At the risk of an on-topic post, I wanted to write about a very minor section of "Sapiens", by Harari. A truly sprawling book that I won't try to describe, at one point he talks about saints. Prior to Christianity the Romans had done a really good job of including the religions of the people they conquered into their existing pantheon of gods. So there are temples to Mithras and Isis and lots of others along with standard Jupiter, Mars, Juno, Venus. The chief gods (e.g. Jupiter) weren't really designed for interceding, so it was the ancillary gods that you would ask for daily help. For instance Vesta was the goddess of home, hearth, family and bakers, so if your dough wasn't rising or the oven wasn't baking properly, an offering to Vesta might(?) fix the problem. After Christianity came along with its insistance on a single god, a clear need rose for those same intercessionary figures that were the minor gods and goddesses of yore. Enter the saints. These were/are the people you turn to for daily help. My mother was sure that St. Anthony was going to help her find her car keys, purse, other sock, etc. Many of my young fellow Catholics wore St. Christopher medals. Of course Christianity has spent considerable effort in encorporating pagan rituals into its liturgy (Walpurgis Night anyone?) but I hadn't fully appreciated the role of saints until Harari's work. I recommend the book highly.

Rgds,
HH/Sean