PHOENIX REAL THEREFORE
RESURRECTION IS REAL
Belief in the impossible common in early
times.
The early church fathers were
largely a primitive lot with
magical mindsets. They knew little of the world and believed in
six miraculous and unbelievable things before breakfast. This, in
itself wouldn't have been so bad, but they used these beliefs as
a foundation for the destruction of other people and other
people's beliefs. Thus when examining nascent Christianity,
particularly the church, and the elimination of other religions
it is necessary to create a mental picture of the mindset of the
church fathers against which may be measured the authenticity of
their belief system.
To acquire this mindset we need only examine
their own words. Clement, for example, believed the Phoenix, a
myth from Arabia, was a real bird, a gift from his god that
demonstrated the truth of his belief in the resurrection.
From the first epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
concerning the Phoenix as proof of the resurrection.
Let us consider that wonderful sign (of the resurrection)
which takes place in Eastern lands, that is, in Arabia and the
countries round about. There is a bird which called a phoenix. It
is the only one of its kind and lives five hundred years. When
the time of its dissolution draws near that it must die, it
builds itself a nest of frankincense, myrrh, and other spices,
into which, when all is ready, it enters and dies.
As the flesh
decays, a certain kind of worm is produced, which, being nourished
by the juices of the dead bird, brings forth feathers. Then, when
it has acquired strength, it takes up that nest in which are the
bones of its parent, and bearing these it passes from the land of
Arabia into Egypt, to the city called Heliopolis. And, in open
day, flying in the sight of all men, it places them on the altar
of the sun, and having done this, hastens back to its former
abode. The priests then inspect the registers of the dates, and
find that it has returned exactly as the five hundredth year was
completed.
ATTACKING RELIGIOUS
SYMBOLS
OF NON-CHRISTIANS
Your religious symbols are false, ours
are
sacred.
The exhortation and railing
against non-christian beliefs was
a predominant technique of the church fathers and incited
Christians to vandalize, antagonize, and even do physical injury
to the ``godless heathens.'' With this in mind, read this excerpt
from the epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus on the vanity of idols
(from a people who erected statues to their own Saints, Mary, and
Jesus)
From the epistle of Mathetes to Diognetius.
Come, then, after you have freed yourself from all prejudices
possessing your mind, and laid aside what you have been
accustomed to, as something apt to deceive you, and being made,
as if from the beginning, a new man, inasmuch as, according to
your own confession, you are to hear a new doctrine;
come and contemplate, not with your eyes only, but with your
understanding, the substance and the form of those whom ye
declare and deem to be gods.
Is not one of them a stone similar
to that on which we tread? Is not a second brass, in no way
superior to those vessels which are constructed for our ordinary
use? Is not a third wood, and that already rotten? Is not a
fourth silver, which needs a man to watch it, lest it be stolen?
Is not a fifth iron, consumed by rust? Is not a sixth
earthenware, in no degree more valuable than that which is formed
for the humblest purposes? Are not all these of corruptible
matter? Are they not fabricated by means of iron and fire?
Did not the sculptor fashion one of them, the brazier a second, the
silversmith a third, and the potter a fourth? Was not every one
of them, before they were formed by the arts of these workers
into the shape of these deities, each in its own way subject to
change? Would not those things which are now vessels, formed of
the same materials, become like to such, if they met with the
same artificers? Might not these, which are now worshipped by
you, again be made by men vessels similar to others?
Are they not
all deaf? Are they not blind? Are they not without life? Are they
not destitute of feeling? Are they not incapable of motion? Are
they not all liable to rot? Are they not all corruptible? These
things ye call gods; these ye serve; these ye worship; and ye
become altogether like to them. For this reason ye hate the
Christians, because they do not deem these to be gods. But do not
ye yourselves, who now think and suppose such to be gods, much
more cast contempt upon them than we? Do ye not much more mock
and insult them, when ye worship those that are made of stone and
earthenware, without appointing any persons to guard them; but
those made of silver and gold ye shut up by night, and appoint
watchers to look after them by day, lest they be stolen?
And by
those gifts which ye mean to present to them, do ye not, if they
are possessed of sense, rather punish them? But if, on the other
hand, they are destitute of sense, ye convict them of this fact,
while ye worship them with blood and the smoke of sacrifices. Let
any one of you suffer such indignities! Let any one of you endure
to have such things done to himself! But not a single human being
will, unless compelled to it, endure such treatment, since he is
endowed with sense and reason.
