history, part 1

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 Candid admissions of the Christian's crimes even came from the very historians

working for the Church of Rome, who had lost all touch with reality, decency and

common sense and presented deceit, plagiarism, forgeries, massacres, oppression

and corruption believing that they were justifiable "for the higher cause" and

they would never be questioned. These historical records include of course the

Annals of the Church and the various priestly orders (Jesuits, Dominicans,

Franciscans, Capuchins, Cistercians, etc), and the biographies, reports and

commentaries on historical events written by Eusebius (the personal biographer

of Constantine), Gregoire de Tours (bishop in France in the Middle Ages),

Bartolomè de las Casas and Xavier (missionaries in the colonial period

respectively with the Spanish and the Portuguese missions, in the Americas and

in Asia), as well as later writers such as Gelmi, Bembo, Degalli, Grimberg,

Henrion, Rendina, Herr, Enchiridion, Ranke-Heinemann, Rotter, Monticelli,

Browe, Salvatorelli, Solmi, Ginzburg, Bois, Fabbretti, Kempf, Hefele, Müller,

Boswell, Gasparri, Villani, Spinosa, Allegretti, Priuli, Pozzoli, Giovio,

Zapperi, Formentini, Brambilla, Verga, Morigia, Colonna, Cantù, Cecchini, Berla,

Fraser, Bascapè, Leonida Besozzi, Waagenaar, Quilici, Castiglioni. Other

"edifying" information were supplied by the recordings of the broadcasting of

Radio Vaticana and Radio Maria in Italy.

 

Many of the "edifying writers" of the Church openly recommend manipulation of

facts, fabrication of false events and forgery of historical documents as licit

means to spread Christianity:

- Bishop Eusebius (4th century), the official propagandist for Constantine,

entitles the 32nd Chapter of his 12th Book of Evangelical Preparation: How it

may be Lawful and Fitting to use Falsehood as a Medicine, and for the Benefit of

those who Want to be Deceived. Eusebius is notoriously the author of a great

many falsehoods – but he does warn us: "We shall introduce into this history in

general only those events which may be useful first to ourselves and afterwards

to posterity." (Ecclesiastical History, Vol. 8, chapter 2).

- John Chrysostom, (5th century) theologian and bishop of Constantinople,

writes: ‘Great is the force of deceit! provided it is not excited by a

treacherous intention.’ (Commentary on I Cor. ix, 19; Diegesis)

- the Manichean bishop (and opponent of Augustine) Faustus said: "Many things

have been inserted by our ancestors in the speeches of our Lord which, though

put forth under his name, agree not with his faith; especially since – as

already it has been often proved – these things were written not by Christ, nor

[by] his apostles, but a long while after their assumption, by I know not what

sort of half Jews, not even agreeing with themselves, who made up their tale out

of reports and opinions merely, and yet, fathering the whole upon the names of

the apostles of the Lord or on those who were supposed to follow the apostles,

they maliciously pretended that they had written their lies and conceits

according to them."

- Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of the Society of Jesus (the

Jesuits), wrote: "We should always be disposed to believe that which appears to

us to be white is really black, if the hierarchy of the Church so decides."

- Martin Luther, in private correspondence, argued: 'What harm would it do, if a

man told a good strong lie for the sake of the good and for the Christian church

[...] a lie out of necessity, a useful lie, a helpful lie, such lies would not

be against God, he would accept them." (cited by his secretary, in a letter in

Max Lenz, ed., Briefwechsel Landgraf Phillips des Grossmüthigen von Hessen mit

Bucer, vol. I.)

 

The famous "Donation of Constantine" has been amply recognized as a forgery. It

is a two-part document; in the Confessio Constantine thanks pope Sylvester I

(314-335) for his Christian instruction and baptism (and consequent cure of

leprosy), in his Donatio Constantine confers on the pope and his successors

primacy over all other bishops including the eastern patriarchs, senatorial

privileges for the clergy, imperial palaces and regalia, even Rome itself and

all the western empire. In truth, this monstrous 8th century forgery (peppered

with anachronisms) was almost certainly written by Pope Paul I (757-67) while

his brother Stephen II (752-57) sat on the papal throne. Lorenzo Valla, scholar

and assistant to the pope in 1440, amply demonstrated the document was a

forgery, but his book was published only in 1517, after his death.

