Why and How did Christianity become so popular?

Edward Gibbon, in his classical work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, gives two reasons for its decline and fall: Christianity (internal) and Barbarism (external).  Edward Gibbon To understand the role of Christianity, one needs to go back to the two developments after the death (?) of Jesus. One was the takeover by James, the brother of Jesus, of the movement started by him; the other was the version of Christianity conceived and preached to the gentiles in the Greco-Roman world by the self-proclaimed apostle Paul as revealed to him by Jesus in ‘visions’ and through ‘disembodied voices’. During the period A D 66-70 the Jews revolted against Roman rule. This was brutally put down by the Romans and in the process they burned down and completely destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem. James and the followers of the Jesus movement were either killed or fled the massacre and the movement died a natural death. Had the Temple not been destroyed, perhaps Christianity would have been a continuation of Jesus movement and Paul would have been a foot-note in history. The fact remains that Paul’s version of Christianity remained and continued to flourish. What was a Jewish messianic sect became a Universal Salvation religion. The corner stone of Paul’s belief system was the divinity of Jesus. He saw Jesus as a saviour, a path for people to follow by which they might obtain eternal life. The followers of Paul who refused to accept Roman religious practices were killed. These were regarded as martyrs who were assured of heaven. (Virgins had 60 times the reward of ordinary Christians in heaven, but martyrs received rewards a hundredfold!). Christianity argued that ‘suffering is noble’ and offered a better world in future. Hence it became popular among the lower classes: the slaves, the labourers and the urban poor. Emperor Constantine (274–337). Emperor from 306 to 337. In A D 312 Constantine became Emperor and the fortunes of Christianity changed. Persecution was replaced by favour. He made Sunday observation compulsory. He started the practice of collecting relics to install in shrines. The spread of Paul’s version of Christianity was also helped by absorbing pagan practices where it was felt to serve its purpose. December 25, the feast day of god Mithras, became the date of Nativity; the original Sunday observance was conceived as a day of respect for the sun, not for Jesus. The terms ‘vicar’ and 'diocese' were borrowed from the Emperor’s administrative reforms. The original December 25th Virgin Birth There was another reason for the growth and spread of Christianity. People thought that religious solidarity would help the declining fortunes of the empire. This meant a crucial change in the reorganisation of society. This change resulted in the rise of the priesthood.

The establishment of Christianity as a religion by Apostle Paul

Jesus believed himself to be a messiah in the kingly line of David sent by God to establish his kingdom on earth among his chosen people, the Jews. He did not start a religion after his name.

He was put to death on the cross. The movement he started was taken up and led by his brother James. However, it was smothered by the alternative movement started by Paul which became the official Christianity of today.

Earlier, I have given a brief CV of Paul. (April 8, 2015)

Around the year A.D. 36 Paul had a “conversion” experience in which he claimed to have “seen” Jesus in a “vision”. He said that he had received both a revelation and a commission. The revelation was that ‘Jesus was the heavenly exalted Christ’; the commission was that he, Paul, was to preach the good news of ‘salvation through faith in Jesus to the Gentiles’. who were the non-Jews

Paul was a contemporary of Jesus. Yet, he never mentions the crucifixion of Jesus.  His connections to Jesus was based on “his own visionary experiences” in which he claimed to have seen Jesus many years after crucifixion. He also claimed to hear a disembodied ‘voice’ that he identified as words of Jesus.

What Paul preached and taught:

·         Jesus was a divine pre-existent heavenly being.

·         He was created as the first born of all creation.

·         He existed in the form of God and was equal to God.

·         The world was brought into existence by God through the agency of Christ.

·         He emptied himself, took the human form and was born of a woman and sent into this world from heaven.

·         The purpose of his life on earth was to live without sin and die on the cross as atonement for the sins of the world.

·         God then raised Christ from the dead and transformed him back into his glorious heavenly body.

·         Christ then ascended into heaven and is seated in power and glory at the right hand of God.

·         Those who accept the atoning sacrifice of Christ are forgiven of all their sins.

·         At the second coming of Christ, both the living and the dead would rise in the air to meet Christ in the clouds of heaven.

(T: p259-262)

Let us now have a look at the Apostle’s Creed recited at Catholic masses.

The Apostles Creed
1.      I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
2.      I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
3.      He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
4.      He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell.
5.      On the third day he rose again.
6.      He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
7.      I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.  As you can observe, much of this creed is taken from Paul’s teachings based on his ‘visions’ and the ‘disembodied voice’ of Jesus.  Re-enactment of the Last Supper during Catholic Mass Just like the ‘resurrection’ and physical ‘ascension’ of Christ, the re-enactment of the ‘Last Supper’ during Christian mass has become another corner stone of the Christian belief system. It was Paul who wrote that the followers of Jesus should re-enact ‘the Lord’s Supper’ in which they would drink wine as ‘blood’ of Jesus and eat bread as his ‘body’. Improper observance of this meal could cause illness and even death. (T: p264) [More on this when we get a chance to discuss the mythological origins of Christian practices and rituals] To conclude: Jesus Christ is not the founder of Christianity. It is Paul of Tarsus, known commonly as Apostle Paul, who established Christianity as we know it today in the name of Christ, based on what he claimed as ‘visions’ of Christ during which he heard the ‘disembodied’ words of Christ.

