Quote:
Originally Posted by glyn
I don't think the Readers Digest will greatly reward you with nonsense like that. Nonsense is amusing, that is simply foolish. Dear dear. What do you wish me to stop? Writing anything that threatens the equilibrium of your mind, I suppose. May I suggest that you try to adopt a more robust attitude? WAB is (famously) not a knitting circle.
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The accuracy of the bible can be best judged by the beliefs and practices of the earliest Christians, before time has a chance to distort them.
Lets look at the central claim about Jesus by modern Christians-
Jesus is God and Christ
This is of course an expression of the Nicene Creed. However is the Creed accurate and truthful to the original Christian beliefs? Or did Constantine corrupt it?
What do ancient non-Christian texts form the same period say?
A Roman governor (Pliny the Younger) in the 1st Century confirms in his letter to Trajan that Christians refused to worship Roman Gods, unto death.
Medieval Sourcebook: Pliny on the Christians
Since these letter were written 96-97 CE we know that the worship of Jesus had spread across the Empire within 60 years of Jesus death.
Tacticus in his annals also discusses Christians. Tacticus lived from 55-120 CE.
Suetonius writing his "The Lives of the Ceasers: 120 CE confirms Christians were persecuted.
BTW Glynn, Octavian was the first Emperor to crown himself Pontifex Maximus (head of the state religion). This tradition still exists in some form today a case in point is Queen Elizabeth by the Grace of God, Queen of this Realm and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. She is Lord of Mann, and the
Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
Constatine never crowned himself Pope, that title has always existed with the Bishop of Rome, initially just 1 of the 5 patriarchs (Rome, Jerusalem, Byzantium, Alexandria,
Antioch)
Antioch is important because this is where the term Christian was coined, it was also not founded by Paul but by Peter. Yet this major See was in accordance with the Pauline Doctrine espoused at the Council of Nicea.
One other fact, the Bishop of Rome is not the only Pope. The Patriarch of Alexandria and the See of St Mark is known as Papa Abba.