Whether religious or atheist, most Western people have a picture and a sense of the character of God: white robe, white beard, white man. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will trace the origin of this image and consider how it may differ from the way people envisioned God in Biblical times.

The ideas about the afterlife in heaven and hell are deeply ingrained in modern, popular culture, based on Christian doctrines and imagery from antiquity through the Middle Ages to the present. However, this concept of the afterlife is almost entirely absent from the Old Testament. In making his covenant with Abraham, God does not promise eternal life in heaven. Rather, Abraham is blessed with prosperity, long life, and a vast posterity. In this lecture, John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place briefly traces the development of our modern ideas about afterlife from its pagan origins to the present.

Resurrection and eternal life in heaven has often been cited as a reason for Christianity's success against Paganism. To consider this proposition, we need to look in more depth at how different pagan religions envisioned the afterlife.

The story of the Pharaoh that introduced the worship of one God before the time of Israel. Fourteen hundred years before Christ, the Pharaoh Amenhotep IV rejected the old gods of Egypt and introduced the worship of one God above all: Atun. Although he was able to promulgate a new henotheist (possibly even monotheist) religion during his lifetime, after his death the traditionalists won out, reversed his reforms, and deleted his name from the king lists. We'll look at this remarkably early innovation and its echoes in later monotheistic religion.

Artistic expression and religion have been intertwined since prehistory. From Antiquity to the Modern era religion has provided both inspiration and patronage for artists. Paintings of animals and hunts in caves may have related to Animism: calling upon their spiritual power. Classical sculpture and painting were focussed on depicting the gods and the stories of Greek and Roman mythology. In much the same way that casting an actor for a role in a film adaptation of a book tends to overwrite a future reader’s picture of a character (e.g., try envisioning Gandalf without seeing Ian McKellen), having a statue or a picture of a god affects the way a worshipper envisions the divine. Perhaps for this reason, religious reformers at various points in history have objected to picturing the gods, or especially picturing God. Ancient Israelites forbid graven images of Yahweh, a prohibition that expanded to any depiction or even saying his name aloud. Likewise, Islam forbids depicting God (Allah) and the prohibition has expanded to depictions of God’s prophet, and in some interpretations any human or animal forms. Christians too have a complicated history with religious imagery from the Iconoclasm which divided the Byzantine Empire to the Protestant destruction of statues and imagery during the Reformation. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will explore why artwork has been such a charged issue within the religions of the West from Antiquity to the present.

Before coming to understand Yahweh as their only God, ancient Israelites worshiped a pantheon that included the great goddess Asherah. In Canaanite religion, Asherah often appears as the consort of the chief deity El. Later, archeology and about 40 mentions of her name in the Hebrew Bible suggest she was sometimes seen as Yahweh’s wife. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will reconstruct the history of the worship of the Divine Feminine in ancient Israel from the Biblical texts and the contemporary historical and archaeological records, tracing how Asherah’s attributes and cult, like those of El, were ultimately absorbed into the figure and worship of Yahweh.

Before the God of Israel was understood to be the sole omnipotent God of the universe, Yahweh (or "Jehovah") was worshiped as part of a pantheon of gods that included Ba'al, El, and Asherah. Guest lecturer Leandro Palacios will present an introduction to ancient Canaanite mythology and its relationship to Israelite religion of the first temple period.

The great Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas believed it was possible to prove that God exists by reason alone (i.e., without relying on scripture or revelation) and he assembled 5 arguments which he believed did just that. He was not alone. Christian theologians like Anselm of Bec and philosophers like René Descartes and Gottfried Leibniz have been similarly confident. Medieval Muslim theologians including Avicenna (Ibn Sina) and Averroes (Ibn Rushd) came to similar conclusions as did the Medieval Jewish theologian Maimonides. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will outline some of the major arguments proposed by these figures and consider their merits.

Why do the months have different lengths and why is a week seven days long? Why do Ramadan and Easter move around? John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place takes a look at the Roman origins of our own calendar and compares it with systems developed by peoples as diverse as the Babylonians, Persians, Egyptians, and Mayans.

Pharaoh Akhenaten promoted the exclusive worship of the Aten in ancient Egypt, rejecting all other gods centuries before monotheism developed in Israel. Was monotheism first invented during the Amarna period?

