Christianity: By way introduction and a word of caution. It is very difficult to establish what individuals believed. We don't know, for example, with any certainty why individuals in ancient Greece began to tolerate / take an interest in non-theological speculation about natural events [the intellectual revolution], or why individual Gauls, Berbers, Germans, etc. adopted Roman customs and Latin language [Romanization]. So too in the case of Christianity: we cannot get at the motivations of individuals, but it is manifest that a critical mass of the population eventually identified with Christianity. In sum, we can only judge what a critical mass of people did, not what individuals believed.

  1. The Problem
    1. What were the conditions/attitudes in the Roman Empire which allowed/encouraged Christianity to spread? For some HISTORICAL factors, see below, Section III
    2. Once established, what were the qualities which allowed Christianity to endure?
  2. Background: What was the message of early Christianity? What was the historical/cultural context to the adoption of the new religion? And how did Christianity develop into late antiquity?
    1. The Message of the Gospels. The argument (the central truths/beliefs) of Christianity:
      1. Incarnation = 'the Word made flesh' = God becomes man.
      2. Salvation ('life') is a gift and carries obligation to live one's life in accordance with expectations of the giver/patron.
      3. The reward will not come in the 'here and now' (as in the OT). But then how is one to 'know' that one will indeed receive it? How does one know the Christ can guarantee what is claimed in his name? The Resurrection. In early art; power over life and death (Rembrandt and van Gogh). Power over...
      4. Faith, miracles and knowledge. "And a man lame from birth was being carried...seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms... But Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and walked and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking ... and recognized him as the one who sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple ... and were astounded. And by faith in his name [Christ], has made this man strong whom you see and know; and the faith which is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all."
    2. The promises ... why individuals may have chosen Christianity
      1. Universality = salvation for all, guarantee of personal happiness; not just through the collective as in Vergil.
      2. Virtues of Christianity are socially useful
      3. Logic of consolation.
  3. Temporal/historical factors in success of Christianity
    1. The Major Factors:
      1. Pax Romana = Roman Peace (lectures from Wednesday and Friday last week) . Christianity developed within the Roman Empire, suggesting compatible conditions and/or expectations (next point). Religious and intellectual toleration of classical culture (lectures from Wednesday and Friday last week)
      2. Vocabulary of Christianity was comprehensible to pagan public. Christ appears as the ultimate patron. The Lord's Prayer. Soter=Savior ; the good shepherd and Good Shepherd. Son of God (Sol Invictus and Mithras).
      3. Age of faith; gods walked the earth (Luke; from Acts, see below) and hymn to a king of this period. "Hail son of the most powerful god Poseidon! For the other gods are either far away, or they do not have ears, or they do not exist, or do not take any notice of us, but you we can see present here; you are not made of wood or stone, but you are real. And we pray to you: first bring us peace...for you have the power " And note this story about the emperor Vespasian: "A man of the people who was blind, and another who was lame, came to him [Vespasian] as he sat on the tribunal, begging for help...for they had received a dream from the god Osiris, that if Vespasian applied spittle to the eyes and touched the heel of the other they would be healed.... and so it came to pass and before a multitude". Related to the intellectual limitations of the great majority of people; literate but not skeptical. The following from the Roman polymath Pliny the Elder: "There is a type of fever called quotidian; one can be cured of this, if the patient takes three drops of blood from the vein of an ass's ear and swallow them with a pint of water...for quartan fever, cat's dung together with the toe of an owl to be attached to the body...also liver of a cat killed during the waning moon."
    2. Other Considerations:
      1. Traditional religion and the imperial cult tended to be forms of collective worship.
      2. Fall of Jerusalem and Diaspora.
      3. Conversion of Constantine and mutual assimilation of concepts.
    3. Significance and Conclusions: Christian myth explains the success of the new religion by stressing the role of the Holy Spirit, miracles and the blood of martyrs. But Christianity was not radically different from other forms of religious expression. We cannot say why each individual chose Christianity; to judge by the results individuals must have found the new religion more "satisfying" intellectually and/or emotionally than what they knew. What is clear is that many of the basic ideas of Christianity were not as "radical" as Christian apologists would have us believe.
  4. Christianity and its competitors :
    1. Christianity as a Mystery Cult (as a competitor for the imperial cult and traditional religion). Mystery religion involves ritual with the regular re-enactment of some central truth or miracle. The most important is the promise of personal salvation (=immortality) which could be obtained by initiation and was guaranteed by a personal savior (patron) who had power over life and death. There are a dozen or more such mystery cults to be found in the Roman Empire.
    2. Christianity also needed to define its relation to classical and Germanic culture.
      1. translation of bible into Latin (St Jerome); church of Athena / Blessed Virgin Mary at Syracuse; and at Rome also with Germanic customs (Christmas and Easter). Note too Isis;
      2. Furthermore these early church intellectuals, having taken the step of joining the new religion themselves, were keen to explain its benefits to their Pagan friends. Indeed, the converts felt obliged to justify their new position and wrote apologetic works in defense of their newly adopted stance. To do this, they used the forms and styles of classical oratory and rhetoric and took instances from the Pagan books their opponents knew.
  5. The further development of Christianity:
    1. Jewish Christianity
      1. all early Christians were practicing Jews
      2. numbers increased from among the Hellenized peoples of east and soon led to major division. To what extent were gentile Christians bound by the Mosaic Law? The decision, that they were not, was critical to direction of Christianity. Gentile church eventually dominates.
    2. Gentile Christianity. Roman authorities. Romans were generally tolerant and Christianity would have caused no particular problems except for two notions:
      1. Because Christians were missionary and generally intolerant and exclusive, there were frequent outbreaks of violence, first in the Jewish community and then even among gentiles and ultimately among themselves (note passage in Luke).
      2. Because the Roman authorities viewed the ruler cult as essentially a test of political rather than theological loyalty and because they viewed common worship of gods as best guarantee of the gods' favor, they insisted that Christians also participate. Certificate for sacrificing to the gods.

       

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Luke, Acts.14

[1] Now at Ico'nium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue, and so spoke that a great company believed, both of Jews and of Greeks. [2] But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. [3] So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. [4] But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. [5] When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to molest them and to stone them, [6] they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycao'nia, and to the surrounding country; [7] and there they preached the gospel.

[8] Now at Lystra there was a man sitting, who could not use his feet; he was a cripple from birth, who had never walked. [9] He listened to Paul speaking; and Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, [10] said in a loud voice, "Stand upright on your feet." And he sprang up and walked. [11] And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycao'nian, "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!" [12] Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, because he was the chief speaker, they called Hermes. [13] And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the people. [14] But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out among the multitude, crying, [15] "Men, why are you doing this? We also are men, of like nature with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.

John 5.12 " Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool with porticos. In these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed. One man was there, who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be healed?" "The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another steps down before me." Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your pallet, and walk." And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked."