What really is the so called Veneration of the Saints?

A study of history shows how Veneration of the Saints show how it evolved in the early church and were it came from, which was very interesting. It seems that to to conciliate the Pagans to nominal Christianity, the Roman Bishop and others took measures to amalgamate the Christian and Pagan worship, including the ceremonies and many festivals, along with the day of worship. For example, bringing in the pagan festival of Easter as a substitute for the Pasch or Passover, although neither Jesus nor his Apostles enjoined the keeping of this or any other festival like it. Some modern scholars believe that the church in the early stages picked up pagan oral teachings including such reincarnation and the pre-existence of soul and other esoteric influences. History shows that the early church especially in Rome, was influenced by pagan rituals and beliefs from the Roman imperial cult, Hellenistic philosophy, along with Gnosticism. But there was one festival that seemed especially resilient, the pagan festivals of the dead seem to have been among those that showed persistence in survival. There are indications that they were celebrated even under Christian emperors as the pagans were being allowed pretty much without any change into the church. But even after the pagan festivals ceased to be celebrated outright, the belief that the spirits of the dead could and, if properly approached, would give aid and protection to the living survived. The leaders of the Church compromised, shifting from the cult of the spirits of ancestors to the veneration of persons whose virtues, sufferings, or miraculous deeds justified their being regarded as intermediaries between God and man. In other words the church succeeded to the worship of the dead just as they succeeded to the cult of the departmental deities and to the "little gods" of the Roman household. While the Church claims it never gave the 'Saints' to the people to worship or pray to, the masses they made no such fine distinctions, and they came to regard the idols of the Saints themselves as present helps in trouble and addressed their prayers directly to them. They were more interested in the power of the dead of pagan beliefs now set up as 'Saints' in the church, to help them in their troubles as they had done before as pagans. A good example of the closeness of the resemblance of the specialization of function of different Saints to that of pagan spirits is found in the published lists of Saints used by some Christians.

Here are some of the examples: San Serapio was used to appealed to in case of stomach-ache; Santa Polonia for tooth-ache; San Jose, San Juan Bautista and Santa Catalina for headache; San Bernardo and San Cirilo for indigestion; San Luis for cholera; San Francisco for colic; San Ignacio and Santa Lutgarda for childbirth; Santa Balsania for scrofula; San Felix for ulcers; Santa Agueda for nursing mothers; San Babilas for burns; San Gorge for an infected cut; Santa Quiteria for dog's bite; San Ciriaco for diseases of the ear; Santa Lucia for the eyes; San Pedro for fever; and Santa Rita for the impossible and on and on.Some of the early Christians themselves protested against the cult of the Saints: for example, Vigilantius and Faustus in the fifth century. But on the other side were such great apologists as Augustine, Jerome, Ambrose, Chrysostom, and Basil, who though claiming that God alone was worshipped, expressed full belief in the efficacy of the intercession of the Saints.


Going back to the festivals, there are some specific festivals that go back directly to pagan customs connected with the dead. All Saints' Day, was observed on the the Roman festival of the dead, the Lemuria. In the modern festival the faithful visit the tombs of the Saints, venerate their relics, and pray for their blessing. The next day also, the second of November, All Souls' Day, unquestionably reproduces some of the features of the Parentalia. The Parentalia or dies parentales ("ancestral days") was a nine-day festival held to honor the dead ancestors with visits to tombs and sacred offerings. It got into the church, and Christians went to the cemeteries and decked the graves of the members of their family with flowers and candles, and there were ceremonies which took the place of the ancient sacrifice, directed to the repose of the souls of the departed.

The Christians adapted themselves to the pagan influences and matched the idols of the pagans with renamed Saints. The sanctity of relics, well-established among the pagans, grew in Christian times and was given a greater emphasis than before. The idea showed extension also in the division of the remains of a Saint and in the importanced attached even to the smallest relic.As far back as can be traced, the worship of all pagan deities originated with the worship of dead men and dead women. Idol worship denigrates the idea of worshipping God to the level of worshipping stone or wood images of the dead. The apostles were scarcely dead before the early Christians began to make graven images of them. The Bible speaks very plainly concerning the worship of the dead and the familiar spirits of the dead.

When they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?" Isaiah 8:19.