 

Much information, however embellished by the Christian writers who quote him,

can be found in the books of Josephus (38-107 CE), a Jewish historian who

visited Rome in 64, aged 26. During the campaign in Galilee in 67 he defected to

the Romans. His books The Jewish War and Antiquities were published in Rome

around 95. Josephus had spent a year among the Essenes or Therapeutae in his

youth and describes them as Pythagoreans; he mentions Jesus was one of them. The

Therapeutae are also described by Philo Judaeus, a 1st century CE contemporary

of Josephus, in his book De Vita Contemplativa (On contemplative life) as a

Jewish Pythagorean school which also included the Essenes. Some say that Philo

himself may have been a member; he writes about the Therapeutae in terms

suggesting that they were practicing a Jewish version of the Pagan Mysteries.

Many other contemporary historians in Rome, such as Plinius, Tacitus and

Svetonius, wrote about the Jews and the early Christians. Some of their works

survived.

 

Finally, we must acknowledge the courage and determination of some dissident

Christian groups, heavily persecuted by the Church, whose representatives

faithfully preserved the original teachings in secret organizations. The most

notable are the Gnostic Christians, who interpreted the teachings of Jesus and

the "lost Bible" according to the Greek philosophers and mystics (initiates of

Orphic mysteries) like Homer, whose exegesis was often quoted in Gnostic texts

(see The Refutation of All Heresies, by Hippolytus 170-236 CE and Against All

Heresies, by Irenaeus 130-202 CE). Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), the Swiss

founder of depth psychology, was profoundly influenced by the classical esoteric

tradition, Gnosticism and Hermeticism, that survived in the West as the secret

science of alchemy. The purchase of the first Gnostic codex discovered in Nag

Hammadi was made possible by a foundation set up by Jung and in his honor is now

known as the Jung Codex.

Christian Gnostics worshiped Knowledge (Sophia in Greek language, Sri Vidya in

Sanskrit) and had several philosophical schools with various orientations.

Augustine (354-430 CE) had been a follower of the Manichaean Gnostics for nine

years and a Neoplatonist for four more years. In 390 he left the Gnostics to

join the mainstream Church (in this period he boasted he had torched the

synagogue of Kallinikon) and in 395 he was appointed the Bishop of Hippo in

Africa.

 

Some of the most famous Gnostic teachers and authors were:

- Apelles, disciple of Marcion and author of Syllogisms (proving the forgery of

the Books of Moses) and the Revelations of the prophetess Philumene.

- Axionicus, Valentinian Gnostic of the Oriental school mentioned along with

Bardesanes by Hippolytus.

- Barbeloites, worshiped Knowledge as Goddess Barbelo, "the First Virginal

Invisible Spirit", first emanation of the Unknown Father, described in

Allogenes, The Apocryphon of John, Melchizedek, Marsanes, The Three Steles of

Seth, Trimorphic Protennoia and Pistis Sophia.

- Basilides, a Syrian Gnostic active in Alexandria around 117-161 CE. One of the

most distinguished of the Gnostics, according to Hegel. Derived his doctrines

from Aristotle, according to Hippolytus. A disciple of Menander of Antioch. He

received "secret words" from the apostle Matthias. His son Isidore (author On

the Grown Soul, Ethics and Expositions of the Prophet Parchor) became his

successor.

- Carpocrates, around 110 CE, an Alexandrian Platonist using The Secret Gospel

of Mark as its initiatory document. The Carpocratians were radical communists

who condemned private property as the source of all injustice.

- Cerinthus, around 100 CE, trained in "the Egyptian tradition", according to

Hippolytus. His followers claimed he was the author of The Gospel of the Beloved

Disciple, or The Gospel of John.

- Clement of Alexandria 150-215 CE. He calls the Gnostics "the true Christians".

Born in Athens, he became the pupil of Pantaenus of Alexandria in 180 and became

head of the Catechetical school in 190.

- Ebionites, or "Poor Ones", considered the original disciples of the historical

Jesus, led by Peter and James in Jerusalem in the first century. The documents

recovered at Nag Hammadi had been preserved and hidden by them. They repudiated

Paul because Jesus had never told his followers to convert people from other

religions.

- Elkesai, a prophet who appeared in Syria c.100 CE. The Elkesaites were a

Gnostic Judaeo-Christian Baptist sect and like the Ebionites, they denounced

Paul's deviation. Mani's father was a member of this sect.

- Gregory of Nyssa 335-395 CE, one of the Cappadocians' Fathers, along with

Basil (329-79 CE) and Gregory of Nazianzum (329-391 CE), whose work continued to

develop the Gnostic mystical philosophy of Origen.

- Heracleon, Roman Gnostic and disciple of Valentinus. Only a few quotations

from his memoirs survive in the work of Origen and Clement.

