Bledri ap Cadifor (1070-1150)

Grail Sources

• Home
• Milieu of the Grail
• Holy Grail of Heresy
• List of Grail Romances

Review of Dan Brown

• Dan Brown's Literary Offences
• The Real Problem With The DaVinci Code
• DaVinci Code the Movie
• Angels and Demons Review

Early Christianity

• Chalcedonian Christology
• Fundamentalism
• Jesus' Marriage
• Knights Templar

First Century Christian Origins

Several strains of Christianity other than proto-orthodoxy can be clearly discerned in the first century. Writings of the church fathers in the second and third centuries, along with documents uncovered in the 20th century, including the Dead Sea scrolls and the Nag Hammadi codices, paint a vivid picture of the Christianity of the first and second centuries, and it wasn't orthodox. Even those early apologists (2nd and 3rd centuries) who were not censured or censored later, hold several doctrines that later theologians would consider heterodox.

Three different strains discernable in the first century can be called "Christ Cults". The first century existence of more than one Kyrios Christos Cult, based on the dying and rising hero myth, are attested by second century apologists attempts to refute them. Compare the Passion narratives of the orthodox gospels to the myths of Dionysus, Zagreus, Orpheus, Attis, Adonis, Serapis, Mithras, Tammuz, Baal, Osiris et al. Justin Martyr refers to many of the above, explicitly comparing them to Christianity and ascribing them to Satanic interference, "copies-in-advance", trying to discredit the only "genuine" one. He goes on to explain how we know that Christianity is the true one, because the outline of a human face, that is eyes and nose, make a cross. This, he claims, is the only distinction, and the only one necessary to know truth from error.

Gnostic Christ Cults. Jesus as the incarnation of the heavenly Christ-being. Examples are Paul's mythic Jesus, see Philippians 2:6-11, where "Jesus" is a title bestowed on the Christ being. Most of these are docetic, meaning they believed that Jesus was not genuinely human, but only seemed to be human. "Jesus" actually is a title meaning "Savior". See the Dialogue of the Savior, Gospel of Philip, and the Sophia of Jesus Christ. Remember that until the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451, the "dual nature" of Christ, fully human and fully divine, was not yet formulated.

Martyr Cult. See the Epistle of James and the writings of the Stoics. Both the Hebrews and the Greeks believed that the death of an innocent martyr could be applied to erase the sins of the guilty. Attested in 3rd Maccabees.

Then we can recognize several distinct communities who believed in a human Jesus. Burton Mack (Who Wrote the Bible?) calls these the "Jesus Communities".

For example, the Q Community, Cynic or Pythagorean wandering preachers or philosophers who are characterized by chiera, or pithy sayings, poverty, and mobile life-style. Cynic apostles in and about Gallilee recorded by history include Menippus, ca. 300-250 BC, Meleagor, AD 0-50, and Oenomans AD 100-150. A long-standing tradition of wandering preachers in Gallilee is thoroughly documented. Compare to Matthew 10:5-15, Mark 6:7-11 and Luke 9:1-5, and the Didache.

Those who awaited an anti-Davidic Messiah of Gallilee and Samaria, the Elijah-like messiah, Son of Joseph (meaning of the tribes of Ephraim and Mennaseh). Several chains of miracles listed in the gospels are set up to copy those of Elijah and Elishah and Moses. See also the Transfiguration story of Mark 9:2-8 and the Good Samaritan story of Luke 10:29-37. Many of the anti-Pharisee stories were undoubtedly originated by these sects.

We can't forget those ascetic Communities, such as Philo's Therapeutes and Josephus' Essenes. Possibly the Qumran or Dead Sea Communitiy would fit in here. They preached celebacy and strictly adhering to their own allegoric interpretation of Mosaic Law. Although thoroughly Jewish, they were also strongly Platonic, believing in Philo's allegorical interpretation of Moses. The Dead Sea scrolls record a community which is also strongly Sadducee and priestly, looking for the messiah of Levi, an anointed high priest who will restore Israel to the Mosaic compliance.

Then we have the writers of aretologies (accounts of miracles and wonders). Many of the gospel stories come from one or another of those communities who revered a historical figure as a miracle worker. Compare to these accounts:

Life of Pythagoras, by Iamblichus
Life of Alexander, by Plutarch
Life of Apollonius of Tyanna, by Philostratus
Accounts of Ascelepius from inscriptions at Epidaurus
Life of Romulus, by Livy

Several communities of Jewish Christians are attested in the Bible and in history. These include the Jerusalem church presided over by James the Just, the "brother of the Lord", as well as those who eventually became Mandaeans and revered John the Baptist as their messiah. John the Baptist cults are clearly attested in the gospels as well as Josephus.

