tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post7189698095969671568..comments2023-11-02T10:22:20.717-04:00Comments on Mike Anderson's Ancient History Blog: Christianity and the Roman Empire - Part IMike Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02072553719998549925noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-84275429329375276992013-04-03T11:57:51.825-04:002013-04-03T11:57:51.825-04:00I agree Floyd. If only the history of Christianity...I agree Floyd. If only the history of Christianity would be as simple as tracing back the history of cars and traveling worldwide, then perhaps, there would be no debates on religion.Jacob Olsonhttp://www.southshorehonda.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-34828961288631715232013-03-27T14:42:10.070-04:002013-03-27T14:42:10.070-04:00Tracing back religion has been the most difficult ...Tracing back religion has been the most difficult part for historians. If only tracing it back would be as easy as reconstructing the Roman historical sites, there would be no debates. Nevertheless, a great intellectual exercise not just for the participants but also for the readers.Floyd Claytonhttp://www.marvelfloors.com/Strand-Woven-Bamboo-s/1994.htmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-20068056177449563532012-05-09T02:36:01.046-04:002012-05-09T02:36:01.046-04:00Mr. Anderson,
Thanks for your reply.
To clarify y...Mr. Anderson,<br />Thanks for your reply. <br />To clarify your choice of words, you wrote back to me, saying:<br /><br /><i>"Regarding the use of the term "created" with reference to Christian apologists. <br />* My point is[,] with some exceptions[,] Christianity is not the religion of Jesus, <br />* so Christianity [is] a creation of those who came after."</i><br /><br />I must insist to point out the need for a significant correction in this text, since a huge anachronism has slipped in. <br />Let me clarify:<br /><br /><b>Fact #1:</b> <br />Yes, Jesus was <b>not</b> the founder of a new religion, <b>but</b> of a new Judaic <i>movement</i>, based on Freedom and Love:<br />* Freedom from religious bondage, <br />* Freedom of access to a life of Intimacy with God, <br />* Undiscriminatory Compassion and Love for All, even for our enemies.<br />This was, in essence, the fundamentals of his teachings, the internal aspect, the intrinsic nature of his movement, which we can sift from the Gospels's narratives, as we put aside the temporal components of Jesus's messianic identity and political objectives.<br /><br /><b>Fact #2:</b><br />The Christian apologists of the 2nd & 3rd centuries A.D. did <b>not</b> create <i>anything</i>, except for new creative argumentations often based on Greek Philosophy and Logic, to <b>defend</b> the Faith transmitted to them by the previous generation(s) of Jewish and Gentile Christians before them.<br /><br /><b>Fact #3:</b><br />It is around the year 43, nearly 10 years after Jesus's crucifiction, that for the first time, in Antioch, the members of the Jesus Movement were called "Christians" (Acts 11:26). At first intended to be a simple nickname given by the surrounding populace, meaning <i>slaves</i> of a christ. But it was eventually adopted by the disciples themselves as describing well who they were, as <i>followers</i> of the Christ, to whom they wished to be compared.<br />In his epistle, James talks about those "who scorn the worthy name that was called upon you"<br /><br /><b>Fact #4:</b><br />The only ones that we can consider responsible to <b><i>create</i></b> a new religion, are the apostles themselves, among which the Rabbi Saul of Tarsus (who later on was renamed Paul the Apostle), was the most influential, as he was the author of 2/3 of the New Testament. <b><i>HE</i></b> is the one who codified and legislated about every aspect of personal life and church government and laid out the foundation which allowed to the new Jewish movement to morph into a new religion adapted for the Gentiles, destined to eventually conquer the hearts and minds of the whole Empire of Rome.jclequy@yahoo.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-35863141748471674602012-05-07T07:36:11.199-04:002012-05-07T07:36:11.199-04:00jcleguy,
Regarding the use of the term "crea...jcleguy,<br /><br />Regarding the use of the term "created" with reference to Christian apologists. My point is with some exceptions Christianity is not the religion of Jesus, so Christianity a creation of those who came after. <br /><br />Jesus preached the apocalyptic arrival of the kingdom of God during his lifetime and the need to repent in order to be accepted into that kingdom.<br /><br />Christianity is the worship of Jesus as the resurrected son of God and savior of the world.Mike Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02072553719998549925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-58560316762709763272012-04-30T19:09:12.296-04:002012-04-30T19:09:12.296-04:00I post again a request for clarification about wha...I post again a request for clarification about what you wrote in Part I : <br />"2. <b>Christian apologists</b> and their efforts to defend what they had <i><b>created</b></i>" <br />But <b>what</b> did they create? <br />(1) If you are talking about the <b>Canon of the Scriptures</b>, then the proper term to use is: <i><b>compiled</b></i>, because the Canon of Scriptures is a compilation <b>list</b> of writings that already existed and had been in circulation for nearly 100 years. <br />(2) If you are talking about the Christian faith, then they invented nothing! They were simply attempting to find convincing arguments to <b><i>defend</i></b> the faith that was transmitted/passed on to them from the several generations past.<br />(3) If you are talking about another topic, I do not see what you are talking about.jclequy@yahoo.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-50956965788112169432012-04-27T20:06:44.132-04:002012-04-27T20:06:44.132-04:00Amendment to a previous comment:
In the year 132 ...<b>Amendment to a previous comment:<br /></b> In the year 132 A.D, Jerusalem was leveled by Hadrian, ending any significance it may have had as the home base of Christianity. Most Jewish Christians had, in fact, [either] died [or suffered exile or were deported as slaves] in the 70 A.D. revolt when Jerusalem was sacked and burned[, while most regions of <i>Palestina</i> suffered of the <i>scortched earth policy</i>, to make sure the remaining Jews would not attempt to return anymore].jclequy@yahoo.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-71939880806615322782012-04-23T01:00:37.822-04:002012-04-23T01:00:37.822-04:00Hi Mike!
