Download or read book Goddess and God written by Valerie Ann Abrahamsen and published by Marco Polo Monographs. This book was released on 2006 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vestiges of prehistoric Nature goddess, worshipped by Neolithic and other peoples for millennia, survived into Graeco-Roman period and influenced development of Christianity. While a male-dominated religious ethos supplanted goddess religion in the West starting in the Bronze Age, goddess beliefs and practices persisted underground. Evidence is drawn from the existence of goddess symbols in catacombs, other early church art, and basilica art from the early Byzantine era; extant folklore and folk traditions; magic and other quasi-religious practices evident in early Christian traditions; and rituals preserved by the church.