In various pagan religions and belief systems, divine spirits are often revered and worshipped. These spirits are attributed with unique powers and qualities, and are seen as intermediaries between humans and the divine realm. In pagan traditions, spirits are believed to exist in all aspects of nature, including animals, plants, and natural forces such as rivers and mountains. They are seen as guardians and caretakers of these natural elements, and humans are encouraged to interact with them respectfully and seek their guidance and blessings. Divine pagan spirits are often associated with specific aspects of life, such as love, fertility, healing, or war. They are believed to possess greater knowledge and understanding of these areas, and are called upon for help and support.
Whenever we read, ancient literature, classical literature, we have to think of the chronology. The poet’s the philosophers. They lived, often, centuries before Christ, they lived outside of Israel, away from the sacred scriptures, separated from divine revelation. And yet, because they were created in the image of God, with understanding and freewill, they were moved through all time and in all places, to seek God to seek the end for which they were created. This is our name Nature, just as it’s natural for a stone, to drop to the bottom of a pond, it’s natural for man to seek to return to God. And so if you put human beings out in the world, in places where divine revelation is not given, those people will seek God. But they will make all kinds of mistakes. And those mistakes, they’re not intentional. They’re not made with understanding. They’re simply made in ignorance. And they should be expected, they’re normal. And I think we should ignore the errors of the pagan people. We should pay attention, however, to their successes. Because what’s really amazing about the pagan people about the classical philosophers and poets, is not that they got things wrong, that’s understandable. What’s amazing is how much they got, right? That’s what we should read and think about, and talk about and admire, in the ancient people, how much they got right, without any of the benefits that we enjoy today, or that any Christians have enjoyed, since the coming of Christ into the world, how much the ancient poets and philosophers got right about God, about this world, about man, about virtue and vice, and so on, about politics, about law and government. It’s amazing how much the ancients got right. And I would even say, that many of the ancients were much closer to God, than many of us are today. And we have no excuse. Now, in ancient writings, we do find poets and philosophers and prophets, speaking about gods and goddesses. And I think that their experiences were often real. I think they did see things, I think they did hear things, I think things were revealed to them. The best, the best, most honest and virtuous of ancient men, said that they received inspirations from spirits. And they called the spirits gods and goddesses. And this is not contrary to Catholic teaching, because we believe in the existence of spirits as well. We don’t believe that there is God, and men in the universe and nothing else. We believe in angels, and demons. And if we knew no better, and met with an angel, or a demon, we would surely think of them as some kind of superhuman divine power and refer to them as gods and goddesses. As Christians, we refer to them as angels, and demons. If we simply change these words, the teaching of the ancients becomes very easy to understand. Men like Homer and Socrates and many others, claimed to be visited by spoken to and inspired by, quote unquote, gods or goddesses. I think the reality of what they’re communicating is that they were influenced by angels by spirits. And how can we know whether these spirits who influenced ancient men or angels or demons, Jesus teaches us? You will know them by their or fruits, you will know them by their fruits. If we look at men like Homer, and Socrates and we see that in the midst of unbelief, in the midst of immorality, in the midst of so much darkness, these men were being moved by spirits, to seek after virtue, and beauty, and truth and wisdom, we have to ask the question, Does it appear that those spirits would be demons? Or angels? Why would demons be leading men out of pagan darkness? into truth? Why would demons who depend on deception, be leading human beings forward? In the discovery of the art of right reasoning? It doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t make any sense that demons would be doing those things. Why would demons be helping men to establish true philosophy and become more virtuous? It makes no sense why demons would do those things. I argue that it was in fact angels, who were doing those things through history. And I believe that the development of ancient religion and poetry and philosophy was part of God’s plan of salvation. As God was revealing himself, in a certain way, by means of Patriarchs and Prophets, and written scriptures. And then by the incarnation of the Son of God, Himself, through miracles, and so on. He was revealing himself in different ways for different reasons, to the nation’s. And by the time of, of the coming of Christ, I don’t think it’s coincidental that pagan philosophy had reached its peak, with Aristotelian philosophy being established with the art of reasoning being established with the philosophical sciences being established, and so on. And the Christian faith with the Christian church, were placed into the context of this established true philosophy. Think of the government, and the wisdom and justice of the Roman Empire. The Christian Church was established in the midst of that political system, think of the wisdom and the complexity of Aristotelian philosophy. The church was placed into the context of that wisdom, think of the incredible beauty of Greek and Roman poetry, the church was placed into the context of that beauty and the church took of that beauty of that wisdom of that justice, for her own purposes. And I believe that that is the end for which these good spirits were sent among pagan men through history. Now, I know that there aren’t many Christians who teach these things. But like I said, there also aren’t many Christians who study these things, who get into the details of these things. And I believe when we do get into the details, it’s impossible to argue that evil spirits were leading men like Homer and Virgil, and Cicero, and Socrates and Plato and Aristotle, into all