The Epic of Gilgamesh pre-dates the book of Genesis by thousands of years. In this early Toronto Centre Place lecture, John Hamer looks at the many ways themes from the ancient Sumerian epic are echoed in the later Biblical account.

Is pleasure good? Shouldn't pain be avoided? We'll explore the ancient Greek philosophy of Epicurus, caricatured in antiquity and today as “eat, drink, and be merry.” Following up on our lectures on the Greco-Roman moral philosophy — Platonism, Stoicism, Cynicism — we'll consider the great rival of these more accepted schools: Epicureanism. Epicureans were connected with atomist theory and atheism, both of which were reviled in antiquity but have been revived and reconsidered in modern times. We'll sweep past some modern misconceptions and take a deeper look at the teachings of Epicurus and his successors.

The Republic is one of the most influential works of philosophy and political theory. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place looks at the ideal state Plato outlines in its context and consider its ongoing relevance for understanding society and individuals today.

The 3rd millennium BCE Levantine civilizations that rivaled the greatness of Egypt and Mesopotamia. Historians have long considered the Levant, also known as Syria-Palestine, a land bridge connecting the older and more important civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt. We'll look at the recent archaeological finds which suggest the inhabitants of this region ---known as Natufians--- developed pre-neolithic permanent settlements that may be the earliest in the world. Overtime, these sites grew into great cities at the centre of great civilizations, most notably Ebla, considered by some the first recorded world power, and its rival Mari.

In the first centuries after Jesus, many Christian movements flourished, each with their own scriptures, beliefs, and practices. Over time, the “proto-Orthodox” Christians succeeded in defining their teachings as correct and establishing authority, while rival groups were suppressed or forgotten.

The Roman Empire a military, political, economic, social, and spiritual crisis in the 3rd century, which led to significant transformations (which historians mark as the end of the Classical period and the transition to Late Antiquity). Although many had earlier roots, mystery religions flourished in Late Antiquity. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will review various cults including the mysteries of Eleusis, Samothrace, Mithras, and Isis. Should Christianity be considered a mystery religion and/or did it absorb practices from its ancient rivals?

Stoicism was perhaps the most popular school of Greek philosophy in the Roman Empire, as exemplified by Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who lived his life as an actual Stoic philosopher-king. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place looks at the ethics and world-view of the Stoics and consider Stoicisms' value for individuals and its possible impact on later Roman society, as well as the degree to which Stoic virtues continue to be admired today.

Socrates, his student Plato, and Plato's student Aristotle are often credited with founding Western philosophy. Nevertheless, even great thinkers do not emerge ex nihilo, but rather are born into an existing context and paradigm that the build from, respond to, and react against. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place looks at the Pre-Socratic philosophers and how their ideas created the ground from which Socrates' own thought emerged.

Roman, Germanic, Celtic, and Norse paganism was deeply rooted in European customs, including holiday festivals. In honor of Halloween we're considering how our present-day customs echo practices in the Medieval Celtic holiday of Samhain. On Tuesday, October 30 2018 at 7:30PM EDT, our history, philosophy, & theology group explored the pagan legacies that were Christianized and ultimately secularized to form our contemporary calendar of holidays in North America.

Dumuzi descends to the underworld, Baal is struck down by Mot, Osiris is dismembered, and Persephone is kidnapped by Hades—each myth cycles through death and return tied to the rhythms of nature. The Easter tradition shares this symbolic landscape, yet it also departs from it in key ways. In this lecture, Leandro Palacios of Toronto Centre Place examines how the Passion and Resurrection accounts of Jesus draw on ancient motifs of dying and rising gods, while reinterpreting them within a new theological and historical framework. We will also consider why modern scholars have questioned the old category of “dying and rising gods” and how the Easter proclamation offered something distinct that resonated with early Christian communities.

The Cynics were an ancient Greek philosophical school that rejected property and all social conventions to proclaim the pursuit of virtue in accordance with a simple and idealistic way of life. Popularized by Diogenes (c. 412-323 BC), by the first century AD the practice had spread, and cynic philosophers were a common sight in cities across the Greco-Roman world. Several scholars of the historical Jesus have noted similarities between Jesus’ philosophy and movement and that of contemporary cynics. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will look at the case they make as he compares ancient cynicism with the pre-Christian Jesus movement.

