Pagan Christs; Studies in Comparative Hierology Book

General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1903 Original Publisher: Watts Subjects: Religion Religions Natural theology Mithraism Philosophy / Religious Religion / Comparative Religion Religion / History Religion / Philosophy Religion / Christian Theology / Christology Social Science / Sociology of Religion Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: PAGAN CHRISTS PART I. THE RATIONALE OF RELIGION Chapter I. -- THE NATURALNESS OF ALL BELIEF §1- It seems probable, despite theological cavils, that Petronius was right in his signal saying, Fear first made the Gods. In the words of a recent hierologist, " we may be sure that primitive man took to himself the credit of his successful attempts to work the mechanism of nature for his own advantage, but when the machinery did not work he ascribed the fault to some over-ruling stfjjeinatural power. It was the violation of [previously exploited] sequences, and the frustration of his expectations by which the belief in supernatural power was, not created, but first called forth."i The fact that this writer proceeds to repudiate his own doctrine2 is no reason why we should, save to the extent of noting the temerity of his use of the term " supernatural." But in saying that fear first made the Gods, or made the first Gods, we imply that other God-making forces came i F. B. Jevons, Introduction to the History of Religion, 18%, p. 19 ; cp. p. 23, p. 137, and p. 177. 2 Ib., pp. 106, 233, 410. Exactly the same self-contradiction is committed by Professor Robertson Smith, on the same provocation of the phrase, Primus in orbe deos fecit timor. See his Religion of the Semites, pp. 27, 35, 55, 88, 129. into play later; and no dispute arise...Read More