EARLY CHRISTIANITY AND THE GODS

 

EARLY CHRISTIANITY AND THE GODS

Brett Todd

In a past article titled, “The Blessed Trinity” (November 29, 2021), which you can read in this blog, This Is Not Sunday School, I stated that the idea of three persons who make up one God is not spoken of in the Bible.  You cannot find the word Trinity nor the concept of “Three in one” in the Bible.  This idea is a later development of Christianity.  So, it should not surprise you that early Christians did have different ideas of God or the Gods.  

In early Christianity, there was much diversity to the chagrin of other Christians who thought everyone should believe the way they believed. This is true when we talk about God and the Gods.  Bart Ehrman, a noted scholar of the New Testament and Early Christianity, tells us that there were early Christian groups who believed there were two Gods, others 30 Gods, and even those Christians who believed there were 365 Gods (Lost Christianities: The Battle for Scripture and the Faith We Never knew).  Keep in mind that this is only a small sample of the diversity found in early Christianity.  There were other Christian groups who believed other things about God or the Gods as well. 

One such group of early Christians was the Marcionites who believed in two Gods.  Their influential leader and Christian theologian, Marcion, believed that the Jewish God of the Old Testament, Yahweh, was actually an evil God while the God of the New Testament was a kind and loving God.  I’m sure you have heard it said, though untrue, that God in the Old Testament is unloving and wrathful, while God in the New Testament is loving.   Well, this is precisely what Marcion believed.

Though Marcion’s idea of a good God and a bad God is quite foreign to the teachings in New Testament, the idea of two Gods is not.  Let me explain what I mean.

In the Gospel of John, we read that in the very beginning Jesus, the Word, was with God and was God.  Note, it does not say these two Gods were one and the same God.  This is how John 1:1 reads, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  The original language of the New Testament is a little more explicit here, it reads, “In the beginning, the Word [Jesus] was “face to face” with God, and the Word [Jesus] was God.”  Essentially what you have here are two persons called God, looking at each other.  Again, it is important to remember that the idea of the Trinity or oneness (of essence) is not explicitly taught in the Gospel of John.

Clearly, in the Gospel of John, we have two persons called God who are working in tandem with each other in unity just as Jesus wants us to be one with him and God. You may remember the prayer of Jesus to God the Father in John, “so that they [Jesus’ followers] may be one, as we are one” (John 17:22). There is no sense in the Gospel of John that God the Father and Jesus are one and the same God.

In our next study, we will look at the Book of Enoch which is quoted and referred to in the New Testament of the Bible.  What is the Book of Enoch?

WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS? PAUL, PETER, AND JAMES

 

WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS? PAUL, PETER, AND JAMES

Brett Todd

There is an interesting ancient letter written by, supposedly, the Apostle Peter to James, the brother of Jesus.  All scholars that I’m aware of agree that Peter never wrote this letter.  Rather, this is an ancient forgery written by someone we don’t know in the name of Peter.  This practice was obviously widely practiced because we even have letters in the New Testament of our Bible that were forgeries written in the name of Paul or Peter.  For example, we know that Paul did not write First or Second Timothy.  They are simply forgeries and there are other forgeries in the Bible as well.

In this letter, “Epistle of Peter to James” which is dated around the early 3rd century, Peter calls the Apostle Paul, “the man who is my enemy” (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. VIII).  Here, scholars agree that this man who is Peter’s enemy is none other than Paul.

Though it is true that Peter did not write this letter and that this letter is an ancient forgery, it may reflect the conflict between Christian Jews and Gentile during this period and earlier.  As we take a closer look at ancient Christian history, there seemed to be a continual and furthering split between Jew and Gentile Christians.

 

So where did this conflict begin and is there anything in the Bible that would suggest that the Apostle Paul, Peter, and the brother of James were anything but friends?

In the book of Galatians (genuine letter of Paul) found in the New Testament of the Bible, Paul complains about Peter.  This is what he said, “But when Cephas [Peter] came to Antioch, I [Paul] opposed him to his face…” (Galatians 2:11). What was Paul’s complaint?  There were “false brothers” (2:4), whether Peter and James or their followers, who went to Paul’s new Gentile converts in Galatia to convince them to live like Jews, which included circumcision.  But as you probably already know, Paul was against circumcision.  This is what Paul said about the practice of Jewish circumcision, “Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that, if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you.” (Galatians 5:2).  

