Goddess and God: A Holy Tension in the First Christian Centuries (Marco Polo Monographs)

Vestiges of prehistoric Nature goddess, worshipped by Neolithic and other peoples for millennia, survived into Graeco-Roman period and influenced development of Christianity. While a male-dominated religious ethos supplanted goddess religion in the West starting in the Bronze Age, goddess beliefs and practices persisted underground. Evidence is drawn from the existence of goddess symbols in catacombs, other early church art, and basilica art from the early Byzantine era; extant folklore and folk traditions; magic and other quasi-religious practices evident in early Christian traditions; and rituals preserved by the church.Valerie A. Abrahamsen is the author of 'Goddess and God: A Holy Tension in the First Christian Centuries (Marco Polo Monographs)' with ISBN 9780971949645 and ISBN 0971949646.