There was no movement called Christianity during the life of Jesus. Following his death and resurrection, where did Christianity begin and how did it spread? Christians are quite specific about the life of Jesus but vague about what happened after he died. Jesus is said to have lived until about the year 33. The Gospels came later. First Mark, then the other three followed, clearly derived from the stories of Mark. Mark mentions the destruction of the Jewish Temple which happened in the year 70, so the gospels at least came along later than that – probably much later, but no one knows for sure. This leaves a gap of four decades or more.
Much of what we know about this gap in history comes from a man who says Jesus came to him in a vision. This was the Apostle Paul, formerly known as Saul of Tarsus. In this vision Saul said the Lord told him to start spreading the word of Jesus Christ, and so he did... with a vengeance. Paul's ideas caught on and he left behind believers who formed the early Christian church. Paul wrote lots of letters about Christianity. In fact he wrote about 80,000 words about the Christian religion. These letters represent virtually all we know about this decades-long gap.
Most fascinating is that if Jesus was in fact a real human who had recently lived, no one told Paul. Paul never heard of Mary, Joseph, Bethlehem, Herrod, John the Baptist; he never heard about any of the famous miracles; he never quoted anything that Jesus is supposed to have said. He never mentioned that Jesus had any kind of ministry at all. He didn't say anything about Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem, or Pontius Pilate or about the mobs or trial. In fact, Paul doesn't know much about the story of Jesus at all. The only part of the story he recognizes in his letters were the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, but these he acknowledged didn't even happen on earth. Just like the many other saviors of the time, Paul believed these events took place in a mythical realm. Hebrews 8:4 “If Jesus had been on earth, he would not even have been a priest.”
Paul didn't believe that Jesus was ever human. He was not even aware of the idea, yet he is our main link between the life of Jesus and the appearance of the first Gospel and account of Jesus' life in Bethlehem. This is why when you question church leaders, they have no good answers. There are no facts. Jesus lived. Everyone forgot his life for forty years. Then everyone remembered.
Allegorical literature was extremely common during that period. Whoever wrote Mark likely didn't believe he was writing a history. He was writing a symbolic accounting, a gospel, the good news. A lot of the folklore of the time were great stories, but got thrown out along the way. There has always been an attempt to de-mythologize surviving accounts, making them more intellectual. Unfortunately, if you take away the folklore, there is not a lot left.
There were other early Jews and Jewish Christians who believed Jesus had been killed a century before under King Alexander Genias. Then in the gospel of Peter it says that Herrod had Jesus killed. How could there be such diverse stories for a recent event? It makes you wonder if this Jesus is even part of the historical time stream? Or have there been a variety of people trying to insert a mythical figure into history, making various stabs at it?
Jesus life conforms to the hero pattern. His mother is a royal virgin, his father is a king, circumstances of his conception are unusual, etc. There are many other savior figures like this in history: Mithras, Attis, Zoroaster, Thor, Dionysus, Osiris, Krishna, Horus, Hermes, Hercules, Balder, Beddru, Devatat, Tammuz, Baal, Adonis, Bacchus, Orpheus and so forth. Nobody today thinks that these characters are anything but mythical. Their stories are all similar. Most of them having a resurrection, often with three days of celebrations following. It seems like special pleading to say that in this one case it really happened. “When we say that Jesus Christ was produced without sexual union, was crucified and died, and rose again, and ascended to heaven, we propound nothing new or different from what you believe regarding those whom you call the sons of Jupiter.” - Justin Martyr
Some of the attributes of each one of these saviors that lived before Jesus include: Born of a Virgin on December 25, stars appeared at their birth, visited by Magi from the east, turned water into wine, healed the sick, cast out demons, performed miracles, transfigured before followers, rode donkeys into the city, betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, celebrated communal meal with bread and wine, which represented the savior's flesh and blood, killed on a cross or tree, descended into hell, resurrected on the third day, ascended into heaven, to forever sit beside the father God and become divine judge.
From hieroglyphics we learn that Horus was a personification of the sun or light. He had an enemy of Set, the personification of darkness or night. Every morning Horus would conquer Set, while in the evening Set would overcome Horus and send him into the underworld. Dark versus light, or good versus evil, is one of the foundational dualities from the beginning, still expressed on many levels to this day. Horus was born on December 25 in Egypt around 3000 B.C. of the virgin Isis Mary accompanied by a star in the east. He was adored by three kings. At the age of 12 he was a prodigal child teacher. At the age of 30 he was baptized by a figure known as Anap and thus began his ministry. He traveled about with twelve disciples performing miracles such as healing the sick and walking on water. He was known by a variety of names, including the Truth, the Light, the Lamb of God, God's anointed son, the good shepherd and many others. After being betrayed by Typhon he was crucified, buried for three days, and then resurrected. These general attributes seem to be preserved down through time in many cultures through out the world, maintaining the same heroic, mythological structure.
Attis of Friggia, Greece, born of the virgin Nada on December 25, around 1200 B.C., crucified, placed in a tomb, and after three days resurrected.
Mithra of Persia 3200 B.C. Was born of a virgin on December 25; he had twelve disciples and performed miracles. Upon his death he was buried for three days and then resurrected. He was called the truth and the light. The sacred day of worship of Mithra was Sunday.
Krishna of India, 900 B.C. Born of the virgin Devachi, with a star in the east signaling his coming. He performed miracles with his disciples, and upon his death was resurrected.