Later, to the surprise of many Bible readers, Paul even has stronger words for those who were pushing circumcision on his new converts, saying, “I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!” (Galatians 5:12).  However, the word “castrate” is not what Paul actually said, it should be translated verse 12, “I wish those who were stirring you up would cut it all off” referring to their whole private part.  Whether Paul was talking about Peter and James or their followers is not certain.  Either way, Peter and James are more than likely in the back of Paul's mind with this whole fiasco.

More than likely, what we have before us is the beginning of the end of early Jewish Christianity.  In other words, Jewish Christianity slowly faded away while Gentile Christianity became the dominant force in this new Jesus movement.  In the end, Jewish Christianity disappeared into the sands of history, while Paul’s brand of Christianity, in part, is still with us to this day.

In our next article, we will talk about what early Christians believed about God or the Gods.

JESUS THE BOY

 

JESUS THE BOY

Brett A. Todd

There’s not a whole lot of ancient writings about the boyhood of Jesus, and much of what was written, well, it’s some pretty crazy stuff.  For example, in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, written mid-to-late-2nd century AD, there are several stories of the boyhood of Jesus.  In one story, the boy Jesus makes another boy wither up for breaking up the little fish ponds he made and only later, with some parental prodding, heals the boy, partially, as a warning to others, not to mess with Jesus.  Then there is the story of a boy jumping on Jesus’ shoulder which makes Jesus angry.  What did the angry boy Jesus do in return?  According to the story, Jesus killed the other boy.  It appears in these stories that Jesus had an anger issue.  How about this story, some other kids tattle on Jesus and for this, the boy Jesus makes them blind.  Of course, Jesus’ dad, Joseph, does reprimand Jesus, “Why do you do these things that hurt other people, so that they in return hate us and prosecute (legally) us?”  Obviously, the boy Jesus was quite the little tyrant.  

There are some kinder stories that we don’t want to miss and you might be familiar with.  Jesus and some boys are making animals out of clay, and so not to be outdone by the other boys, Jesus makes his clay animals come to life and walk about, even the birds he made out of clay flew away.  There are other stories where he heals the sick.  Yes, the boy Jesus can even perform a miracle or two.  

Though these stories are not in the Bible, it is essential to remember that they were still Gospel stories that some early Christians believed were true and treated as gospel.  As mentioned in the past, there were many other stories and Gospels that early Christians used as their sacred text that never found their way into the Bible.

So what does the Bible say about Jesus’ boyhood?  We only have one story in the Gospel of Luke 2:41-51 where Jesus is in the Temple talking with the religious teachers.  Supposedly, Jesus' parents left for their home in Nazareth and didn’t know they had left Jesus behind until the third day of traveling.  When they discovered he was not with them, they quickly turned around and headed back to Jerusalem to find their son.

Where did they find the boy Jesus?  He was in the great Temple of Jerusalem “sitting among the teachers”.  The phrase “sitting among the teachers” suggests that Jesus had also reached the plateau of great intellectual scholarship, just like the other teachers he was sitting with.  The boy Jesus was not just a spectator, he was a scholar of the Law.  But what would one expect, as he told his parents, “I must be in my Father’s house” referring to Jerusalem’s Jewish Temple where God dwelt.  If God is his Father, well then, of course, Jesus would be a gifted boy of great intellect, and of course, the boy Jesus would know and understand the Law of God better than anyone else.

In our next article, we will look at the relationship the Apostle Paul had with Peter and Jesus’ brother James, which was not always a good one.

Was Jesus Married?

 

WAS JESUS MARRIED?

Brett A. Todd

We all know that Jesus was married and had children, right?  At least this is what Dan Brown writes in his best-selling book, “The Da Vinci Code”.  But was Jesus really married, and did he have children?  Often I have to remind people that Brown’s book is nothing more than fiction and that more than likely Jesus was not married and he didn’t have children.

However, about 10 years after Dan Brown wrote his book, a shocking discovery was revealed to the world by Harvard Professor, Karen King.  What they discovered was an ancient Coptic papyri fragment no larger than a credit card that read, “Jesus said to them, 'My wife …” Interesting, perhaps Dan Brown was right, maybe Jesus was married, and maybe he had children as well.

