how were the pagans converted to christianity?
Despite embracing Christianity, Emperor Constantine still hedged his bets by celebrating the Roman gods -- as did just about everyone else in the Roman empire!
The success of Roman Christianity was due entirely to the fact that pagan gods and celebrations were incorporated into the new religion.
It was not difficult to subdue and convert pagan populations when their lives and beliefs remained essentially unchanged.
For instance, the Roman Feast of Saturnalia on the winter solstice was converted to became the official celebration of the birth of Jesus. December 25 in the year 1AD was not the birth of Jesus, and even though most people now accept that the Romans got it wrong - our society still perpetuates the myth of His birthday as well as the calendar upon which it is based.
Herod, the King of the Jews in Judea at the time Jesus was born - who decreed the killing of all male children under the age of two and caused Mary and Joseph to flee to Egypt with their son Jesus - has been found to have died between a lunar eclipse in March and the Jewish Passover of April in the year 4BC (four years before the year ascribed to the birth of Jesus).
Also, Jesus cannot possibly have been born in December because in winter time it was a Talmudic custom for shepherds to keep their flocks indoors between November and March.
If the shepherds were out watching their flocks at night when they saw the Star of Bethlehem - probably Jupiter in its full glory - then on astronomical reckoning Jesus had to be born between April and October in the year 5BC or 6BC. Probably September in the year 6BC because at that time the sun would be setting as Jupiter would be rising, making it a glorious sight in the night sky.
In that most of the Christian celebrations conveniently coincided with traditional Pagan festivals - and Jesus was portrayed as a good man, teaching love and forgiveness and doing a great deal to help the sick and poor, as did many of the Pagan priests - it cannot have been too hard to convert Pagans to the early form of Christianity.
Later on, of course, Roman Christianity became quite brutal and would not tolerate any rival beliefs.
The success of Roman Christianity was due entirely to the fact that pagan gods and celebrations were incorporated into the new religion.
It was not difficult to subdue and convert pagan populations when their lives and beliefs remained essentially unchanged.
For instance, the Roman Feast of Saturnalia on the winter solstice was converted to became the official celebration of the birth of Jesus. December 25 in the year 1AD was not the birth of Jesus, and even though most people now accept that the Romans got it wrong - our society still perpetuates the myth of His birthday as well as the calendar upon which it is based.
Herod, the King of the Jews in Judea at the time Jesus was born - who decreed the killing of all male children under the age of two and caused Mary and Joseph to flee to Egypt with their son Jesus - has been found to have died between a lunar eclipse in March and the Jewish Passover of April in the year 4BC (four years before the year ascribed to the birth of Jesus).
Also, Jesus cannot possibly have been born in December because in winter time it was a Talmudic custom for shepherds to keep their flocks indoors between November and March.
If the shepherds were out watching their flocks at night when they saw the Star of Bethlehem - probably Jupiter in its full glory - then on astronomical reckoning Jesus had to be born between April and October in the year 5BC or 6BC. Probably September in the year 6BC because at that time the sun would be setting as Jupiter would be rising, making it a glorious sight in the night sky.
In that most of the Christian celebrations conveniently coincided with traditional Pagan festivals - and Jesus was portrayed as a good man, teaching love and forgiveness and doing a great deal to help the sick and poor, as did many of the Pagan priests - it cannot have been too hard to convert Pagans to the early form of Christianity.
Later on, of course, Roman Christianity became quite brutal and would not tolerate any rival beliefs.
Labels: christianity, constantine, feast of saturnalia, herod, joseph, mary, pagans, religions, roman
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