The rise of Christianity represents the most dramatic change in the transition between the old and new order that took place in Europe and the Mediterranean from the third century to the seventh - at least it appears to be. For a very important point often overlooked by religious and social historians is that the Christian Social Myth of the Eastern Mediterranean represents a living continuum of the Social Myth of the world of Antiquity. It was a popular Myth in the most profound sense of the word, and this is reflected in the Church's recognition that the people, namely the Body of Christ, is the true abode of the Holy Spirit. The immanence of the divine that had characterised pagan religions was preserved and transformed in Christianity. Otherwise it would be very difficult to describe the astounding success of Christianity following the fourth century.[2] ...
The significant point to remember here is that Myth, as a human constant, does not necessarily distinguish between its manifestations, for all these manifestations have the notion of the divine as their starting point. The question is not: What Myth? but: How is Myth made manifest? In the long run, the incompatible manner of how Western and Eastern traditions make manifest the Social Myth may represent the most significant dividing line between them. This is a vast subject, so I shall confine myself briefly to a few specific examples to make my point.
[2]In fact, only in ancient Greek gods we find properly this characteristic of immanence, since gods had the very same form as man – perfect, more beautiful, yet the same, while in other cultures the deities were more or less resembling monsters.