It wasn’t long afterward that the tide began to change as did so many forgeries.  One scholar after another began to question the authenticity of this papyri fragment that said Jesus had a wife.  In time, and with further research and testing, it was concluded that this fragment was a forgery created by a con man.  This really shouldn’t surprise anyone, forgeries are big business and big money, even in the field of early Christian artifacts.  

So, where did this idea of Jesus being married to Mary Magdalene actually come from? If “The Da Vinci Code” is fiction and the Coptic papyri fragment a forgery, where do people get the idea that Jesus was married?

In 1945, a farmer in Egypt by the name of Muhammed al-Samman discovered a jar buried in the ground that contained a codex (book) with several Christian scripts.  Among these scripts was a treatise called “The Gospel of Philip”.  As we have already discussed in a past article, there were many other gospels that early Christians were reading that are not found in the Bible.  In this particular gospel, we are told that Mary Magdalene was a companion of Jesus.  Further, we read these startling words concerning the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene:

And the companion of the [...] Mary Magdalene. [...] loved her more than all the disciples, and used to kiss her often on her mouth. The rest of the disciples [...]. They said to him "Why do you love her more than all of us?" (Translated by Wesley W. Isenberg). 

But what does the Bible say?  First, even though the idea of Jesus being married to Mary Magdalene can be intriguing to some, it should be noted that when Mary Magdalene spoke to Jesus, she never called him her husband and Jesus never called Mary Magdalene his wife.  Second, there is no place in the Bible that states that Jesus was married.  It mentions his family and even some of the women who faithfully followed him in his ministry, but never, ever does the Bible state that Jesus was married.

Of course, an argument from silence really proves nothing. So it might be best to say, “More than likely Jesus was not married, nevertheless, we don’t know!”

In our next study, we will look at the childhood of Jesus.  What does the Bible have to tell us and what can we know?

Mark 1:41: Why Did Jesus Get Angry At The Leper?

 

Mark 1:41: Why Did Jesus Get Angry At The Leper?

Brett A. Todd

In our last article, we discussed whether Jesus was angry or compassionate at the leper who approached him for healing.  In short, more than likely, the original reading of Mark was that Jesus was angry at the leper.  But why did Jesus get angry?

Some have suggested that Jesus was angry at the sinful condition of the world or maybe even angry at the devil.  Still others, Jesus, with his foreknowledge, knew that this leper was going to broadcast his healing even though Jesus would tell that man not to tell anyone.  Still others, and I think this one gets closer to the correct answer, have suggested the reason Jesus was angry was that he was tired of people asking him if he was willing to heal them.  In other words, Jesus was tired and wanted the people to give him a break.

Though the above answers are pretty creative, I think a better answer would be that Jesus was angry because of the leper’s lack of faith and probably because of the lack of faith among so many people, even his disciples.  You may recall the story in Matthew 8:23-27, where Jesus and his disciples were on the boat and a storm swept through and the disciples thought they were going to die.  Jesus’ answer to his disciples is interesting, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?”  Oh, ye of little faith!!!

In another story, Mark 9:14-29, a man comes to Jesus for help for his son who is possessed by an evil spirit.  This young boy has foam running out of his mouth, rolls on the ground, and the demons throw him into the fire and the water trying to kill the young boy.  It is indeed quite the spectacle.  Then the father asked Jesus, verse 22 “are able to do anything, help us!?”  Jesus says to the man, verse 23, “If you are able! All things can be done for the one who believes.”  The father’s reply is interesting, verse 24 “I believe; help my unbelief!”  So many of the stories of Jesus' ministry are about one’s having faith or the lack thereof.  So it is it true in the story of Jesus who became angry at the leper.  Everywhere Jesus went, there were those who questioned Jesus' ability to heal and to bring freedom into people’s lives.

Jesus was on a mission and his mission was to heal and deliver those people who were not only sick and possessed by evil spirits, but also restricted from God’s kingdom.  Remember, those who were possessed by evil spirits or had such illnesses as leprosy could not enter the Temple in Jerusalem which represented God’s kingdom. Jesus' ministry was not about making people feel better, it was about getting people into the kingdom of God.  That is why the Bible says, “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness” (Matthew 9:35).

In our next study, we will ask the question, “Was Jesus married.”

Mark 1:41: Was Jesus Angry At The Leper?

 

Mark 1:41: Was Jesus Angry At The Leper?

