Old Scandinavian and Christian eschatology

The eschatological beliefs current in Scandinavia during the Viking and early Medieval periods can be grouped into two main traditions, denoted by the concepts of Ragnarok and Doomsday. The former has its roots in the pre-Christian religion of Scandinavia, the latter was brought to the north in the process of christianization. Although different in origin the two traditions did not, in the age with which we are concerned, necessarily reflect a strict division between adherents of the old faith and Christians. Syncretic versions of the Ragnarok concept were in circulation, one of which was presented by Snorri in his Edda. The common people, although officially christianized, apparently continued to transmit beliefs connected with the Ragnarok tradition. Scholarly research has tended to treat the two traditions separately. In fact they coexisted for centuries, leaving room for confrontation and mutual influences

Ecstasy and vision

In this paper we shall present some observations on the role played by ecstasy in the activity of the seer, as he emerges in ancient Jewish and Iranian texts. In the Jewish religious literature of the Hellenistic-Roman period, visions are described on almost every page, and visions were the most important means of divine revelation. Specific techniques for inducing the ecstatic state are not recorded in the Jewish sources. Some elements in the pattern leading up to the vision may be interpreted as parts of a method for inducing the final ecstasy; i.e. fasting and prayer. The Iranian material shows clearly the importance of ecstasy in the activity of the seer. The ecstatic seeing also means that the visionary shares with Ahura Mazda a divine quality, the "wisdom of omniscience". The granting of the "wisdom of omniscience" appears as a temporary and it conveys to the visionary a supernatural seeing. There is evidence to suggest that chanting was an important method of inducing ecstasy within the early Zoroastrian community.  We do not find in the Jewish material a clear correspondence to the Iranian notion of "omniscient wisdom"

Altskandinavische Opferrituale und das Problem der Quellen

The article discusses Old Norse sacrifical rituals and their practice in Scandinavia. The scarcity of research material in this special field raises methodological problems: how to interpret and understand rituals that are no longer practiced, which belonged to a culture long gone?The article analyses the three main source texts that contain coherent narratives of sacrificial narratives: Snorri's Heimskringla, the Eyrbyggjasaga and the Kjalnesingasaga. While these narratives cannot be regarded as precise depictions of how such rituals were performed in ancient times they should however not be entirely dismissed as literary fiction. In these narratives, traditional elements are intervowen with early Chrisitan influences and coloured by the cultural context in which they were created.

Man as symbol of God

It is a well-known fact that Judaism and Zoroastrianism, being prophetic religions with a monotheistic character, present many affinities. One point of similarity is a clear tendency towards aniconic representation of the Divine, which, from the beginning, was the mark of Judaism as well as Zoroastrianism, being religions with a nomadic background. As a result of the confrontation with the agricultural and urban civilisations of the ancient Near East, attempts were made to introduce iconic representations of the Divine to be used in the cult. Many groups within Judaism, and most probably also within Zoroastrianism, levelled a vigorous resistance to these attempts. As a consequence, there arose in both religions a strong movement to prohibit cult-images, which in Judaism also tended to develop into a prohibition of figurative art in general. This movement became victorious in the end and its aniconic conception of the Divine has ever since remained the normative attitude of both Jews and Zoroastrians. What were the reasons for these attitudes in Judaism and in Zoroastrianism? And were there theological ideas that could function as a substitute to cult-images of the Divine

The Sacrificial Festival at Uppsala: A Comparative Perspective

ABSTRACT: The source value of Adam of Bremen’s description of the pre-Christian sacrificial ritual at Uppsala is hotly debated. Some scholars emphasize that it rests on the account of an eye-witness, others that it is a compilation of Christian stereotypes of pagan cult in general. The aim of the present study is to find out what derives from genuine sacrificial cult among the Svear and what is drawn from Christian polemics. A critical analysis of Adam’s text is presented, and the sparse information from other sources on Scandinavian ritual practices is discussed. However, the essential thing is to compare with sacrificial texts, especially inscriptions, from the religions of ancient Europe and western Asia. It is shown that some details in Adam’s description may derive from oral tradition by local informants. SAMMANDRAG Trovärdigheten i Adam av Bremens notiser om offerkulten i Gamla Uppsala är omdiskuterad. Omdömena varierar alltifrån ett ögonvittnes skildring till ett sammanplock av stereotyper om hednisk kult. Föreliggande studie granskar kritiskt innehållet i Adams notiser. Syftet är att skilja ut vad som bygger på autentisk tradition om svearnas offerpraxis och vad som utgör medeltida schabloner och kristen polemik. Uppgifter i andra källor om förkristen skandinavisk offerkult lyfts fram. Det väsentliga är dock jämförelsen med rituella texter från Europas och Västasiens gamla religioner, särskilt inskrifter. Det visar sig att vissa detaljer i Adams beskrivning kan bygga på muntlig tradition från tillförlitliga informanter

