The Pagan Foundation of the Christian Religion Exposed — William E. Costley (1922)

Originally published by New Mission Press in San Francisco in 1922, The Pagan Foundation of the Christian Religion Exposed by William E. Costley is an exceptionally scarce early twentieth-century religious pamphlet concerned with the pre-Christian foundations of Christian belief, symbolism, and tradition.

In this brief and provocative work, Costley approaches Christianity through comparative religion and an astro-theological lens, tracing Christian ideas back toward older pagan and African religious traditions. The pamphlet belongs to a fascinating current of independent religious publishing in the period: small, polemical works that challenged orthodox accounts of Christian origins and attempted to recover older symbolic meanings beneath familiar doctrines.

The original publication is remarkably elusive. Issued as a short illustrated pamphlet by New Mission Press, it survives today in very limited institutional and private holdings and has been largely absent from modern circulation.

This Holographic Pagan Press edition returns Costley’s unusual work to print while preserving the character of the original pamphlet, including its period illustrations and historical presentation. Each physical copy is produced by hand on light brown cardstock with black printing and a black cloth tape-bound spine.

This is a newly prepared Holographic Pagan Press edition and not an original antique copy.

Title: The Pagan Foundation of the Christian Religion Exposed
Author: William E. Costley
Original publication: 1922
Original publisher: New Mission Press, San Francisco
Original length: 28 pages
Formats: Handmade physical book or digital PDF
Physical dimensions: 8.5" × 11"
Cover: Light brown cardstock with black printing
Binding: Black cloth tape-bound spine
Interior: Black-and-white
Edition publisher: Odd Enough Books / Holographic Pagan Press
Edition design: C.K. Lee
Condition: Newly produced

Historical Note

Costley’s pamphlet reflects the language, religious polemics, and historical theories of its period and is presented here as a primary document in the history of alternative religious and astro-theological thought.