Pagan and Christian Creeds: Their Origin and Meaning - Softcover

Carpenter, Edward

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1590210077 ISBN 13: 9781590210079

Publisher: Lethe Pr, 2001

Synopsis

The subject of religious origins is complex and yields many aspects for consideration. In 1920, when Pagan & Christian Creeds was first published, few realized that Christianity had sprung from the same root as Paganism and shared by far most of its doctrines and rites. In this classic study are considered three paths in the evolution of religion: the connection of religious rites and observations with the sun and other astronomical bodies, leading to the invention of remote deities in heaven; the second involving religion with the earth, nature, and seasonal changes; the third linking religion with the human body, aspects of fertility and undying life. So too covered is the process which divinities and demons were created and rites for their propitiation and placation established. Carpenter was not shy from applying a queer lens to religious history. Contemporary readers seeking answers to the question of what caused the appearance of faith and the phenomenon of religion will find this book invaluable study.

About this title

About the Author:

Edward Carpenter (1844-1929) was a well-regarded English poet and scholar. He studied at Brighton College and then entered Trinity Hall, Cambridge. Carpenter was close friend to E. M. Forster and Laurence Houseman and was a member of The Fabian Society.

About this edition

• Publisher: Lethe Pr
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1590210077
• ISBN 13: 9781590210079
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320