of this truth and wisdom and virtue and beauty rather than angels doing so. I believe that this progress among the Gentiles was guided, and directed by God himself, for the blessing and benefit of the Christian church, when it was to be established, and I don’t think it’s, I don’t think it’s coincidental that Jesus when he came into the world, referred to his day as the fulfillment of time. Not only, in my opinion was the time fulfilled in Israel. But I believe the time was fulfilled, outside of Israel, as well as secular philosophy, government, poetry, and so on, had all reached levels of perfection and excellence, that made it the ideal time for the establishment of the Catholic Church, and many of the wisest and best men in the secular world, converted to the Christian faith, and brought those arts and sciences with them into the service of Christ’s Church. And therefore, my argument is that though the ancient peoples referred to these spirits as Gods, and Goddesses, that was simply a way of, of naming something that was not human, that was greater, wiser, stronger, more beautiful, than any human. They refer to them as gods and goddesses. And that’s why even the most illustrious men and women who lived would eventually be numbered with the gods and goddesses. The idea of a god or a goddess in the pagan world simply meant, one who was of extraordinary strength, extraordinary wisdom, extraordinary virtue and grace, who did good things, for men. That’s what it meant to be a god or a goddess. The idea of gods and goddesses like I said, are very similar if we pay attention to them, to Christian teaching on angels, and on demons. And we have to realize that even the demons, though they be evil, in their own choices and actions, nevertheless, they are good in the sense that they are working in the providence of God, to bring about God’s will, in the world. So again, I think if we can get past this distraction of the use of the words God or gods and goddesses, and just understand that these are names given by pagan people, living centuries before Christ outside of Israel, to what they claim are spirits, influencing their studies, their works, their battles, their government, their discoveries, and so on. I believe the stronger argument is that these are testimonies of ancient pagan people, that angels were, in fact directing secular affairs, for the glory of God, in the fulfillment of time. And that all of these secular developments, all came to a climax, as the Church was founded, and set into the midst of them for the benefit of that church. And so when we read Homer, opening the Iliad or the Odyssey, and appealing to the muse, to come to his assistance, invoking this spirit of wisdom, and poetry, I don’t think there’s any reason in assuming that he’s summoning some demon, to deceive him and teach him falsehoods. He’s seeking to know the truth. And he goes on to tell a story of virtue and vice, which has encouraged and inspired men for 1000s of years. When Socrates who almost said single handedly destroys false teaching in ancient Greece about Gods about religion and discovers the dialectical method of philosophical investigation, which proves falsehood to be falsehood. And he says that, in what appears to be almost a superhuman intelligence, and skillfulness, in discussion, that it was a spirit, who was revealing things to him, I don’t think it makes any sense to argue that that spirit was some demon or some unclean spirit. When Socrates fought for truth, and virtue, and lead men to understand justice, and piety. I believe that that spirit that Socrates spoke of, was, in fact, a good spirit, directing one of history’s most excellent men, almost 400 years before the coming of Christ into the world, directing that man who would himself direct Plato, who would himself direct Aristotle, who would give us the perfection, of philosophy of the art of reasoning, the art of rhetoric, of the sciences of ethics, and physics and metaphysics, and many others. So this, this argument, that the pagan gods and goddesses and the spirits referred to by the great poets and philosophers were all just demons, or that they were simply making these things up and lying about them, is almost impossible to defend an argument, especially when the men saying these things were among the most honest, just courageous, and thoughtful men in the ancient world. So it’s no surprise when when parents sometimes hear me explaining these things, or talking about these things, in lessons as we read ancient literature. It may sound strange, but I just wanted to clarify and explain my views on these things. And I’m very persuaded of my judgment on these things. And therefore, rather than worry about what anyone thinks about my teaching, I would simply say, if you’re a parent, and you feel uncomfortable with my opinions, then simply don’t have your children, study my courses. Because I’m going to teach the things that I believe are true, because I believe that they’re helpful for the students, and rather than have you or anyone else, censor or edit my teaching, I would rather say, find another teacher who teaches what you think is true. And if you can’t find anyone, maybe you should take that as a hint that something’s not right with the way you think. So I hope that’s helpful. I hope that clarifies things. Again, I’ve been studying these things full time for 25 years. As I think about it. I’m turning 48. This month, I’ll have been studying classical literature and philosophy, and teaching for almost 28 years going on 30 years now. And so I’m quite confident in my teaching and understanding of these things. And I would like to be able to explain these things to the children because I believe that they will help them to think about them rightly and actually enjoy them and make good use of them. And as I said, as a Catholic, as a lay Dominican, as one who loves the Catholic faith and who believes ardently in all that the Church teaches. I don’t believe in any way that anything that I’m saying contradicts the Catholic faith in any way. So I submit that as my explanation, I hope that’s helpful. If you’d like to talk about this anymore. I’d be happy to do so. Please get in touch with me. But like I said, I hope that clarifies things and can give parents some peace of mind as to why I say the things I say, and why I think the things I do about these topics because, again, I know that it’s uncommon to hear Christians explain things like that. But it’s also uncommon for Christians to study and teach these subjects.
