Subject: Re: Saints
Pretty sure monotheism preceded Christianity by quite a bit.
I apologize for that implication, it certainly wasn't my intent to suggest that christians were first. Judaism clearly preceded christianity, which brings up a related point. I'm unaware (through ignorance) of a similar menagerie of helper beings in judaism. The sacred texts I'm familiar with (e.g. "Fiddler on the Roof") seem to present a much more directly transactional relationship between god and man. "I won't eat pork, you keep the Czar far from us". Certainly christians are counting on god for the big things like salvation, but asking the christian god to help find car keys doesn't feel familiar to my experience. But maybe someone more knowledgeable about judaism can chip in?
Rgds,
HH/Sean