Author: Prudence Jones and Nigel Pennick
Trade Paperback, 262 pages
Publisher: Routledge
Publication date: 2000
ISBN: 0415158044
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A History of Pagan Europe is a solidly written and entertaining
reference. It will appeal to those with an academic background,
as it is well-researched and appropriately footnoted. The
bibliography provides ranks of further reading for those who
interested in primary sources. Despite the scholarly polish, its
262 pages are energetically written and engaging. Included are
63 black-and-white plates of maps, etchings, artist renderings,
and photographs.
At first glance this relatively short book, which covers the
entire history of Pagan Europe, might seem too generalized to
provide insight into any one tradition. I found the book very
concise, however, offsetting quantity with quality. Even in areas
where I felt confident, such as classic Greco-Roman antiquity, I
benefited from the reoriented perspective the authors brought to
their study. Jones and Pennick turned the intellectual map of
Europe upside down, looking southward from the north, thus
revealing the kinship and deep structural unity that underlies
the ancient western traditions from Iceland to the Russian
Steppes.
For instance, instead of presenting classic Greco-Roman religion
as a vestige of Mediterranean civilization, Pennick and Jones
traced it through its earliest pre-Minoan, pre-Etruscan forms,
and in so doing exposed the European core of the religion, as
well as its kinship to northern belief. The European tradition
itself, as it appears in Russia and the Baltic, the Balkans, in
the Celtic and Germanic lands is laid out as a complex, but
unified, fabric. Unfortunately due to the completeness of the
rendition, holes in our knowledge -- areas where the pre-
Christian tradition was all but lost appear in stark relief.
Another strength of the book is its acknowledgement of the
differences between the theory and practice of the modern
European Pagans, versus their cultural ancestors. Jones and
Pennick are scrupulous in their dating of ancient movements, and
dedicate their last chapter "Paganism Reaffirmed" to reemerging
Pagan tradition. The authors begin this chapter with the High
Middle Ages (950-1350), which strengthens the impression of an
unbroken line of Pagan activity from ancient times to the modern.
Jones and Pennick choose to challenge this possibility, however,
demanding solid research rather than simply following the
seduction of the nice-to-believe.
"In 1839 the archivist Franz-Joseph Mone of Baden proposed that
the orgiastic features of the alleged witch cult had in fact been
part of an underground religion derived from Dionysiac worship in
the Greek colonies on the Black Sea and brought back to German by
the returning Goths. (Such) thinkers drew attention to their
regional heritage, but unfortunately failed to demonstrate by
reference to contemporary records that any of the people accused
had actually taken part in either 'witchcraft' ceremonies or
ceremonies of a continuing Pagan religion. As we have seen,
modern research tends to argue against these conclusions." (p
206)
Occasionally Jones and Pennick come off as whiney, or petty, even
when they have a legitimate point, as on page 202 when they
describe the reemergence of Pagan gods into the Christian
landscape in the 17th and 18th centuries: "Whenever a Christian
temple was erected by a landowner, then it is assumed to be
authentic. Yet comparable Pagan temples are not." (pp. 201-201)
A similar note of pique also appears on page 210, where the
authors state: "The romantic interpretation of ancient Druidism
are no more or less valid than the equivalent mythologies of
other hagiographies. Materialist critics of Druidism fail to
apply the same criteria of criticism to the prophets of other
religions."
A more significant issue arises when the authors blame early
Christians for burning the Library at Alexandria. This claim is
presented as uncontestable fact and without substantiation, when
most historians today believe the library's loss occurred over
several centuries, and divide the blame between the Romans under
Octavian, the Caliphate, and eastern Christians. An author's
occasional slide from objectivism gives ammunition to those who
would disregard modern Paganism as a rootless, academically
anemic fad. Jones and Pennick seldom step outside their scholarly
demeanor, however, and when they do the material as a whole does
not suffer for it.
In fact Jones and Pennick usually maintain an even hand. They
describe ancient traditions, (or excesses thereof,) which we
might look down upon today. On the other hand, Protestant
Christians are credited on page 204 for reintroducing to civil
life of certain regions the use of their local languages,
including translating the bible into vulgate editions. By
preserving the local languages these Protestant Christians
preserved the local histories, myths, and religion recorded
within them.
The few problems with A History of Pagan Europe are far
outweighed by the many gifts it offers. I have recommended the
book to several friends, and would recommend it wholeheartedly to
anyone in search of a broad view approach to the history of
Paganism in Europe.
Reviewed by Christine Moonflower
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