Предхристиянски вярвания и обреди в източното християнство
Nikolay Kochev. Pre-Christian Beliefs and Rituals in the Eastern Christian Religion

Summary/Abstract: Christianity as religion and a philosophical view of reality appeared and was established during the Hellenistic (Grecian-Roman) era, which was a period of transition from the polis system to the empire and, later, to the sovereign state. There were two stages in this transition. The first one was marked by the conflict between Christianity and the ancient pagan cults. The second one was characterized by the firm establishment of Christianity as a philosophical and religious view of the world. A great many elements of the ancient classic art and philosophy and a number of relics from ancient cults which did not disagree with the core of Christianity were adopted and turned into an external expression of religious adherence, into attributes of the Christian religious practice. Other pre-Christian elements such as notions and beliefs about the stars, witchcrafts, divinations, superstitions, etc., although officially rejected by the Christian religion itself, were preserved and developed. The numerous sources reveal that Christianity preserved within its frames the cultural stratum that had existed prior to its appearance.

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