Celsus

[The Grand Nudger]

Understandable..we rarely take notice of the specifics of whatever it is the local vagrant is yelling to the clouds about.

But the trouble with the Jesus narrative is that Jesus was more than just 'the local vagrant'. 

Sure..but I'm not operating under the assumption that jesus -was- that vagrant saying crazy shit, at all.  He became, at some point in proto-christian development...the vagrants imaginary friend.  

We know that people just didn't notice them.  They were non entities.  Then they were confused for jews.  Then atheists.  Pliny notices them but doesn't know much about them and so "investigates"...describes the whole bit then (112ish) as "depraved, excessive superstition", and the emperors position in response..in effect..is "meh, fuck em..but don't go out of your way to do it". The only thing that concerned him in the slightest was that early christian "churches" (in this case run by a couple of skirts, lol)...were places where malcontents got together and bitched about the guv-mint. How familiar.

For the better part of early christian development they were seen (accurately) as a bunch of filthy uneducated rabble. The kind of people you step over. Even when later christians take control of the narrative and invent conversations with great pagans of the past as a vehicle for doctrine and refutation of criticism they don't care to distort that fact and simply acknowledge that yes..that's who they were...but tellingly pont out "we had some smart pagan converts also, too!". Again..how familiar.

The great irony of christianity, for me at least..is how transparent it;s always been..and that's -after- the holy degenerates went to incredible lengths to conceal that fact. It's a religious pet rock. An idea so dumb that no one thinks it will work.....and then.....