Oh, there were so many different Christianities in earlier times. All claimed power to determine who was apostate. Pagels explained what a bad reputation the book of Revelation had. It embarassed church Fathers. Paul was an apostate to James and Peter. Paul's is always justifying his claim to be an apostle. If he were accepted as an apostle by all, he would not linger over it so much. There were warring popes many times with massive battles. When you read histories, the military logistics are more important than the ideas. Politcal power made legitimate teaching.
During Tudors times, there was civil war all over England. Society suffered. Archaeologists found that regular people kept both Roman Catholic and Protestant worship elements at home. There were secret hiding places. Depending on the course of a battle, one could be one religion at noon and another at six.
The Witnesses do well when people don't know history or religious movements. The Witnesses are insiginifiant. I believe that most members here feel they are the true apostates. One way of looking at is the American example. Was George Washington the father of his country or a traitor? It depends on military power. For long stretches of time, he was an apostate traitor to his home country. All the Founding Fathers had strong ties to Britian and only a few years before the actual conflict, wrote of their devotion to King George III. Americans don't appreciate how British we were. Historians love telling of John Adams being sent as the first ambassador to Great Britain. Mr. Great Britain, turned political traitor and activist, being sent to represent the interests of an independent country. King George III did not want him as a symbol. The British public viewed him as a traitor. It all depends on your perspective.
...OUTLAW