Christian
saints are regular folks elevated to divinity -- Pagan heroes
did that first |
Like Christians today, Pagans believed in more than one kind of supernatural being. Besides the supreme Gods like Zeus, Jupiter, Serapis and Sol Invictus, and the Sons of God Dionysus, Osiris, Mithras, etc., the ancients believed regular people were sometimes elevated to special personal divinity -- particularly for good works during their normal lives. The Greeks and Romans called these divinities "heroes." Hercules was a hero. Christianity borrowed the idea -- and called their minor divinities "saints." When I get around to doing this page, I'll fill in the details. |
I'm still working on this page |