stephan huller

Ever like Proteus you want to keep shifting the complexion of this argument. The question of how Mani died is irrelevant. What matters is acknowledging that all the evidence points to Mani defining himself in terms of a pre-existent Christian paradigm. Most people define that original paradigm as Marcionite. But you want to argue against what the evidence seems to point to by developing a lot of open ended theories which have nothing going for them. Until we establish at least one substantive reason to reject ALL of the early evidence (to within a generation or two of Mani's death), the rest of your theory is worthless. In order to earn the right to make ANY statement about a fourth century conspiracy inventing Christianity out of thin air you have to explain Mani and you haven't done that. Therefore we can't move on. As it stands your whole theory is disproven.

Transient

For someone who thinks he is some sort of scholar you do talk a lot of twaddle mate.
His theory is not disproven at all until concrete evidence turns up to refute it lol.
If this is an example of your deductive powers then I wouldn't want to waste my time evaluating your pet theories.

spin

Already done. Christian frescoes at Dura Europos date to before 267 CE.


spin

Transient

267 is not very long before Nicea at all - they would have to be very very accurate dating Bit too close for my liking.

spin

Rubbish. The dating is the latest possible date, ie when Dura was destroyed by the Persians, so it is obviously some time before 267. There is no avoiding the dating, so we get "well, how can we be sure that Jesus and Peter walking on water was really christian," and crap like that.


spin

Transient

What has Jesus and peter walking on water got to do with it?

Toto

Pete claims that the paintings at Dura Europas are not really Christian, in spite of the theme of Jesus and Peter walking on water.

stephan huller

I didn't know that he denied that the painting was Christian. :Cheeky: This get's better by the minute.

spin

As the dating is so specific, there's no other way to play it.


spin

mountainman

The OP is about Mani, not the suspected "Christian frescoes", formerly at Dura Europos, but now at Yale Divinity College. If anything more needs to be said in the arguments for and against the Dura evidence, the thread Has mountainman's theory re Constantine's invention of christianity been falsified? can be booted.