paganism

Examples of paganism in the following topics:

• Burmese Art

  • The Pagan Empire is famous for its religious architecture: over 2,000 temples from the period survive to the present day.
  • One of the earliest examples of Pagan temple architecture is the Shwezigon Pagoda in Nyaung-U.
  • The Pagan Empire was succeeded by the Ava Kingdom, which ruled Upper Burma from 1364 to 1555 CE.
  • Completed in 1102 CE, this is one of the earliest examples of Pagan stupa-style Buddhist temples.
  • A view of the stupas in Bagan (formerly Pagan), the capital of the Pagan Empire.

• Painting

  • Early Christians also adapted Roman motifs and gave new meanings to what had been pagan symbols.
  • Early Christians also developed their own iconography; symbols such as the fish (ikhthus) were not borrowed from pagan iconography .
  • The result, was a fusion of pagan motifs and Christian symbolism that infused early Christian painting and iconography.
  • The Good Shepherd motif in painting is a fusion of pagan and Christian symbolism.
  • Compare imagery found in early Christian art with that of its pagan predecessor

• Jelling Stones

  • The Jelling Stones are visual records of the transitional period between Norse paganism and the process of Christianization in Denmark.
  • Scholars have long considered the Jelling Stones to be visual records of the transitional period between the indigenous Norse paganism and the victory of Christianization in Denmark.
  • One scholar has suggested that this imagery was used to suggest that Christ had replaced the Norse pagan god Odin, who in one myth hung for nine nights in the tree Yggdrasill.
  • One scholar has suggested that this imagery was used to suggest that Christ had replaced the Norse pagan god Odin, who in one myth hung for nine nights in the tree Yggdrasill.

• Vladimir I and Christianization

  • Many of these practices were based on pagan and localized traditions.
  • He also remained a practicing pagan during these first years of his rule.
  • He returned to Kiev with his bride in 988 and proceeded to destroy all pagan temples and monuments.
  • Pagan uprisings continued throughout Kievan Rus' for at least another century.
  • Outline the shift from pagan culture to Orthodox Christianity under the rule of Vladimir I

• Early Islamic Society

  • To the pagan peoples of western Arabia he had brought a new religion that, with its monotheism and its ethical doctrines, stood on an incomparably higher level than the paganism it replaced.
  • It constituted a formal agreement between Muhammad and all of the significant tribes and families of Yathrib (later known as Medina), including Muslims, Jews, and pagans.
  • To this effect, it instituted a number of rights and responsibilities for the Muslim, Jewish, and pagan communities of Medina, bringing them within the fold of one community—the Ummah.

• Islam Ascendant

  • Upon his arrival in Medina, Muhammad unified the tribes by drafting the Constitution of Medina, which was a formal agreement between Muhammad and all of the significant tribes and families of Medina, including Muslims, Jews, Christians, and pagans.
  • This response to persecution and effort to provide sustenance for Muslim families initiated armed conflict between the Muslims and the pagan Quraysh of Mecca.
  • Muhammad destroyed the pagan idols in the Kaaba and then sent his followers out to destroy all of the remaining pagan temples in Eastern Arabia.

• The Catholic Church

  • Christianity spread throughout the early Roman Empire despite persecutions due to conflicts with the pagan state religion.
  • The 496 conversion of Clovis I, pagan king of the Franks, saw the beginning of a steady rise of the Catholic faith in the West.
  • The Synod of Whitby of 664, though not as decisive as sometimes claimed, was an important moment in the reintegration of the Celtic Church of the British Isles into the Roman hierarchy, after having been effectively cut off from contact with Rome by the pagan invaders.
  • They were entirely pagan, having never been part of the Empire, and although they experienced Christian influence from the surrounding peoples, they were converted by the mission of Saint Augustine sent by Pope Gregory the Great.

• Early Christian Art

  • Christians could have made or purchased art with pagan iconography but given it Christian meanings.
  • Early Christians used the same artistic media as the surrounding pagan culture.
  • In a move of strategic syncretism, Early Christians adapted Roman motifs and gave new meanings to what had been pagan symbols.
  • Such symbols as the fish (ikhthus), were not borrowed from pagan iconography.
  • The Good Shepherd motif in painting is a fusion of pagan and Christian symbolism.

• Arabian Cities

  • Some time in the 5th century, the Kaaba was a place to worship the deities of Arabia's pagan tribes.
  • Mecca's most important pagan deity was Hubal, whose idol had been placed there by the ruling Quraysh tribe and remained until the 7th century.
  • Up to the 7th century, this journey was undertaken by the pagan Arabs to pay homage to their shrine and drink from the Zamzam Well.
  • The Muslim converts native to Yathrib—whether pagan Arab or Jewish—were called Ansar ("the Patrons" or "the Helpers").
  • According to Ibn Ishaq, the local pagan Arab tribes, the Muslim Muhajirun from Mecca, the local Muslims (Ansar), and the Jews of the area signed an agreement, the Constitution of Medina, which committed all parties to mutual cooperation under the leadership of Muhammad.

• Flemish Textiles of the Northern Renaissance

  • The two major interpretations of the tapestries hinge on pagan and Christian symbolism respectively.
  • The pagan interpretation focuses on the medieval lore of beguiled lovers, whereas Christian writings interpret the unicorn and its death as the Passion of Christ.
  • The unicorn has long been identified as a symbol of Christ by Christian writers, allowing the traditionally pagan symbolism of the unicorn to become acceptable within religious doctrine.
  • Ancient Graeco-Roman paganism lies in the interpretation of The Triumph of Death, with the Fates hailing from pre-Christian times.