Paganism

Etymology

The origin of the term paganus to indicate pagan is already it even prone to polemic. For some, the word comes from paganus meaning civil. For others, it comes rather from paganus meaning country. In the first case, the Christians regard themselves as soldiers of Christ, the pagan ones are then those which are excluded from this army. Tertullien (v.150~v.230) develops the militate christi , “the soldiers of the Christ, the Christians” against the pagana fides “those which believe in the country, the faithful ones of the imperial religion”.

In the second case, the Christians were mainly identified with townsmen. Paganus appears in the literary language at the end of IVe century, the first author to use it being Marius Victorinus, without there being dépréciative connotation. Philastrius uses this term by giving an explanation which confirms that at the end of IVe century paganus is an equivalent of Helene. At Augustin, one finds a bringing together between pagani and gentiles, but, in general the bishop of Hippone employs paganus without explanation, to designate the not-Christians. In the code of the Roman Emperor of the East Théodose II (409), pagan , replaces definitively the old term Gentils to indicate all the beliefs which are not Christian. In the Théodosien code, with the title Of paganis sacrificiis and templis , he writes that it is necessary to destroy the places of worship of pagan with all their idols.

Paganus thus does not seem to be opposed not to urbanus and is not a synonym of rusticus . The term has nothing to do with the country world, except in rare cases, as at Paul Orose. Paganus always functions in report/ratio of opposition or of association and it is through that it is necessary to seek the origin of its medieval direction of pagan. Moreover, paganism remained a long time well is anchored in the cities and is spread in the intellectual elites. It is the case of Rome in particular whose Sénat was still with pagan majority under Théodose Ier. It is thus not within the meaning of “peasant” that paganus was used in the religious field.

Today, one considers rather than the “pagan one” was “the man of the country”, the native, who preserved the local practice, by contrast with the inhabitants come from other parts of the Empire. Moreover, up to one rather late time, a good part of the Christian Clergé of the Western areas is of origin Eastern, Greek, Syrian, Egyptian, etc

History of the concept

Within the geographical limits of the ancient world, centered on the the Mediterranean, of many religions existed. In Mésopotamie, in Egypt, Greece then with Rome, the divinities multiple, local or were imported. The antiquated, often rural divinities or chthoniennes, evolved to more human divinities, organized, whose Olympiens are the best example.

There did not exist word to indicate the whole of the religions, although the Roman Empire had consolidated the exchanges of any nature between these people.

Other religions still existed, in the north of the Europe, in Orient or the Far East, in Africa, etc

Through the Thousand-year-old S, two characters seem constant in these religions: the Polytheism, i.e. belief in several gods, and the tolerance for the gods of the others, together with frequent loans. Isis had for example its temple with Rome, and Césars theirs with Alexandria.

In the Mediterranean world, the first dissonance was to come from the Hebrew which were Monothéiste S. the Judaea was a quite particular Roman province, with its articulated religious capacity to the political power of Rome, whose Bible tells the contentions. The Jews did not recognize the other gods, nor the divinity of César. César put up with it, the elected People being inevitably limited and little proselyte.

Then the Christianisme came. Articulated on the faith of the Jews and the Old Testament, this religion excluded also the recognition from any other god. The recent mithraïsme, monotheist also, did not have this exclusiveness. Opened with all, Christianity was not long in becoming major, to obtain a Église then as from the emperors in its rows. Of its emergence to the conquest of the supreme capacity, the business will take hardly three centuries.

“Paganism” indicated all the known religions then, others that the Christianisme, that the “pagan ones practiced”. The etymology of the word shows the pejorative intention like will be the words “Mécréant” or “Infidèle” for the Moslems. Only the Hebraic Jews, which divided same God, kept a distinct identity.

In 391 and 392, the word is used officially in the legislation by Théodose Ier, emperor Roman Christian, to prohibit these religions in all the Empire, already Christian since 380. Then will come, at the beginning of the 5th century, the massive destruction and plunderings, some massacres which these scattered religions, nonclerical and nondogmatic, will hardly survive.

This word, invented by a minority to indicate a majority, became thus gradually the qualifier of a minority, presumedly rough and rural, therefore uncultivated. The word is extended then to the Musulmans, then exceeding the only field of the religion, as qualifying social practices as Christian morals rejected. Even widened, there remains a Christian point of view.

