Question for non-religious types...(most of us I think)

[QUOTE=rufuspaul]The early church leaders were trying to spread Christianity to the Gentiles so it doesn't seem unusual that they would try and draw comparisons among deities to help explain the faith.[/QUOTE]

I agree 100%, that's why there is so much Pagan influence within the NT. In Acts 9, Jesus says to Ananias "Go!This man [Paul] is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel". So Paul is tasked with spreading the religion to the Gentiles (Pagans), what better way to do that than to tweek the faith to make it more accommodating and familiar to them? As I've posted before, Justin Martyr, an early Church father says:

[QUOTE]"[B]And when we say also that the Word, who is the first-birth of God, was produced without sexual union, and that He, Jesus Christ, our Teacher, was crucified and died, and rose again, and ascended into heaven, we propound nothing different from what you believe regarding those whom you esteem sons of Jupiter[/B]".[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]"[B]And if we assert that the Word of God was born of God in a peculiar manner, different from ordinary generation,[/B] [B]let this, as said above, be no extraordinary thing to you, who say that Mercury is the angelic word of God. But if any one objects that He was crucified, in this also He is on a par with those reputed sons of Jupiter of yours, who suffered as we have now enumerated.[/B]

[B]And if we even affirm that He was born of a virgin, accept this in common with what you accept of Perseus. And in that we say that He made whole the lame, the paralytic, and those born blind, we seem to say what is very similar to the deeds said to have been done by Aesculapius[/B]".[/QUOTE]

So Justin says explicitly that everything Christians believe about Jesus (being born of the word, the virgin birth, healing powers, even the crucifixion/resurrection) is the same exact thing that the Pagans/Gentiles believed about their Gods, more specifically 'The Sons of Jupiter'.

The Universal nature and appeal of Pauline Christianity- a monotheistic religion with Pagan influences- was the perfect tool for an Emperor like Constantine to use to control the diverse population of the Roman Empire through conformity and homogenous worship. It was the same exact thing Ptolemy Soter did in Egypt with Serapis (Christus).

It should be noted that the original Jewish-Christians did not believe that Jesus was a God or the Son of a God, he was human to them. It wasn't until Paul came along and changed the story and spread it to the Gentiles that the original belief was phased out.

[QUOTE]But is it possible that the "teacher" of the dead sea scrolls might have been one of the OT prophets?[/QUOTE]

There is no indication anywhere that the teacher was one of the OT prophets. Nothing in the scrolls or their contemporary/accompanying documents or any scholarly review suggests this.

[QUOTE=-playmaker-]That is really good stuff Don...seriously...I find it really interesting...

exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for when I created this thread...thank you[/QUOTE]

Glad I could help :cheers:

[quote=DonDadda59]I agree 100%, that's why there is so much Pagan influence within the NT. In Acts 9, Jesus says to Ananias "Go!This man [Paul] is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel". So Paul is tasked with spreading the religion to the Gentiles (Pagans), what better way to do that than to tweek the faith to make it more accommodating and familiar to them? As I've posted before, Justin Martyr, an early Church father says:





So Justin says explicitly that everything Christians believe about Jesus (being born of the word, the virgin birth, healing powers, even the crucifixion/resurrection) is the same exact thing that the Pagans/Gentiles believed about their Gods, more specifically 'The Sons of Jupiter'.

The Universal nature and appeal of Pauline Christianity- a monotheistic religion with Pagan influences- was the perfect tool for an Emperor like Constantine to use to control the diverse population of the Roman Empire through conformity and homogenous worship. It was the same exact thing Ptolemy Soter did in Egypt with Serapis (Christus).

It should be noted that the original Jewish-Christians did not believe that Jesus was a God or the Son of a God, he was human to them. It wasn't until Paul came along and changed the story and spread it to the Gentiles that the original belief was phased out.
[/quote]

Interesting. Similar pagan incorporations were also used later on (Halloween, Christmas).

[QUOTE=rufuspaul]Interesting. Similar pagan incorporations were also used later on (Halloween, Christmas).[/QUOTE]
you can also find similar incorporations during the conquest of the americas. Missionaries would tie local religious beliefs/gods into the Catholic faith. there are still some of these syncretic religions in latin america, as well as others combined with Yoruba belief in african-American cultures.

Even the virgin of Guadalupe has non-Xtian roots.