"The first persecutions were derive...Hi Mike!<br /><br /><b>"The first persecutions were derived from disgust and misunderstanding of the Christians (they drink blood)."</b><br /><br />Yes, I agree here. It brings up connotations of a "Thyestean feast". You only have to look at the bacchanalian incident to see how Romans reacted to things they regarded as strange and foreign. <br /><br /><b>"Later ones were derived from the political threats perceived by the Romans when Christians refused to obey Roman law"</b><br /><br />But don't you think it was more then that? They were an affront to the social and religious world of the Romans. They obstinately refused to reciprocate and participate in the religious institutions of the empire that left them open to confrontation they might otherwise avoided (see the Christians trials by Pliny the Younger as an example). <br /><br />I think there is a strong link between Roman religion and the conflict with Christianity which is more than just political. Although, there is a strong correlation between religion and politics for the Romans anyway.<br /><br />As for political, I agree with your point. Tertullian had referred to themselves as a 'state within a state' and Dionysus stated that he 'would obey God before man'. It kind of reminds me of the proverb that a man can only server one master.Scott McCullochhttp://www.ancientl.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-7714311511420859282012-04-20T01:37:53.591-04:002012-04-20T01:37:53.591-04:00TWO imprecisions to amend by adding words [in brac...TWO imprecisions to amend by adding words [in brackets]: (1)<i> (in the Chronological Timeline) Major figures in the early church are bolded, beginning with St. Ignatius </i><b> [of Antioch]</b>. (NOT of Loyola) ... (2) <i>In the year 132 A.D, Jerusalem was leveled by Hadrian, ending any significance it may have had as the home base of Christianity. Most Jewish Christians had, in fact, </i><b> [either] </b> <i>died </i><b> [or suffered exile or were deported] </b> <i> in the 70 A.D. revolt when Jerusalem was sacked and burned.</i>jclequy@yahoo.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-30010974298561298342012-04-20T01:16:44.563-04:002012-04-20T01:16:44.563-04:001 missing example to add [in brackets]:
Also embe...1 missing example to add [in brackets]: <br /><i>Also embedded in the early period was a hysterical desire for martyrdom which saw many Christians actively seeking death in imitation of their savior</i> <b>[, as described in the 2nd century writing <i> The Martyrdom of Polycarp</i> ].</b>jclequy@yahoo.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-33796039732313930552012-04-20T01:01:23.326-04:002012-04-20T01:01:23.326-04:00Unclear / incomplete sentence to be corrected by a...Unclear / incomplete sentence to be corrected by adding a missing word [in brackets]:<br /><i>The first persecutions were derived from disgust and misunderstanding of the Christians (they drink blood). Later ones were derived</i> <b>[ from ]</b> <i>the political threats perceived by the Romans when Christians refused to obey Roman law.</i>jclequy@yahoo.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-70698217265897783442012-04-20T00:52:04.414-04:002012-04-20T00:52:04.414-04:00Unclear statement in the list entitled: The Six ma...Unclear statement in the list entitled: <i>The Six major historical threads of the period</i>: 2. Christian apologists and their efforts to defend <b>what they had created</b> ..... Here is my question: What did they<b><i> create</i></b>? Did you mean <b>write</b>? <b>defend</b>? or <b>teach</b>?jclequy@yahoo.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-55897903827285784132012-04-20T00:39:07.061-04:002012-04-20T00:39:07.061-04:00Some missing landmarks in the Historic Timeline Ta...Some missing landmarks in the Historic Timeline Table: (1) Year 313: Legalization of Christianity by the Edict of Milan . (2) Year 337: Constantine [is baptised and] dies . (3) Year 380: Christianity promulgated the official Religion of the Empire by the Edict of Thessalonica.jclequy@yahoo.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-649431201703508681.post-55504299326494120812012-04-15T22:50:45.653-04:002012-04-15T22:50:45.653-04:00The city that became the Roman Empires capitol nev...The city that became the Roman Empires capitol never bore the name Constinapole it was named Byzatinium when it was founded and Nova Roma from 330AD to 1453AD never during that time Constanapole.marcos toledohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04889207159835361140noreply@blogger.com