuries. Gladly it appears that this struggle, at least as shown in contemporary Green Man art, has changed to one of a symbiotic relationship between humankind and nature. The foliate head has given birth to such garden ornaments as leafy children, birdbaths and other items, which embrace life and the spirits of nature.
quote:Originally posted by Heather Delaria: As I see it, the one thing that Christianity did do ( as well as Judasism and the Muslim religions as well) is to make a point to diminish the status of women. I don't see being a pagan as chance to lord it over other people, but to be more at peace with myself and make other people feel peace as well. If other women feel a greater sense of self worth by finding out that earlier religions didn't treat us as second class citizens, well, so much the better.
Exactly! And it is unfortunate that in this day and age there are still legions of insecure males who are intimidated by the Goddess power, as we see so well demonstrated even just on this small internet forum. They can put on the alpha male act as a cover all they want but deep down they fear us because they know that we are superior to them. Men cannot give life to the world.
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quote:Originally posted by Heather Delaria: As I see it, the one thing that Christianity did do ( as well as Judasism and the Muslim religions as well) is to make a point to diminish the status of women. I don't see being a pagan as chance to lord it over other people, but to be more at peace with myself and make other people feel peace as well. If other women feel a greater sense of self worth by finding out that earlier religions didn't treat us as second class citizens, well, so much the better.
Exactly! And it is unfortunate that in this day and age there are still legions of insecure males who are intimidated by the Goddess power, as we see so well demonstrated even just on this small internet forum. They can put on the alpha male act as a cover all they want but deep down they fear us because they know that we are superior to them. Men cannot give life to the world.
Exactly, Allison, we are superior to them, it's not even up for dispute. You can tell that by the crime rate and the prison population. The amount of women incarcerated is something like 1/10th that of the males incacerated and many of the women who have been sent there. If a woman is there, chances are it's because some man got her in trouble in the first place. Men are more violent, and more apt to contemplate, let alone do, evil.
Traditionally, men have always been more afraid of a woman's power, too, which is why they have always been so bent on placing women in an inferior role to their own in society, as well as hiding the role of the goddess. Not to say we're perfecet ourselves, but how much less bloodshed would there have been throughout the whole of human history if women had been on control of things as opposed to men? It would make a world of difference.
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Great topic, by the way, Heather. I think we can see how much Christianity has taken much of what it is from pagan worship, then did it's best to suppress and persecute the very people it stole it from so no one would know about it.
A generation after the death of Christ, Christianity had reached Rome in the form of an obscure offshoot of Judaism popular among the city's poor and destitute. Members of this religious sect spoke of the coming of a new kingdom and a new king. These views provoked suspicion among the Jewish authorities who rejected the group and fear among the Roman authorities who perceived these sentiments as a threat to the Empire.
In the summer of 64, Rome suffered a terrible fire that burned for six days and seven nights consuming almost three quarters of the city. The people accused the Emperor Nero for the devastation claiming he set the fire for his own amusement. In order to deflect these accusations and placate the people, Nero laid blame for the fire on the Christians. The emperor ordered the arrest of a few members of the sect who, under torture, accused others until the entire Christian populace was implicated and became fair game for retribution. As many of the religious sect that could be found were rounded up and put to death in the most horrific manner for the amusement of the citizens of Rome. The ghastly way in which the victims were put to death aroused sympathy among many Romans, although most felt their execution justified.
Beginnings of Christian Martyrdom
The following account was written by the Roman historian Tacitus in his book Annals published a few years after the event. Tacitus was a young boy living in Rome during the time of the persecutions.
"Therefore, to stop the rumor [that he had set Rome on fire], he [Emperor Nero] falsely charged with guilt, and punished with the most fearful tortures, the persons commonly called Christians, who were [generally] hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of that name, was put to death as a criminal by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea, in the reign of Tiberius, but the pernicious superstition - repressed for a time, broke out yet again, not only through Judea, - where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also, whither all things horrible and disgraceful flow from all quarters, as to a common receptacle, and where they are encouraged. Accordingly first those were arrested who confessed they were Christians; next on their information, a vast multitude were convicted, not so much on the charge of burning the city, as of "hating the human race."
In their very deaths they were made the subjects of sport: for they were covered with the hides of wild beasts, and worried to death by dogs, or nailed to crosses, or set fire to, and when the day waned, burned to serve for the evening lights. Nero offered his own garden players for the spectacle, and exhibited a Circensian game, indiscriminately mingling with the common people in the dress of a charioteer, or else standing in his chariot. For this cause a feeling of compassion arose towards the sufferers, though guilty and deserving of exemplary capital punishment, because they seemed not to be cut off for the public good, but were victims of the ferocity of one man."
References: Carrington, Phillip, The Early Christian Church (1957); Davis, William Stearns, Readings In Ancient History (1913); Duruy, Victor, History of Rome and the Roman People, vol V (1883).
During the night of July 18, 64 AD, fire broke out in the merchant area of the city of Rome. Fanned by summer winds, the flames quickly spread through the dry, wooden structures of the Imperial City. Soon the fire took on a life of its own consuming all in its path for six days and seven nights. When the conflagration finally ran its course it left seventy percent of the city in smoldering ruins.
Rumors soon arose accusing the Emperor Nero of ordering the torching of the city and standing on the summit of the Palatine playing his lyre as flames devoured the world around him. These rumors have never been confirmed. In fact, Nero rushed to Rome from his palace in Antium (Anzio) and ran about the city all that first night without his guards directing efforts to quell the blaze. But the rumors persisted and the Emperor looked for a scapegoat. He found it in the Christians, at that time a rather obscure religious sect with a small following in the city. To appease the masses, Nero literally had his victims fed to the lions during giant spectacles held in the city's remaining amphitheater.
