The Forbidden Secret of the Church [1]
Christianity, from the beginning, was aimed primarily at an audience Roman or Romanized. The Roman world was accustomed to deify [2] to their rulers. The Caesar had been officially established as a god. To enter the competition, also had to deify Jesus – whom nobody ever would have considered a god. And this would be the mission of Paul.
Before being successfully disseminated from Palestine to Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, Egypt, Rome and Western Europe, the new religion had to become an acceptable thing for the people of those regions, and had to be able to stand firm against the creeds already established. If Jesus was going to gain ground in the Romanized world of his time, ‘had to become a god’ in every sense of the word, not a Messiah in the old sense of the word, not a priest-king, “had to a god incarnate ‘- like their Syrian counterparts, Phoenician and Greco-Roman – who had gone through the world of darkness and the roaring fire of hell and had emerged rejuvenated, with the spring. It was at this point that the idea of Resurrection assumed a crucial importance, and for obvious reason, to put Jesus to the level of Tammuz, Adonis, Attis, Osiris and all the other gods that died and resurrected in the world and the mentality people at the time of Jesus.
Pointing to a Roman audience and deifying Jesus, the expansion of what later became the Christian orthodoxy, would have guaranteed success. The position of this orthodoxy began to establish itself permanently in the second century CE, mainly through Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons around AD 180 EC. Irenaeus was dedicated, perhaps more than other Fathers of the Church, Christian theology give a stable and consistent. Got it first with his voluminous work “Quinque Adversus Books Heres” (“Five Books against Heresies’). In his study exaustivo Irenaeus cataloged all the deviations from orthodoxy, still simmering at the time, and vehemently condemned. Regretting the diversity, said there should be a valid one Church, outside of it there would be salvation. Anyone who challenged this assertion was declared heretical by Irenaeus, should be expelled and, if possible, eliminated.
Among the many manifestations of ancient Christianity, Gnosticism (Greek ‘gnosis’, translated as ‘knowledge’) would be the target of the most furious attacks of Irenaeus.
Gnosticism was based on personal experience of the individual in communion with the divine. For Irenaeus, this diminished the authority of priests and bishops, hindering attempts to impose religious uniformity. Hence Irenaeus devoted all his efforts to suppress Gnosticism. For this, it became necessary to remove people from individual speculation, was taught not to question the faith in fixed dogma. It was necessary to have a theological system, a structure of ordered principles, which do not give the individual the opportunity to develop their own interpretation. As opposed to personal experience and gnosis, Irenaeus insisted on a Single Church and “Catholic” (Universal) based on the foundations of the apostles and the succession of the same. To implement the creation of such a church, Irenaeus recognized that should have a definitive canon a fixed list of officially accepted scriptures. To this end, he compiled his ‘Canon’, choosing among the works available, including some and excluding others. Irenaeus is the first author whose New Testament canon agrees essentially with that of today.
However, such measures did not prevent the appearance of early ‘Heresies’, on the contrary, these continued to flourish. But Irenaeus promoted Orthodoxy assumed a stable form that assured the survival and eventual victory. It would be irrational to claim that Irenaeus paved the way for what would later happen in the reign of Constantine (which, with its sponsorship, the Roman Empire became a Christian Empire, in a sense) and immediately after this.
The role of Constantine in the history and development of Christianity has been distorted, misrepresented and poorly understood. according to the traditions of the Church after Constantine had inherited from his father a sympathetic predisposition towards Christianity. In practice, this bias seems more a case of convenience. As the Christians were already numerous at that time, and Constantine needed all the support available against Maxentius (Maxentius), his rival in the struggle for the Imperial Throne. In the year 312 CE, Maxentius was defeated in the Battle of Milvian Bridge, Constantine leaving no competitors in their struggle for the Imperial Throne. It is said that immediately before that battle, Constantine had a vision – Enhanced after a prophetic dream – of a luminous cross hanging in the sky. Allegedly had an inscription that crossed ‘In hoc signo vinces’ (With this sign conquer). Tradition has it that clinging to this celestial sign, quickly Constantine ordered his soldiers shields are blazoned with the Christian symbol – The Greek letters Chi and Rho, the first two letters of the word ‘Christos’. This resulted in the victory of Constantine over Maxentius at Ponte Milvio go to represent the triumph of Christianity over paganism.
