- Oct 12, 2003
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Christianity merged with Paganism under Constantine:-
Christ is only one of several of his gods.
For Constantine, Christ may have rated as a god along with other gods, and the professors of Christ's religion along with the servants of the pagan deities.
It is indeed a possibility that Constantine developed a kind of superstition in favor of Christ, and that he may even have brought that name into some kind of confused relationship with the sun-god.
Constantine supported Different Religions. A great inconsistency in Constantine's outward bearing persists; he accepts the monogram of Christ as the emblem of his army and has the name of Jupiter on his triumphal arch erased, but at the same time he retains the old gods on his coins, and especially the sun-god as his unconquerable companion, and on important occasions his outward conduct is entirely pagan....he wished to give direct guarantees to both religions, and he was powerful enough to maintain a twofold position.
Common Day of Worship Instituted by the Pagan For Pagans and Christians alike
At times he tried to find basically neutral expressions for religious practices which Christians and pagans alike should observe.
Of this character is the common Sunday and the common Pater Noster. He taught all armies zealously to honor the 'Lord's Day', which is also called the 'day of light and of the sun'....the pagans too were required to go forth into an open field on Sunday, and together to raise their hands, and recite a prayer by heart to God as giver of all victory:"
He Constructed Temples For Pagan Religion.
It is precisely in the last decade of his life that Constantine gives certain very plain indication of un-Christian, even of directly pagan, sympathies.
While he and his mother were ornamenting Palestine and the large cities of the Empire with magnificent churches, he was also building pagan temples in the new Constantinople...
At the consecration of the city certain occult pagan practices were demonstrably celebrated; the solemnities involved superstitions of all sorts, which later writers vainly seek to identify with Christian worship.
Church and State Unite!!
Constantine found the clergy already so suitably organized for power ... he therefore gave the clergy every possible guarantee of favor, even as far as a sort of participation in rule, and in return the clergy were the most devoted agents for spreading his power, and completely ignored the fact that he still stood with one foot in paganism and that his hands were over and again stained with blood."
Corruption.
About this time the organization of the Church already showed the beginnings of a regular hierarchy ... the choice of spiritual leaders ... came more and more to be distinguished from the laity [congregation, church!!] as clergy.
Distinctions arose among the bishops according to the position of the their cities and with particular consideration for the apostolic foundation of certain congregations.
The synods, which were convened for many various reasons, served to unite the bishops as a higher rank. Among the bishops themselves serious degeneration becomes apparent as early as the third century.
We find many of them sunk in worldly pomp, as Roman officials, as merchants, even as usurers.
For Constantine, Christ may have rated as a god along with other gods, and the professors of Christ's religion along with the servants of the pagan deities.
It is indeed a possibility that Constantine developed a kind of superstition in favor of Christ, and that he may even have brought that name into some kind of confused relationship with the sun-god.
Constantine supported Different Religions. A great inconsistency in Constantine's outward bearing persists; he accepts the monogram of Christ as the emblem of his army and has the name of Jupiter on his triumphal arch erased, but at the same time he retains the old gods on his coins, and especially the sun-god as his unconquerable companion, and on important occasions his outward conduct is entirely pagan....he wished to give direct guarantees to both religions, and he was powerful enough to maintain a twofold position.
Common Day of Worship Instituted by the Pagan For Pagans and Christians alike
At times he tried to find basically neutral expressions for religious practices which Christians and pagans alike should observe.
Of this character is the common Sunday and the common Pater Noster. He taught all armies zealously to honor the 'Lord's Day', which is also called the 'day of light and of the sun'....the pagans too were required to go forth into an open field on Sunday, and together to raise their hands, and recite a prayer by heart to God as giver of all victory:"
He Constructed Temples For Pagan Religion.
It is precisely in the last decade of his life that Constantine gives certain very plain indication of un-Christian, even of directly pagan, sympathies.
While he and his mother were ornamenting Palestine and the large cities of the Empire with magnificent churches, he was also building pagan temples in the new Constantinople...
At the consecration of the city certain occult pagan practices were demonstrably celebrated; the solemnities involved superstitions of all sorts, which later writers vainly seek to identify with Christian worship.
Church and State Unite!!
Constantine found the clergy already so suitably organized for power ... he therefore gave the clergy every possible guarantee of favor, even as far as a sort of participation in rule, and in return the clergy were the most devoted agents for spreading his power, and completely ignored the fact that he still stood with one foot in paganism and that his hands were over and again stained with blood."
Corruption.
About this time the organization of the Church already showed the beginnings of a regular hierarchy ... the choice of spiritual leaders ... came more and more to be distinguished from the laity [congregation, church!!] as clergy.
Distinctions arose among the bishops according to the position of the their cities and with particular consideration for the apostolic foundation of certain congregations.
The synods, which were convened for many various reasons, served to unite the bishops as a higher rank. Among the bishops themselves serious degeneration becomes apparent as early as the third century.
We find many of them sunk in worldly pomp, as Roman officials, as merchants, even as usurers.
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What does "never mind" mean again? I get kind of slow on the uptake with CF definitions.
