Christianity – the
ultimate product of religious syncretism in the ancient world. |
'Constantine Jesus'.
One of the earliest depictions of the Christian god. |
Picture Essay
From
Apollo to Jesus Christ! – How
the Godman is Made and Remade
Through the centuries, the
Christian godman has been made
and remade. The image of history's greatest superhero has morphed
from Greek god to Roman politician, from youthful shepherd
to Renaissance prince. An imaginary paragon can always
be in step with fashion.
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Horus
becomes a Christ on horseback..
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Egyptian
Roots of Catholicism – Relics,
demonology, miracles
In Egypt, early Christianity regurgitated
the fables, reused the symbols, and recycled the sacred space of the Pharaohs. When the Patriarchs
of Alexandria came to write much of Catholic theology, they recast an ancient religion, copying rituals, ceremonies, and demonology. Even monasticism was born here.
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Alexandria – the light
of science, the cauldron of superstition. |
Witness
to Jesus? Philo
of Alexandria finds the 'Logos'
Right time, right
place – yet
Philo says not a word about Jesus, Christianity
nor any of the events described in the New Testament. Yet it was in Alexandria that Hellenised
Judaism fashioned and influenced the early Christians.
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Seneca – epiphets of wisdom. |
Seneca and the Stoics – Witness
to Jesus or an inspiration?
The ancient
world was not on hold, waiting for a Christian godman to
teach
it ethics and morality. The much vaunted selflessness, compassion and humanity of Christianity was an inheritance from Stoicism. The Church Fathers even tried to claim Seneca as their own!
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Buddha
shares homespun wisdom with his disciples.
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The
Buddhist Influence in Christian Origins
It was in Alexandria that a Buddhist
influence impressed itself
upon the faith. Opportunity,
motive, method and scripture itself provide
evidence of
a profound and detailed Buddhist influence
in Christianity's
origins.
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An encouraging thought: retribution for enemies of the faith. |
The
Angry Jew – Revealing
Truth Behind 'Revelation'
In Judaea itself, hatred for the Roman conquerors
bred a genre of apocalyptic
curses, anticipating
an End of the World. It infused
the early faith with the intolerance of divine certainty.
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Mithaic saviour sheds blood.
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Mithraism – Dress
Rehearsal for Christianity
From Persia, too, came a Saviour
God and notions of rebirth,
a Mithraic
dress rehearsal for Christianity. The
first universal
religion of the Greco-Roman world anticipated
Christianity in almost all major respects, but whilst triumphant
in Rome it was fatally weakened by an exclusion of
women.
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Some fifty articles are now available as a book.
For your copy order:
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Copyright © 2005
by Kenneth Humphreys.
Copying is freely permitted, provided credit is given to the author and no
material herein is sold for profit.
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