A curious feature of medieval and renaissance depictions of Moses is that quite a few paintings and sculptures imagine him as horned. Indeed he looks a lot like a Pagan horned god in many of them. Many scholars believe this was due to a mistranslation in the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Hebrew scriptures … Continue reading The Horned Moses in Medieval Art
Hermes in the Bible
In Greek mythology Hermes was the god of communication, trade, and trickery. He was a son of Zeus and is popularly known as the messenger of the gods. His name appears twice in the Bible. In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul sends greetings to a Christian named Hermes, who was presumably named … Continue reading Hermes in the Bible
The Gemini twins in the Bible
Castor and Pollux were twin half-brothers in Greek and Roman mythology, known together as the Dioskouroi. They were sons of Leda by two different fathers. Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, while Pollux was the divine son of Zeus. When Castor was killed, Pollux asked Zeus to let him share … Continue reading The Gemini twins in the Bible
The parable of the Good Witch
A reimagining of the parable of the Good Samaritan by the Naked Pastor
Poseidon in the Bible
A curious verse grabbed my attention yesterday: Ezekiel 28:2. In it God commands the prophet Ezekiel to declare to the prince of Tyre, “‘In the pride of your heart you say, ‘I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.’ But you are a mere mortal … Continue reading Poseidon in the Bible
The one God and the many gods
A verse that I find very interesting is Psalm 82:1, which states, “God [elohim] presides in the great assembly; he [singular] renders judgment among the gods [elohim].” I find the verse very interesting because it contains two very different uses of the Hebrew word elohim, using the word to denote both a singular God and … Continue reading The one God and the many gods
Is YHWH just a Hebrew version of Zeus?
Is YHWH equivalent to other gods? Just a Hebrew version of Zeus for instance? With a wife even? No, YHWH’s domain is not limited to the sky. Nor did YHWH come into being at some point like Zeus did. Granted there is some evidence to suggest early Hebrews had a more limited conception of YHWH, … Continue reading Is YHWH just a Hebrew version of Zeus?
Fertility and Divinity
With the grass being so lush and green this Beltane, with all the heat and rain, I’ve been meditating on YHWH as the source of life and fertility. In the process I’ve stumbled across a critique of Karl Barth by Walter Brueggemann, where he suggests Barth overplayed his hand in depicting YHWH as god of … Continue reading Fertility and Divinity
Christian Druid Resources
Since this Christian Druid path I’m on sparked some interest for some I thought I’d compile a list of resources I have found useful on my journey so far. It’s strictly a personal take on it and far from comprehensive but hopefully it will give you a taste of it. As you’ll see it involves … Continue reading Christian Druid Resources
Christian monotheism and Pagan polytheism: Can they be reconciled?
In case any of you are wondering how I reconcile Christian monotheism with Pagan polytheism, here's a brief if somewhat incomplete explanation of how I understand deity. In essence, I differentiate between an uncreated One, who is the source of all life, and many created ones, who influence life in all its many aspects. Whether these created … Continue reading Christian monotheism and Pagan polytheism: Can they be reconciled?
The unacknowledged gods and goddesses of America
A problem I have with Neil Gaiman's "American God's" is that the book and TV series do not give nearly enough credit to the staying power of the old gods. Mars, the god of war, is still worshipped by many Americans, as is Hermes, the god of commerce and communication, and Vulcan, the god of … Continue reading The unacknowledged gods and goddesses of America
What is a god?
A problem with classifying world views as polytheistic or monotheistic or atheistic is that we're not always using the word theos, that is, god, in the same way. Monotheistic worldviews that emphasise the oneness of God have rarely excluded concurrent belief in angels. Which begs the question: how exactly do we differentiate angels in monotheism … Continue reading What is a god?