Man as symbol of God

It is a well-known fact that Judaism and Zoroastrianism, being prophetic religions with a monotheistic character, present many affinities. One point of similarity is a clear tendency towards aniconic representation of the Divine, which, from the beginning, was the mark of Judaism as well as Zoroastrianism, being religions with a nomadic background. As a result of the confrontation with the agricultural and urban civilisations of the ancient Near East, attempts were made to introduce iconic representations of the Divine to be used in the cult. Many groups within Judaism, and most probably also within Zoroastrianism, levelled a vigorous resistance to these attempts. As a consequence, there arose in both religions a strong movement to prohibit cult-images, which in Judaism also tended to develop into a prohibition of figurative art in general. This movement became victorious in the end and its aniconic conception of the Divine has ever since remained the normative attitude of both Jews and Zoroastrians. What were the reasons for these attitudes in Judaism and in Zoroastrianism? And were there theological ideas that could function as a substitute to cult-images of the Divine

Old Scandinavian and Christian eschatology

The eschatological beliefs current in Scandinavia during the Viking and early Medieval periods can be grouped into two main traditions, denoted by the concepts of Ragnarok and Doomsday. The former has its roots in the pre-Christian religion of Scandinavia, the latter was brought to the north in the process of christianization. Although different in origin the two traditions did not, in the age with which we are concerned, necessarily reflect a strict division between adherents of the old faith and Christians. Syncretic versions of the Ragnarok concept were in circulation, one of which was presented by Snorri in his Edda. The common people, although officially christianized, apparently continued to transmit beliefs connected with the Ragnarok tradition. Scholarly research has tended to treat the two traditions separately. In fact they coexisted for centuries, leaving room for confrontation and mutual influences

La chute de Satan. L'arrière-plan iranien d'un logion de Jésus (Luc 10,18)

Abstract : The Jesus logion in Luke 10,18 has since long been a matter of controversy among New Testament scholars and diverging interpretations of its meaning and original context have been put forward. The mythical background of the saying has been sought in the early Jewish idea of the fallen angels (\ Enoch 6-8), in the passage o/Isaiah 14,12 on the fall of the "bright morning star" and in conceptions of meteors being demons falling from heaven. A different background is here suggested : the Iranian myth of Angra Mainyu, the Evil Spirit, suddenly coming down from the sky to attack and pollute the creation. It is argued that the emergence of the early Jewish world-view, particularly that of the Essenes, may have been coloured by Iranian myths. This world-view was shared also by Jesus and the first Christians.Le logion de Jésus en Luc 10,18 est depuis longtemps matière à controverse parmi les spécialistes du Nouveau Testament et diverses interprétations de sa signification et de son contexte originel ont été avancées. On a cherché l'arrière-plan mythique de cette parole dans l'idée juive ancienne de la chute des anges (1 Hénoch 6-8), dans le passage d' Esaïe 14,12 relatif à la chute de la «brillante étoile du matin » et dans des conceptions selon lesquelles les météorites seraient des démons tombant du ciel. Un autre arrière-plan est ici suggéré : le mythe iranien d'Angra Mainyu, l'Esprit mauvais, provenant soudainement du ciel pour attaquer et polluer la création. On montrera que l'univers de représentation qui a émergé dans le judaïsme ancien, et particulièrement chez les esséniens, pourrait avoir été influencé par des mythes iraniens. Cet univers de représentation était partagé aussi par Jésus et par les premiers chrétiens.Hultgård Anders. La chute de Satan. L'arrière-plan iranien d'un logion de Jésus (Luc 10,18). In: Revue d'histoire et de philosophie religieuses, 80e année n°1, Janvier-mars 2000. Hommage à Marc Philonenko. pp. 69-77

Ecstasy and vision

In this paper we shall present some observations on the role played by ecstasy in the activity of the seer, as he emerges in ancient Jewish and Iranian texts. In the Jewish religious literature of the Hellenistic-Roman period, visions are described on almost every page, and visions were the most important means of divine revelation. Specific techniques for inducing the ecstatic state are not recorded in the Jewish sources. Some elements in the pattern leading up to the vision may be interpreted as parts of a method for inducing the final ecstasy; i.e. fasting and prayer. The Iranian material shows clearly the importance of ecstasy in the activity of the seer. The ecstatic seeing also means that the visionary shares with Ahura Mazda a divine quality, the "wisdom of omniscience". The granting of the "wisdom of omniscience" appears as a temporary and it conveys to the visionary a supernatural seeing. There is evidence to suggest that chanting was an important method of inducing ecstasy within the early Zoroastrian community.  We do not find in the Jewish material a clear correspondence to the Iranian notion of "omniscient wisdom"