Constantine also began changing the pagan feasts and festivals to a Christian’s festivities, symbols and oracle were replaced by saints and bishops (Dutton, Marchand, & Harkness, 178). He also changed the customs that were profound to Romans for many years and integrated Christian traditions and values which infuriated many paganist. Rome was to paganist which led to creation of Constantinople which was a Christian State where paganist churches were not permitted. An extraordinary achievement for the Christian religion was when Constantinople was named the capital of the…
The epic battle scenes, the characterizations, and the conversations between characters reveal that the Anglo-Saxon religion primarily consisted of Christian beliefs, with some Pagan ideas. Through the epic battle scenes, the author emphasizes that even though God wills the…
As Christianity expanded throughout Rome, it eventually caught the attention of the royal household. Initially the emperors either ignored or persecuted the Christians, but this pattern ceased with Constantine. Constantine converted to Christianity during his rule, turning Rome into a Christian empire. This decree raised the questions of politics and Christianity. Church father Augustine explores this question in his work City of God.…
As we’ve seen so far this semester, there is no good way to categorize all religions and the same could be said for the way those religions spread. Christianity and Yoruba are two great religions to study, as the way they spread, much like the religions themselves, could not be more different. Christianity started within the Jewish community, as a rouge group who believed in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Eventually it formed into a new religion with the help of the Apostle Paul spreading the word. In 312 c.e., the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, shortly thereafter declaring it the official religion of the Roman Empire.…
Beowulf is an epic poem that has the values of christianity in its main plot. The basis of Christianity roots were instilled into this epic poem, the beliefs were altered to fit the story’s format; Beowulf has been told for hundreds of years.“Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different” (T.S. Eliot, The Sacred Wood). Although the writer of the epic poem Beowulf is unknown, we do know that he turned his Christianity faith to turn this story into something different. He turned a widely popular religion into the basis of an epic poem that made the way for poetry after that.…
His other tool was the power of persuasion. When converting the Pagans of the West, he intelligently assimilated their practices into the Christians. The Pagans changed their temples in to Christian churches and their holidays combined with the new religion. The most notable of these celebrations was the pagan winter solstice celebration that was held on the 25th of December, we celebrate this same holiday now and call it…
The influence of the dominant cultural Christianity on the King Arthur narrative cannot be ignored. Mentions of the religion abound throughout the tale, particularly in the Quest for the Holy Grail. Arthur was portrayed as a devout Christian, even going into battle with a cross on his shield. However, Christian influences on the text could not have come from the original bards as Christianity first appeared in the country around 387 AD (Crichton 38). Therefore, somewhere along the way the early church of Britain decided to edit out some of the traditional pagan influences.…
Christianity. It is a single word with great and powerful meaning, but one that is defined differently by people of many different denominational backgrounds. According to Dictionary.com, christianity is “The religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, sent by God. They believe that Jesus, by dying and rising from the dead, made up for the sin of Adam and thus redeemed the world, allowing all who believe in him to enter heaven.…
In The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity, David Brakke argues for an approach for the rethinking of Gnosticism and its rejection by the Church. Gnosticism reveals as a diverse set of beliefs different from that of the early Christians. This book displays scholarly debates on the interpretation of Gnosticism and the ancient Christians. Some scholars argue that Gnosticism is a mark of imperfection and individuals should simply ignore it. On the other hand, modern scholars debate that Gnosticism provides evidence for early religious movements and the information helps to categorize them (4).…
Lewis and Tolkien both hold the idea that Christianity and pagan things are related. They believe that pagan beliefs are a cry out for the Lord. Cultures with multiple gods believed that these gods would come to earth periodically. Lewis and Tolkien associate this with a longing for Jesus Christ. They also hold the belief that pagan myth paved the way for the Gospel (Wood, 2003, 333).…