Although the Christianity, religion official and single of the Roman Empire since 380, extends then largely in Europe (Charlemagne, Holy roman Empire Romain Germanique, etc), of the pagan worships and practices still take place the following centuries, but clandestinity becomes a question of survival. Under these conditions, the absence of crowned texts, the oral tradition, the secrecy of the worships will contribute to make disappear these old religions. Some “traditional festivals” of our campaigns exist still nowadays, but do not have any more religious significance. Our log of Christmas is a pagan survival, like the Carnaval, etc

Since the European Rebirth (XVIe), paganism was asserted by the humanistic like a return to the culture Antique. The Romantisme (XIXe) there sought a Celtic revival. Paganism thus recovers several religions in their relationship with the Christianisme, generally of the Polythéisme S Indo-Europeans.

Religious resurgences will take place in Europe, of the “Néo-paganism S”, in particular with the Renaissance, but also at the 19th century (germanism, celtism, etc), and still nowadays: Wicca, Asatru, YSEE, etc

Nowadays, one qualifies also paganism, at least with the glance of the Christian culture of Europe, of the remote religions which never took part in the foundation of the word, like the Hindouisme.

Within the framework of the Universalization, the modern néo-pagan movements made their junction in 1998 with the other religions Polythéistes, within the World congress of the ethnic religions (WCER), and hope to be recognized. At one time or the development of the Islam in Europe questions the reports/ratios of Christianity to the capacity, calls in question the balances established since the 19th century, reducing the Monothéisme S recognized to make common cause, the matter is not more utopian.

The concept

“Pagan” is thus in the beginning a specifically Christian concept which indicated all those which, put aside the Jews (for obvious reasons), are not Christian. With the the Middle Ages still, the Chanson of Roland calls “pagan” those which are actually Musulman S. This concept has thus the defect to make an amalgam between very diverse realities and which, until the time when the Christianisme became official religion (or quasi official), were by no means perceived by the interested parties like formant a whole. in the Christian authors of antiquity Tertullien or Lactance or Augustin, the bread is with the image of the dog which renifle, in search of food or the dog bites and barks, like the pagan ones after the Christians: the pagan one is especially that which is on standby of conversion.

The question of the transformation of the English pagan temples into churches according to the instructions of Gregoire Large the makes it possible to think of the concept of pagan. The paganus term is only in the Register of the letters of the pope where, clearly pagani is synonymous with gentiles . Gregoire, does not consider pagan inevitably a negative way. At the time Carolingian, the correspondence of Alcuin reveals a real concern in the adviser of Charlemagne for the conversion of the pagan ones. At the time of the military campaigns against be Saxon, it always recommends persuasion, recalling on several occasions that one could not give the faith to pagan by violence.

The denomination of “dogs” for the pagan ones is a frequent insult in many texts, in particular in the Germanic and Slavic world, during the Early middle ages. This insult is still largely used at the end of the Middle Ages.

Nevertheless, from the time has passed for this time and, seen today, the concept is not deprived of relevance (and the word seems more convenient than the substitutes than one could find to him, “traditional religion”, “polytheism”, which has them also their imperfections), provided that one keeps in mind which it determines a multiple reality. Paganism is a practical term to indicate overall the religious practices of Antiquity (Europe, Proche and the Middle East, North Africa) apart from Christianity and of the Judaïsme.
Starting from the Renaissance appeared religious or philosophical movements claiming paganism again:
:: the néo-paganism of the humanistic of the 16th century;
:: néo-paganisms Celtic (Néo-druidisme), Germanic , Scandinavian , Egyptian (Khémitisme) and Greek (Hellénisme) of the end of the 19th century, the 20th century.
One should not confuse paganism with the Athéisme. The pagan ones have a direction of the mystic and the crowned foreign one with the atheists.
is the satanism a paganism? Although it enters perfectly the initial definition of the word (belief except Christianity), one can deny with difficulty that it is a misadventure of Christianity, and would not exist without him. The fact that the Devil is a Christian misadventure of Dionysos does not simplify the question. As for the satanists of Anton Szandor LaVey, believing in no divinity, but thinking that the man is his only god, they are more difficult to classify.