A stone, however, readily bears
it, seeing it is insensible. Certainly you do not show by your
conduct that your gods are possessed of sense. And as to the fact
that Christians are not accustomed to serve such gods, I might
easily find many other things to say; but if even what has been
said does not seem to any one sufficient, I deem it idle to say
anything further.
ALL NOT CHRISTIAN ARE FIRST BORN
OF
SATAN
Demanding all people must be
Christian
Statuary was often built to
represent deity, but in and of
itself was not thought to be anything more than a representation.
The simple mindset of the church was that, ``You believe in
idols, but our idols are sacred.'' The document continues,
however, with compelling force, to condemn all who will not bend
knee to the Christian deity.
From the epistle of Mathetes to Diognetius.
"For whosoever does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in
the flesh, is antichrist;" and whosoever does not confess the
testimony of the cross, is of the devil; and whosoever perverts
the oracles of the Lord to his own lusts, and says that there is
neither a resurrection nor a judgment, he is the first-born of
Satan.
CREATION OF MYTH TO INSTILL
HATRED OF
OTHERS
All people are horrid save miraculous
Christians
Let us examine the use of
myth, hyperbole, and legend to
inflame the minds of Christians and diminish, denigrate, and
destroy other religions. The legends and myths surrounding
Polycarp is one of the most favored stories and has been
carried forward into modern times. Pionius, claiming divine
revelation to fill in the details, transcribed a mythological
rendition of the execution of Polycarp from a writing rendered
by Socrates (an early church father not to be confused with
the Socrates) rendering from a writing by
Caius rendering from a writing by Ireneaus. It is an obvious
piece
of political propaganda designed to instill a schism between
Christians and other religions, including Judaism. It extols in
mythical proportions, as a means of convincing the simple minds
of people of the times, magical attributes to ``blessed'' church
authorities at the hands of wicked non-believers. Excerpts from
that writing follow, to be judged by the objective minds of
modern readers.
From the Encyclical Epistle of the Church at Smyrna
concerning Polycarp.
Now, as Polycarp was entering into the stadium, there came to
him a voice from heaven, saying, ``Be strong, and show thyself a
man, O Polycarp !'' No one saw who it was that spoke to him; but
those of our brethren who were present heard the voice. And as he
was brought forward, the tumult became great when they heard that
Polycarp was taken.
Polycarp was filled with confidence and joy, and his countenance
was full of grace, so that not merely did it not fall as if
troubled by the things said to him, but, on the contrary, the
proconsul was astonished, and sent his herald to proclaim in the
midst of the stadium thrice, ``Polycarp has confessed that he is
a Christian.'' This proclamation having been made by the herald,
the whole multitude both of the heathen and Jews, who dwelt at
Smyrna, cried out with uncontrollable fury, and in a loud voice,
``This is the teacher of Asia, the father of the Christians, and
the overthrower of our gods, he who has been teaching many not to
sacrifice, or to worship the gods.''
GENERATING HATRED OF
JEWS
Polycarp can't be burned by fire.
The church writings are
slanted toward their own agenda,
neglecting to mention that church fathers incited their followers
to demolish the temples and altars of other deities, destroy
their ``idols'', and tear down the ``false gods'' symbolizing
these deities, even to violent disruption of their worship and by
murdering priestesses and priests of the other religions.
It is for these crimes, crimes against moral and state law, that
Christians were being held accountable; not just because of their
belief. Church fathers, provocateurs, would claim their hands
were clean. It was, after all, only their followers committing
the
terrible misdeeds. They tried to deny culpability for their own
part in it. This technique is still in use by some Christians
today. Women having abortions and doctors assisting them, as
one example, are described as murderers, violators of the most
sacred moral laws of their god. Then when followers act
on the goading of these leaders and murder someone, the
leaders profess no part in it. Some go so far as to proclaim the
murderers to be righteous martyrs in the cause of
righteousness.
The Myth of Polycarp continues ... notice the comment about
Jews ``eagerly assisting.''
From the Encyclical Epistle of the Church at Smyrna
concerning Polycarp.
Speaking thus, they cried out, and besought Philip the Asiarch
to let loose a lion upon Polycarp. But Philip answered that it
was not lawful for him to do so, seeing the shows of wild beasts
were already finished. Then it seemed good to them to cry out
with one consent, that Polycarp should be burnt alive.
