There is a widely held belief that the Christians were persecuted from The days of Christ and the point is stressed and reinforced by Christian Literature.
The three facts(?)of Christianity.
Christ did not exist.
‘The Christ myth theory (also known as Jesus myth theory or Jesus mythicism) is a range of arguments that question the existence of Jesus of Nazareth or the entirety of his life story as described in the Christian gospels. The most sweeping version of the myth theories contends that there was no real historical figure Jesus and that he was invented by early Christians. Another variant holds that there was a person called Jesus, but almost all teachings and miracles attributed to him were either invented or symbolic references. Yet another version suggests that the Jesus portrayed in the New Testament is a composite character constructed from multiple people over a period of time..
The historical Proof for the existence of Christ is very thin.
- “Jesus never existed: The gospels describe a virtually, and perhaps entirely, fictitious person. There are no grounds for supposing that any aspect of the Jesus narrative is rooted in history.
- Jesus existed but little is known about him: There is enough historical evidence to conclude that Jesus existed, but the reports are so unreliable that very little can be said about his life and teachings with confidence.
- Jesus existed and we can know about him: Historical research can reveal a core of historical facts about Jesus, but he is often different from the portrayals in the New Testament. Many of the sayings and miracles attributed to him are likely to be myths.
- The gospels present a mostly historical Jesus: When the New Testament accounts are compared with other sources they provide a by and large reliable historical portrait of Jesus, and critical historiography should not rule out the possibility of supernatural occurrences.”
So much for the founder of Christianity.
The Bible was composed nearly after three years after the death of Christ(?) by Constantine by assembling a Conclave of Cardinals an analysis of over three hundred versions of the would be Bible and the one that would suit the policies of Constantine to consolidate his Empire was chosen.
Not only that.
Constantine too became a Christian Convert to hold on to his Kingdom.
The New Testament , of King James’s version was more of a retort to the Pope., because he did not give permission to King James to marry Anne Boleyn.
“The First Council of Nicaea was convened by Emperor Constantine the Great upon the recommendations of a synod led by Hosius of Córdoba in the Eastertide of 325. This synod had been charged with investigation of the trouble brought about by the Arian controversy in the Greek-speaking east. To most bishops, the teachings of Arius were heretical and dangerous to the salvation of souls. In the summer of 325, the bishops of all provinces were summoned to Nicaea (now known as İznik, in modern-day Turkey), a place easily accessible to the majority of delegates, particularly those of Asia Minor, Georgia, Armenia, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Greece, and Thrace.
This was the first general council in the history of the Church since the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem, the Apostolic council having established the conditions upon which Gentiles could join the Church. In the Council of Nicaea, “The Church had taken her first great step to define doctrine more precisely in response to a challenge from a heretical theology.”“
Constantine also established the Church, the temporal Authority to consolidate his Kingdom.
The Shroud of Turin.
The Shroud of Turin was believed to be the cloth that was used to wrap the body of Christ after he was crucified.
Carbon Dating established beyond doubt that the Cloth belonged to the 13th Century AD!
‘The Shroud of Turin, a linen cloth commonly associated with the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ, has undergone numerous scientific tests, the most notable of which is radiocarbon dating, in an attempt to determine the relic‘s authenticity. In 1988, scientists at three separate laboratories dated samples from the Shroud to a range of 1260–1390CE, which coincides with the first appearance of the shroud in France in the 1350s.
These results are generally accepted by the scientific community. This dating has been questioned by some, and doubts have been raised in particular regarding the representivity of the sample that was taken for testing.”
This is how th early Christianity was conceived , more as a Political tool.
Even the hunting down of Christ and eventual Crucifixion was more of a Political Act, the charge was Sedition!
Now onto the persecution of Christians.
- Historical Jesus Files: The Rationalistic View of Biblical History (mediainfidel.wordpress.com)