History of Christianity

The History of Christianity
Table of Contents
Section I - The Life of Jesus
Section II - The Early Christians, the First One-Thousand Years
Section III - The Second Thousand Years
Section IV - The Roman Catholics
Section V - What is Christianity Today?
Sources

Introduction
The Bible is, without a doubt, the most studied book in history, not only by the faithful, but by historians and archeologists. They have used biblical text, discarded scriptures, letters, bone fragments, and other artifacts to validate or refute scriptures and to learn about past cultures. While disagreements continue, historians have yet to dispute the fact that Jesus lived, that He had a following, and that He caused change to the world as no other person has ever done. Secular and Christian historians will have different conclusions, as is true about historical accounting of almost any event or person, and these differences involve the historical Jesus, i.e., where he lived, what he did for work, etc. Even the four Gospels give different accountings in this regard. Nevertheless, there is cohesiveness when it comes to the faith documents that are not intended as “history.” There are a number of ‘fringe’ Christian historians that make a lot of money asserting the most outrageous claims about Jesus and his life, i.e., Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code,” which have been left out of this paper. This then is about the more reasonable various academic discussions of Jesus’ physical life, the creation of the New Testament, and the Christian Church that followed. Some of the disputed events by Biblical scholars include the following;
* Mary and Joseph may never have gone to Bethlehem, nor fled to Egypt (1) (2) (3).
* Jesus may have had four brothers and a sister (4) (5).
* Jesus may have had short hair and been clean shaven in the Roman tradition (6).
* Mary Magdalene may have been one of Jesus’ closest apostles, & perhaps His wife (12).
* Rather than acting out of greed or malice, Judas may have been following orders from Jesus as one of His most trusted apostles in turning Him over to Roman soldiers (10).
* Jesus’ brother James may have led the Jewish Christian church in Jerusalem after the crucifixion of Jesus (13) (14).
* The Disciples of Jesus may never have recognized Peter as being the first Pope or as being a central church authority, and the Roman Catholics assertion that there was a line of succession of Popes after Peter for 275 years may be fictitious (16).
* Dozens of gospels may have been discarded by a famous Christian, St. Irenaeus of Lyon, in 180 A.D. to settle a basic disagreement among Christians of the time as to whether Jesus was divine or merely a messenger from God (20).
* The authors of the four Gospels may be anonymous and their names added by later generations (51).

Section I - The Life of Jesus
The first Jewish-Roman War (66–73) would stand in the way of obtaining good information about the details of Jesus’ birth and life. Instead, writing sometime between 80 and 100 AD, the original anonymous authors of the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (names added later) rely on prophecies from the Old Testament. For these two reasons (the Jewish-Roman War and a Biblical story that paraphrases Old Testament prophesies) Biblical historians have relied instead on Jewish and Roman history to paint a more credible story. Their explanations strip away the miracles and dubious supernatural stores to paint a more probable picture of a meek Man with a sharp mind who grows up to conduct a ministry that has had no equal over the ages. God places His Son in a difficult situation to win over mankind by example, not by shock and awe. When the Gospel writers throw in miracles, a virgin birth, a Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, etc. they counter act the story of a humble Jesus. If God had wanted to use supernatural devises to turn people to Him, people would most certainly be awed by such happenings and readily submit to God. For example, Jesus could certainly have flown down from the cross. But such theater would create a tunnel vision populace living to the dictates of God without learning to love neighbors and enemies alike. (49) (51) (51a) (76).

The Birth of Jesus – 4 B.C. in Capernaunm by a very young Jewish girl (75).

Born 4 BC. Jesus had to be born before the death of Herod the Great in 4 BC. There are many theories about the month of the year, and months other than December can not be counted out. The December date was chosen to replace the popular pagan holiday of the birth of the Sun God Mithras for the "return of the sun" after the shortest day of the year.

Born in Bethlehem? Matthew and Luke claim the birthplace of Jesus to be Bethlehem, a city in the central West Bank, approximately 6 miles south of Jerusalem. They use the Old Testament verse in Micah (5:2) stating that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, but they miss-read Micah - "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for me to be ruler in Israel." So Micah was talking about a clan, not a town. But the town of Bethlehem only made sense since Joseph was from the house of David, and David began his life as a shepherd in Bethlehem. (61).

Travel to Bethlehem for the Birth? Joseph could have made the trip to the home of his ancestors, Bethlehem of Judía, to register for a census or tax, a trip of 90 miles south from Nazareth or one of 132 miles south from Capernaum, but to take Mary along? Firstly, the laws of the land required registration where the person lived, not the home of ancestors. Secondly, only Joseph would have been required to make the trip. In the end the birth place cannot be absolutely determined by Biblical historians, but they do all agree that the place for two poor Jews was a humble one, be it a cave or manger.

Lived in Nazareth? Matthew places Jesus’ home in Nazareth when he misunderstands the passages from Isaiah (11:1), where the Messiah is called a “nezer,” and in Judges (13:5) when Samson’s mother is warned: “…the child shall be a Nazarite.” “Nazirarios” in Greek and “nazir” in Hebrew translates as “branch” - a branch from David. And so Matthew (2:23) uses this incorrect translation to say: “he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled.” But Archeological evidence shows that Nazareth did not exit until 30 years after the death of Jesus.

Born and Lived in Capernaum. The most likely place for the birth and young years of Jesus is indicated in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus’ hometown is said to be Capernaum on the north side of the Sea of Galilee, 42 miles north-east of present-day Nazareth. Mark notes (2:1) “When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home…” Jesus rarely addresses citizenry, but when he does, Capernaum is mentioned (Matthew 11:23) but never Nazareth (67).