- Mani, born in 216 CE in Babylon (the Hebrew quarter of Cairo, Egypt), founded

a Gnostic religion which soon spread across the Roman Empire.

- Marcellina, a female Valentinian Gnostic and follower of Epiphanes. She

introduced his teachings to Rome around 130 CE, bringing with her painted icons

illuminated with gold representing Jesus, Pythagoras, Plato and Aristotle.

- Marcion, born in Pontus in Asia Minor, where his father was a bishop. He

appeared in Rome around 140 CE and by the end of the second century his Church

"filled the whole world". Hippolytus traced Marcion's teaching to Empedocles.

Marcion rejected the Old Testament and parts of the Gospels that he regarded as

falsified. It is widely accepted that it was Marcion's criticisms that spurred

the creation of the first Literalist canon.

- Marcus, around 170 CE, from Asia Minor or Egypt. By the late second century

his teachings had reached as far as the Rhone valley. His wisdom was received by

revelation of the Pythagorean Tetraktys, which appeared to him in female form.

- Naasenes, a sect which existed under the reign of Hadrian (110-140 CE). The

Naasenes derived their name from Naas, meaning "serpent", and believed that

every temple (naos in Greek) was secretly dedicated to this divinity. (Note: all

the temples in ancient Greek and Hellenistic world worshiped the onphalus, that

was very evidently a Shiva lingam with the snake coiled around it –

illustrations are available). According to the Church Father Hippolytus, the

Naasenes "constantly attend the mysteries called those of the Great Mother,

supposing especially that they behold by means of the ceremonies performed there

the entire mystery".

- Origen (185-254 CE). Born in Alexandria, studied Pagan philosophy with

Plotinus under Ammonius Saccus, he preached reincarnation and apocatastasis, the

ultimate salvation of all. He became a pupil of Clement and castrated himself in

accordance with Matthew 19:12 (a practice that was also followed by the cult of

Cybele, as illustrated in our next section about the ancient pre-Christian

religions). He established a school in Caesaria in 231. He was posthumously

condemned as an heretic by the Roman Church in the 5th century.

- Ptolemy (around140 in Rome), disciple of Valentinus, founder, along with

Heracleon, of the Italic school of Valentinus. He was the first exegete of the

fourth gospel and his letter to his disciple Flora is still preserved.

- Saturnilus (Saturninus) of Antioch, a contemporary of Basilides.

- Tertullian (160-220 CE). Born in Carthage, he became a lawyer in Rome;

converted to Christianity around 195, he became a Gnostic in 207.

- Valentinus (100-180 CE), Alexandrian Gnostic poet, wrote The Gospel of Truth

found at Nag Hammadi and founded a school in Rome around 140. Valentinian

Christianity spread to all parts of the Roman world such as Gaul, Rome, Asia

Minor, Syria, Egypt, Carthage and eventually Mesopotamia.

 

The influence of Greek and Hellenistic philosophers, who had already been

influenced by the Indian gymnosophists from the times of Persians and Alexander

the great, was very strong in all the ancient world and is considered the origin

of western civilization. Jews also had a close connection with them because the

ten Lost Tribes of Israel had been deported to the region called Arachosia

(south Afghanisthan and Kashmir) after the destruction of Jerusalem, before

Jesus' birth. We will discuss more about this later. Now we will just mention

the example of Philo Judaeus (25 BCE-50 CE), an Alexandrian Jew whose works

demonstrate the thorough interpenetration of Greek philosophy and Jewish

traditions among Hellenized Jews. Philo's thought is dominated by the idea of

the Logos. In the history of ideas he is the an important bridge between the

Greek philosophical tradition and later Christian Gnosticism.

 

Some of the other secret traditions that have somehow preserved their documents

are:

- the Bogomils ("Lovers of God"), who around 872 were forced to settle in

Macedonia. Despite intense persecution the Bogomils retained a power base in

Serbia and Bosnia until the 15th century. At the anti-Bogomil council of 1211

the Bogomils were accused of performing "unholy mysteries like the Hellenic

Pagan rites".

- the Cathars ("the pure"). As a synonym for initiates it can be traced back to

the Orphic Gold Leaves around 400 BCE. Between 1150 and 1300 Catharism was the

dominant religion of southern France and northern Italy (where they were known

as Patarenes). The Cathars were vegetarian, had both male and female priests and

believed in reincarnation. Like Simon and Marcion they rejected the Old

Testament God as a tyrant. They called the Church of Rome "a den of thieves ...

the harlot of which we read in the Apocalypse."