When I was a child, kids would come to school with sprigs of mistletoe that they had harvested from trees. Even when I was very young, I would allow the mistletoe-holder to kiss me on the cheek–if he held his woodsy treasure over my head. Since mistletoe could be spotted on the bare limbs of…
Category: #Mythology
Sun, Moon, and Star Worship: Influence on Christianity
“He who judges the first century by the nineteenth will fall into countless errors. He who thinks that the Christianity of the fourth century was identical with that of the New-Testament period, will go widely astray. He who does not look carefully into the history of religions before the time of Christ, and into the pagan…
Paganism: Its Influence on Christianity
“He who judges the first century by the nineteenth will fall into countless errors. He who thinks that the Christianity of the fourth century was identical with that of the New-Testament period, will go widely astray. He who does not look carefully into the history of religions before the time of Christ, and into the…
The Chaldean Story of the Creation of the World
Image Credit: Britannica CHAPTER I—ANCIENT CHALDÆA ‘The Creation, the Deluge, the history of the gods—The country, its cities its inhabitants, its early dynasties. “In the time when nothing which was called heaven existed above, and when nothing below had as yet received the name of earth,* Apsu, the Ocean, who first was their father, and…
Who Were the Chaldeans? Where Is Chaldea? Were the Magi Chaldean?
“Chaldea[1] (/kælˈdiːə/) was a small country that existed between the late 10th or early 9th and mid-6th centuries BC, after which the country and its people were absorbed and assimilated into the indigenous population of Babylonia.[2] Semitic-speaking, it Chaldea[1] (/kælˈdiːə/) was a small country that existed between the late 10th or early 9th and mid-6th centuries BC, after which…
The Ancient Babylonian Empire – The Tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel – Painted by Pieter Bruegel the Elder Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons The Tower of Babel was built in Babylon. “BABEL, CITY AND TOWER OF bā’ bəl (בָּבֶ֔ל). The term “Tower of Babel” is not found in the Bible, but is used popularly for the structure built on the plain of Shinar, where the…
Idolatry in the Old Testament
I recently BEGAN studying Old Testament Kings and Queens, and I noticed a repeating pattern: It seemed that every other king was either building idols and worshiping them or driving them out of his empire. That is an exaggeration, but the worship of idols has been a problem for monotheists–perhaps forever. The Ancient Israelites were…
Mesopotamia in Bible History – Pagan gods & the Idols – Ancient Mesopotamian Paganism
Image Credit: Detail of a Map from the Student Bible Atlas by Tim Dowley: On the above map, Mesopotamia is the upper area that is colored dark yellow. Most scholars believe that Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden were located in the Mesopotamian area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Abraham. the Father…
Canaanite Religion – Canaanite Mythology – gods and goddesses
Canaanite religion was a group of ancient Semitic religions practiced by the Canaanites living in the ancient Levant from at least the early Bronze Age to the first centuries CE. Canaanite religion was polytheistic and in some cases monolatristic. It was influenced by neighboring cultures, particularly ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian religious practices. The pantheon was headed by the god El and his consort Asherah, with other significant deities including Baal, Anat, Astarte, and Mot. Canaanite religious practices included animal…
A Cheat Sheet for People [Like Me] Who Cannot Keep Up with the HBO Series Game of Thrones
When The Game of Thrones first aired on HBO, I only watched a couple of episodes. I knew that I would come back later to this master production, but I also knew that when I watched this series, I would need time to totally engage. I have watched the HBO series The Sopranos several times,…