That is the popular tradition of the Church upon it, is commonly thought that “Constantine converted the Roman Empire to Christianity.” However, Constantine did no such thing. To decide what was what Constantine did precisely, we must examine the evidence more closely.
Firstly, the ‘conversion’ of Constantine, if you can call it, seems to have been Christian, but unabashedly pagan. It seems that Constantine had a kind of vision, or ‘experience’, in the precincts of a pagan temple dedicated to the Gallic Apollo, in the Vosges or near Autun. According to a witness accompanying the army of Constantine, the vision was the Sun God – Deity worshiped by certain cults under the name “Sol Invictus” (“Invincible Sun”). There is evidence that Constantine was initiated in one of these cults to Sol Invictus, shortly before having his ‘vision’. Either way, the Roman Senate erected after the battle of Ponte Milvio, a triumphal arch in the Colosseum. According to the inscription on this arch, the victory was due “to the hand of the Deity …”. But the Deity in question was not Jesus, was the Sol Invictus, the pagan sun god. [3]
Contrary to the Christian tradition, Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman State. The state religion under Constantine was, in fact, the pagan sun worship. And Constantine was a lifelong High Priest. In fact, his reign was called “The Emperatoría the sun” and the Sol Invictus figured everywhere, even in the actual teaching and the coins in the Empire. The image of Constantine as a fervent convert to Christianity is clearly wrong. The same was not baptized until 337 CE, when he lay on his deathbed, apparently very weak and unable to refuse. Nor can you prove the Chi Rho monogram. An inscription with the same monogram was found in a tomb at Pompeii, two and half centuries before these events [4].
The cult of Sol Invictus was Syrian and was originally imposed by the Roman emperors to their subjects a century before Constantine. While containing elements of the worship of Baal and Astarte, was essentially monotheistic. Indeed, assuming that the sun god was the sum of the attributes of all other gods and so peacefully submitted to all potential rivals. Moreover, properly harmonized with the cult of Mithras – which also prevailed in Rome and the Empire at that time, and enveloped the sun worship.
For Constantine, the cult of Sol Invictus was the most convenient. Its primary objective, indeed an obsession, was the unit – Unit policy, religious and territorial unity. A cult or state religion that included all other cults helped, obviously, to meet that goal. And it was under the auspices of the Unconquered Sun that Christianity has consolidated its position.
The “Orthodox Christianity” had much in common with the cult of Sol Invictus, and therefore could flourish under the shade tolerance of the latter. The cult of Sol Invictus, which is essentially monotheistic, opened the way for the monotheism of Christianity. The cult of Sol Invictus was convenient in other ways too, but these issues changed to Christianity, while facilitating its expansion. Announced by a decree in 321 CE, Constantine ordered that the courts be closed for the Venerable Day of the Sun – Sunday – and declared, moreover, that this should be a day of rest. Until then Christianity had clung to the Sabbath rest of the Jews considered sacred. However, by the edict of Constantine, Christianity transferred its sacred day to Sunday (Day of the sun). This not only brought harmony between Christianity and the existing regime, but let’s first be detached from its Jewish origins. Another example, the birth of Jesus was celebrated on January 6th until the fourth century CE. However, the main day of the year in the solar worship was the 25th of December, the festival of Natalis Invictus, the birth – or Renaissance and – the sun, when the days begin to lengthen. Here again, Christianity was subject to the commands of the regime and the customs of the established state religion.