Dionysus of Greece, 500 B.C., born of a virgin on December 25, was a traveling teacher who performed miracles such as turning water into wine. He was referred to as the king of kings, God's only begotten son, the alpha and omega and many others. And upon his death he was resurrected.
There are numerous saviors from different periods all over the world which subscribe to these characteristics: Krishna of Hindostan, Buddha Sakia of India, Salivahana of Bermuda, Zulis, or Zhule, also Osiris and Orus of Egypt, Odin of Scandinavia, Crite of Chaldea, Zoroaster and Mithra of Persia, Baal and Taut - “the only begotten of God” of Phonecia, Indra of Tibet, Bali of Afghanistan, Jao, Nepal, Wittoba of the Bilingonese, Thammuz of Syria, Atys of Phrygia, Xamolxis of Thrac, Zoar of the Bonzies, Adad of Assyria, Devatat and Sammonocadam of Siam, Alcides of Thebes, Mikado of the Sintoos, Beddru of Japan, Hesus or Eros, and Bremrillah of the Druids, Thor, son of Odin, of the Gauls, Cadmus of Greece, Hil and Feta of the Mandaites, Gentaut and Quexalcote of Mexico, Universal Monarch of the Sibyls, Ischy of the Island of Formosa, Divine Teacher of Plato, Holy One of Xaca, Fohi and tien of China, Adonis, son of the virgin Io of Greece, Ixion and Quirinus of Rome, and Prometheus of the Caucasus. Jesus Christ was the most recent of a plethora of messiahs with the same characteristics.
Sirius is the brightest star in the east, which on December 24 aligns with the three stars of Orion's belt. These three stars are still called today what they were called then – the Three Kings. The three stars of Orion's belt and Sirius all point to the east to the place of sunrise on December 25. This is the birth of “God's Sun” at the winter Solstice. Each year the sun reaches its lowest point on the horizon on December 22 – perceived by the ancients as the death of the sun - where it perceivably pauses for three days – Dec 22, 23, and 24 – in the vicinity of the Southern Cross, the Crux Constellation. On the 25th it moves north one degree, foreshadowing longer and warmer days and spring, or salvation. And so the ancients said the sun dies on the cross for three days, only to be resurrected and born again. This is the meaning of the mythology shared by the saviors of antiquity. The resurrection of the sun was not celebrated until the Spring Equinox, or Easter. At this point daylight overcomes the darkness with days longer than the night for the next period.
The early church fathers knew all of this ancient history was a problem; they received criticism from others that what they were saying about Jesus they had been saying about Dionysus, Hercules, and many others for a long time, and they didn't believe in the stories anymore. So what was the big deal? The apologists, defenders of Christian faith, continue to argue that the story of Jesus is true, despite the identical story being told about many, many heroic figures that had come and gone before. Their comeback was that Satan counterfeited it in advance because he knew this day would come. Even the church fathers didn't deny that these other saviors came before Jesus, or they never would have resorted to something like that. This remains the official explanation to this day. Fortunately for Christian leaders, they almost never have to offer it. Even the first celebration of Easter goes all the way back to 2400 B.C., long before the crucifixion of Jesus.
The more you investigate Christian history, the more it becomes apparent that we have been lied to. The religious institutions are no different than political institutions. They have been put there by the same people who gave us government, push corrupt education, and set up the international banking cartels. We have been misled from the true and divine presence in the universe that is called God. Lies are everywhere. But you dare not question what you are told. The greatest crime in Christianity is to think. But it is truth that will set you free. Truth is the authority. Not the other way around.
George Carlin said that the all time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims is Religion. Religion has actually convinced people that there is an invisible man living in the sky that watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you don't follow these you will go to a terrible place until the end of time. But he loves you. And he needs your money. He always needs more money. Really? He's all knowing and all wise and all purposeful, but somehow he just never has enough money. Religion takes in billions of dollars and doesn't pay any tax. Want to understand the motivation of modern religion – follow the money!
Christianity makes no sense. Christianity was wrong about the Earth rotating around the sun. What if it is wrong about other things? The Bible is apocalyptic literature. Do Christians take the literal meaning of the Bible as true? “Those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them – bring them here and kill them in front of me.” - Jesus (Luke 19:27) Many Christians today think the Inquisition was a bad idea. But how can it be a bad thing? If the Bible is right, if a little suffering here on Earth leads to more souls saved eternally, isn't that a good thing? The Inquisition was not a perversion of Christian doctrine. It was an expression of Christian doctrine. The Bible portrays the Jews as evil because they do not acknowledge Jesus died to save them.
The rapture believed by most Christians is described in I Thessalonians 4:16-17 as when Jesus comes back and takes believers back to heaven. 22% of Americans claim to be certain that Jesus is going to come back to earth and judge the living and the end sometime in the very near future. Another 22% think he probably will. That's 44% of the electorate that believe this will happen soon. It is dangerous to consider that this is a significant part of who elects our government officials. 45,000 churches with 30 million members - “We believe the Bible to be the infallible, authoritative Word of God.” This is perfectly maladaptive in terms of planning for a sustainable future for the human race. After all, why avoid global conflict if it is seen as a precursor of Jesus coming back. If the Bible is wrong about this, as it has been about so much more, then what are Christians to believe?
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