This volume opens:
"Day came to birth above eastern hills and streamed down the valley. It flamed off the towers of Ys, making them stand like candles against what deepness lingered in western blue." (p. 25)
What a great beginning.
It is the feast of Lug. Red-robed men with a hammer-bearing leader climb the wall of Ys at High Gate and sing to "...Taranis of the Thunders..." (p. 25) At the Temple of Belisama by Elven Gardens, women sing to the Goddess. The captain of a ship leaving the harbour kills a black cock and chants that Lir's will be done. All Ysan sea captains are ordained priests of Lir. By the Challenge Oak in the Sacred Precinct, Gratillonius, Father in the Mysteries, calls:
"'Hail, Mithras Unconquered, Saviour, Warrior, Lord, born unto us anew and forever...'" (p. 27)
At the Forum, in the former temple of Mars, Christians sing triumphantly.
If I were there, I would invoke whatever gods may be and meditate on the wall or, if permitted, in one of the temples. I hail the worshipers across the centuries.
11 comments:
It's certainly aesthetically pleasant.
Kaor, Paul!
You are missing a point the Andersons were subtly but plainly making: the Christians were singing triumphantly because they knew the pagan gods were not gods at all (at most, mere demons) and would fade away and be forgotten.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
The Christians believed that their God alone was real and others were false.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Of course! Because only one God exists.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
But this is belief, not knowledge.
Paul.
Paul: no, originally Christians believed other gods were -bad-, not false. They were genuine supernatural entities, but evil and demonic.
I accept that. My main point was that the Christians' position was one of belief, not of knowledge.
Kaor, Paul!
But what you seem not to be accepting is that Christians believe there is such a thing as divinely revealed knowledge.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
I accept that Christians believe that they know through revelation. They believe that.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Good, that is a start.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
Well, of course Christians believe what they say they believe. But, aside from the fact that many of us do not believe it, there is surely a difference between knowing and believing that you know? We all know that there are three sides to a triangle. Christians believe that they know that there are three Persons in God. But, to the rest of us, that is still just their belief. The claim to knowledge has not added any weight to the belief.
Paul.
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