The Early "Church"

[Chad32]

Where did it come from?



Translation:  Eusebius concocted the "history" of the church!

Sure, but the fragmentary nature of the early church is kind of interesting. There were all manner of wild versions about. The varieties we have today are nothing compared to what happened early on.

For example, Docetism, which held that jesus was never corporeal but was wholly a spirit which merely gave the appearance of physical incarnation. The resurrection was simply jesus acting as though it was real. For our benefit of course, but he didn't really suffer at all and couldn't die anyway. The original performance art. That one was surprisingly long lived. The Cathars adopted it right up to when they were wiped out in the 1200s by Rome.

I don't know what sounds worse. The idea of an innocent person being brutally murdered, and acting like that's supposed to absolve people of their sins? Or the idea that it was all an act, and he didn't suffer, but we're still supposed to consider the event something worth worshiping him over.