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06-13-2011, 05:57 PM | #11 | |||||||
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At any event, Constantine outlawed the Graeco-Roman religions and cults which the previous 300 years of imperial sponsorship had variously supported and preserved. The prohibition of temple practices appears to have been enforced by the army. This was a massive precedent. It was a new and strange religion. Eusebius was not wrong on that count. Quote:
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Authority based Christianity, then and now, is based on BELIEF and the requirement to CONFESS that Jesus had "appeared in the flesh" - and I read this as "appearing in history". Those people who refused to confess that Jesus was historical were - according to the new testament itself - to be seen as anti christians. The new testament carries with it a story, and the penalty for refusing to confess that the story is a true historical story. Hence the history of christian INQUISITION and persecutions starts with the rescripts Constantine issued after the "Council of Antioch", that order for the torture of philosophers and leading citizens who would not so confess to the truth of the new and strange religion (for details see Robin Lane-Fox "Pagans and Christians"). In retrospect, the Roman Emperors from Constantine bought the story to the empire as an anti-Hellenistic political manifesto to convert the Gentiles (mainly Graeco-Romans) to a new way of thinking - and to get rid of the power of the Graeco-Roman priesthoods by backing another monotheism. It was a barbaric act, but there were such tremendous opportunities with the newly created Christian regime, such as tax exemptions, that Constantine had to legislate against clever pagans who were trying to jump onto the new revolutionary bandwaggon. The ancient Greek Gardian Class, the ruling educated class (previously represented by the "Sacred College of the Pontifices" who reported to the "Pontifex Maximus", fell into the dark ages immediately - they were made redundant overnight. But not without an historical controversy related to the figure of Arius of Alexandria, upon whose books, and name and political memory Constantine placed "damnatio memoriae". (i.e. "rubbing out of history") And while Plato and Euclid (preserved in the books of Porphyry) burned c.325 CE (along with any libraries associated with the major Hellenic temples of the eastern empire), orders were given to replicate the new testament (the Constantine Bible) fifty times over in imperially controlled scriptoria. The beginning of the END had arrived for the Greek civilisation for more than 1000 years: Christian civilisation and the Dark Ages had been kick-started. By the mid 4th century, land tax had tripled withinin living memory, and the highways of the Roman Empire were covered with tax exempt galloping bishops. . |
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06-14-2011, 05:32 AM | #12 | |
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I guess I'm just a Greek... It's immensely paradoxical that a spiritual advancement or innovation is based on regressed thinking. Maybe that explains the emotional appeal. It would then be logical for a ruler to exploit that. |
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06-15-2011, 05:05 PM | #13 | |
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Ethos: Appeal to the audience's sense of honesty and/or authority Pathos: Appeal to the audience's sense of emotions Logos: Appeal to the audience's sense of logic The Bible has no logic and no ethics. Clearly the Bible is pathetic in its continual appeal to the audience's sense of emotional belief. How could they have crucified Jesus? Thank goodness he was resurrected at the end of the story! The Bible peddles BELIEF. Believe in this and believe in that! Believe must be one of the more common verbs used by the editor. The ruler astutely perceives that the people need a shepherd. That's why they probably later axed "The Shepherd" from Constantine's canon. It was too conspicuous as a "Shepherd Story" for later Christians closing the One True New Testament Canon, but not for the Boss. |
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06-16-2011, 07:19 AM | #14 | |
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The problem I have is the misguided effort to make the Bible into something it isn't, such as a history book or a spiritual instruction manual. As for belief, it's not a bad thing either, only it's misguided in the context of Xtianity. In Plato, it's called courage. Courage to maintain the highest vision in the face of pain, pleasure, desire and fear reveals spiritual truth. But to exert spiritual energy attempting to create an irrelevant historical reality is a waste. |
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06-16-2011, 01:26 PM | #15 | ||
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Do you understand that CHRISTIANS were calling EACH OTHER DEVILS in the 2nd century? It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you recognize that CHRISTIANS themselves did NOT all BELIEVE the Jesus story. "First Apolgy" XXVI Quote:
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06-16-2011, 01:55 PM | #16 | |
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If there were more 1st and 2nd century Xtians around today, the future of Xtianity, in the first world anyway, might look a little brighter. |
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06-16-2011, 02:03 PM | #17 | ||
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06-16-2011, 04:57 PM | #18 | |
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try reading my other posts first... |
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06-16-2011, 04:59 PM | #19 | |
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I read your post and responded. |
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06-17-2011, 06:28 AM | #20 | |
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"You mean if there were MORE Magicians like 1st century Christian Simon Magus and people who Believed in the Christian Phantom of Marcion that the world might look a little brighter?" I think I was pretty clear, but to restate, Xtians would be better off if they regarded scripture as allegory. That would exclude the above examples of magical thinking. |
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