Malachi151

Did anyone see the problem on the History Channel last night about "Temple Technology"? I was already aware of this, but they went into greater detail than I had seen before, about the tricks and techniques used in the Hellenistic world to fool religious believers.

They showed mostly moving statues, automatic doors on the temples, statues that cried blood, etc., but they also went into the use of various chemicals and things that they had people ingest.

They talked about the "mystery religions" and how so much effort was put into creating ecstatic experiences for the believers, etc.

This show seemed to indicate that religious deception was being perpetrated on a massive scale in the Hellenistic world at the time, in large part by a priesthood that possessed and protected the highest levels of material knowledge.

A few things come to mind with all of this.

#1) Is it possible that the early Christian story developed out of something like this? This seems somewhat unlikely as the early Christians wouldn't have had access to these temples.

#2) How did early Christians compete with these temples and tricks? Were the claims of "visions" of a risen Christ a form of competing with these other religion?

#3) Were early Christians using drugs and or plays, as apparently some of these others were doing, to develop this story and produce faith, and were people, perhaps like Paul, either perpetrator s of this or unwitting dupes who took it too seriously?

#4) What role would dissatisfaction with temple trickery have played in people converting to a new religion out of disgust with corruption of the priesthood?

#5) What role would the degeneration of the temples after sieges and economic decline in the 2nd, 3rd,and 4th centuries have played in disillusionment with the pagan religions, and people turning to a Christianity which competed without the temples, thus during the temple decline the relative power of the non-temple religions, which didn't rely on those types of tricks, but instead on a more powerful story, may have been favored.

etc.

Magdlyn

This statement makes one wonder:

Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.

Roger Pearse

The work alluded to, the Pneumatica of Hero of Alexandria is here.

All the best,

Roger Pearse

Malachi151

Thanks Roger I was going to ask about this. I'd like to find books on this subject because it ties in with something else I am working on, not related to Christian stuff directly, but on Greek technology and science.