The cult of Sol Invictus was very similar to the cult of Mithra, as they are sometimes confused. [5] Both emphasized the high status of the sun. Both celebrated a great festival of the birth on December 25. Christianity therefore also find points of convergence with Mithraism – More so because the cult of Mithra declared the immortality of the soul, a future Judgement and the resurrection of the dead.
In order to achieve their cherished unity, Constantine tried to narrow the differences between Christianity, Mithraism and Sol Invictus, and deliberately chose not to see any contradiction between these cults. In this sense he tolerated the deified Jesus as the earthly incarnation of Sol Invictus, built a Christian church and at the same time, a statue of the goddess Cybele and of Sol Invictus, the latter would be a statue of Constantine himself, with his features.
These conciliatory and ecumenical attitudes can see the desire to drive again. Faith was to Constantine a matter of policy, and any faith that led to the desired unit was treated with preference.
Despite not being the good Christian that we have traditions, Constantine strengthened the structure of Christian orthodoxy in the name of unity and uniformity. In the year 325 CE, for example, he called a council at Nicaea. At this council defined the date of Easter, set out the rules that defined the authority of bishops, facilitating the accumulation of power in the hands of the Church. The most important thing is that the Council of Nicea decided, by vote! That Jesus was a god and not a mortal prophet. [6] We emphasize again that Constantine had no interest pious, but the convenience that drove him and his obsession with the unit. As a god, Jesus could be conveniently associated with Sol Invictus. A mortal prophet would be much more difficult to view. Soon Christianity embarked on a politically desirable fusion with the official state religion. And the more compromised the Church, Constantine gave more help and support to Orthodox Christianity.
Thus, one year after the Council of Nicea, Constantine ordered the confiscation and burning all the books as opposed to Christian orthodoxy – works by pagan authors would be about Jesus, as well as works of “Christian heretics.” Also allocated a fixed input of money into the coffers of the Church and installed the Bishop of Rome in the Lateran Palace [7]. Then, in 331 CE, commissioned and financed new copies of the Bible. This is one of the most decisive factors in the history of Christianity, Orthodox Christianity gave a golden opportunity. In the year 303 CE, a quarter of a century earlier, the pagan Emperor Diocletian vowed to destroy all Christian writings that could be found, proving that the Christian documents – especially in Rome, almost all were lost. When Constantine ordered to make new versions of these writings, this allowed the custodians of orthodoxy: Check, fix and rewrite your content to match their beliefs. It is likely that at this moment was most critical changes to the New Testament. The importance of this decree of Constantine can not be underestimated. In the 5000 earlier manuscript versions of the New Testament, none is prior to the fourth century CE [8]. The New Testament, as it exists today is essentially the work of editors and scribes of the fourth century.
[1] Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln, Holy Blood, Holy Grail, pp.360-369. Adapted in part.
[2] T. Note : Deify, turn a man into a god. After several emperors Julius Caesar acquired the level of gods and were worshiped as such.
[3] Chadwik, The Early Church, p.125.
[4] Goodenough, Jewish Symbols, Vol 7, p.128ff.
[5] Halsberghe, The Cult of Sol Invictus, the author explains that this cult was brought to Rome in the third century CE by the Emperor Elagabalus. When Aurelian introduced his religious reform was, in fact, a restoration of the cult of Sol Invictus in the way it was originally introduced.
[6] The vote was 218 in favor and 2 against. then ruled that the Son was equal to the Father.
[7] It was not until the year 384 the Bishop of Rome Pope himself would appoint the first time.
[8] It is possible to discover some previous. In 1976, he discovered a large cache of ancient manuscripts in the monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai. The discovery was kept secret until he published a German newspaper in 1978. There are thousands of fragments, some before the year 300 CE, including eight missing pages from the Codex Sinaiticus in the British Museum. The monks who watch this stuff, they have only allowed access to a Greek scholar. See: International Herald Tribune, April 27, 1978.
