textfiles/occult/hist05.txt

                 History of Witchcraft (part 5)


It's with these beliefs and doctrines that I state that not  only 
was   the  doctrine,  or  teaching  almost  identical,  but   the 
vocabulary was extensively the same.

Greek  life  was  characterized  by  such  things  as  democratic 
institutions,  seafaring, athletics theatre and  philosophy.  The 
mystery  religions adopted many expressions from  these  domains. 
The  word  for their assembly was Ekklesia of  the  mystai.  They 
spoke of the voyage of life, the ship, the anchor and the port of 
religion,  and the wreath of the initiate.  The  Christians  took 
over the entire terminology, but had to twist many pagan words in 
order  to  fit  into the Christian world.   The  term  Leitourgia 
(meaning  service of the state) became the ritual or  liturgy  of 
the  church. The decree of the assembly and the opinions  of  the 
philosophers  (dogma) became the fixed doctrine of  Christianity.  
The term for "the correct opinion" (orthe doxa) became orthodoxy. 

The  mysteries  declined  quickly when  the  emperor  Constantine 
raised Christianity to the status of the state religion.  After a 
short period of toleration, the pagan religions were  prohibited.  
The  property of the pagan gods was confiscated, and the  temples 
were  destroyed.  The metal from which Constantine's gold  pieces 
were coined was taken from the pagan temple treasuries.

The main pagan "strong holds" were Rome and Alexandria.  In Rome, 
the old aristocracy clung to the mysteries and in Alexandria  the 
pagan Neoplatonist philosophers expounded the mystery  doctrines. 
In  394, the opposition of the Roman aristocracy was  crushed  in 
the battle at the Frigidus River (modern stream of Vipacco, Italy 
and stream of Vipava, Yugoslavia). 

According  to  the Christian  theologian  Origen,  Christianity's 
development  during the time of the Roman Empire was part of  the 
divine  plan.   The whole Mediterranean world was united  by  the 
Romans,  and  the  conditions  for  missionary  work  were   more 
favorable  than  ever before.  He explains  the  similarities  as 
natural considering the cultures etc.  The mystery religions  and 
Christianity had many features in common.  Some examples of  this 
are  found in their time of preparation prior to initiation,  and 
periods  of fasting.  Their were pilgrimages, and new  names  for 
the  new  brethren.  Few of the early  Christian  "congregations" 
would   be  called  orthodox  according  to  later  more   modern 
standards. 

Though for many years, the pagan "churches" of this area tried to 
bring  about  a  unity  among  their  "doctrines",  beliefs,  and 
practices  to  raise support for their practices,  the  Christian 
philosophies and doctrines were so organized and strong that this 
fell  as well.  Little did they know that a couple hundred  miles 
away, peoples were still worshipping in pagan temples.

Let's take a look up north.

The  worship of trees goes far back into the history of man.   It 
was  not until Christianity converted the Lithuanians toward  the 
close of the 14th century that tree worship was thought to be  in 
the  past.  The truth is...whereas they are not  worshiped,  they 
are  still  honored by society today in the burning of  the  Yule 
log, May Day bon-fires, Kissing under the Mistletoe, and the ever 
famous Christmas tree. 

The worship of the oak tree or god appears to have been universal 
by  all branches of the Aryan stock in Europe.  Both  Greeks  and 
Italians  associated  the tree with their highest  god,  Zeus  or 
Jupiter,  the  divinity of the sky, the rain,  and  the  thunder.  
Possibly one of the oldest and most famous sanctuaries in  Greece 
was  that of Dodona, where Zeus was revered in th  oracular  oak.  
The  thunderstorms  which  are  said  to  rage  at  Dodona   more 
frequently than anywhere else in Europe, would render the spot  a 
fitting  home  for  the god whose voice was heard  alike  in  the 
rustling of the oak leaves and in the crash of thunder.  

Zeus  of Greece, and Jupiter of Italy both were gods  of  thunder 
and rain, and to both the oak tree were sacred.

To  the  Celts,  or Druids, their worship was  conducted  in  oak 
groves.  The Celtic conquerors, who settled in Asia in the  third 
century b.c., appear to have carried with them the worship of the 
oak to their new home.  In the heart of Asia Minor, the  Galatian 
senate  met in a place which bore the Celtic name of  Drynemetum, 
"the sacred oak grove" or "the temple of the oak."

In  Germany, we find that the veneration for sacred groves  seems 
to  have held the foremost place.  According to Grimm, the  chief 
of their holy trees was the oak.  Again, here we find that it  is 
dedicated to the god of thunder, Donar or Thunar, the  equivalent 
of  the Norse Thor. Among the Slavs, the oak tree was  sacred  to 
the  thunder god Perun. Among the Lithuanians, the oak  tree  was 
sacred to Perkunas or Perkuns, the god of thunder and rain. 
 
The  Christmas  tree,  usually  a  balsam  or  douglas  fir,  was 
decorated  with  lights  and ornaments as  a  part  of  Christmas 
festivities.   The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and  garlands 
as  a symbol of eternal life was an old custom of the  Egyptians, 

Chinese,  and  Hebrews.   Tree worship, common  among  the  pagan 
Europeans, survived after their conversion to Christianity in the 
Scandinavian  customs  of  decorating the  house  and  barn  with 
evergreens at the New Year to scare away the devil and of setting 
up a tree for the birds during Christmastime.  It survived in the 
custom  observed  in Germany, of placing a Yule tree  inside  the 
house in the midwinter holidays.

The  modern  Christmas tree originated in Western  Germany.   The 
main prop of a popular medieval play about Adam and Eve was a fir 
tree  hung  with apples (the tree of Paradise)  representing  the 
Garden  of Eden.  The Germans set up the Paradise tree  in  their 
homes  on December 24, the religious feast day of Adam  and  Eve.  
They hung wafers on it (symbolizing the host, the Christian  sigh 
of redemption).  In later tradition, the wafers were replaced  by 
cookies  of  various  shapes.  Candles were often  added  as  the 
symbol  of Christ, though they were also a pagan symbol  for  the 
light of the God.

As  we  can see, even though the pagan community  has  been  trod 
upon,  it  was  never  destroyed.   The  date  of  Christmas  was 
purposely  fixed on December 25 to push into the  background  the 
great  festival of the sun god, and the Epiphany on January 5  to 
supplant  an  Egyptian festival of the same day  and  the  Easter 
ceremonies were set to rival the pagan spring festival. 

Let's take a look at a few of the holidays and compare.
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