mountainman

Eusebius tells us that the Christians intercepted the communications link between Apollo and his priests
during the rule of Diocletian and from that time on the oracles of Apollo fell silent.

We must believe Eusebius knew what he was writing about.


His son Asclepius the God Healing displeased Constantine.
Constantine destroyed the major temples to Asclepius and Apollo and Diana.
Then legislated "religious privileges are reserved for Christians".

Two [bogus] Christian saints in the later 4th century Cosmas and Damien became the healing deities.


Cosmas and Damien were kicked out of the medical profession in the Renaissance, to be replaced again by the staff of Asclepius, which today still constitutes the majority emblem for the medical profession.

Jesus is waiting in line for his turn to be kicked out of the circus tent.

mountainman

True. The search for the historical chimera continues ...

mountainman

So was the pastiche created a little bit at a time across many centuries or was it all mixed up at once in a big pot over a big fire at some point? If the former surely someone would have noticed. If the latter surely someone would have noticed. But no one seems to have noticed and complained about the pastiche (and lived to tell the tale)

mountainman

Many thanks Shesh. I see the correspondences.





This is interesting. Where did you find that?

Is not the same 'nomina sacra' symbol used for Joshua in the LXX?


PS: The sun is slowly leaving Oz once again. It must be returning to the Appalachian foothills.

DCHindley

A little of both.

This was discussed here a while back. Stephan Huller has this on his blog:

Συναγωγη Μαρκιωνιστων κωμ(ης)
Λεβαβων του κ(υριο)υ και σω(τη)ρ(ος) Ιη(σου) Χρηστου
προνοια(ι) Παυλου πρεσβ(υτερου) -- του λχ' ετους.

"The meeting-house of the Marcionists, in the village of
Lebaba, of the Lord and Savior Je[sus] (the) Good.
Erected by the forethought of Paul the elder -- In the 630th year [of the Seleucid era, or 318 CE]."

DCH

Sheshbazzar

In answer to both of the above.
Ιη is a nomina sacra used in early Christian literature for 'Joshua' 'Jezus' and 'Jason' (and a huge variety of vocalizations of these names)
BUT the monogam Ιη or ΙΣ (like many others) was in widespread use in Hellenistic societies long before Chrisianity ever came on the scene.
It appears on coinage from the 4th century BCE onwards, and as was understood, also signified the Greek form of the great supreme deity IH (YH -'YaH') -in this usage simply signifying deity, and as such was a borrowed monogram inscribed over the door of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.
Thus Apollo among the Hellenists was also known by the monogram and nomina sacra of Ιη and thus quite susceptable to identification with the Ιη of the mythical 'Joshua' of the OT, and with the then emerging Ιη[zus] 'Jezus' cult.

Early on in a Hellenistic cultural milleu unfamiliar with its Jewish usages, and filled whith various god myths, there would have been little distinguishment between various characters and usages. To all intents in that situation Apollo, Joshua, Jezus , and Jason were the same god. It served the early developing christian religion well by bringing many former Apollo worshipers unknowingly into the newly evolving 'chrestian' communion.

Only much latter during the 3rd century CE did orthodox Christianity attempt to untangle the confusion by going to fully spelled out name Ἰησοῦ (Iesous) and by that time much of former Ιη Apollo worshipers had been well syncretized and absorbed to the point of being unconscious of their former pagan religion.
Ιη Apollo the Good Shepherd had -became- Ιη[zus] The Good Shepherd. They were even able to keep the very same statues.
At the time, Marcion saying; 'the Lord and Savior Ιη[sus] (Iezus) the Good.' would have been equivalent of saying; 'the Lord and Savior Ιη (Apollo) the Good' as there was as yet no established 'gospel' nor recognized 'church doctrine' nor 'authority' by which to differentiate between them, it was religious syncretism of the highest order.
Only latter did the orthodox church ascend and establish their fixed doctrines and go after all dissidents 'heretics' and 'pagans' with a vengeance.


.

Clivedurdle

Houston, we have a problem!

Clivedurdle

Wiki says Deir Ali is earliest reference to Jesus, but is not Megiddo earlier?


http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/d...oldest-church/

And how do we know we are not looking at an iteration of Apollo?

Clivedurdle

What references are there to Apollo and fish?

Sheshbazzar

A bit of searching around for the connection turned up this;
Again, let me state, I am NOT saying that IEzus (Jezus) of the NT was taken directly from the single Greek deity Apollo.
Rather the character that is portrayed within the NT as 'Jezus' is an amalagation of popular symbols, tropes, stories, and characterisics of earlier, and contemprary deities.

The gospels are not at all history but are religious propaganda texts composed as to cleverly incorporate these various well known ancient religious tropes and symbols so as to appeal to the widest possible audiance.
There are story elements drawn from dozens of various sources of other god figures and earlier famous men.
Jesus isn't Jesus, he is an imaginary composition of selected bits from the best traits and popular tropes and tales of other gods and men, cleverly adapted to a imaginary 1st century Jewish 'life setting'.

You will get about as much real history as is in this big 'Fish tale' as you will by watching 'Dallas' reruns.