Simeon Stylites spent 37 years of his life on top of a pillar near the city of Aleppo, Syria, during the 5th century AD. In a lecture from 2017, John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place looks at why anyone would do such a thing in its historical context. What was the appeal of the extreme ascetic life and how did it yield the impressive "spiritual power" that allowed Simeon and his fellow ascetics to overturn and destroy reverence for the old pagan gods, whose traditions and shrines had existed for centuries and millennia?

How did the religion of the "Prince of Peace" triumph over the warrior gods of Asgard and Valhalla? Beginning in the 8th century AD, pagan Norsemen plundered the monasteries of the Frankish and Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. How could warrior gods like Thor and Odin lose out to Jesus?

The prophets of ancient Israel often condemn their own people, kings, and queens for worshiping gods other than Yahweh, even at the Jerusalem temple. We will look at indications in the Old Testament that the dominant religion of the elites and commoners was predominantly pagan during the First Temple Period. Bible commentators continue to struggle to make sense of passages of the Hebrew Bible that don't seem to fit within the context of monotheism. We will set aside 3 unfounded assumptions: Pre-exhilic Israel was a monotheistic society, Ancient Israelites and Canaanites were different peoples, polytheism in Ancient Israel was the product of Syncretism. We will then analyze this material hoping to defog our understanding of the evolution of the concepts of divinity and humanity in Western Society.

Among the philosophers who most influenced Medieval Christian theology whose work provided the inspiration for stained glass windows in churches is an ancient thinker who was not the person he pretended to be. Dionysius the Areopagite was a minor character in the Book of Acts. In the 5th century, a Christian Neoplatonist impersonated Dionysius as a way to give his philosophical writings the aura of apostolic authority. He was further confused with the patron saint of Paris, a completely different Dionysius or “Denis,” who had been bishop of Paris in the 3rd century. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will untangle the histories of the different Dionysiuses and explain the scope and influence of Pseudo-Dionysius’ works.

For 2,000 years prior to Copernicus, astronomers believed that the Earth was at the center of a cosmos, surrounded by a series of celestial spheres. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will outline how the Ptolemaic system worked (and did not work), why it proved so durable, and why the Catholic Church remained invested in the system even after scientists like Galileo began to argue in favor of heliocentrism.

How did faith healing and reported miracles work in Antiquity and the Middle Ages? Modern Western medicine has become very effective at healing injury and curing illness, but its history of effectiveness is very recent. Previously, those with chronic conditions had little alternative than hope of miracles (and physical magic). John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place looks at the history of belief in miracle healing in Ancient and Medieval times, the role it played in society, and its legacies today.

The Romans believed their ancestor Aeneas fled the doomed city of Troy after the Trojan War. The Emperor Augustus’ great poet Virgil retold the tale in his epic, The Aeneid. What does the myth of Aeneas’ flight say about how the Romans viewed their character and identity and what is their true origin?

The Cynics were an ancient Greek philosophical school that rejected all conventions and proclaimed the pursuit of virtue in accordance with a simple and idealistic way of life. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will also discuss how and when the term "cynic" accrued the negative connotation that it carries today (i.e., disbelief in the sincerity of human motives and actions).

A look at the portrait of Socrates and the critical stereotype of ancient philosophers presented in Aristophanes' comic masterpiece, The Clouds. First staged in 423 bc in Socrates' own lifetime, the play is regarded as the first extant "comedy of ideas." It's critique of philosophers is scathing and best of all, the play remains funny today.

Did powerful female deities rule prehistoric Greece before the rise of Zeus? Powerful female deities exist in the mythologies of almost every ancient society, including that of Greece. Gaia, Rhea, Demeter, Aphrodite and other powerful Greek goddesses may offer us a window to look into the Divine Feminine before the Iliad and the Odyssey. Are all these goddesses aspects of a forgotten prehistoric motherly deity? Did their prominence decline with the establishment of the patriarchal Zeus-centered Olympian pantheon? We'll look at the evidence for this hypothesis and also consider whether the presence of strong female divinities necessarily equates with social status of women in society.

Why did paganism lose out to Christianity in ancient Rome and what pagan practices survived? Only a tiny fraction of Romans were Christian when the Emperor Constantine converted. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place looks at why the old religions failed to meet the challenge of the new faith.

Noah’s Ark is one of the best known stories of the Bible and many other cultures have flood stories that predate Genesis by centuries and millennia. While some people still read the story literally and imagine it is history, others look for a kernel of historic truth around which these legends grew. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will examine some of these theories and the likelihood that the idea of a universal Flood is entirely mythic.