Brett A. Todd

It appears that some of the early pious Christians, like many Christians today, frowned upon, or at least, struggled with the idea that anger could be a godly virtue.  You know, “Be angry but do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26).  This seems to be the case in the story of Jesus and the leper in our earliest gospel.  Let’s take a look.

Moved with anger, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I am willing. Be made clean!”  (Mark 1:41).

In this story of the leper, Jesus is traveling about Galilee and preaching in the local synagogues and casting out demons, and healing the sick. As Jesus is preaching, he is approached by a leper who asked Jesus to cleanse him.  In verse 41, we are told that Jesus is moved with anger and cleanses the man.  You may be looking at your Bible, unless it is a New International Version, and saying to yourself, “Wait a minute, my Bible says that he was moved with pity or with compassion.  Where does it say that Jesus became angry?”

It is true that most Bible translations either say that Jesus was moved with compassion or with pity, but there are other ancient manuscripts that use the word anger instead of compassion or pity.  In fact, if you have a good study Bible, you will have a note referring to other reliable ancient manuscripts that read, “he was moved with anger.”

Once again, we have come upon a passage of Scriptures where some scribe changed the wording to suit his fancy.  Please note that there is a pretty big difference between being angry or compassionate.

There is a tell-tale sign that tells us that something happened here.  Both gospels of Matthew and Luke who are copying Mark say nothing about Jesus being angry or compassionate.  They just skip over the whole matter.  In other words, Matthew and Luke know there is an elephant in the room, and they don’t want to talk about it.

It seems more than likely someone, just like Matthew and Luke, did not feel comfortable with the idea of Jesus getting angry at the poor old leper and decided to change it to something less offensive.  Bear in mind that it was not uncommon for Jesus to get angry in the Gospel of Mark (3:5 and 10:14).  But in this reading, it seems obvious that some Scribe was aggravated and changed the wording to make Jesus look more caring and loving (See M. A Proctor and Bart Ehrman).

In our next study, we will answer the question: Why was Jesus angry at the leper?

The Gospel of Mark: It’s Greek To Me

The Gospel of Mark:  It’s Greek To Me

Brett A. Todd

It may be Greek to you, but the Gospel of Mark was not originally written in English, it was written in Greek.  It was written by some person we don’t know, and whoever this person was, he never met Jesus.  Imagine trying to write a biography on a historical figure you never met.  Well, that’s what the author of the Gospel of Mark did.  Some 40 years after Jesus' death, he sat down and wrote a story about a guy he didn’t even know.

To date, the earliest existing Greek manuscript we have of Mark was written somewhere between 150 and 250 AD (or maybe even 350 AD). No, we do not have the original Gospel of Mark.  The original Gospel of  Mark is long gone.  Where was this early existing manuscript found?  It wasn’t found on the shelves of some ancient library, as some might assume, but it was found in an Egyptian garbage dump.

                  80 to 250-year span

Mark’s Gospel.................................................................................Earliest Copy of Mark

As already noted, this Greek manuscript copy of Mark is dated 150 to 350 AD, this means there is a span of 80 to 250 years between Mark's original Gospel and the earliest copy of Mark we now possess.  That’s a long span of time which potentially poses a big problem.  Let me explain:

During this time span, individuals who wanted a copy of Mark's Gospel had to make copies that were made from other copies of copies of copies.  And each time they made a copy they were copying other people’s mistakes while creating their own mistakes, leaving out and adding words to what the original Gospel of Mark said. One Evangelical scholar tells us that there are over 500,000 mistakes in the New Testament alone.  Granted, most of these mistakes don’t make a whole lot of difference when it comes to what Christians believe, but it does leave the question of what the original Gospel of Mark might have looked like and what it might have actually said?  What was added and what was taken out?

We already know that the passage in Mark 16:9-20 was added to Mark’s story.  Someone didn’t like how the Gospel of Mark ended, so they added verses 9-20.  Again, Mark didn’t write these words, someone added them.  It can also be easily argued that parts of Mark were either removed or at least left unfinished.   So again, what did the original story of the Gospel of Mark look like?  We don’t know and we may never know. 

What difference does all of this make?   Indeed, the Bible is a guide of some sort for millions of Christians around the world; however, it is not perfect.

In our next study, we will ask whether or not Jesus got angry at the leper who asked Jesus to heal him (Mark 1:41).