Synopsis
A New Pantheon is an eighteenth-century survey of the heathen gods, their origins, myths, and worship. Samuel Boyse explains, in a learned but accessible voice, how Egyptian symbols, zodiacal signs, and poetic fables gave rise to a vast pantheon adopted by Greeks and Romans. The volume treats Chaos and Gaia, Uranus, the Titans, and the Olympian gods, with chapters on Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, Pluto, and the various goddesses and demigods, tracing how myths were shaped by priestly craft, political agendas, and artistic imagination. It argues that idolatry grew from misread hieroglyphics and allegorical interpretation and that much of classical myth functions as moral allegory about virtue, hubris, and human foibles. The author also includes an Appendix on astrology, augury, prodigies, oracles, cult rites, and temple-building, offering a critical lens on superstition and a defense of humane principles. The work ultimately aims to educate youth in the historical, philosophical, and ethical dimensions of ancient religious culture.
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