There was a distinct Matthew Community. Matthew's gospel directs readers to observe the Torah. Mt 5: 17-19, Mt 7: 21-23, Epistle of James 2:20. These Jewish Christians are blasted in 2nd Corinthians 11:4-5, 13-15, in Galatians 1:6-9 and 2:14, and in Mark 7:19 which was clipped by Matthew, compare to Mt 15:17. We know that the Ebionites (along with Nazarenes and Encratites) existed in Palestine in the time of Eusebius. Eusebius went to Palestine to find the remnants of the Jerusalem Church, but all he found were Ebionites. I wonder why. Paul's Epistles record that the Jerusalem Church was Jewish and Judaising.

The first Christians in most parts of the Empire were Marcionites, Ebionites, Encratists and Gnostics. The Chronicles of Edessa record missionary efforts by Marcion, Bardesanes and Mani long before any proto-orthodox Christians. Eusebius avoids the subject. Justin Martyr writes that in Eastern Syria the name Christians was reserved for Marcionites because they were there first. The proto-orthodox church had to make do with the name "Palutians" after the first proto-orthodox bishop. This state of affairs remained true until the Muslim conquest.

The Thomas Tradition in Syria, both Antioch in western Syria and Edessa in eastern Syria and in Armenia is very old and possibly goes back to Thomas himself. This is the probable source of documents such as the Gospel of Thomas (which could very well date from the first century). The Acts of Thomas, the Book of Thomas the Contender and other Thomasine writings.

The first missionaries to Antioch were the Gnostics Saturninus, Cerdo and Menander. The orthodox bishop Serapion in AD 190 condemns the widespread use of the Gnostic Gospel of Peter. Letters of Ignatius cry out against docetic and Judaizing local Christianity. His Epistle to Polycarp laments that "the great majority" embrace Docetism. Ignatius mentions in this epistle that most of the bishops in Syria do not take his view.

In Asia Minor, the community of the Revelation (Apocalypse of John) probably 1st century, depicts the conflict between John’s type of ascetism (only 144,000 virgins saved) and the Gnostic Nicolaitans.

The first Christians in Egypt were the Gnostics Valentinus, Basilides, Apollos, Carpocrates and Isidore. See Phlegon’s letter to Hadrian, Gospel of the Egyptians and Gospel of the Hebrews. The first Orthodox bishop in Egypt was Demetrius in the 3rd century. The Nag Hammadi find confirms this, including documents which are Platonic, Zoroastrian, Sethian, Enochian, and Melchizadek sectarian texts. The Nag Hammadi codices are from the monastic library of the Brotherhood of St Pachomius which is the first known Christian monastery. They were buried when the monks received the Easter letter of Athanasius in AD 367.

Valentinus says he was taught by Theodas the disciple of Paul. Basilides says he was taught by Glaukias the disciple of Peter. Their "apostolic succession" is at least as well established as the Bishops of Rome (whose first 5 or 6 names on the list probably didn't even exist).

The Shepherd of Hermas was written in Rome around AD 154 by the brother of Pius, Bishop of Rome (died 154). Jesus is portrayed as an archangel, the Holy Spirit is portrayed as the first Son of God, who persuades the Father to resurrect Jesus, his faithful host body, as the second Son of God.

Origen and Clement of Alexandria are examples of 2nd and 3rd century Church fathers who were declared heretical then orthodox then heretical again. Their views border on Gnosticism and Docetism.

Not until Theodosius decree in 380 was there an "official" church orthodoxy. Theodosius made the Nicaean Creed of Constantine's mother the state religion of Rome, outlawing whatever they called heresy, but despite vigorous measures, (The Roman Emperor Justinian (r. 527-565) ordered death by fire, intestacy, and confiscation of all possessions by the State to be the punishment for heresy against the Catholic faith in hisCodex Iustiniani (CJ 1.5.), ratifying the decrees of his predecessors the Emperors Arcadius and Flavius Augustus Honorius) such heresies as Arianism, Marcionism, Manichaeism and Mandeaism flourished. Arianism didn't bite the dust until the conversion of Clovis in AD 496. Marcionism is attested in histories of the Syrian area up to the Arab conquest in AD 638. Manichaeism is recorded in Central Asia until at least AD 980, and Mandeaism is a vibrant religion in Iran, today.