Did Paganism Continue At All In The Byzantine Period?

[Emperor Goblinus]

Did any remnant pagans continue to practice through the Byzantine medieval period up to 1453?

[Ursus]

People were still honoring their ancestors and local spirits in the privacy of their own homes well after the conversion of Constantine. After a death penalty was proscribed for this, it gradually died out - or was absorbed in popular Catholicism/Orthodoxy. However, it's difficult to state exactly when the last remnants were snuffed out.

[PerfectimusPrime]

If I recall correctly, there was one pagan temple in Constantinople that was left standing and it remain intact until the cruisaiders sacked the city. IIRC

 

Anyway, I think in Europe, many pagan traditions never faded.

Edited April 11, 2006 by PerfectimusPrime

[Rameses the Great]

Of course paganism never came back, after Christianity. The reason you still see some pagan monuments is because they would not destroy everyhting. The Byzantine Empire was especailly strict because of their Orthodox beliefs. After Alexandria became Christianized they destroyed anyhing that coul be 'evil' to their beliefs burnin sculpures of Ra, etc. This sent a precedent for the rest of the Byzantine Empire. Remember Constantine was strict on Christianity. I'm pretty sure it was snuffed out as soon as he came into power.

Edited April 11, 2006 by Rameses the Great

[Germanicus]

I'm pretty sure it was snuffed out as soon as he came into power.

 

No - Julian the Apostate came after him.

[Ursus]

Although, in fairness, Julian's "paganism" was suspiciously like Christianity in some respects.

[Philhellene]

Theophanes, AM 6208:

 

Maslamas went to Pergamus, besieged it and took it with divine connivance and satan obsession; because the citizens of this city... took pregnant woman and then they got the baby from her belly and boiled him in a pot and all of them who whanted to fight wet their right hand gloves in that nasty sacrifice.

 

The same story you can find in "Breviarium" of Nicephorus.

[Northern Neil]

Although, in fairness, Julian's "paganism" was suspiciously like Christianity in some respects.

... and Christianity also was suspiciously similar to the worship of dionysius and Mithras. Depictions of Dionysius being crucified are contemporary with early christianity (early 2nd century).

[Ursus]

Although, in fairness, Julian's "paganism" was suspiciously like Christianity in some respects.

... and Christianity also was suspiciously similar to the worship of dionysius and Mithras. Depictions of Dionysius being crucified are contemporary with early christianity (early 2nd century).

 

The interesting debate is who influenced whom. Did Christianity influence Mithraism and a crucified Dionysus, or vice versa? Or do they all have certain commonalities because of a common Greco-Oriental influence? Personally I believe in the common origin theory.

 

But back to Julian. I think Julian was trying to find a more "pagan" version of Christianity to compete with Christianity. But it will still all very similar. Almsgiving, for instance, is something that had never been part of mainstream Greco-Roman paganism ... but as the Christians had discovered it helped attract the urban proletariat, and was a powerful conversion incentive. Thus to compete, paganism in later antiquity had to incorporate almsgiving.

[Primus Pilus]

Almsgiving, for instance, is something that had never been part of mainstream Greco-Roman paganism ... but as the Christians had discovered it helped attract the urban proletariat, and was a powerful conversion incentive. Thus to compete, paganism in later antiquity had to incorporate almsgiving.

 

It's interesting that the imperial alimenta introduced by Nerva and made mainstream by Trajan in the early 2nd century corresponds roughly to a period where Christianity is beginning to spread beyond its early Jewish origins. Clearly the root definitions are virtually interchangeable. Perhaps the introduction of the alimenta was more heavily influenced by the growth of the early church than I've ever bothered to consider.

[caldrail]

People were still honoring their ancestors and local spirits in the privacy of their own homes well after the conversion of Constantine. After a death penalty was proscribed for this, it gradually died out - or was absorbed in popular Catholicism/Orthodoxy. However, it's difficult to state exactly when the last remnants were snuffed out.

 

I don't think paganism ever really died out - there would always be people who chose not to accept christianity and we see plenty of witch-hunts & inquisitions even to this day.

[Ursus]

Today with a minor resurgence of paganism, one is apt to meet individuals who claim their family has practiced an unbroken tradition of paganism since late antiquity. The problem is none can offer any objective proof.

 

What I have seen is that there are often two versions of Christianity - the official version practiced by the establishment, and a popular version practiced by common people. This common version is much more open to outside influences than the official version. And if the commoners live in a countryside where tradition is strong, there may be strong traces of paganism which have been mixed into a Catholic or Orthodox template. Traces of paganism do in fact survive in popular Catholicism/Orthodoxy in many places.

 

But I don't think there is such a thing as a pure, unadulterated, unbroken pagan tradition that has survived since Constantine. At least no one has ever been able to prove it.

[Gaius Octavius]

What I have seen is that there are often two versions of Christianity - the official version practiced by the establishment, and a popular version practiced by common people. This common version is much more open to outside influences than the official version. And if the commoners live in a countryside where tradition is strong, there may be strong traces of paganism which have been mixed into a Catholic or Orthodox template. Traces of paganism do in fact survive in popular Catholicism/Orthodoxy in many places.

 

Not fair. You haven't given Protestants, Jews and Moslems credit for pagan holdovers.

[Ursus]

Pagan remnants are more prevalent in the "high" Christian churches than the low ones.

 

Judaism and Islam are outside my purview...