History

800 av. J. - C. - 750 av. J. - C.: drafting of the Homeric texts
776 av. J. - C.: creation of the Olympic Games in Greece
753 av. J. - C.: foundation of Rome
towards 700 - 600 av. J. - C.: preach of Zarathoustra (Zoroastre) in Perse
towards 530 av. J. - C.: died of the Persian king Cyrus Large the, faithful of Mithra
towards 399 av. J. - C.: death sentence of Socrate for impiété
323 av. J. - C.: died of Alexandre Large the, wire of Zeus and new Héraclès and Dionysos
167 av. J. - C.: the king séleucide Antiochos IV Épiphane seeks to convert the Juifs with the hellenism, causing a war; he wants to transform the Temple of Jerusalem into temple of Olympian Zeus.
65 av. J. - C.: Pumped enters to Jerusalem and enters the temple of Solomon, thus making an act of impiété
52 av. J. - C.: Crassus seizes the richnesses of the temple of Solomon to finance his war against Parthes
44 av. J. - C.: assassination of Caius Iulius Caesar (Jules César), wire of Mars and Venus
21 av. J. - C.: Auguste prohibits the Eastern worships in Rome.
8 av. J. - C.: birth of Yeshua Ben Yosef in Bethlehem (Jesus de Nazareth), wire of the Yosef carpenter and his wife Myriam
2 av. J. - C.: construction of the Augusti Forum in Rome, in the middle which the temple of Mars Avenger (Ultor) is
14: died of the emperor Auguste
19: the Tibère emperor prohibits the Judaism in Italy
42: Claude expels the Jews of Rome
52: Caligula wants to make place its statue in the synagogs and the temple of Solomon; Jewish revolt
67: the Néron emperor persecutes the Jews, marked to have put fire at Rome
70: destruction by the Vespasien emperors and Titus of the temple of Solomon to Jerusalem
95: the Domitien emperor makes condemn familiar converts to the Judaism and Christianity
117: antijuive policy in Egypt and Mésopotamie of the Trajan emperor. The Jewish communities of Alexandria, Cyprus and Libya are decimated.
132 : fight of the Hadrian emperor against the Jewish revolt of Bar Koshba; Jerusalem becomes Aelia Capitolina. The Romans build a temple dedicated to Jupiter Capitolin on the ruins of the temple of Solomon.
135 : the Christians give up the name of Yahweh for that of Theos (Greek) or Deus (Latin).
251 : the Dèce emperor prohibits Christianity
252 - 259: the Valérien emperor prohibits Christianity
260: edict of tolerance of Gallien in favor of the Christians
274: the Aurélien emperor builds a temple dedicated to Sol Invictus in Rome
297 - 301: conversion of the Armenian king Tiridate III per Gregoire the illuminator
305: decree of prohibition of Christianity by the emperor Dioclétien
306 - 312: the Maxence emperor takes in Rome the head of a movement pagan traditionalist carried out by Praetorian the
311: the Galère emperor tolerates Christianity at the time of his death
312: victory of Constantin Ier over Maxence at the time of the Battle of the bridge Milvius; Constantin allots his victory to Sol Invictus and to the Christian god
313: Constantin and Licinius tolerate Christianity; died of the reforming emperor pagan Maximin Daia
314: conversion of king d' Albanie (Aghbanie, become Azerbaïdjan) Urnayr with Christianity by Gregoire the Illuminator.
317 : conversion of king d' Ibérie (Georgia) Mirian III and of its wife Chick by the evangelist Nino
324: victory of Constantin the Christian over Licinius pagan the
337: died of the emperor Constantin, baptized on his bed of dead
337: conversion of king d' Ibérie (Georgia) Mirian by holy Nino
361 - 363: reign of the pagan emperor Julien, assassination of this last probably by a Christian
365: reign of pagan Procope, cousin of Julien
379: Gratien gives up the pagan title of pontifex maximus
392: decree of Théodose prohibiting paganism in the empire
392 - 394: pagan reaction to Rome of the Eugene emperor, frank Arbogast and the Senate; who is crushed at the time of the battle of the cold River (Frigidus)
394: prohibition of the Olympic Games by Théodose
399: destruction of Serapeum (temple of Sérapis) in Alexandria
415: assassination by a Christian crowd of the philosopher Hypatie Neo-Platonist in Alexandria
399 - 420: reign of Yazdagard Ier, Persian king prochrétien then become antichrétien and anti-semite
421: persecution of the Christians under the Persian king Varhran V
