2/4/2020

PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

1. Ancient Mesopotamia & Egypt

2. Proto-semitic gods to YHWH
3. Reincarnation myths and search for
eternal life
4. Evolution of Christianity & origins of
Trinity
5. Tribal stones to Allah
6. Angry god - loving god

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PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

WHAT WE DISCUSSED SO FAR
• Earliest written records of near eastern gods appear in Mesopotamia and Egypt
• These gods are intermingled with (heroes of) myths derived from:
• observed events and
• peoples’ imagination
• Gods and stories about them evolve over time
• Tribes interact and influence each other’s religions (syncretism)
• A storm god appears in the desert and gradually takes over the attributes of others
• This storm god evolves into “the only God” of a specific confederation of tribes
• By a process of syncretism, resurrection and eternal life stories are absorbed into this
religion

PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

Session 4
Evolution of Christianity & Origins of Trinity
• Hellenism meets Judaism
• Messiahs & Apocalyptic Cults
• Impact of Greek Myths
• Impact of Roman Cults
• Mothers of god(s) – Mother of God
• Pagan Trinities – Holy Trinity
• Petrus, Paulus, or Constantinus

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PAGAN ORIGINS
OF MONOTHEISM
SPREAD OF
CHRISTIANITY
FIRST SIX CENTURIES

PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY

ROMAN CONSUL IGNORANT OF CHRISTIANS

• Pliny the Younger to Emperor Trajan (Letter 9.6, ca. 110 CE)
“ … I have never been present at any legal examination of the Christians,
and I do not know, therefore, what are the usual penalties passed upon
them, … . I have hesitated a great deal in considering … whether if they
renounce their faith they should be pardoned, or whether the man who
[recants]… even though otherwise innocent of crime, should be punished,
…. “

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PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY

MYSTERY CULTS
Oh, All-Nature, Queen, Mother of all things, untiring Mother,
exalted,creating, She who tames all, … shining,
the first born who quenches everything, who brings the Light….
Born of yourself, present everywhere and all-knowing…
I pray to you – give me peace.
• Existed in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece (even in Scandinavia!)
• Mystery cults in Greece are well documented (Herodotus and Plutarchos)
• Eleusinian Mysteries and Dionysian cult rites continued into the middle ages
• The “salvation” and “resurrection” themes start appearing in 8th C BCE
• The holy trinity of Demeter, Kore and Dionysos are mythological expressions
of the Universal Soul, the Ultimate Being

PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY

HELLENISTIC INFLUENCE
• Jewish and Greek worlds intersect after the campaigns of Alexander the Great
• The major product of the contact of Judaism w Hellenistic culture is the Septuagint
• Jews who are already familiar with Egyptian myths
• Are now exposed to Greek myths
• Centers: Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem
• Conflict between Hellenizers and Judaizers
• Philosopher Philon of Alexandria an apologist
of Judaism

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PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY

MESSIAHS AND APOCALYPTIC CULTS

• Second Temple Judaism: return from exile to the Roman destruction
• During the Second Temple period, prophesies of end times proliferate
• The promise of better times for the chosen people never materializes
• As a result, a number of messiahs pop up with different messages
• Either of hope
• Or of salvation through the destruction of the evil world
• One of these is Jesus of Nazareth, who brings a message of both hope and of
imminent end

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PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY

SON OF GOD - EVOLUTION OF JESUS

• At first, EXALTATION:
• He becomes god at resurrection (Acts, 13:33)
• Mark: At baptism
• Matthew and Luke: at birth
• Then, INCARNATION:
• John: He was in the beginning with god… the word becoming flesh
• 325CE Council of Nicaea – Son of God, coeternal w god or created in time by
god
• TRINITY, Tertullian coins the term, then it evolves some more

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PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY

• Jesus – Historical figure or fiction?

• What was his message before it got
distorted by the Gospels?

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PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY
1782 CE
Of myths some are theological, some physical, some
psychic, and again some material, and some mixed from
these last two.
Sallustius, 4th C CE
KYBELE
Mother of Gods
2ndC CE Roman
• Matar Kubileya in Phrygia
• Kubaba in Neo-Hittite
• Magna Mater in Rome
• Goddess of fertility and agriculture
• Ritual purity was a prerequisite of initiation
• Worshipped w wild music and frenzied dancing

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PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY

ROMAN MYSTERY CULTS

• Cult of Cybele and Attis
• Attis is a late addition to the cult
• He spurns Cybele’s advances, goddess makes him mad
• He cuts off his own testicles and dies
• Cybele takes pity and causes him to be resurrected
• Mithraism
• Mithras is the protector of the empire, was worshipped by the soldiers
• Origins Persian, maybe related to the Hindu god Mitra
• Not much is known about Mithras mysteries

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PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY

ROMAN MYSTERY CULTS

• Cult of Isis
• Egyptian origin – brother/sister AND husband/wife pair w Osiris
• After Osiris’ death and dismemberment, gathers his parts (minus ..)
• Mates with his (sexless) remnants and bears Horus
• Earliest temple in Europe in 4thC BCE Athens
• Arrives in Rome in the 2ndC BCE
• Always depicted cradling Horus, sometimes nursing him
• Priesthood male only at first, women allowed later