And therefore, rather than worry about what anyone thinks about my teaching, I would simply say, if you re a parent, and you feel uncomfortable with my opinions, then simply don t have your children, study my courses. ; and of their Equivalents Ruach, Nephesh, and Basar in the Hebrew Old Testament Chicago University of Chicago Press, 1918 ; Hermann Kleinknecht, in the Greek World, TDNT 6.
They are believed to possess greater knowledge and understanding of these areas, and are called upon for help and support. One common belief is that divine pagan spirits can be invoked through rituals, prayers, and offerings. These practices are believed to establish a connection between humans and the spirit realm, allowing for communication and exchange.
Who Believes in “Spirit”? in Pagan Usage and Implications for the Gentile Christian Mission
As the Christian church spread into the Gentile world, one of the most prominent facets of its teaching and of the worship-experience of Christians was their understanding of the Holy Spirit. A great deal has been written during the past century on the Spirit in early Christianity, particularly in association with Paul's letters to the Corinthians. Yet surprisingly little has been done even in the last quarter century either to investigate the pagan conceptual world into which this preaching was introduced—in regard to this topic, that is—or to apply insights from earlier studies. This is true despite an increasing awareness of the importance of studying late Hellenistic and Roman culture for understanding early Gentile Christianity. What was the pre-Christian understanding of by pagan Greek-speakers? What was the shape of their religious conceptions? How did their worldview compare to the Christian message at this point? Aside from short notes in theological dictionaries and a few earlier studies, E.g., Ernest DeWitt Burton, Spirit, Soul and Flesh: The Usage of Pneuma, Psuche, and Sarx in Greek Writings and Translated Works from the Earliest Period to 180 A.D.; and of their Equivalents Ruach, Nephesh, and Basar in the Hebrew Old Testament (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1918); Hermann Kleinknecht, “ in the Greek World,” TDNT 6.334–359; Eberhard Kamlah, “Spirit, Holy Spirit” NIDNTT , 3.689–90; Marie Isaacs, The Concept of Spirit: A Study of Pneuma in Hellenistic Judaism and its Bearing on the New Testament (Heythrop Monographs 1; London: Heythrop College, 1976), though as the title indicates this last work devotes little space to non-Jewish Greek writers, and when it does there is no discussion of the evidence. Isaacs does make a number of comparisons between the Stoic use of and Hellenistic Judaism, depending on secondary works for the former, since the latter is her main focus. Generally overlooked by biblical scholars is Geérard Verbeke, L'Évolution de la Doctrine du Pneuma: du Stoïcisme à S. Augustin (Paris: Descleée de Brouwer, 1945). David Aune also has some useful notes on Greco-Roman prophecy and oracles in Prophecy in Early Christianity and the Ancient Mediterranean World (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), though he is not concerned to compare the conception of the Spirit in Christianity to pagan notions of divine intermediaries. The recent study by Franz Dünzl ( Pneuma: Funktionen des theologischen Begriffs in frühchristlicher Literatur [JACSup 30; Münster: Aschendorf, 2000]) is concerned only with early patristic usage. one looks in vain in commentaries and monographs for an answer to these questions. Interest generally lies in the influences on Paul and what he thought about the Spirit, or to a lesser extent the postconversion views of his churches, but not their preconversion Gentile conceptions. And since the current trend in Pauline studies is (rightly, in my opinion) to look for the Jewish roots of his thought, there seems little incentive to pursue Greco-Roman notions. Yet the answer to these questions may give some insight into the early Gentile Christians' own understanding and, in addition, shed light on the process of cross-cultural communication of the gospel message in the first century.
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Information
Harvard Theological Review , Volume 95 , Issue 4 , October 2002 , pp. 417 - 436
If one worshipped Zeus, they could worship Athena, and Apollo, and any other god they wanted to. If one wanted to start worshipping a new god, they simply added him or her to the gods they already were worshipping.
The offerings made to these spirits vary depending on the specific tradition, but often include food, drink, or symbolic items. It is important to note that while divine pagan spirits are worshipped and respected, they are not seen as all-powerful deities. Instead, they are viewed as individual entities with their own personalities, preferences, and limitations. They are seen as partners or allies that can be petitioned for assistance and guidance, rather than as higher beings to be worshipped. Overall, divine pagan spirits play a significant role in pagan belief systems, acting as intermediaries between humans and the divine. They are revered and respected for their unique powers and qualities, and are called upon for help and guidance in various aspects of life. Their existence and interaction with humans are central to pagan religious practices..
Reviews for "Unearthing the Stories and Legends of Divine Pagan Spirits"
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