This, then, was carried into effect with greater speed than it
was spoken, the multitudes immediately gathering together wood
and fagots out of the shops and baths; the Jews especially,
according to custom, eagerly assisting them in it. And when the
funeral pile was ready, Polycarp, laying aside all his garments,
and loosing his girdle, sought also to take off his sandals,--a
thing he was not accustomed to do, inasmuch as every one of the
faithful was always eager who should first touch his skin. For,
on account of his holy life, he was, even before his martyrdom,
adorned with every kind of good. Immediately then they surrounded
him with those substances which had been prepared for the funeral
pile.
They did not nail him, but simply bound him.
Those who were appointed for the purpose kindled the fire.
And as the flame blazed forth in great fury, we, to whom it was
given to witness it, beheld a great miracle, and have been
preserved that we might report to others what then took place.
For the fire, shaping itself into the form of an arch, like the
sail of a ship when filled with the wind, encompassed as by a
circle the body of the martyr. And he appeared within not like
flesh which is burnt, but as bread that is baked, or as gold and
silver glowing in a furnace. Moreover, we perceived such a sweet
odor, as if frankincense or some such precious spices had been
smoking there.
At length, when those wicked men perceived that his body
could not be consumed by the fire, they commanded an executioner
to go near and pierce him through with a dagger. And on his doing
this, there came forth a dove, and a great quantity of blood, so
that the fire was extinguished; and all the people wondered that
there should be such a difference between the unbelievers and the
elect, of whom this most admirable Polycarp was one, having in
our own times been an apostolic and prophetic teacher, and bishop
of the Catholic Church which is in Smyrna. For every word that
went out of his mouth either has been or shall yet be
accomplished.
CONDEMNATION OF ALL JEWS AS
MURDERERS OF CHRIST
Uniting Christians by using Jews as
scapegoats.
Mythical tales of Christian
miracles, using them to instill
hatred of other religions from pagan, to heretical Christianity,
to Judaism, vandalizing and attacks on other religions, on their
religious symbols, and on their persons, and then feigned
surprise and indignation when they were held accountable.
One miraculous myth after another, passed down over the years,
often employing the theme of martyrdom always extolling the
church and denigrating all others, without exception.
Simple minded people easy to manipulate believed the tales of
phoenix, dragons, cockatrice, talking serpents, flying snakes,
satyrs, angels, and demons (it's recorded in the bible) ... often
as not the church fathers may even have believed in their own
propaganda.
How about this bit of hatemongering against the Jews and
anyone else who attempts to teach anything outside of the
Christian religion, even if they are good people. For outside the
church all are to be held as abominations.
From the Epistle of Ignatius to Hero.
Every one that teaches anything beyond what is commanded,
though he be worthy of credit, though he be in the habit of
fasting, though he live in continence, though he work miracles,
though he have the gift of prophecy, let him be in thy sight as a
wolf in sheep's clothing, laboring for the destruction of the
sheep.
If any one denies the cross, and is ashamed of the
passion, let him be to thee as Satan himself. ``Though he gives
all his goods to feed the poor, though he remove mountains,
though he give his body to be burned,'' let him be regarded by
thee as abominable. If any one makes light of the law or the
prophets, which Christ fulfilled at His coming, let him be to
thee as antichrist. If any one says that the Lord is a mere man,
he is a Jew, a murderer of Christ.
CHRISTIAN MYTHOS LITTLE
DIFFERENT THAN OTHER MYTHOS
Church fathers recognized the roots of Christianity
were
Pagan.
Church fathers even argued the
similarities between
Christianity and Paganism ...
From the Epistle of Ignatius to Hero.
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 (ED: not to mention Attis, Mithras, Adonis,
Apollo, et al).
For you know how many sons your esteemed writers
ascribed to Jupiter: Mercury, the interpreting word and teacher
of all; Aesculapius, who, though he was a great physician, was
struck by a thunderbolt, and so ascended to heaven; and Bacchus
too, after he had been torn limb from limb; and Hercules, when he
had committed himself to the flames to escape his toils; and the
sons of Leda, and Dioscuri; and Perseus, son of Danae; and
Bellerophon, who, though sprung from mortals, rose to heaven on
the horse Pegasus.
For what shall I say of Ariadne, and those
who, like her, have been declared to be set among the stars? And
what of the emperors who die among yourselves, whom you deem
worthy of deification, and in whose behalf you produce some one
who swears he has seen the burning Caesar rise to heaven from the
funeral pyre? And what kind of deeds are recorded of each of
these reputed sons of Jupiter, it is needless to tell to those
who already know.