Summary of the discussion so far on the historical (human) Jesus.

Jesus was a Jew, not a Christian. 

He was born around 4 B.C. His mother was Mary, his father unknown. There is mention in contemporary writings of the time that a Roman soldier by name Panthera was his biological father. His conception took place when Rome sent its soldiers to put down a Jewish revolt. There are many clues to suggest that he was regarded as a mamzer, a person of questionable parentage, by members of his village and community.

Joseph married Mary after Jesus was born. Jesus had 4 half-brothers and 2 half-sisters. Since Joseph is thought to have been much older than Mary, and since very little is heard about Joseph after the birth of Jesus, he is assumed to have died early. As per Jewish custom his brother Clophas married Mary and is believed to have fathered his half-siblings.

When he was born, Jesus was named Yeshua (Joshua) ben Yoseph, Jesus son of Joseph. When the Greeks translated his name, it became Jesus and it stuck. He was regarded as the messiah, meaning the anointed one. Since the Greek word used for the oil used for anointment was khrisma and the person anointed khristos, Yeshua ben Yoseph became Jesus Christ!

As a Jew, Jesus was circumcised; he observed the Passover, read the Bible in Hebrew, and kept Saturday as the Sabbath day.

He joined a messianic movement begun by his relative John the Baptizer, whom he regarded as his teacher and as a great prophet.  John and Jesus together filled the roles of the two Messiahs who were expected at the time, John as a priestly descendant of Aaron and Jesus as a royal descendant of David. Together they preached the coming of the Kingdom of God.  Theirs was an apocalyptic movement that expected God to establish his kingdom on earth, as described by the prophets. John and Jesus preached adherence to the Torah, or the Jewish Law.

Like all Jews of the time, Jesus was expected to marry and produce children. There are hints in the gospels as well as other sources that he married Mary Magdalene.

He was charged before Pilate of sedition amounting to treason of claiming to be ‘the king of the Jews’ for which he was condemned to death. 

There are those who say that he survived death; some say by feigning; others say he fell into a comatose state from which he recovered; still others say that he plotted the whole thing – having himself drugged to escape death.

Most accept that he died.

Did Jesus rise from the dead?

No human who actually died has ever come back to life. 

However, the cornerstone of Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus. So how did this belief come about?

To understand this, one needs to briefly talk about the gospels.

Gospel means ‘good news’.

Gospels are the 4 biographies of Jesus written by his biographers Mark, Mathew, Luke and John called ‘evangelists’ meaning ‘bringing good news’. Their true identities have not been discovered so far.

The first 3 gospels of Mark, Mathew and Luke are similar; hence they are called ‘synoptic’ (meaning ‘with one eye’) gospels.

Gospel of John is quite different.

Approximate times the gospels were written:

Mark      – A.D. 70

Mathew – A.D. 80

Luke        - A.D. 90 (The only gentile, the rest being Jews)

John        - A.D. 100

Mark, a diehard fan of Paul, was written around 70 A.D. a few years after Paul’s death. It contains the messages that Paul preached projected backwards into the life of Jesus. E.g. he has copied more or less verbatim what Paul wrote about turning bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ at the last supper.

Mathew and Luke base their narratives on Mark.

According to Tabor, the original manuscripts of the gospel of Mark, ending at 16:8 says nothing about Jesus rising from the dead. It appears some pious scribes (people who makes copies of the bible) made up the versus 9-20 sometime in the 4^th century reflecting the various appearances of Jesus to different people after his resurrection.

Paul, it seems, was the one who made up the stories of Jesus rising from the dead. In a letter he wrote to the Corinthians around 54 A.D. he claims to have received this information about the resurrection of Jesus through a ‘vision’. The gospels of Mathew, Luke and John were written between 40 to 70 years after Jesus'  death and in the meantime, Paul’s stories of Jesus’ resurrection had become the cornerstone of the Christian faith.

What were the charges that led to Jesus’ arrest? Did Jesus actually die on the cross? Did Jesus die on Good Friday?

What were the charges that led to Jesus’ arrest?

Jesus was accused of the following:

1.      Before the Jewish authorities he was accused of blasphemy by claiming   to be God (Luke 22:70-71; John 10: 33)

2.      Before Pilate he was accused of perverting the nation, forbidding to give tribute to Caesar and calling himself the Messiah, the King (Luke 23: 1-2).

