Christianity: The Origins of a Pagan Religion

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 224 pages
• Published by: Inner Traditions; 1st U.S. Ed edition July 9, 2006
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1594770964
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1594770968
• Book Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Weighs: 11.2 ounces

From Publishers Weekly
It is generally understood that Christianity strengthened its position early on in the popular mind by usurping and bending pagan rituals and sacred locales. In this ambitious scholarly treatise, professor of medieval French literature Walter marries the pagan and Christian calendars in great detail by looking at ancient myths, saints and celebrations. He visits All Saints Day, the Twelve Days of Christmas, Candlemas, Easter, Ascension, St. John's Day of Summer, St. Peter's Chains Day and St. Michael's Day to find that these yearly rounds, roughly forty days apart, share a mythical realm with the dates of Carnival, best understood as "a religion-it was even the religion preceding Christianity." Walter's sources include acts of councils, confessors' manuals, literary texts such as Arthurian romances, hagiographic works and medieval iconography. While he doesn't attack Christianity on its spiritual merits, he concludes boldly that "Christianity would have had no chance of imposing itself in the West if, on certain points of dogma and rites, it had not responded to the religious requirements of the converted pagans." While not for general readership, this volume makes a strong scholarly contribution to understanding the evolution of belief, where "it is important to understand that nothing has been lost or created."
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From Booklist
*Starred Review* All those millions of Da Vinci Code fans will probably not flock to this book, which utterly lacks car chases, sadomasochism, and albinos. Those seriously interested, however, in the survival of pagan beliefs under the cloak of Christianity will find in these pages the most comprehensive and scholarly work on the subject to date. Walter, professor of medieval French literature at the University of Grenoble, works his way through the "Christian" calendar to reveal the pagan gods and goddesses rooted in it. For instance, he convincingly shows that Carnival was originally the feast of Carna, goddess of carnality. He restores those "Easter" eggs and bunnies, such obvious fertility symbols, to their places in the calendar of agricultural feasts. He argues that the fires of St. John's Day derive from the solstice celebrations that mark the turning of the solar year, and that Halloween unquestionably is based on the Celtic feast of Samhain, when the dead, or the fairies, come back to haunt the living. Meticulously documented yet propounded in an easy conversational style, Walter's achievement should fascinate especially the many who want to acknowledge the pre-Christian symbols still found in Christian churches. Of course, it may also enthrall the fearful, who may use it to remove all such symbols from their places of worship. Patricia Monaghan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Reader Reviews
Thank you, thank you Philippe Walter, for releasing this book! I know it hasn't gotten that much attention, but I really hope it does. Walter examines historically and accurately the origins of Christian holidays (Pagan, Pagan, Pagan) and analyzes them in such a way that it is easy and non-threatening for anyone to read. It is well-organized, well-written and accurate. A very good addition to the religious scholar's library, or even a great read checked out from the library. Comment | | (Report this)