This only shall be said, that they are written
for the advantage and encouragement of youthful scholars; for all
reckon it an honorable thing to imitate the gods.
THE MYTHOS OF CHRIST
SIMILAR TO OTHER MYTHS
Church fathers compare Christ to the sons of
Jupiter
The comparison continues,
church fathers viewed the mythos of
Christ as another, albeit to them superior, variation on the
Savior God Theme.
From the Epistle of Ignatius to Hero.
Moreover, the Son of God called Jesus, even if only a man by
ordinary generation, yet, on account of His wisdom, is worthy to
be called the Son of God; for all writers call God the Father of
men and gods. And if we assert that the Word of God was born of
God in a peculiar manner, different from ordinary generation, 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. For their sufferings at death are recorded to have
been not all alike, but diverse; so that not even by the
peculiarity of His sufferings does He seem to be inferior to
them. ... And if we even affirm that He was born of a virgin,
accept this in common with what you accept of Ferseus. 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.
CONDEMNATION OF
HERETICAL CHRISTIANS
Marcion, compiler of the first New Testament, also
condemned
Denigration of other religions
by the church fathers was a continuing process by which
mainstream Christianity dominated the world. The following
castigation of other Christian sects is
especially fascinating in that, Marcion, singled out here as
particularly wicked, compiled the initial manuscripts (150 C.E.)
later adopted as the foundation for the New Testament. However,
the church fathers had no objection to the denunciation of other
Christian sects. Ignoring the implication that other Christians
might eat human flesh shows complete disdain for any
version of Christianity except their own.
Justin Martyr - The First Apology of Justin
And, secondly, because we--who, out of every race of men,
used to worship Bacchus the son of Semele, and Apollo the son of
Latona (who in their loves with men did such things as it is
shameful even to mention), and Proserpine and Venus (who were
maddened with love of Adonis, and whose mysteries also you
celebrate), or AEsculapius, or some one or other of those who are
called gods--have now, through Jesus Christ, learned to despise
these, though we be threatened with death for it, and have
dedicated ourselves to the unbegotten and impossible God; of whom
we are persuaded that never was he goaded by lust of Antiope, or
such other women, or of Ganymede, nor was rescued by that
hundred-handed giant whose aid was obtained through Thetis, nor
was anxious on this account that her son Achilles should
destroy many of the Greeks because of his concubine Briseis.
Those who believe these things we pity, and those who invented
them we know to be devils.
And, thirdly, because after Christ's ascension into heaven
the devils put forward certain men who said that they themselves
were gods; and they were not only not persecuted by you, but even
deemed worthy of honors. There was a Samaritan, Simon, a native
of the village called Gitto, who in the reign of Claudius Caesar,
and in your royal city of Rome, did mighty acts of magic, by
virtue of the art of the devils operating in him. He was
considered a god, and as a god was honored by you with a statue,
which statue was erected on the river Tiber, between the two
bridges, and bore this inscription, in the language of Rome:--
Simoni Deo Sancto,
To Simon the holy God.
And almost all the Samaritans, and a few even of other nations,
worship him, and acknowledge him as the first god; and a woman,
Helena, who went about with him at that time, and had formerly
been a prostitute, they say is the first idea generated by him.
And a man, Meander, also a Samaritan, of the town Capparetaea, a
disciple of Simon, and inspired by devils, we know to have
deceived many while he was in Antioch by his magical art. He
persuaded those who adhered to him that they should never die,
and even now there are some living who hold this opinion.
And
there is Marcion, a man of Pontus, who is even at this day alive,
and teaching his disciples to believe in some other god greater
than the Creator. And he, by the aid of the devils, has caused
many of every nation to speak blasphemies, and to deny that God
is the maker of this universe, and to assert that some other
being, greater than He, has done greater works. All who take
their opinions from these men, are, as we before said, called
Christians; just as also those who do not agree with
the philosophers in their doctrines, have yet in common with them
the name of philosophers given to them.
And whether they
perpetrate those fabulous and shameful deeds -- the upsetting of
the lamp, and promiscuous intercourse, and eating human flesh --
we know not; but we do know that they are neither persecuted nor
put to death by you, at least on account of their opinions. But I
have a treatise against all the heresies that have existed
already composed, which, if you wish to read it, I will give
you.
TWISTING OLD MYTHS TO FIT
CHRISTIAN AGENDAS
Devils created other myths in imitation of
Moses
Goddess religions, matrifocal
if not matriarchal, predominated
the world long before Christianity and Judaism
appeared on the scene. Here the church fathers are reversing the
order of conception from female to male, and establishing that
Jupiter is another name for their God.
