How is it that the ritual of Christian communion existed in the prior pagan ceremonies...?

Question

of eating the body and drinking the blood of their gods? How is it that the Christian ritual of baptism also existed in the prior pagan cults?

Having read the old testament as well as the new testament (as well as having a good understanding of pagan religions, being a student of anthropology) I realize how incredibly ridiculous the idea that those pagan religions copied the Jewish texts to get Jesus like saviors. It’s more likely, the other way around.

Answer 1

These rituals,as well as Christian holidays were adopted by the church to help new believers assimilate themselves to the Christian religion

Answer 2

The multiple practices that were folded into christianity when the Emperor Constantine converted the Roman Empire to Christianity from Paganism are more numerous than you can possibly imagine. From the concept of a virgin birth to the Great Flood, most of these stories existed for millenia before christ. They were incorporated in to include not only the multiple pagan beliefs of the Romans, but also to fold in the conquered Celt/Alemmenni/ Goth and Germanic tribesunder a common banner. As far as Paganism being a "cult", remember less than 2000 years ago Christ was simply another "cult leader".

Answer 3

Well, the short answer is that wine looks like blood. It's a pretty easy connection to make. Bread was a common food, so if you're going to have some sort of symbolic eating..it will most likely be of bread.

There are certainly quite a few examples of this sort of thing in Paganism. There were rituals to Mercury, to Dionysus, and various others in the Hellenic world in which it was in fact, almost word for word, the same ritual that exists in Christianity (take, eat, this is my flesh..). Wine and bread were used extensively in pre-Christian rituals in Rome and Greece.

You also see similar rituals described in the Papyrus of Ani, the Text of Pepi I & II, and in numerous pyramid texts. However, in these cases, it is beer, not wine which is the blood of the gods (usually Osiris specifically). The Texts of Pepi I & II cite "All the gods give thee their flesh and their blood for consumption. Thou shalt not die" and "thy bread of eternity, and thy beer of everlastingness." If you look at the pyramid text of Unas, written around 2500 BCE, you see that Unas gained access to the afterlife by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the gods.

Now, if you are one of us who believe that various religious have influenced each other through time, you may already believe that the Ten Commandments came from the Papyrus of Ani. We know that Egypt and Rome influenced each other. Is it such a far leap to think that some of these other concepts may have crossed over and made their way into Christianity?

As for baptism, remember that Jesus was baptised. Baptism was already happening in the region. Water as a symbol of a cleansing is a pretty obvious leap to make. It is probably pretty universal in symbolism and was not even limited to Christianity at the time and place where Christianity began.

Answer 4

Fireball has something there. To understand the New Testament more fully you have to read and understand the prefigurement of it all in the Old Testament.

The single biggest thing that bugs me about all the people here that split hairs trying to down Christianity is that the subject and the Holy Scriptures can be quite deep and complicated. One must make a study of it to understand it, not simply go in and pull out things piecemeal. Unless of course the intent is to merely attack it. But then again, it can be a dangerous thing to attack something you don't understand because then you are left unable to defend your position.

P.S. Please enlighten us on why it is more likely one way than the other. Remember, the Genesis writings do go back thousands (more than two) of years. And if you have read the entire Bible you know what St. Augustine said about it. "The New Testament is hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is revealed in the New." The Old is filled with allegorical prefigurement of the New Testament Christ.

Answer 5

It didn't. You are misrepresenting, and or ignorant of, actual religious practices of pre-christian pagans.

"having a good understanding of pagan religions, being a student of anthropology)"

Oh really? So I suppose you could give just one good example of a ritual or practice that is not only identical to the Christian practice, but that can be reasonably demonstrated to have been copied directly by the Church?

Just one example. Otherwise, you're a paranoid anti-theist propaganda machine.

Answer 6

Actually, the symbolic cannibalism is pretty much Christianity's sole unique thing, the pre-christian equivalent of communion rarely held that the god was IN the shared meal, and those that did did not also claim to be in the shared drink.
Note I did not use the word Pagan- Non-Pagan prechristian religions also had similar rites, without the "this is god" idea.

Answer 7

It is who's body and blood not the actually drinking of blood. In all of your pagan ceremonies, if there was blood drinking, the blood became a part of your body. You did not become a part of it's body. We, in the Catholic Church, who are faithful to the magisterium, are physically connected to the living Jesus, the Lord, The Almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth. Maker of all that is seen and unseen. Beat that!

Answer 8

Because back when we were just nomads wandering around our beliefs intermingled. Plus the Romans tended to adopt the religions and gods of those they took over. Plus when you want to convert someone to your religion, the first thing you do is adopt their customs.

Answer 9

Actually the ritual also existed in Egyptian lore and is documented in the Egyptian book of the dead.

Answer 10

WOW...I had never thought of it that way before. I've been going to a methodist church for awhile now, and I believe in god, but not in jesus. My beliefs have always leaned more toward the pagan, and i've avoided communion. now i won't. I don't feel so bad about it anymore. thanks