From the ashes of the fire rose a more spectacular Rome. A city made of marble and stone with wide streets, pedestrian arcades and ample supplies of water to quell any future blaze. The debris from the fire was used to fill the malaria-ridden marshes that had plagued the city for generations.
The Horror of Fire
The historian Tacitus was born in the year 56 or 57 probably in Rome. He was in Rome during the great fire. During his lifetime he wrote a number of histories chronicling the reigns of the early emperors. The following eye witness account comes from his final work The Annals written around the year 116.
"...Now started the most terrible and destructive fire which Rome had ever experienced. It began in the Circus, where it adjoins the Palatine and Caelian hills. Breaking out in shops selling inflammable goods, and fanned by the wind, the conflagration instantly grew and swept the whole length of the Circus. There were no walled mansions or temples, or any other obstructions, which could arrest it. First, the fire swept violently over the level spaces. Then it climbed the hills - but returned to ravage the lower ground again. It outstripped every counter-measure. The ancient city's narrow winding streets and irregular blocks encouraged its progress.
Terrified, shrieking women, helpless old and young, people intent on their own safety, people unselfishly supporting invalids or waiting for them, fugitives and lingerers alike - all heightened the confusion. When people looked back, menacing flames sprang up before them or outflanked them. When they escaped to a neighboring quarter, the fire followed - even districts believed remote proved to be involved. Finally, with no idea where or what to flee, they crowded on to the country roads, or lay in the fields. Some who had lost everything - even their food for the day - could have escaped, but preferred to die. So did others, who had failed to rescue their loved ones. Nobody dared fight the flames. Attempts to do so were prevented by menacing gangs. Torches, too, were openly thrown in, by men crying that they acted under orders. Perhaps they had received orders. Or they may just have wanted to plunder unhampered.
Nero was at Antium. He returned to the city only when the fire was approaching the mansion he had built to link the Gardens of Maecenas to the Palatine. The flames could not be prevented from overwhelming the whole of the Palatine, including his palace. Nevertheless, for the relief of the homeless, fugitive masses he threw open the Field of Mars, including Agrippa's public buildings, and even his own Gardens. Nero also constructed emergency accommodation for the destitute multitude. Food was brought from Ostia and neighboring towns, and the price of corn was cut to less than ¼ sesterce a pound. Yet these measures, for all their popular character, earned no gratitude. For a rumor had spread that, while the city was burning, Nero had gone on his private stage and, comparing modern calamities with ancient, had sung of the destruction of Troy.
By the sixth day enormous demolitions had confronted the raging flames with bare ground and open sky, and the fire was finally stamped out at the foot of the Esquiline Hill. But before panic had subsided, or hope revived, flames broke out again in the more open regions of the city. Here there were fewer casualties; but the destruction of temples and pleasure arcades was even worse. This new conflagration caused additional ill-feeling because it started on Tigellinus' estate in the Aemilian district. For people believed that Nero was ambitious to found a new city to be called after himself.
Of Rome's fourteen districts only four remained intact. Three were leveled to the ground. The other seven were reduced to a few scorched and mangled ruins."
References: Duruy, Victor, History of Rome vol. V (1883); Grant, Michael (translator), Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome, (1989)
Pagan beliefs can show up in many places, particularly in oral traditons. Allen Upward, author of THE DIVINE MYSTERY found the influence of paganism in "John Barleycorn". The poem was written down by Robert Burns in 1792. However, his was only one version of many versions that had survived in Scotland since before Scotland became Christian...
There was three kings into the east, Three kings both great and high, And they hae sworn a solemn oath John Barleycorn should die.
They took a plough and plough'd him down, Put clods upon his head, And they hae sworn a solemn oath John Barleycorn was dead.
But the cheerful Spring came kindly on, And show'rs began to fall; John Barleycorn got up again, And sore surpris'd them all.
The sultry suns of Summer came, And he grew thick and strong, His head weel arm'd wi' pointed spears, That no one should him wrong.
The sober Autumn enter'd mild, When he grew wan and pale; His bending joints and drooping head Show'd he began to fail.
His coulour sicken'd more and more, He faded into age; And then his enemies began To show their deadly rage.
They've taen a weapon, long and sharp, And cut him by the knee; Then ty'd him fast upon a cart, Like a rogue for forgerie.
They laid him down upon his back, And cudgell'd him full sore; They hung him up before the storm, And turn'd him o'er and o'er.
They filled up a darksome pit With water to the brim, They heaved in John Barleycorn, There let him sink or swim.
They laid him out upon the floor, To work him farther woe, And still, as signs of life appear'd, They toss'd him to and fro.
They wasted, o'er a scorching flame, The marrow of his bones; But a Miller us'd him worst of all, For he crush'd him between two stones.
And they hae taen his very heart's blood, And drank it round and round; And still the more and more they drank, Their joy did more abound.
John Barleycorn was a hero bold, Of noble enterprise, For if you do but taste his blood, 'Twill make your courage rise.
'Twill make a man forget his woe; 'Twill heighten all his joy: 'Twill make the widow's heart to sing, Tho' the tear were in her eye.
Then let us toast John Barleycorn, Each man a glass in hand; And may his great posterity Ne'er fail in old Scotland!
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