Christianity BEFORE Christ?

freedomlover

Okay, was there really nothing resembling Christianity before Christ established Christianity and the ideas behind that? I mean, a lot of what the principles of Christianity contain seem to be very common sense, such as loving neighbor, not stealing, don't covet neighbor's wife, etc. Do you really think the concept of Christianity was so ground breaking when it did occur?

ithinkisee

DISCLAIMER: I got this from another poster on here ... or from the web somewhere ... so I am not sure if these quotes listed below are correct. This is something I have been wanting to research for a long time. Anyone have any thoughts on these?

650 B.C.E. Pittacus writes "Do not that to your neighbor which you would receive ill from him."

585 B.C.E. Thales of Miletus writes
"Avoid doing what you would blame others for doing."

500 B.C.E. Confucius writes "Do to another what you would have them do to yourself. You need only this law. It is the foundation of all other laws."

406 B.C.E. Sextus writes
"What you wish your neighbors to be to you, be also to them."

385 B.C.E. Aristotle writes "We should conduct ourselves toward others as we would have them act towards ourselves."

365 B.C.E. Aristippus writes "Cherish reciprocal benevolence, which will make you as anxious for anothers welfare as for your own."

338 B.C.E. Isocrates writes "Act toward others as you desire them to act toward yourself".

30 C.E. Jesus quoted as saying
"Do to others as you would have them do to you."

-ithinkisee

Deputy Dog

freedomlover

such as loving neighbor, not stealing, don't covet neighbor's wife

These things are Jewish

Do you really think the concept of Christianity was so ground breaking when it did occur?

Name the founder of another religion that rose from the dead

D Dog

gaiagirl

If one does a google search for "sacrificial king", they will have many hits which illustrate how earlier religions embodied themes similar to those incorporated in christianity. Some of the "kings" who could be said to prefigure Jesus include Osiris, Dionysius, Balder, and others. This was commented on in the first couple of centuries of the common era, and the "christian explanation" was that Satan, knowing what was going to happen, arranged for these other people to do these things first, to discredit Jesus.

Shining One

Hi Freedomlover,
Christianity was the natural culmination of Old Testament prophecy. The savior prophecied arrived right at the time when the world was basically under one rule and was spread wherever that rule tried to stamp it out. It was groundbreaking in its elevation of women in a patriarchal society. The lost goes on and on. Jesus tell so much practical wisdom that we continually find new 'nuggets' in scripture today.
Rex

Narkissos

We have that right in the Bible.

Hosea 6:1-3:

Come, let us return to the LORD;
for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us;
he has struck down, and he will bind us up.
After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him. Let us know, let us press on to know the LORD;
his appearing is as sure as the dawn;
he will come to us like the showers,
like the spring rains that water the earth."

Why do fundies rarely quote this text among "Messianic prophecies"? Because it is a likely allusion to the resurrection of Yhwh aka Baal, associated with the return of rain after the dry season in the ancient Israelite religion, and the context actually blames the Israelites for being content with such a shallow, ritualistic display of repentance.

The theme of a dying-and-rising god (see also the Babylonian Tammuz in Ezekiel 8) is very widespread indeed, and was not foreign to Israel as the OT rewriting of history would have us believe.

Narkissos

The lost goes on and on

Amen to that.

freedomlover

Thank you Narkissos - interesting.....

Just to note : I am not asking this question to offend anyone who is Christian.

I guess I"m just really interested in what was around before Christianity? I've very interested in looking into Goddess worship or info. on when society was generally a matriarchal society. I know that was before Christianity - at least that's what I"ve been told. Just exploring religious history and the teaching of Christianity....

IP_SEC

It is possible that christianity resulted from the hellenization of Alexandrian Jews a century before christ was supposed to have existed. The christianity we know today resulted from the gnostic xians loss of a power struggle between they and literalist xians.

The Jesus Mysteries by Timothy Freke and Peter Grandy

freedomlover

great stuff guys, thanks! IP_SEC thanks for the book reference, I"ll have to check that out.

Anyone have any good info. or book recommendations on goddess and nature worship? I've been doing quite a bit of research on this, and I'm interested in placing this in the stream of time, esp. in relation to Christianity. Thanks.......

Christianity BEFORE Christ?

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