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When Did Christianity Begin?

 

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(← click) How did Christianity start and spread? Many in the West, especially in the United States, believe that Christianity went into a dormant state with the death of the 12 Apostles or when it became allied with the state in 325 A.D. under Constantine the Great, Emperor of the Greco-Roman Empire, and only with Gutenberg's invention of the printing press in the 15th century and the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century did Christianity arouse itself from its slumber. But that is a vast oversimplification of Church history.

For the first 2 or 3 centuries, what we now call Christianity was then considered first as a branch of Judaism like the Essenes or Zealots, then as a spin-off sect of Judaism that most Jews had rejected. And yet, this new belief in Yeshua as the Messiah not only of the Jews but also of all nations persisted and expanded, even under severe persecution by the pagan state and society, as the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham that in him all nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12).

It was only after 325 A.D. when this new "fulfilled Judaism" was tolerated by society and the state, that followers of "the Messiah" in Aramaic, or "the Khristos" in Greek (both titles mean "the Annointed One") began to assemble the various writings of the Apostles and other early believers, then decide which writings taught the true faith and which were doubtful or even fake, "pseudo-"gospels and letters. Early in his life as a churchman, St. Athanasius of Alexandria defended the true faith against the heresy of Arianism at the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in 325 and then compiled the list of 27 gospels and letters that 50 years later was officially accepted as the New Testament canon.

So for about 360 years, this new faith was mainly spread orally by its evangelists and Apostolic bishops ("missionaries" is the English meaning of "Apostles"). The bishops meeting together in councils decided what was the correct interpretation of these Scriptures – holy writings – and how to orally teach the people, because copying these writings by hand was very tedious, time-consuming, and expensive. Only with the invention of the printing press in the 16th century did it become possible for the average believer to possess a copy of the Scriptures.

By Luther's time a century later, people had become accustomed to think that having a Bible was the way things always were, just as today's teenagers think that there have always been smartphones and people have always been able to communicate electronically over the Internet. They have never experienced life in any other way. This is called "anachronistic" thinking. An "anachronism" is projecting today's culture and its technology back into the past when they didn't exist.

An example of this in churches is to see icons or stained glass windows of the 12 Apostles each holding the Bible as a bound book... but the "codex" – the bound book with pages and covers – hadn't been invented until the 6th century. Up until then, hand-written or "manu-script" copies of the Scriptures consisted of several scrolls of parchment – specially-cured animal skins. The four Gospels would be hand-copied on one scroll, several Apostolic letters hand-copied on another scroll, etc., just like in the Jewish synagogues.

Thus, as the our quote above "Brethern [sic], what shall we do? There won't be an 'authorized' Bible until 1611" illustrates, it's a big mistake to assume that the Bible we have today could have possibly been the sole authority for faith and practice. For 1500 years, very few people had ever seen a Bible or the scrolls that it consisted of. Much was handed down orally: "And there are also many othr things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books which were written" (John 20:21 NASB).

So the only things they could rely on often were icons depicting Bible scenes and oral tradition – the correct interpretation of the Scriptures by Apostolic bishops and the priests under their authority: "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us" (2 Thes. 2:15 NASB).

As St. Peter wrote – "Knowing this first, that no prophecy [telling forth] of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy [telling forth] came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Peter 1:20-21 KJV). The connecting word "For" indicates there is a logical connection between the inspiration of the "holy men of God" who wrote the Scriptues and holy men of God – the Church Fathers – who interpret the Scriptures, not private intertpretation by any "common plowboy or milkmaid" – as one of the Protestant Reformers once said.

St. Athanasius of Alexandria wrote the manuscript essay "On the Incarnation of the Word" on a scroll in the early 300s A.D. That's why in our printed version there are no page numbers, only chapter numbers and paragraph numbers! We'll be teaching this online course right up to "the Incarnation" – Christmas – starting on Nov. 28 and ending on Dec. 23. So click on the above "On the Incarnation" photo to get all the links to this essay as a printed booklet, an e-book, and this course! See you there on Nov. 28!

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NEW LIES FOR OLD

 

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In the mid-1980s I bought this book, which described the KGB's long-range policy of "strategic disinformation" that had planned the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the USSR, etc. far in advance. At first, I was a bit skeptical of all the predictions the author made about the future course of the USSR. And when we moved to Russia in the early 1990s, I was hoping that the newly-formed Russian state would really become democratic.

But when we had lived in Russia during the 1990 and 2000 decades, I began seeing all the pieces fitting together: when a student of mine while we were teaching at a university in the provinces said (in Russian) during class – "Robert Geraldovich, we are still communists!" – that was a turning point in my understanding of Russia's true direction. During the 1990s a follow-up book by the same author has appeared: The Perestroika Deception which details the 94% accuracy of his previous book – the remaining 6% simply haven't been proven or disproven. I highly recommend both books.

A dear friend who has also spent years in Russia recently sent me the following points "to give you further perspective on the current conflict in Ukraine." I have slightly edited personal details so that he remains anonymous –

· Ukraine’s official flag – light blue over yellow – perfectly symbolizes its significance in the world. It represents blue skies over ripened grain fields. Whenever you see it, think of ripe wheat or sunflowers and an agricultural infrastructure that feeds many other countries.