Mary, Mother of Jesus. The Gospel of Luke promotes Mary as a virtuous goddess possibly to help lure non-Jews to the new religion and create a transition for them from the Greek and Roman goddesses Athena and Minerva who were regarded as virgins. A small group of Biblical historians believe Mary was raped. Luke tells about the time Mary, at the age of 12 or 13, comes in haste to her much older cousin Elizabeth (Elizabeth’s mother, Sobe, and Mary’s mother, Anne, are sisters) who was also about six months pregnant with John the Baptist. Mary talks about herself as a "lowly handmaid" possibly belying the fact that she was the victim of a crime, Jesus being the son of a Roman soldier. Jewish writings between 200 and 500 A.D. say that Jesus was the illegitimate son of a Roman soldier called Panthera. How ironic - sown with the seeds of a Roman soldier to later have his final breath snuffed out when a Roman soldier jabs a spear into His side. Rape was a problem the Jews had to deal with more often than was openly disclosed, with Roman soldiers sometimes having their way with young Jewish girls as they marched unopposed through the Capernaum streets at night. Aside from these two speculations, the most likely story is that the authors writing in Matthew relied on an Old Testament prophecy from the Septuagint (Greek) version of the Hebrew Scriptures. But the Septuagint contains a translation error made when the Hebrew of Isaiah 7:14 was converted into Greek. Isaiah used “almah” to describe a “young” girl who would give birth. If Isaiah wanted to refer to a “virgin,” he would have used the word “bethulah.” Since the authors of Matthew and Luke were unable to read Hebrew; they relied on the translation error of “virgin” and not “young.” They were obviously creating a story in order to make the prophecy come true (68). Historians agree that Mary was indeed young since Jewish law allowed a girl to be married at the age of twelve and a day. Whatever happened, academic Biblical historians can only affirm that Jesus was born (65).

Out of Egypt. In the Gospel of Matthew, shortly after the birth, Mary and Joseph are said to have fled from the region to Egypt and to have stayed there until the death of Herod who had sent out an edict to kill all male babies in fear of the birth of the “King of Jews,” a threat to his royal lineage (3). Herod was not a nice character, and a lot of his misdeeds have been documented, but killing all the male infants of a city would have been extreme even for him. And no such event has been recorded, other than in Matthew’s brief note. Why should Joseph and Mary go all that way to Egypt, an extremely long journey (about 200 miles, a month and a half trip by donkey)? To be on the safe side, a journey of only about 20 miles southward would have taken them out of Herod’s kingdom altogether. Possibly the early Christians, just as in reporting Bethlehem as being Jesus’ birthplace, wanted to fulfill the Old Testament prophecy, i.e., “Out of Egypt have I called my son.”

The Baptism and Fasting - 30 A.D. - Spring. Jesus abandons His life in Nazareth as a carpenter (his trade can not be verified), and goes to Bethany across the Jordan, where He is baptized by John the Baptist, His cousin. Being well versed in the Torah (Old Testament) and its prophecies, it is here that Jesus discovers He is the Messiah of the Jews. After His baptism He travels to the desert of Judea and fasts for forty days. He then wins His first apostles and goes on to carry out a ministry for three year (until his death) preaching to mainly poor folks in the country near the Sea of Galilee.

The Portrait of Jesus. What did Jesus look like as a grown man (6)? Using skeletal remains of the time of Jesus, historical records, artifacts, and logical deduction, British scientists, assisted by Israeli archeologists, have re-created what they believe is the most accurate image of Jesus. Since He was a Jew, He likely had very tan skin, dark eyes, and dark hair, a far cry from the blond or brown-haired, blue-eyed, fair-skinned Jesus in most modern pictures. The average build of a Semite male at the time of Jesus was discovered to be about 5’-1, with a weight of 110 pounds. Since Jesus worked outdoors as a carpenter during most of his life, it is reasonable to assume He was more muscular and physically fit than westernized portraits suggest. And there is strong evidence to suggest that His hair was short and He was clean-shaven. It was common custom throughout the Roman Empire in the first century for men to have their hair short. They followed the examples of the Caesars of Rome who always wore short hair. Clean-shaven, short, cropped hair was a style that began in 297 B.C. as prescribed by Roman emperors and was the order of the day throughout the Roman Empire during the time of Jesus. Some argue that some Jews may have worn their hair long in accordance with custom. Not so, for in the Jewish Talmud is the instruction that every thirty days, all the priests should cut their hair. Priests set the example for the rest of the community. The Jews in effect went along with the style of the day which was the “Caesar Cut.” Reenactments of the Roman Empire during this time reflect all men clean shaven. Why then are pictures and movies about Jesus showing all men with Renaissance type beards? It is known that no images of Jesus were made while He was alive and for a hundred years later. But when early portraits did appear, they showed Jesus with short hair and beardless. The transformation of the physical face of Jesus changed during the time of Roman Emperor Constantine who converted to Christianity in 312 A.D. Early Christians began to abandon all of the pictures of Christ made previously which showed Jesus beardless and with hair like ordinary men of his time. But now, with Constantine, the people began to want Jesus to appear like the pagan gods, so they selected the model of Zeus after the Egyptian rendition of Sarapis (the Egyptian Zeus) to be their portrait of Jesus. This image of Jesus with long hair and a beard continued through the early Renaissance right up to this day. Supporting the short hair and clean-shaven Jesus image is the apostle Paul (0 – 64 A.D.) who shamed men with long hair. He said that God commanded the male to be made in the image of God who was groomed with short hair (I Corinthians 11:3-16: “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a dishonor to him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.”). The only exception was a customary period during periods of mourning when Jewish men would let their hair grow.

