description: In this volume, Dr. Abrahamsen shows that vestiges of the prehistoric Nature goddess, worshipped by Neolithic and other peoples for millennia, survived into the Graeco-Roman period, under different guises, and influenced the development of Christianity. She argues that, while a male-dominated religious ethos supplanted goddess religion in the West starting with the Bronze Age, goddess beliefs and practices persisted "underground" and could not be completely suppressed or ignored. Her evidence is drawn from the existence of goddess symbols in the catacombs, other early church art, and basilica art from the early Byzantine era; from extant folklore and folk traditions; from magic and other quasi-religious practices evident in the early Christian tradition; and from certain rituals preserved by the church.
language: English
title: Goddess and God: A Holy Tension in the First Christian Centuries
titlecomplete: Goddess and God: A Holy Tension in the First Christian Centuries (Marco Polo Monographs)
publisher: Shangri LA Pubns Ltd