· The Eurasian landmass is huge, and Russia has its footprint on eleven time zones – that’s one time zone short of halfway around the world. Within this area, Russia proper has a declining population of less than 150 million people. (Russia has stopped allowing the adoption of Russian children by people from western countries and, in an attempt to increase its population, has been paying families to have more than one child.) By contrast, the US within its four continental time zones has a population of over 300 million. So, it's not like Russia needs the extra space that Ukraine would provide. Rather, Russia simply cannot bear the thought of "the big fish that got away."

· Russia sometimes has a strange way of rewarding its heroes. Most of you are familiar with St. Basil's "Cathedral" on Red Square. It is not really a big open cathedral, but rather a colorful collection of smaller chapels. At the time of its dedication the current Czar, Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible), asked the architect if he could ever build something else so beautiful as this. Thinking that the Czar might have another job in mind for him, the architect replied, "Da!" Ivan then ordered that the architect's eyes be put out so that he could never do so.

· Here is another example of that phenomenon. Just before Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, Stalin had sacked his best generals because he feared them as rivals. This left the Red Army poorly led, just when Russia needed it the most. Stalin tried various replacements until he stumbled onto Georgy Zhukov. Zhukov stopped the German army at the outskirts of Moscow. He then encircled Paulus' 6th Army at Stalingrad, and he led the counter offensive all the way back to Berlin. At the first "Victory Day" celebration on Red Square, Zhukov charged back and forth on a white horse while the multitudes chanted, "Zhukov, Zhukov, Zhukov!" Stalin, standing atop Lenin's tomb, was green with envy. So, he assigned Zhukov to an insignificant military position out of the public eye. After Stalin's death, Zhukov was then elevated to be head of the Soviet military, a position he rightfully deserved.

· In the 1930's Stalin attempted to collectivize the farms in Ukraine. The Ukrainian farmers would have none of it, so they slaughtered their animals rather than turn them over to the government. Stalin's response was to create an artificial famine in the east of Ukraine in which many [millions of] Ukrainians died. [This genocide was conducted by Nikita Khrushchev!] He then imported Russians to repopulate this eastern area of Ukraine. So, when people there today say they want to be part of Russia it is because they actually are Russians. They do not want to accept Kiev as their capital, and they do not want to have to learn the Ukrainian language. Reports that Russia has been depopulating these eastern areas by shipping Ukrainians to Russia may have a twofold purpose – to make it easier for Russia to control the population in these areas, and to increase the declining population of Russia.

· Many Russians despise Ukrainians as "peasants with an accent." On one of our ... trips, we held a conference first in southwestern Russia and then a second conference in southeastern Ukraine. We traveled from the first to the second by train. There were some issues with the train, so our faithful interpreter ... relayed these to the conductor. His response tells you everything you need to know. "What do you expect," he replied, "it's a Ukrainian train." [My wife's] Scandinavian relatives trade some playful jabs about Norwegians and Swedes, but it is all in good fun. With Russians and Ukrainians, it runs much deeper.

· During Nikita Khrushchev's time as leader of the Soviet Union, the discussion arose as to what region of the Soviet Union the territory of Crimea should be assigned. (Until Sochi was developed for the Olympics, Crimea, with its warm climate, palm trees, and salt-water access had always served as Russia's "Florida.") Khrushchev's answer was, "Give it to Ukraine." A simple look at a map would support that decision, geographically. But in time, this meant that when Ukraine got away then Crimea got away as well. That possibility was not on anyone's radar when this fateful decision was made. Our Russian neighbors in St. Petersburg seemed to mourn the loss of Crimea much more than the loss of the farmlands. And here is another little twist to Khrushchev's decision – he himself was Ukrainian!

· We in the States are accustomed to the expanse of America as running from "sea to shining sea." This was also true of the Soviet Union, but only for a relatively short time period. Stalin grabbed the Baltic Republics at the beginning of the Second World War. This gave landlocked Russia access to that entire coastline. But the people of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuanian weren't consulted. So, when the Soviet Union collapsed, they eagerly reclaimed their independence. As Mr. Putin seeks to reverse the losses of the Soviet Empire, you must understand that he is also thinking of regaining these territories as well. Imagine how we would feel if Washington, Oregon, and California were separate countries denying us access to the Pacific Ocean. This is all the more reason why Ukraine must win this bitter contest.

· You may be appalled, as I am, by the tactics the Russian military has adopted recently. It's sort of like, "If we can't have it, then there won't be anything left worth having." We in North America are used to the idea of substations that deliver electricity and drinking water. But in former Soviet territories there is also a third centralized component – hot water for heating. Few buildings have their own heat system. Rather, preheated water is sent through large, insulated pipes to the various neighborhoods. This may have some advantages during peacetime, but this "troika" of utility services leaves a country very vulnerable when the drones and missiles target this soft civilian infrastructure. It is a measure of Mr. Putin's true character, and his present desperation, that he would even consider such a move. And I guarantee you, the Ukrainians will never forget it. They have still not forgotten that famine!

· Finally, Ukraine predates Russia by two and a half centuries. Kievan Rus officially adopted Christianity as its state religion in 988. Moscow was an insignificant village alongside a modest river until the 1240s. Much of what is now northern European Russia was then part of greater Finland. It could be argued that, historically, Kiev is the rightful capital of the eastern Slavic peoples; and that it was the Russians who separated from the Ukrainians.

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