quote:
Originally posted by Epona:
Fable, it is worth bearing in mind before you quote Gibbon that he was writing more than a thousand years after the event, interpreting the Roman historians in his own way. Since there is plenty of Roman literature still available (including many of the historians used by Gibbon), it might have been better to use an example from something more contemporary [img]tongue.gif[/img]
Or, it might have been better to use a world famous, respected history like Gibbon's that everybody has access to, in order to check for my accuracy, instead of referring to contemporaneous Roman documents written in Latin. [img]tongue.gif[/img]
Well, it is true to some extent that the early church distanced itself from pagan belief, but it is also the case that many pagan shrines were turned into christian churches in order to integrate the local populations, local pagan priests were converted and turned into saints, and pagan mythology and belief was integrated into Christianity (Saint Brigit?)
They didn't "distance" themselves from pagan belief: they ordered the wholesale destruction of pagan temples and sacred artifacts, as was reported not only by outsiders, but the early Church Fathers, themselves; for they were very proud of this. They then rebuilt their own churches on the same ground, takinga advantage of the "holiness" of the sites. Such integration as occurred was limited to minor details, like the use of phallic-inspired churchly spires, or trees at Yule/Christmas, etc.
And I've yet to encounter an instance of a local pagan priest who was "converted," as you state, in reading on the subject for nearly thirty years. They were dismissed, or killed. When the Christians moved in, they moved in their own trustworthy religious hierarchy. And that's perfectly understandable.
Christianity in Mexico is a good example of how Christianity has managed to adapt to absorb non-Christian tradition in an attempt (largely successful) to win over the pagan population - day of the dead (and you can't get more pagan than that) is celebrated with as much gusto as is any Christian festival.
We were discussing the European Middle Ages, not 20th century Mexico; but you're right, Santaria is an interesting example of how the RCC, unable to enforce its worship with anything like the uniformity or vigor attempted earlier in Europe, became absorbed itself into a nation's ancient religious practices. Christianity, in much of South America, is part of a much larger pantheon of animist worship. [/QB][/QUOTE]