Christianity’s rise to become the world’s most populous religion largely hinges on a pivotal moment in history: the conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine. Had Constantine’s imperial heirs not patronized the church, co-opting it as Rome’s state religion, history would have been very different. One last pagan Emperor did attempt to reverse the trend, stripping the church of imperial patronage, while promoting the worship of the old gods: Julian, the nephew of Constantine. In this live lecture, John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will look at the reign of Julian (remembered by Christians as “the Apostate”) and the reasons why he failed in his attempt to defeat Christianity.

What do decorated trees, Santa Claus, reindeer, mistletoe, and eggnog have do with the birth of Jesus? Nowhere in the Bible is Jesus’ birthday given as December 25th. However, the Romans did celebrate that date, not as the birthday of the Son of God, but as the birthday of their sun god. We’ll look at the pagan origins of common Christmas traditions. The Pagan Roots of Christmas.

The United States is often compared with ancient Rome. Washington DC's monumental architecture was modeled on Rome's and the architects of the US Constitution looked to the constitution of the Roman Republic for inspiration. How did ancient Rome's constitution work and why did the Republic ultimately fall under the sway of Roman Emperors?

The development of the gods and legends of Ancient Rome before and after the incorporation of Greek myths. The traditional pagan religion of ancient Rome is often equated with its Greek counterpart, leading us to think of Jupiter and Zeus as the same god with the same attributes and associated myths. However, the native Roman practices and myths were not abandoned, but incorporated into the elaborate stories of Greek mythology which are more familiar to us. In this presentation we will attempt to untangle the two pantheons: gods and goddesses, stories, and cultic practices. What are the differences? What elements of each religion were later absorbed into Christianity?

Although he could not define the term “pornography,” US Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart famously declared “I know it when I see it.” Likewise, many of us think we know what religion is, but it turns out that we are not working from a meaningful definition. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will show how Western ideas about “religion” are fully rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition and have little relation to the experiences of non-Western cultures.

In the Hebrew Bible, Baal is portrayed as the great rival of Yahweh. In the Book of Kings, the prophet Elijah famously challenges the prophets of Baal to a sacrificial offerings contest that ultimately leads to their doom. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will put these Biblical narratives in the context of what is known about Canaanite and Ancient Semitic religion, and the gods worshipped with the honorific title “Ba’al” (which means “Lord”).

Many scholars argue that the ancient Israelite King David is the first character in the Bible who can be confirmed as a historical person. The Bible includes a wide variety of stories about David, from the young shepherd boy who defeats the giant Philistine Goliath, to a Robin-Hood-type leader of a group of righteous bandits, to the king who brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and makes the “City of David” his capital, to a king who loses his way in old age falling prey to court intrigues. Numerous poems from the “Book of Psalms” are traditionally attributed to David. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place looks at what we can know about the historical David and reviews the Biblical and legendary material about him.

In one of the most dramatic miracles performed in the scriptures, Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead four days after his entombment. However, the story occurs only in the gospel of John (11:1-44), where Lazarus is presented as the brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany. The gospel of Luke (10:38-42) tells a famous story about Mary and Martha but does not mention their connection to Lazarus. Instead, Jesus tells a parable about a beggar named Lazarus and a rich man experiencing rewards and punishment in the afterlife (Luke 16:19-31). Indeed, nowhere else is Lazarus or his miraculous resurrection mentioned in the New Testament. Who was Lazarus? What happened to him after his resurrection? Why does such an important figure fall out of John’s narrative? Why is it not mentioned in any other source? John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will survey the many theories about the Lazarus narrative.

The Philistines serve as major foils of the Israelites in the early books of the Bible, including Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. “Philistine” has come down to us in English as a slur for someone who is uncouth and hostile to culture and the arts. Two Philistine characters Goliath and Delilah of “David & Goliath” and “Samson & Delilah” fame continue to be household names. What can we know about the historical Philistines? John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will look at the Biblical depiction of the Philistines and will contrast that portrayal with information that can be gleaned from the rest of the historical and archeological record.

The Epic of Gilgamesh preserves some of the oldest stories in human history—and many of its themes resurface in the Bible. In this lecture, John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place examines how myths of creation, the fall, the flood, and humanity’s quest for eternal life were reimagined by the authors of the Bible. We’ll explore how these retellings differ from the original Mesopotamian accounts and why.