438 - 459: reign of Yazdagard II, Persian king antichrétien and anti-semite
towards 450: beginning of the christianization of Ireland by the mythical saint Patrick
472 - 475: reign of the pagan emperor of occident Anthemius
476: short reign of the last Roman Emperor, probably pagan, Romulus Augustus, called Augustulus
488: revolt with Byzance pagan isaurien It with the assistance of his/her friend the pagan poet Pamprépios
498: conversion of frank king Clovis to Christianity
529: the Byzantine emperor Justinien prohibits the teaching of pagan philosophy in Athens. The philosophers, whose Damascios and Simplicius, leave Byzance and are accommodated at the court of Persian king Chosroès (Khosro Anushirvan).
537 : closing of the temple of Isis with Philae
550: closing of the pagan philosophical school of Alexandria
562: great persecution against the pagan ones of Constantinople
565: died of the last Irish pagan king, Diarmat McCerbaill (pagan restoration of 559-565), and druidic closing of the sanctuary of Tared
580: closing of the temple of Baal Shamin in Baalbek
towards 650: permanent closure of the Ammon-Re sanctuary, compared to Zeus since Alexandre, Siwah
653: conquest of the Persian by the caliph Omar; the Islam becomes official religion and the Shah Yazdagard III is assassinated
towards 650 - 700: end of the christianization of the Anglo-Saxons
798: conversion forced of Saxon of Witukind by Charlemagne
towards 840: revolt the pagan last Saxon S
towards 850 - 860: conversion of king Boris of Bulgaria
889 - 893: pagan reaction of the king Vladimir of Bulgaria, wire of the precedent
652 - towards 1000: Iranian pagan resistance vis-a-vis the Islam
starting from 950 approximately: beginning of the christianization of the Basques
950 - 998: conversion of Laconie (around Sparte) by the Holy Armenian Nicôn
960: conversion of Danish king Harald to the blue Tooth
966: conversion of the Polish prince Mieszko Ier
976: conversion of king Boleslaw and Bohemia
978: died of Irish king Domnal Hooted Neill, last king having druids at his court
989: conversion of Russian king Vladimir the Red
995: beginning of the christianization of Norway by king Olaf Trygvasson
999: conversion of the Iceland to Christianity
1000: conversion of Hungarian king Vaîk (Etienne), wire of Geza and grandson of Arpad, founder of the kingdom
towards 1000: Russian pagan reaction to Novgorod
1008: conversion of Swedish king Olof Skötkonung
1037: pagan reaction of the Polish people
1046 : pagan reaction of the Hungarian people
towards 1050: closing of the pagan philosophical school of Harran in Mésopotamie (Carrhae) by the Moslem authorities
1071: pagan reaction in Russia, in Souzdal and in several other cities, carried out by the pagan priests (volkhvy)
1079: execution in the Byzantine Empire of the neo-platonist philosopher Jean Italos
1080 - 1083: pagan reaction of Swedish king Blot Sven; with its death, assassinated, the temple of Uppsala is destroyed and replaced by a church
1083 - approximately 1120: pagan reaction of Swedish Erik, wire of Blot Sven, in Ost Gotland and Samland (Lapland)
1165: forced conversion of Finnish by the Swedes
1194 - 1250: reign of Frederic II Hohenstaufen, emperor of the Germanic Roman Holy roman Empire; carried out a pagan cultural policy , rejecting Christianity personally. Publication of “the treaty of three impostors”, evoking Brace, Jesus and Mahomet.
Towards 1220: conversion of the Estonia and Latvia by the teutonic Knights
1227: new pagan reaction to Souzdal. Four pagan priests are immolés.
1238 - 1248: Finnish pagan revolt
1261: apostasy of the Lithuanian duke Mindaugas and pagan reaction
1263 - 1265: pagan reaction of the Lithuanian king Trenoita
1265 - 1268: conversion of the Lithuanian king Vaisvilkas
1270 - 1282: pagan reaction of the king Traidenis
1316: conversion of the Lithuanian king Gediminas
1386: beginning of the christianization of Lithuania by Jogaila (Jagellon)
1452: died of the Greek philosopher néo-pagan Georges Gémiste Pléthon in Mistra
towards 1500 - 1600: real conversion of the Lithuania, but of the pagan cores remain until the XXe century

See too

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