Christian Mythology

Description

Reveals how Christian mythology has more to do with long-standing pagan traditions than the Bible ? Explains how the church fathers knowingly incorporated pagan elements into the Christian faith to ease the transition to the new religion ? Identifies pagan deities that were incorporated into each of the saints ?

Shows how all the major holidays in the Christian calendar are modeled on pagan rituals and myths, including Easter and Christmas In this extensive study of the Christian mythology that animated Europe in the Middle Ages, Author Philippe Walter reveals how these stories and the holiday traditions co ected with them are based on long-standing pagan rituals and myths and have very little co ection to the Bible. The Author explains how the church fathers knowingly incorporated pagan elements into the Christian faith to ease the transition to the new religion. Rather than tear down the pagan temples in Britain, Pope Gregory the Great advised Saint Augustine of Canterbury to add the pagan rituals into the mix of Christian practices and transform the pagan temples into churches.

Instead of religious conversion, it was simply a matter of convincing the populace to include Jesus in their current religious practices. Providing extensive documentation, Walter shows which major calendar days of the Christian year are founded on pagan rituals and myths, including the high holidays of Easter and Christmas. Examining hagiographic accounts of the saints, he reveals the origin of these symbolic figures in the deities worshipped in pagan Europe for centuries.

He also explores how the identities of saints and pagan figures became so intermingled that some saints were transformed into pagan incarnations, such as Mary Magdalene s conversion into one of the Celtic Ladies of the Lake. In revealing the pagan roots of many Christian figures, stories, and rituals, Walter provides a new understanding of the evolution of religious belief. Author Phillippe Walter Author Info Philippe Walter is a professor of medieval French literature at the Université Stendhal in Grenoble.

He has published numerous books about the Middle Ages and has overseen the editing and translation of the Grail romances for the prestigious Bibliothèque de la Pléiade. He lives in France. ISBN-13 9780000000000 Publisher I er Traditions Publication Date 2014 Edition 1st Thus Binding Paperback Condition Used – Very Good Page Count 224 Pages