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PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY
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MARY BECOMES MOTHER OF GOD
• 2ndC church lacked devotional objects
• When Christianity arrived in Rome the pagan cult of Isis was popular
• Church assimilated rituals and objects commonly associated with paganism
into Christian worship
• First, some statues were converted and reused as icons
• Then the concept of Mother of the Universe was converted to “Mother of
God”
• This caused a lot of debate in the 3rd & 4thC
• This title (Theotokos) for Mary was finally accepted in AD 431 at the Council
of Ephesus

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PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY

TRINITY IN PAGAN PANTHEON

• Most common theories explaining the triple deities:
• Early societies structured around: toil, worship, and war
• Indo-European belief in triad of female "spinners" of destiny
• Triad (all F) responsible for childbirth/protecting children (Nord) Triple headed Hecate
• Separate god for each class: Nobles, commoners, slaves ….. Etc.
• VERY LONG LIST (Wiki has an exhaustive list & references)
• SOME EXAMPLES:
• Zeus, Athena, Apollo
• Qudshu-Astarte-Anat
• The three daughters: al-Lat , Al-Uzza, and Manat
Odin, Thor, & Freyr

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PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY
PLATONIC TRIAD & NEOPLATONISM

Neo-Platonism Judaeo/Christian
The One God
Divine Mind/Nous Son OR Logos
World Soul Holy Spirit

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PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY

TRINITY – NEOPLATONIST CHURCH FATHERS

“..no one with even the slightest intelligence would dare to assert that the Creator of all things left his
super-celestial realms to make himself visible in a little spot on earth.”
Justin Martyr (d.165)
“The God and Father, … is superior to every being that exists, for he imparts to each one from his own
existence that which each one is; the Son, being less than the Father, is superior to rational creatures
alone …, the Holy Spirit is still less, and dwells within the saints alone.”
Origen (186-255)
• Tertullian (160-225) is the first one to use the term “TRINITY”. His position:
• At the beginning, God is alone, though he has his own reason within him.
• Then, when it is time to create, he brings the Son into existence, using but not losing a
portion of his spiritual matter.
• Then the Son, using a portion of the divine matter shared with him, brings into existence the
Spirit.
• And the two of them are God's instruments, his agents, in the creation and governance of the
cosmos.

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4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY

TRINITY BECOMES OFFICIAL DOGMA

• Emperor Konstantine (Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ Μέγας)
• Assembled a council of Christian bishops in the city of Nicaea (325CE)
• to address the trouble brought about by the Arian controversy:
• question regarding the relationship between God the Father and the Son
• in his incarnate form as Jesus, AND in his nature before the creation of the world

• Position of Arius was considered dangerous to the salvation of the souls

• Most important resolution:
• Jesus Christ is said to be "begotten, not made,"
• he was not a mere creature, brought into being out of nothing,
• but the true Son of God, brought into being "from the substance of the Father."

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PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY

TRINITY BECOMES OFFICIAL DOGMA

• Theodosius I and the Council of Konstantinopolis (381CE)
• Emperor wanted to bring the Eastern Church back to Nicene Christianity
• Also wanted to unify the empire behind the orthodox position
• Used the church (under Archbshp Nazianzus) to convene an Ecum. Council
• After much political maneuvering, they came up with the Niceno -
Constantinopolitan Creed
• Essentially the same as the Nicene Creed with two additions:
• an article on the Holy Spirit—describing Him as "the Lord, the Giver of Life ….
• an article about the Church, baptism, and the resurrection of the dead

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4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY
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PAGAN FESTIVALS TO CHRISTIAN HOLIDAYS

• Church is obliged to peg Christ’s birth to Mithra’s

(winter solstice)
• Vernal Equinox became Easter celebrating
resurrection of Christ
• Annunciation March 25 (also vernal equinox)
• Midsummer: John the Baptist’s birth
• Celtic festival of Samhein > Church counters with
ALL SAINTS

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PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY

WRAP UP
• Judaism was influenced by Hellenistic conquerors
• Ancient mystery cults interacted with the newly developing
monotheistic religions
• As Roman Empire adopted Christianity, Roman cult figures got
absorbed into it
• The Roman Catholic Church made it a policy to bring pagan rites into
Christianity to gain new converts
• Among the most important pagan contributions were Mary Mother of
God, and the Holy Trinity

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4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY

DISCUSSION TOPIC
WHO WAS MOST INFLUENTAL IN MAKING CHRISTIANITY
INTO A WORLD RELIGION?
• Peter
• Paul OR
• Roman Emperors Constantine and Theodosius?

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PAGAN ORIGINS OF MONOTHEISM

4 – EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY

NEXT SESSION
TRIBAL STONES TO ALLAH
• Arabian Peninsula before Islam
• Tribal stones and fertility idols
• Pre-Islamic occupants of Ka’aba
• Judaism’s pagan heritage creeps
into Islam

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