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Originally Posted by jason taylor
Attempts to make Hellenistic style paganism into an organized religion in the manner of Christianity or Zoroastrianism are a matter of historical record. I always thought Paul's "unknown god" in the sermon at the Areopagus was the God of Platonism. In this version, I believe the Olympians were made into avatars of a monotheistic or pantheistic God but it wasn't worked out before Christianity became more fashionable. Or if it was worked out it didn't matter; Platonism only appealed to philosophers.
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The questions of Platonism strongly affected early christianity. You can see it as influence, or you can see it as christianity answering the questions that were asked, but the schools of thought weren't just pushed out by Christianity, they were absorbed. (at least by my understanding)
Quote:
Originally Posted by jason taylor
In a culture that emphasizes the "magical" though, the gods have weaknesses to exploit. Egyptian priests thought they could enslave their gods by knowing their true names.
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That is an Awesome adventure idea: The quest for the true name of Zeus. Though Hades would be just as fun. Arguably the other gods will act to erase the name from your mind, but you can use their brother against them.