[Bread-Baking Typewriter] Reading Religious Diversity Through 'Igyo-do Misul'

The term ‘Pagans (異敎·Pagans)’ is often used to refer to negative beliefs. It is especially frequently used in Abrahamic religions such as Christianity and Islam when criticizing other religions or faiths. The word itself embodies a dichotomous logic that their own religion is the correct faith, while paganism is superstition.

The word ‘Pagans’ is said to originate from the Latin ‘Paganis,’ which originally meant ‘country people.’ This shows that the term originally referred to indigenous beliefs rather than the extreme meaning of pagans as heretics. The author, an expert in religious studies, especially ancient religions, explains in detail the historicity and cultural influence of paganism that has continued into modern times in the sense of indigenous faith.

The scope of paganism covered in this book is very broad. Literally, it introduces ancient indigenous beliefs from the West, East, and Middle East, excluding Christianity. The exploration spans various countries’ faiths and cultures, from stories of heroes in ancient Greek and Roman mythology to China’s Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and Japan’s Shinto shrines, crossing East and West.

In modern times, stories about magic circles, the history of witches, tarot cards, and divination such as the I Ching, which appear as essential elements in games and animations, are also fascinating. Regardless of whether such magic actually wielded great power, the author emphasizes that the long transmission of these beliefs resulted from the harsh natural environment of the Middle East and human aspirations to overcome it.

The various illustrations throughout the book, from the cover to the end, also delight the eyes. From the image of the ancient Greek oracle priestess ‘Pythia’ who received prophecies on the cover to masterpieces like Peter Paul Rubens’ 1636 work ‘The Judgment of Paris’ from the Baroque era, the author unravels the meanings behind these mythologically themed great works.

Through this, the author continuously emphasizes that culture and faith are not absolute but relative. It is not only the orthodox religions of central regions with many followers and academic completion that represent absolute faith. The author argues that indigenous beliefs once called paganism also possess historical value worthy of respect.

Looking at the early history of Christianity, from the Roman Empire’s perspective, Christianity was also one of many indigenous beliefs that came from the East. The Romans were quite open to various foreign religions such as the Egyptian sun god worship and the Persian Mithraism.

However, with the fall of the Roman Empire and through the Middle Ages, to restore social order, the unity and universality of faith were emphasized, leading to the need for a unified state religion. Subsequently, the division between orthodox religion and paganism emerged and has continued to this day.

Like racism and various social prejudices, rejection of paganism should ultimately be seen as an act lacking recognition of cultural relativity and consideration for other religions. In that sense, this book is recommended for those who have a pure interest in religious culture and art or who want to think about cultural diversity.

Pagan Art | Written by Lee Seon Doyle White | Translated by Seo Gyeongju | Misulmunhwa | 256 pages | 33,000 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.