Isis the Mother Goddess and The Rise of Christianity
A debate rarely discussed
It is always a pleasure to speak with Jacob Berman at History Valley. Here we discuss the underappreciated debate that happened at the foundation of Christianity over the role of the Divine Mother in the religion.
The most popular religion in the Roman Empire and the greatest rival to early Christianity was the Alexandrian religion of Isis, Serapis (Zeus-Osiris), and Horus. Their trinity of Mother, Father, and Son, was reflected in Gnostic beliefs while Orthodox Christians promoted the trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost that we ended up with.
Like Christianity, the widespread religion of Isis was designed to be a universal salvation religion open to all people from slaves to Emporers. But in contrast, the Isis religion maintained a connection to nature and leadership roles for women that were rejected by the patriarchal followers of both traditional Greek religion and the new emerging Christian faith.
As part of the competition, the Virgin Mary clearly and unambiguously adopted the titles and iconography of the great Egyptian Mother Goddess Isis; the Mother of God, the Virgin, and the Queen of Heaven, while statues of Isis with baby Horus were often relabeled as Mary with Baby Jesus and conveniently described as “Black Madonnas.” Yet the Christians demoted the Virgin Mary to a mere human and stripped of her divinity, unlike Isis who held the most prominent position in the Heavens.
Imagine a world where Western Civilization reconnected to the Divine Mother we have long been divorced from.
Listen to the conversation to learn more.