Jesus Sentenced to Die on a Cross

Fixing the Date. Jesus is executed at the age of 37 on orders from Pontius Pilate. In 1990 John Pratt and Bradley Schaefer, using astronomical evidence, independently arrive at April 3, 33 AD as the date of the crucifixion of Jesus. A third method, using a completely different astronomical approach based on a lunar Crucifixion darkness and eclipse model (consistent with Apostle Peter's reference to a "moon of blood" in Acts 2:20) arrives at the same date, namely Friday April 3, AD 33 (70).

Passover Week - March - April 33 A.D. Jerusalem, which has a normal population of about 50,000, triples in size with the influx of pilgrims celebrating the Jewish holiday. In the gospel of Mark, Herod Antipas has John the Baptist beheaded for condemning a marriage arrangement, and the Gospel of Luke states that when Jesus is brought before Pontius Pilate for trial, Pilate hands him over to Herod Antipas, where upon Herod Antipas sends Jesus back to Pilate. These two stories do not seem likely. When Caiaphas reports to Pontius Pilate that Jesus is agitating the masses, the outcome is swift and without the fanfare that the New Testament describes. There had been a dozen uprisings in Palestine in the previous 100 years and so Herod Antipas gives orders to Pontius Pilate to allow zero tolerance for disruptions. The choice is therefore easy for Pilate. He sentences Jesus to death (along with other people picked up for petty crimes) in the typical Roman fashion lashed to a cross outside the walls of Jerusalem at a place called Golgotha to slowly die over a three to four day tortuous ordeal. In the famous anti-Semitic German Oberammergau Passion Play, Pilate is depicted as throwing Jesus into the hands of the Jewish priests and elders to let them decide (not likely) (9) (69) (71) (72) (73) (74).

Judas Leads Soldiers to Jesus. The view of one of Jesus' first followers, Judas, as an evil Jewish person who turns Jesus in to the Roman authorities has fed the flames of anti-Semitism and has often been used by Roman Catholic Christians to attack Jews throughout history. After being lost for nearly 1,700 years, the Gospel of Judas was found in 1978 in an Egyptian cave and recently restored, authenticated, and translated by the National Geographic Society. The Gospel of Judas tells the last days of Jesus' life, from the viewpoint of Judas (10). Christians teach that Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, but in this gospel, he is the hero, Jesus' most senior and trusted disciple. Jesus instructs Judas to turn him over to Roman authorities. Rather than acting out of greed or malice, this gospel says Judas is following orders when he leads soldiers to Jesus.

Last Supper. Jesus is arrested on Thursday night, a few hours after His Last Supper, tried during the night, crucified at about 9 AM the next morning, taken down from the cross later that day and buried (the day of the Preparation (Friday)). They put His body in a tomb quickly, before sundown; else it would be during the Sabbath (Saturday), when Jewish burial is not allowed. For Jews the Sabbath (Saturday) is special, the Feast of the Passover (Mark 14:12 and 15:42) (59).

The Crucifixion. After Jesus’ arrest, the Gospel of John says that after six hours on the cross Jesus calls out, 'I am thirsty.” A man sent by Joseph, administers water, vinegar, wine, or a drug. Whatever the nature of the liquid, Jesus immediately lapses into complete unconsciousness. A soldier shortly thereafter jabs a spear into His side thus ending His worldly life by any account (9).

The Burial. Joseph of Arimathea, a rich and newly converted Jew and follower of Jesus, bravely goes to Pilate and requests the body of Jesus for burial in a new garden tomb. This amazingly brave act is set in contrast to the apostles who had either fled or denied even knowing Jesus. The Roman Catholic Church eventually makes Joseph the Patron Saint of Undertakers. His feast day is March 17th (11).

Mary Magdalene - Apostle? Wife? (12) Mary Magdalene is at the crucifixion, watching from a distance, and she is the first witness to the empty tomb. After telling the disciples what she had seen or not seen, she is never mentioned again in the Scriptures. Mary Magdalene and Jesus most likely had some sort of union, possibly marriage. The Gospel of Philip cites the idea that Jesus married Mary Magdalene, but the Gospel of Philip would be cut from the final New Testament Book. Furthermore, Jesus is likely to have included her as one of his most trusted inner circle of apostles, along with Judas. Any reference to this would never have been included in the scriptures since this would have been problematic when apostles tried to expand Christianity into the Greek and Roman world, where spiritual purity demanded a virtuous Jesus. And so the church fathers effectively write Magdalene out of the official record, but her story is kept alive through myths, legends, and secret signs which assert that, after the death of Jesus, she flees to southern France with Lazarus and his sister, Martha, for safety. Early French literature tells of her arrival on the shores of Provence. Her Feast Day, July 22, has been a major celebration in France right up to present day. From the earliest times, the Roman Catholic Church casts Mary Magdalene as being the mother of sacrilege, or a prostitute. In portraying women as inferior to men, the Catholic Church uses her story and that of Eve’s “original sin” to keep women out of the priesthood and subservient to men. The perception of Mary Magdalene is not corrected by the Catholic Church until the twentieth century, but women continue to be denied priesthood (7).

Section II - The Early Christians, the First One-Thousand Years

Early Christian Jews Reach Out to Non-Jews - 33-62 A.D. After the death of Jesus, His brother, James, leads the Jewish Christian church in Jerusalem while Peter leads a small Christian community in Rome (13). There, far from Jerusalem, Peter begins to abandon James's fundamentalist ideology requiring one to first be Jewish before becoming a new Christian. James’ Jewish Christianity is not attractive to Rome and his congregation falters. Finally in 62 A.D., annoyed by James’ ministry, Ananus, the high priest in Jerusalem, has James stoned to death (14). While back in Rome Peter sows the seeds for the beginnings of the Christian Church. Nevertheless the apostles of Jesus never recognize Peter as being the first Pope, as Roman Catholics claim, nor do they prescribe to a central church authority for the next 300 years (16).