Before Pilate however, the religious charges of blasphemy were laid aside as were the other two charges of perverting the nation and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar. What remained was Jesus’ claim that ‘he was the king of the Jews’. (G: p 185-187)

Did Jesus actually die on the cross?

Many people believe that Jesus did not die on the cross.

When Joseph of Arimathea begs for Jesus’ body Pilate is astonished that he died so quickly. In fact Joseph asks for the body (soma) rather than the corpse (ptoma) of Jesus. This implies that Jesus was still alive when he was taken from the cross. When the soldiers check, they found the two thieves still alive and so broke their legs to hasten their death. If they survived till then, Jesus too could have been alive. Why Jesus’s legs were not broken – still a mystery. It could be due to negligence, forgetfulness, bribery or some such reason.

After his ‘resurrection’ when he visited his disciples, he appears to have a healthy appetite. (John 21:13) He eats bread and fish. Why would a dead man eat?

Irenaeus,   one of the early Church leaders believed that Jesus lived to be an old man. He learned this from Bishop Papias, who heard it from the Apostle John.  (G: p 205-206)

Tabor, on the other hand, accepts the death of Jesus as a fact.

Did Jesus die on Good Friday?

The following, according to Tabor (p 199), is the chronology of events of the Holy Week:

         April 3, Wed:  Jesus Last Supper, Gethsemane, Arrest

            (Did not eat the Passover meal)

April 4, Thurs: Crucifixion at 9 a.m., Death at 3 p.m.

       

             

April 5, Fri:      Sabbath – Passover day - Jesus in the tomb

April 6, Sat:     Sabbath - Jesus in the tomb

April 7, Sun:    Tomb found empty.

Jesus died on Thursday. 

Was Jesus married?

(G: p 117-127)

At the time of Jesus, all Jews were expected to marry. They were bound by the sacred oath to be ‘fruitful and multiply’ (Genesis).

The name that is most favored to be Jesus’ wife is Mary Magdalene. She has been wrongly labelled ‘prostitute’/’sinner’. This smear campaign was started early in the 6^th century by Pope Gregory the Great. It was only in 1969 that the Catholic Church removed that stain from her memory.

There are a number of hints about the marriage of Jesus in the gospels both canonical and otherwise.

Mary Magdalene is presented as a single woman who accompanies Jesus. This is rather curious by Jewish standards of the time.

Some have claimed that the wedding at Cana (found only in the gospel of John) represented Jesus’ own marriage edited to make it appear to be some anonymous person’s wedding. 

In Jewish weddings of the time, only the bridegroom or the parents could order the servants as Mary did.

Another clue is that Mary Magdalene let her hair down to wipe Jesus’ feet. Only a husband was allowed to see his wife’s hair untied.

Outside the canonical gospels, in the gospel of Peter, it is said that Jesus loved Mary Magdalene more than all other disciples and ‘often kissed her on the mouth’.

In conclusion, it would be more than probable that Jesus was married and his wife was Mary Magdalene.

Was Mary a perpetual Virgin? Did Jesus have brothers and sisters ?

Jesus was the eldest child of Mary. He had 4 brothers and 2 sisters. Mark (6:3) names the brothers as James, Joseph, Judas and Simon. He also mentions 2 sisters but does not name them. Early Christian tradition names them as Mary and Salome.

The early christians under the leadership of Paul and later Augustine were taught that human sexuality was degrading and unholy at worst, and a necessary evil to be struggled against. (T: 73-76) [More about this when we will discuss Paul’s theology/philosophy]. So Mary was made a perpetual virgin who never had any sexual relations to keep her at an elevated position. 

The Western Catholic Church explained these siblings of Jesus as “cousin brothers and sisters” while the Eastern Church claimed that these were the children of Joseph by a previous marriage. In fact the Western theologians made Joseph a “lifelong virgin” as well since the average catholic would be scandalized and shocked to hear that Joseph and Mary had a normal sex life as a married couple.

St. Joseph

It is probable that Joseph was much older than Mary. After the birth of Jesus, Joseph disappears from the scene. The gospels mention Jesus’ “mother and brothers” a number of times but not Joseph. As per the Torah or the Law of Moses, if a person died childless, the oldest surviving unmarried brother was obliged to marry his diseased brother’s widow and bear a child in his name.

If Joseph died childless, the possibility was that his brother Clophas married Mary and had the 6 children. Tabor (p 77-79) analyses a number of passages in the bible to show that Clophas could be the father of Jesus’ siblings.

According to Tabor, what is certain is the following: Joseph was not the father of Jesus; Mary’s pregnancy by an unnamed man was ‘illegitimate’ by societal norms; Jesus had 4 half-brothers and 2 half- sisters, all children of Mary, but from a different father – Joseph or his brother Clophas.