World Builder

Need some help from the resident scholars. Can someone recommend a good source on parallels between Christian Saints and pre-existing gods? If there is any good sources, that is.

figuer

There should be, and if not, then thanks for giving me an idea for a future book.

Perhaps a book about comparative religion would help.

Did you search the web? I typed "Comparison between Christian Saints and Pagan gods" and there are plenty of webpages regarding the manner. These might help in providing information/finding an academic source.

Perhaps you would get better results in the Biblical Criticism section.

corey

I found this info helpful in helping the search for what Christianity "stole" (my word) from prior beliefs:


Origins of Christmas Customs

Christmas Trees and Gift-Giving from Mesopotamia to the Present
Source: Atheist Revolution - http://www.atheistrev.com/

Parallels to many of our Christmas customs can be seen in the winter solstice celebrations of ancient times.
Linda McDonnell
Dec 5, 2008
http://ancienthistory.suite101.com/a...istmas_customs

In pre-Christian times, major festivals centered around the winter solstice, the day the sun reached its lowest point, signaling the shift to lengthening days.

The solstice began a new year, leading toward spring and the return of winter’s dormant life to the earth. The Romans calculated the solstice to be on Dec. 25, the day of our present Christmas.

Two books, 4000 Years of Christmas by Earl W. Count and Alice Lawson Count, and The Solstice Evergreen by Sheryl Ann Karas, provide an in-depth history of celebrations at this time of year, beginning with the ancient Mesopotamians.

From this history, arise many similarities with present-day Christmas celebrations.


Mesopotamia’s Twelve Days of Solstice Celebrations
Four thousand years ago, in ancient Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, people celebrated a festival of renewal as the days turned from shortening to lengthening at the winter solstice. Much like Christmas, this festival celebrated the “twelve days” of Zagmuk and included:

Visiting friends and exchanging gifts
Religious processions with lights and songs
Groups of townspeople singing door to door
A feast on the final day of the festival


Rome’s Saturnalia

As Rome became the center of Mediterranean civilization, portions of the Mesopotamian solstice festival moved west.

The Romans celebrated Saturnalia, honoring the god Saturn. Celebrations began in mid-December and continued until January 1. The mid-point of the festival was December 25, the day of the Roman winter solstice.


Like Zagmuk, the festival included:

Merrymaking and feasting

Visiting friends to wish them good lick

Exchanging good-luck gifts, fruits and cakes

Decking the halls with boughs of greenery and candles

Role reversal of slaves and masters, allowing slaves a day of rest from their labors



Santa Claus through the Ages

Santa Claus seems to have descended from the ancient Scandinavian god Odin and the Roman Empire’s Saint Nicholas.

Odin originated as a warrior and protector of his people. Over time, he softened into a kindly god who wandered the land assuring that good prevailed.

St. Nicholas protected sailors, travelers and the humble throughout the Roman Empire and into the Balkans and Russia. He was known to slip gifts to the needy, especially at the time of the winter solstice.

In the Rhineland, people set out clogs on Dec. 6 to be filled with gifts from “Santeklas,” as St. Nicholas was called.


Celebrating with Trees

Trees have been the site of worship ceremonies since ancient times. The Druids of ancient Europe are well known for their rituals around sacred trees, especially the oak and the pine. It was believed that spirits lived in trees.

Evergreens, including fir, pine and juniper trees, plus holly and ivy, were especially revered because they remained live and fresh during the coldest, shortest days of winter.

Druid ceremonies included tying apples and other offerings to the branches of ritual trees at the winter Solstice.

Bells were sometimes hung in evergreen boughs to protect against evil spirits.

Pre-Christian Europeans decorated trees for important occasions.

In the far north of Europe, people decorated their homes at solstice time with greenery hung with apples, nuts, ribbons and paper ornaments.

If tradition marks our Christmas celebrations, many of the traditions may have been handed down from ancestors who enjoyed a similar celebration thousands of years ago.


Sources:
4000 Years of Christmas: A Gift from the Ages, Earl W. Count and Alice Lawson Count, Ulysses Press, Berkeley, CA 1997.

The Solstice Evergreen: The History, Folklore and Origins of the Christmas Tree, Sheryl Ann Karas, Aslan Publishing, Fiarfield, CT, 1991

couch_sloth

It's Gautama Buddha as a Christian Saint:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barlaam_and_Josaphat

john_v_h

Here's an easy one: Mother Goddess ==> Mary (mother of Jesus). Here is something of a bibliography. I think you will need to be skeptical of some of these sources which have anti-Catholic axes to grind.

vid

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Christopher (and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynocephaly)

Roger Pearse

Can I make a plea for people to VERIFY before repeating any or all of the above hearsay? I don't know myself, but I recognise the usual suspects for bogus attribution!

dog-on

Yea, that crap happened to me, as well... bogus!

couch_sloth

How's this,

Here's the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia attributing the story of St. Josaphat to the Buddha:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02297a.htm

And the same for the Encyclopædia Britannica:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/...m-and-Josaphat

Is there strong evidence that this is false?

mountainman

Dear WorldBuilder,

The dominant parallel between bogus christian "saints" and their non-christian Hellenistic predecessors is drawn using the evidence of architecture. The pre-existing divinities and gods had temples and shrines erected in their name. In the fourth century a process was commenced to "make-over" the pagan shrines and temples of devotion, and to replace them with the basilicas of the new state monotheistic religion now known as christianity.

The classical example is the replacement of the shrines and temples to "healing god" Asclepius, son of Apollo, son of Zeus for whom abundant archeological evidence exists. These were replaced with basilcas -- some of which were named after the two entirely bogus christian twin saints called Cosmas and Damian who then became the patron saints of medicine, until they were kicked out --- to be again replaced by Asclepius --- during the Renaissance.

Best wishes,


Pete