The Destruction of Jerusalem -70 A.D. The Jews rebel against Roman rule in Jerusalem (17). After a 143 day siege which begins at Passover, a Roman military force consisting of about 30,000 troops under the command of Titus batters the walls and enters Jerusalem. They destroy everything. The population and the great number of Passover visitors who had been trapped there are brutally slaughtered, with an estimated population of 600,000, many, if not most of the people are killed. After Jerusalem is left desolate, Rome suddenly becomes the dominant center of Christianity.

The Shaping of the Religion - 55 - 180 A.D. The apostles and other followers of Jesus, most of who are technically illiterate, begin to tell about Jesus’ life and what it means (54). These stories are repeated to other early Christians as they travel all over the Roman Empire. Those that can write put these stories into letters and manuscripts. Paul's letters in the 50’s AD are the earliest of Christian known documents (18) (47). He becomes one of several Christian leaders to perceive what writings seem authentic and worth copying and passing on. Most historians believe the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are first written during this time, between 50 and 100 AD (49), but are uncertain about the original authors of the four Gospels. They are believed to be anonymous, and that their names are added by later generations (51)(51a). While changes are made as the Gospels and other manuscripts are copied and re-written, the basic tenants of the four Gospels remain in agreement. But other historical differences do appear, only to validate the fact that the various copiers and writers did not sanitize or change the basic tenants of the “word.” Of the four Gospels only Matthew and John carry names from the twelve apostles.
(1) Andrew brother of Peter
(2) Bartholomew son of Talemai
(3) James the Great
(4) James the Less, son of Alphaeus or James the Just (brother of Jesus) (14)
(5) John son of Zebedee
(6) Judas Iscariot
(7) Jude or Thaddaeus or Judas the Zealot brother of James (see the Epistle of Jude)
(8) Matthew the tax collector
(9) Peter as called by Jesus also known as Simon (see the Epistles of Peter)
(10) Philip from Bethsaida
(11) Simon the Canaanite or Simon the Zealot
(12) Thomas or Judas Thomas Didymus (50)(55).

Lint/Easter - 100 A.D. To convert Pagans to Christianity, early Christians combine Pagan festivals into Christian doctrine. The 40 day abstinence of Lent is directly borrowed from the great annual festival commemorating 40 days of weeping for the god Tammuz, the prelude to Tammuz's death and resurrection. In Rome during the April great feast of Ceres, goddess of crops and fertility, calves were killed and burned whole as a sacrifice to Tammuz. The ashes were mixed with oil and marked on the foreheads of worshippers. Joining to this tradition early Christians adopt an ancient festival celebrating the Saxon goddess of springtime, Eastre. When the second-century Christian missionaries encounter the Saxon tribes of the north with their Eastre celebrations, they convert them to Christianity by using their own celebration. Since the festival of Eastre occurred at the same time of year as the Christian observance of the resurrection of Christ, they use it to slowly alter Eastre into a Christian observance. The early name, Eastre, is eventually changed to its modern spelling, Easter (65) (66) (67).

The Early Writings are Consolidated - 180 A.D.
A famous Christian, Irenaeus of Lyon (56), is a prominent force in consolidating the early Christian writings, particularly the four New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Irenaeus is motivated to insure the four Gospels clearly define Jesus’ unique position as God and man, a doctrine central to the belief in the trinity, the incarnation, and the atonement (8). Irenaeus eliminates writings known as the Gnostic Gospels written by a group of early Christians who do not believe in salvation through Jesus, but instead spiritual enlightenment through personal insights (21) (22). Irenaeus charges that the Gnostic works are "full of blasphemy," despite the fact that the Gnostics have wide appeal in the second century (10). Gnostic Gospels are discovered through a number of finds between 1896 and 1955. They include the gospels of Thomas, Mary Magdalene, Judas, Philip, and Sophia (20).

Christianity Almost Dies Out - 180-312 A.D. The Roman population, being 90-93% pagan, persecutes and ostracizes the early Christians because of their supposedly anti-social activities such as the practice of the Lord’s Supper (drinking of the blood), worship of a crucified figure, and rejection of popular deities. (8).

The Savior of the Religion - First Pope? - 312 A.D. Roman Emperor Constantine converts to Christianity (15) and calls for the Council of Nicea to settle internal conflicts that had developed within the Church. The Council centralizes Christian doctrinal authority by calling for human authority and power, and gives that power to Constantine as the first Pope. Biblical scholars contend that the lines of succession of the Pope and the Papacy for the first 275 years of the Roman Catholic Church are fictitious (16).

Christmas is Given a Date - 350 A.D. Julius I, Bishop of Rome, formally chooses December 25th as the observance of Christmas. The Christian "Christmas" celebration is invented to compete against the pagan celebrations of December. The Church takes the merriment, lights, and gifts from these pagan festivals and incorporates them into Christmas. At first Christians had wanted to keep the birthday of their Christ child a solemn and religious holiday, not one of cheer as the Romans practiced. But as Christianity spreads they become alarmed by the continuing celebration of pagan customs among their converts. So Christians eventually decide that the celebration can be tamed and made into a celebration fit for the Christian Son of God (23).

