Duvduv

First, there are no independent sources. There are just those whose agendas and biases are well known and who had the motive, means and opportunity. No one actually knows if his mother was a "Christian" and we don't even know what that term might have meant in a context where Arians and non-Arians were all part of the same club at Nicaea (assuming all these events happened the way they are described by "Eusebius"). If the "Christians" were a tiny secret persecuted sect it makes no sense even to hold onto that little detail about his mother.

The truth is that nothing can be more than an approximation at best. Furthermore, there is no way of knowing if the texts already existed at the time of Constantine's granting privileges to "Christians" or if the texts were exactly the same as they are now.

It's logical that contradictions crept in as time went along with new cut and pastes or interpolations as manuscripts were distributed, recopied, etc. The basic overall narrative is pretty straightforward.The devil (no pun intended) was in the details that may have appealed in the first instance to a variety of views of different publics but still as a SET contributed by what were considered to be different sources.

And if Justinian could put together a new CODE, why can't others put together a new religion? I just don't understand.......

Toto

I gather this is sotto voce's history of Christianity:

Jesus was born and died, and everyone corrupted his teachings for 2000 years, but now sotto voce finally understands what true Christianity is about. Every other person's claim to be Christian is just wrong.

Yes?

sotto voce

So one wonders why this forum is of any interest.

Toto

You can create a new religion. It's been done many times. But the contradictions in basic Christian documents did not creep in over the ages. They were there from the beginning of any record of Christianity.

Just compare Christianity with Scientology. There are not four different official accounts of the life of L. Ron Hubbard, combined with lots of unofficial dissenting accounts. Scientologists do not need to convene a council of bishops to hash out basic doctrines.

aa5874

The short gMark is that simple, straightforward and coherent narrative that was used to invent the Jesus cult religion.

The Jews killed the Son of their own God, he resurrected on the third day and he is coming on the clouds of heaven just as it was predicted in the book of Daniel--the Kingdom of God is at hand--Believe the Gospel of gMark.

The authors of the Long gMark, gMatthew and gLuke either Believed or wanted people to Believe the Gospel of gMark.

sotto voce

That nothing from the time of the close of the NT until the Renaissance is worth attention? It's a very common view, Toto, and it really is high time that this forum stopped being quite so terrified of the 2nd millennium CE! One might think there are few here but frightened Jesuits!

BC&H is 'closed' from Acts/Revelation until the Renaissance, de facto. Anything from within that envelope is likely to be propaganda, not debate.

Duvduv

If the Scientologists were sponsored by the State for the whole country they might very do so......

Duvduv

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire
In 529, a ten-man commission chaired by John the Cappadocian revised the Roman law and created a new codification of laws and jurists' extracts. In 534, the Code was updated and, along with the enactements promulgated by Justinian after 534, it formed the system of law used for most of the rest of the Byzantine era.

aa5874

Wasn't that manipulated by the Church?? Why was it a ten-man commission if there was really a commission??

Do you have any proof that John Cappadocian revised Roman Law??

It is clear that you conveniently use writings that passed through the hands of the Church.

Duvduv

Yes, that is correct. I cannot verify or confirm that this is accurate. However, what it suggests is that we see that alot was going on starting in the 4th century and as far as into the 6th century. The same cannot be said for the period before the 4th century because there was no sponsoring authority in the empire that wished to introduce new laws and a new religion. Starting in the 4th century, and in fact towards the end of the 4th century there was APPARENTLY a sponsor for the emerging Christian religion which did NOT exist earlier.