Here, we get to what is a fundamental value in some strains of Hellenic Paganism - that of moderation. Even concern for the other - a thing good in and of itself - can become an evil if taken to excess. Viewed superficially, some of the deities may seem "dark" or "hostile", but like the sometimes unhappy aspects of human experience they represent, each is necessary, and beneficial, in his place.

But, examining both the stories and the history of antiquity, one trait was conspicuous by its absence. Merciful restraint. As some would say, a willingness to "turn the other cheek" - ie. hold back the expression of anger, giving the other a chance to come to his senses, making allowances for his frailties, and taking the time to seek a harmonious rather than a fearful resolution to the problems that someone's actions are creating. Tempers flare, harsh actions follow, and faced with the tragedies that result, those who rashly brought them about, can only feel regret, if they are even so aware as to know that they should. The old religion was not without compassion, but it could be short on forgiveness. In this light, we can see that there was a seat left on Olympus for Christ to take - he is the bringer of peace. There very much is a place in Hellenic paganism that Christ can fill.

In fact, as we mention elsewhere on our site, in the article entitled "What is a demipagan?", there is even a place for God the father, who could be identified with Moros, the ill defined Supreme Being of Classical Paganism, and perhaps with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (*). However, unlike the Pauline Christians, we would not be inclined to identify Christ so closely with God the father, seeing him, God the son, as a secondary divinity, subject to the Father. If you look, even at the Orthodox Christian canon, this doesn't seem so strange, as one encounters John 14:28 (King James Edition)

"You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you'. If you truly loved Me, you would rejoice because I said 'I am going to the Father, for My Father is greater than I' ".

But how can one be greater than oneself? In the Passion in the Garden, in Matthew 26:39, Jesus makes a request ...

"He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying 'O, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.' "

But if Jesus and the Father are one and the same, does this prayer make sense? However, in a late Classical Judea where polytheism in any form was so hostily received, both as a matter of religious law and recent historical experience, it makes far too much sense for the followers of the lesser god to escape the accusation of practicing such by identifying the lesser god with the greater. As a rationalisation, this might have brought great comfort to a troubled Jewish convert, who would not quickly forget the words "Thou shalt have no strange gods before me".

So, tentatively speaking, here is how some of us imagine the Divine. Above all is a supreme being. He may or may not be the God of Abraham. Beneath Him, acting as an intermediary between Him and His creation, is Jesus, the Christ. That creation includes the lesser divinities, who we call the gods (lower case), as opposed to God, unless they are directly in God's service (ie. the angels and saints). Placing no sort of dogmatic confidence in this image, we imagine the lesser divinities - the Olympians, the Aesir, and so on - as offering their worship to God, as the Christ serves as their priest. To them, God would be a remote and awesome figure, much as He is to us, though a less fearful one.

Question: Are we saying that the other deities are subordinate to Christ?

. Answer: click here

Our fear, a reflection of unspoken distrust, comes from a projection of our own character flaws upon the Almighty, on an instinctual level, making fear all too understandable. The gods, in their greater wisdom, will be inclined to put less fear into their own hearts, over what, on a rational level, should be a source of joy - the thought of God's strength. They will be able to draw closer, both to God, and Christ, His representative, and being closer in spirit to us, and thus more easily accessible, can help us connect to God, and well as offer help of their own, if that will suffice.

If the terminology is marginally confusing, "gods" vs. "God", we would point out that we've largely inherited it. We would have preferred a more distinctive term, like "djinn", to be applied to the other divinities, but felt that the concept of reverence would be lost by the change, along with recognition by the reader, of who or what it is that we are referring to. But, let us be clear that we imagine no equivalence between the two statuses, any more than a Classical Pagan would have imagined that Zeus could deal on equal terms with Moros, the Ancient Hellenic Supreme Being.

Click here to continue.