The Trinity 325 – 400 A.D. The nature of Jesus is contentious for several hundred years in the early development of the church. In 325 A.D. Arius http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arius preaches and greatly publicizes that Jesus is a super-archangel: greater than all other creatures, but not equal with God, a view held by Gnostics and other early Christian theologians http://www.exchangedlife.com/Sermons/topical/trinity/heresies1.shtml , but Eusebius of Nicomedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius_of_Nicomedia apposes Arius’ view, and, being more influential, wins out in drafting the Creed of Nicea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed in 325 A.D. setting forth the doctrine of Jesus and God on equal footing, i.e., "co-equality, co-eternity, and consubstantiality" http://catholicexchange.com/2011/01/26/143405 ; but the Creed of Nicea says little about the Holy Spirit. In 362 A.D. Pope Athanasius http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athanasius_of_Alexandria refines the Nicene formula to include the Holy Spirit and thus the third pillar of the Trinity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity . By the end of the 4th century under the leadership and influence of a Christian theologian and monastic, Basil of Caesarea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_of_Caesarea , the doctrine substantially reaches its final and current form. Controversy http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/trinity.htm continues right up to this day since the idea of the Trinity can either be refuted http://www.answering-christianity.com/ac/whatt.htm in verse or proven http://www.montney.com/inspire/trinity.htm .

The Vatican - 400 - 1000 A.D. Italy is invaded several times by Goths, Huns, and Vandals. With the declining power of the eastern portion of the Roman Empire the strength of the Papacy increases. The Popes, most notably Gregory the Great (590-604 AD), assert political authority in Rome and create what is to become the "Patrimony of Saint Peter," a collection of estates under the sovereignty of the Pope. The tiny and independent Vatican City of the present is a remnant of these estates (24).

Section III - The Second Thousand Years

The East-West Schism – 1054 A.D. This event divides Christianity into Western Catholicism (Rome) and Eastern Orthodoxy (Constantinople) as the result of disputes over papal authority (19).

The Crusades - 1095 A.D. The Pope sanctions the crusades, a series of military campaigns conducted in the name of Christendom to recapture Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims. Crusades last for almost 200 years, and an estimated nine million people die as a result (25).

The Inquisitions - 1173 – 1680 A.D. “Waldensian” is considered to be the first protestant movement to break away from Roman Catholic Church authority (26). Started by Peter Waldo, he begins to preach on the streets of Lyon, France. Declared contrary to accepted Catholic belief, the movement is brutally persecuted by the Church. Thus begins the Roman Catholic Inquisitions or efforts to eradicate dissenters. The Church does not hesitating to put to death all who oppose her. After the 13th century the inquisitions spread northward to Germany and Scandinavia and eventually Span. The Inquisitions last for 500 years with an estimated 900,000 Protestants and Jews put to death. The Church devastates towns and villages as the Waldensians became absorbed into the wider Protestant Reformation. In the Netherlands, over 100,000 are massacred. In France 50,000 Huguenots are killed in the St. Bartholomew's Massacre; and in the Huguenot Wars, 200,000 perish, and another 500,000 flee for their lives. The mass slaughter is shockingly complemented by cruel tortures to get Protestants and Jews to reveal other dissenters, to then be mercilessly burned at the stake (27).

The Protestant Reformation 1517 A.D. Martin Luther, a Catholic Monk, starts the Protestant Reformation when he sees church corruption and comes to reject the central authority of the Pope. He posts his famous “95 Theses” to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, a place commonly used to post notices to the University community. Indulgences, a process used by the Catholic Church to remove a sin, were being sold to the faithful even before sinful acts were committed. The only thing indulgences guaranteed, Luther said in his “95 Theses,” were an increase in Catholic profit and greed. Luther is protected from Catholic persecution by Frederick III of Saxony (28). During this time the luxury of Roman Catholic cathedrals stands in contrast to the poor and needy that huddle outside the walls of these pyramids of the Middle Ages (46).

The Bible Translated for the Common Man - 1522 A.D. Luther translates the New Testament from Greek into German (29). Due to the recently developed printing press the German translation and Luther’s other writings are widely read, influencing many subsequent reformers and thinkers, giving rise to Protestant churches. Up until this time only Catholic priest could read and interpret the Bible. Luther’s translation will later significantly influence the English King James Version of the Bible to be written almost a century later, between 1604-1611AD, by no less than 47 scholars working arduously at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Westminster (53) (8). For nearly fifteen-hundred years since the death and resurrection of Jesus, scribes and followers had been re-writting and editing the story of His life and ministry countless times. For the first time, these manuscripts are frozen through the power of the printing press. In the 1990’s a distinguished group of biblical scholars use their collective expertise to determine the authenticity of more than fifteen hundred sayings attributed to Jesus in the English King James Version of the Bible and conclude it represents 18% of the words Jesus actually spoke. But this in no way diminishes the Christ of faith. The fact that these scholars have authenticated 18% of the words of Jesus, requiring collateral proof in a purely academic climate, is astonishing and has no parallel in any religious doctrine outside of Christianity (54)!

The Church of England - 1534 A.D. - Present. The Catholic Church in England separates from Rome during the reign of King Henry VIII when he wants his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled. Henry becomes Supreme Head of the Church of England. Today the Church of England is called the Anglican Communion which is a world-wide affiliation of churches, each with national or regional autonomy. The Church of England is regarded as the "Mother Church" of the worldwide communion with its head, the Archbishop of Canterbury. With 77 million members in 161 countries, the Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion in the world, after the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States is a branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion and has fewer than two and a half million members. Recently the Episcopal Church has asked the Anglican Communion to face various contentious doctrinal questions such as conflicts over the ordination of women as priests (accepted in 1992), the status of non-celibate gay clergy (still unsettled today), and the consecration of women as bishops (now pending approval) (30).