Justin Martyr - The First Apology of Justin
From what has been already said, you can
understand how the devils, in imitation of what was said by
Moses, asserted that Proserpine was the daughter of Jupiter, and
instigated the people to set up an image of her under the name of
Kore at the spring-heads.
For, as we wrote above, Moses said, "In
the beginning God made the heaven and the earth. And the earth
was without form and unfurnished: and the Spirit of God moved
upon the face of the waters." In imitation, therefore, of what is
here said of the Spirit of God moving on the waters, they said
that Proserpine or Coral was the daughter of Jupiter.
And in like
manner also they craftily feigned that Minerva was the daughter
of Jupiter, not by sexual union, but, knowing that He conceived
and made the world by the Word, they say that Minerva is the
first conception which we consider to be very absurd, bringing
forward the form of the conception in a female shape. And in like
manner the actions of those others who are called sons of
Jupiter sufficiently condemn them.
EARLIER MYTHS ARE
IMITATIONS CREATED BEFORE THAT OF CHRIST
Not wishing to acknowledge that the mythos of Christ
was
an imitation of other myths, church fathers claim the devil
created the other myths to create doubt.
Church fathers knowing that
the mythos of Christ was stolen
from that of other pagan religions, attempt to defuse doubt by
claiming these other myths were created by the devil before the
coming of Christ in order to fool people into believing Jesus
Christ was not real.
Justin Martyr - The First Apology of Justin
"Be well assured, then, Trypho," I continued, "that I am
established in the knowledge of and faith in the Scriptures by
those counterfeits which he who is called the devil is said to
have performed among the Greeks; just as some were wrought by the
Magi in Egypt, and others by the false prophets in Elijah's days.
For when they tell that Bacchus, son of Jupiter, was begotten by
Jupiter's intercourse with Semele, and that he was the discoverer
of the vine; and when they relate, that being torn in pieces, and
having died, he rose again, and ascended to heaven; and when they
introduce wine into his mysteries, do I not perceive that the
devil has imitated the prophecy announced by the patriarch Jacob,
and recorded by Moses?
And when they tell that Hercules was
strong, and travelled over all the world, and was begotten by
Jove of Alcmene, and ascended to heaven when he died, do I not
perceive that the Scripture which speaks of Christ, `strong as a
giant to run his race,' has been in like manner imitated?
And
when the devil brings forward Aesculapius as the raiser of the
dead and healer of all diseases, may I not say that in this
matter likewise he has imitated the prophecies about Christ? But
since I have not quoted to you such Scripture as tells that
Christ will do these things, I must necessarily remind you of one
such: from which you can understand, how that to those destitute
of a knowledge of God, I mean the Gentiles, who, 'having eyes,
saw not, and having a heart, understood not,' worshipping the
images of wood, how even to them Scripture prophesied that they
would renounce these vanities, and hope in this Christ.
CONCLUSION
In creating Christianity every form of deception, lie,
and hatred
was generated.
It is apparent that the
creation of the Christ Mythos was
rooted not in reality, but in past mythologies. The early church,
to survive, thrive, and dominate all others, had to define itself
as the only truth and it did so with the lowest and most
contemptible of brain washing techniques. It was necessary to
demonize ALL people save those of the church. Denigration
of other gods, destruction of the symbolism of other religions,
and the creation of miraculous events, saints, and heroes in
support of Christianity was the methodology. The Jews were said
to have murdered Jesus Christ and the bewildered Jews had no
knowledge there had ever been a Christ. Pagan religious symbols
were called idols, false gods, while the religious symbols of
Christians were sacred objects. Miracles were sometimes loosely
based on real events and at other times made up from whole cloth.
Church fathers incited their followers to vandalize, to disrupt
the rituals of other religions, to destroy the symbols and altars
of other religions, and then, denied culpability because they had
not particpated directly in the terrorization. Sometimes the
church fathers actually believed in magical things, such as the
phoenix, dragons, cockatrice, talking animals, the world standing
still, etc. Sometimes they knew they were creating myth, such as
claiming the ancient myths were imitations of the myth of Jesus
Christ thousands of years before the creation of the Christ myth.
One thing stands out clearly, the church fathers knew they were
creating a new myth and a new religion and they were determined
to eliminate all competition. Mainstream Christianity, in the
beginning, had no tolerance for anyone not submitting to their
belief system.
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