The Amish - 1536 – 2006 A.D. Menno Simons, a Dutch Roman Catholic priest, leaves the Church to start the Mennonite religion (31). In 1680, Jacob Amman, a Swiss Mennonite leader starts the Amish movement when he sees Mennonites drifting away from the teachings of Simons (32). In the 18th century, to avoid religious persecution and compulsory military service, the Amish leave the Netherlands and settle in Pennsylvania. On Oct 2, 2006, a milk-truck driver, carrying three guns and a childhood grudge, storms a one-room Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania killing five children before committing suicide. The Amish respond with forgiveness and set up a charitable fund for the family of the shooter (33). Today the world’s Amish number about 60,000.

The Southern Baptists - 1560 – 2006 A.D. Baptist churches are an Evangelical Protestant denomination originating from the English Puritan movement, early Protestants who called themselves "the godly." From this theological movement “Reformed” or “Calvinist” emerge and later as Presbyterian, Baptist, and Congregationalist churches. The Southern Baptist Convention in the United States, with over 16 million members (34) (35) is the largest Baptist association in the world, and the second-largest Christian denomination in the USA after the Roman Catholic Church. Today many Southern Baptists maintain the Baptist Church is the only true “Church,” all others being mere human "societies" or defectors (37). In Aug 2005, a prominent Southern Baptist leader, Pat Robertson, advocates the assassination of Venezuelan President Chávez (36). While this statement receives much Christian criticism, there is a pattern of silence from many Southern Baptists and Evangelical Protestants. These Evangelical Protestants, mostly Southern Baptists, have become increasingly powerful in local, state, and national politics. They fervently believe that the United States should be a Christian country governed by Christian principles with little, if any, separation of church and state. They believe the founding fathers intended to found a Christian nation based on a belief in Jesus Christ (48).

The Salvation Army - 1865 A.D. - Present. The Salvation Army is an evangelical Christian denomination founded in 1865 by one time Methodist minister William Booth. The Salvation Army is one of the world's largest providers of social aid, with expenditures of over $2.6 billion to help more than 30 million people. Approximately 550,000 consider the Salvation Army their place of worship (38).

Televangelists - 2nd Century – Present. Christianity began as a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. When it went to Athens, it became a philosophy. When it went to Rome, it became an organization. When it went to Europe, it became a culture. When it came to America, it became a business. In the twentieth century, some televangelists (who are little more than greedy charlatans and spiritual impostors) use radio and television to pronounce the name Jesus Christ for nothing more than personal profit (43). But not all televangelists are motivated by greed, and a small handful have good intentions and provide comfort to those who are invalid and sick or otherwise would not attend church.

Section IV - The Modern Roman Catholic Church

1942-1945 – the Jewish Holocaust. Pope Pius XII remains silent as the Germans Nazis deliberately and systematic exterminate over six million Jews.

1994 – The Magdalene Laundries. An order of nuns in Dublin sells off part of its convent to real estate developers. On the property the new owners find remains of 133 women buried in unmarked graves. As it turns out, the unwed mothers had been virtual prisoners, confined by the Catholic Church behind convent walls for perceived sins of the flesh, and sentenced to a life of harsh servitude in medieval Magdalene laundries with their torturous existence being acerbated by the sounds of their children in orphanages adjacent to the laundries. Woman could see and hear their children but couldn't even talk to them. The last Magdalene laundry was closed in 1997. The Catholic Church put a lid on the scandal without admitting to any wrong.

2002 - The Roman Catholic American Sex Scandal. Major lawsuits emerge alleging that 4,400 Catholic priests raped 11,000 children between 1950 and 2002. Settlements result in $2 billion. The scandal centers on the actions of the Catholic hierarchy who do not report the crimes to legal authorities but instead reassigns the offending priest to other congregations where they continue their crimes. The Vatican insists that it has instituted reforms to prevent future abuse.

May 2009 - Irish Roman Catholic Schools. A nine year investigation into Ireland's Roman Catholic-run institutions reports that priests and nuns terrorized thousands of boys and girls in workhouse-style schools from the 1930’s up to the late 1990’s when they were closed. The Roman Catholic Christian Brothers Order regularly molested and raped boys. On the female side the Sisters of Mercy nuns regularly beat and humiliated girls. Irish taxpayers fork over more than 90% in a bill that settles abuse claims, about $1.76 billion to 12,500 abuse victims. Even the small amount the Roman Catholic Church promised has not been totally paid to this date.

Mar 2010 – the Roman Catholic Irish Sex Scandal. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church confesses to the role he played decades ago in handling child sexual abuse cases by allowing pedophile priests to remain in positions with children to sexually assault thousands more young boys. The Irish sex scandal unfolds about the same time as the one in America. Three government-ordered investigations document a shocking catalog of child abuse and church cover-ups from the 1930s to 1990s involving more than 15,000 children.

Mar 2010 – the Roman Catholic German Sex Scandal. A Catholic sex scandal of earthquake proportions erupts in Germany reverberating from the American and Irish Catholic Church scandals where the papacy had vowed to opened secret files and go forward under a zero tolerance policy. But now those vows are coming unraveled and exposed as lies. It started in Feb 2010 when Germany, an elite Jesuit high school, disclosed a sordid past of a number of members of the order abusing students in the 1970s and 1980s. After that, dozens of victims began coming forward on a daily basis accusing Jesuit priests of raping them as children and adolescents. Then a few days later another ax fell as former choirboys of the famous Regensburg Cathedral Choir told the German newspaper Der Spiegel about sexual and physical abuse from 1964 to 1994 at two boarding schools of the choir, a choir headed by Pope Benedict XVI 's brother, the Right Reverend Monsignor George Ratzinger. Now hundreds of Germans are coming forward with report of abuse at the hands of Catholic clerics. According to a Der Spiegel’s survey of Germany's 27 dioceses conducted in March, at least 94 priests and members of the laity in Germany are suspected of abusing countless children and adolescents since 1995.

April 2010 – the Roman Catholic Australian Sex Scandal. The sex scandal spreads to Australia. Two Australian dioceses suspend five priests pending investigations into allegations they had molested students. An investigation opens in the Netherlands to investigate claims from more than 200 people claiming sexual abuse from Catholic clerics.

The Vatican’s Involvement in the Sex Scandals. In the early 2000’s, as head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the main doctrinal arm, Pope Benedict (then a Cardinal) led the Vatican investigations into the American and Irish abuse cases. He was the one who minimized the problem, accused the news media of blowing it out of proportion, and said it all stemmed from American immorality. He was the one who authorized millions of dollars on lawyers to defend the dioceses. He negotiated the least amount of monetary settlements and shielded thousands of pedophile priests so that they could continue molesting little boys. While Benedict was acting to quash the scandal Pope John Paul II declared that child sexual abuse was "a sin against the ‘Sixth Commandment of the Decalogue’ by a cleric with a minor under 18 years of age.” He said it “is to be considered a grave sin, or delictum gravius." The Vatican vowed to institute worldwide reforms, but at least in Ireland the abuse continues as priests ignore laws and hid pedophile abusers. To dampen calls for an investigation from the Irish government, in September 2010 the Vatican announced that it would begin its own inquiry, but many saw this as a cover-up. An independent investigation targeting a sample town, Cloyne, Ireland, released its findings in July 2011 finding a continued catastrophic failure to follow church rules on reporting abuse. Fed up with Vatican foot dragging, the Irish government in July 2011 summoned the Vatican's ambassador for a rare face-to-face confrontation. Despite the 2001 declaration, the Vatican has quietly decided to keep the church's canon law, the "seal of the confessional,” above criminal law. The Cloyne investigation and the recent findings in Germany show widespread continued abuse. The Vatican’s intrinsic holiness conveys only outright obstructionism as the Vatican remains opposed to prison sentences for anyone who withholds information from the authorities about child abuse. How much longer must the Church hide behind the seal of confession while innocent children suffer a horrible fate from the very people they have been taught to put the most trust in, people who have ruined their lives? (68-69)

Today the Roman Catholic Church
* Holds up its “seal of the confessional” as an intrinsic holiness more essential to the Church than having their members’ lives torn apart by pedophile priest who continue to molest children with scant Church intervention.
* stonewalls restitution payments to thousands of people abused in Irish workhouse-style schools for decades
* fails to admit significant culpability in the recent discovery of a century long abuse to women in Magdalene laundries.
* refuses to fully sanction the use of condoms as the world faces an AIDS pandemic with over 33 million people living with the disease worldwide (63). In Nov 2010 the Vatican made an exception, but only to those with HIV/Aids. The Vatican says that preventing another person from being infected is the lesser of two evils, even it means averting a possible pregnancy and baby born with HIV/Aids. (63 and 70).
* casts women as inferior to men, using Eve’s “original sin” to keep women out of the priesthood and subservient to men. Ordination of women is simply a matter of justice, and the lack of such ordination is proof that the Catholic Church still does not value women.

This caps an incredible but tragic chronicle of an institution that is supposedly centered on kindness, love, and forgiveness.

Section V - What is Christianity Today?

Over the last 1,650 years the Christian religion has grown to become the largest religion in the world, 32% of the world’s population or 2.1 billion. Of note is the fact that the Christian religion was born out of the Jewish religion which is now one fifth of one percent of the world’s population or 14 million. Sadly the Christian church today is severely fragmented with a number of prominent religions firmly believing their doctrine provides the only possible path to heaven to the exclusion of all others (44). Many Christian leaders are trading caring and loving theologies for pure politics by thumping pulpits for laws on stem cell research, abortion, and gay marriage at the expense of helping the truly poor and needy (45). Since the creation of the Christian Church, more often than naught, Christians have used their religion to justify wars, genocide, torture, and other atrocities against the unfaithful and other religions. Today the sad fact emerges that Jesus’ message of love, acceptance, and equality exits only in the smallest of religious groups reaching out to gays (Episcopalians), asking forgiveness for those who murder their children (the Amish), or working to help the poor and needy (the Salvation Army). The vast majority of people who make up a religion define it, regardless of canon. So today as Europe's great churches stand empty because Christians consider their religion too out-of-date in a "progressive" society devoted to the good life (57), the day will have to wait for a future time when a larger congregation of Christians can learn and live the life and teachings put forth by Jesus.

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"True" Christian Church?” - http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_true.htm
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(46) Wikipedia - “European History/The Crises of the Middle Ages - Corruption in the Church” - http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/European_History/The_Crises_of_the_Middle_Ages
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(54) Robert W. Funk and Roy W. Hoover’s, “The Five Gospels, the Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus” http://www.westarinstitute.org/Polebridge/Title/5Gospels/5gospels.html
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(57) Brian M. Carney’s “The Cube and the Cathedral, Why Europe's Great Churches are Empty” in the Wall Street Journal Apr 14, 2005 - http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110006554
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(59) On the Last Passover and the day
of our Lord's crucifixion http://www.sedin.org/propeng/passover.htm
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(61) “Catholic Nuns, Priests Terrorized Thousands In Ireland May 21, 2009,” The Australian, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010, Australia.
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(65) “The History behind Easter Traditions,” by Megan Abigail White
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(66) “The Traditions of Easter” http://wilstar.com/holidays/easter.htm
(67) “The 40 Days of Weeping for Tammuz (Lent),” http://www.hope-of-israel.org/lent.htm
(68)“Ireland Censures Vatican on Silence,” The Australian, The Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse, July 16, 2011 http://www.abolishsexabuse.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1093:ireland-censures-vatican-on-silence&catid=77:the-cloyne-report
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Questions

1. In the above discussion Jewish priests and elders report to the Roman authorities that Jesus is agitating the masses. There had been a dozen uprisings in Palestine in the previous 100 years and so Rome gives orders to the governor of Jerusalem, Pontius Pilate, to allow zero tolerance for disruptions. The choice is therefore easy for Pilate. He sentences Jesus to death in the typical Roman fashion lashed to a cross to slowly die over a three to four day tortuous ordeal. But according to the Gospel of Luke, Pilate tells the Jews that Jesus has done nothing to deserve death whereby the Jewish crowd shouts “crucify him!” The Gospel of Luke goes on to have Pilate offer to pardon Jesus, the Roman practice of releasing a prisoner during the Passover season as a gesture of good will towards the Jewish people. Luke says that the Jewish crowd instead asks for the release of the murderer Barabbas instead of Jesus. Not only is the Gospel of Luke adding to the idea that the crucifixion of Jesus was all at the behest of the Jews, the story adds in a false Roman practice, as history has no records of a good will Passover practice of releasing an accused or convicted person (58). The Gospel of Luke also states that Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, but in the Gospel of Judas, Jesus instructs Judas to turn him over to Roman authorities. Rather than acting out of greed or malice, this gospel says Judas is following orders when he leads soldiers to Jesus. It is unfortunate that these Biblical accounts in Luke have been used from the very earliest times of Christianity up through the 20th Century to persecute Jews. For example, the historic version of this in the Oberammergau Passion Play enacted every ten years in Germany not only continues to be undeniably anti-Semitic in character, but is a reflection of historical anti-Semitism in the Catholic Church. The Oberammergau Passion Play was watched by Adolf Hitler, and gave him added fuel for his campaign of Jewish persecution. Could the Gospel of Luke thus have been altered by early Christians who did not get along well with Jews?

* On Palm Sunday sermons generally asked why Jesus’ Disciples acted in the manner they did, turning Him over to the Roman authorities, denying ever having known Him, and keeping quiet as a Jewish mob asks for His death. Perhaps the Disciples did not act in this way.

2. What did Jesus look like, and is it important for us to know the most correct portrait of Him? Why do movies about the Roman Empire during the time of Jesus show men clean shaven, but movies and documentaries about Jesus show all Roman men with Renaissance type beards? If the portrait of Jesus in this early Renaissance style with long hair and beard is incorrect, would it not be better to depict him now in modern day dress and clean shaven?
* He had very tan skin, dark eyes, and dark hair, about 5’-3,” with a weight of 110 pounds. He was muscular, His hair was short and He was clean-shaven. The image of Jesus with long hair and a beard was a product of styles in the early Renaissance and the false image exists right up to this day. It is known that no images of Jesus were made while He was alive and for a hundred years later. It was not until the mid 2nd century when the first image appears, a fresco, “Catacomb of Jesus Preaching,” and later in 300 A.D. an ivory statuette sculpted both showing Jesus clean-shaven with short hair. The transformation of art depicting Jesus comes at the beginning of the 6th century when He is shown as bearded with long hair in “the Bapistry of the Orthodox” by the Italian Ravenna. This image of Jesus with long hair and a beard continues through the early Renaissance right up to this day.

3. Robert W. Funk and Roy W. Hoover’s, “The Five Gospels, the Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus,” (54) contend that in the first 40 or so years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, His disciples embellished their verbal storytelling with miracles and statements attributed to Jesus that were never spoken by Him. Thomas Jefferson believed this and sought to separate Jesus’ ethical teachings from the religious dogma and other supernatural elements that are intermixed in the accounts provided in the four Gospels. He presented Jesus’ teachings and essential events of His life in one continuous narrative called "the Jefferson Bible." In that the disciples were illiterate and storytelling does tend to embellish and change to some degree, what really happened? Do you believe the miracles and supernatural parts of the Four Gospels are accurate? Do you think the story was changed along the way before the New Testament was set to print (1522 A.D. or almost 1500 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus)?
* Most historians believe the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are originally written between 50 and 100 A.D
* Most modern Christian scholars are uncertain about the original authors of the four Gospels and believe they are anonymous with their names ascribed by later generations.
* Only the Gospels of Matthew and John are names taken from any of the twelve apostles of Jesus. Luke and Mark may have been Evangelists who lived after the time of Jesus.


4. What was omitted from the New Testament that would have changed perceptions of the scriptures?
* Gnostic Gospels of Thomas, Mary Magdalene, Judas, Philip, and Sophia.
* Status of women during the time of Jesus
* Early life of Jesus
* Better understanding of the relationship between Judas and Jesus, and between Mary Magdalene and Jesus.

5. What are examples of the best and worst Christian behavior?
* Best –
- Episcopal Church accepting and seeking equality for women and gays
- Amish asking forgiveness for murders
- Salvation Army helping millions
* Worst –
- The Crusades
- The Inquisitions
- Lack of Christian uniformity or progress in the ecumenical movement.
Thomas Jefferson, from 1782, “Notes on Virginia,” - “Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity.”
- Demonizing women (casting Mary Magdalene as a prostitute)
- Christian Scientists withholding medicines to their dying children
- Catholic teachings opposing the use of condoms for any reason as the only known protection against HIV/AIDS as the world faces an AIDS pandemic with 4.3 million added each year in 2006
- Turning the pulpit into a political podium
- Catholic Church’s silence during the Holocaust
- Money hungry Televangelists
- Religious leaders calling for assassinations or blaming disasters (such as 9/11) on humane immorality
- Denying participation in the “Lord’s Supper” to anyone who has not been baptized or been to Confession