I have a pet theory which may be somewhat controversial. Please be gentle with me as I'm not an academic but simply an ex Christian and interested in early Christian texts and history. This is just a hypothesis so not offence intended ![:)]( "Smile")
OK here goes, in the book of Revelation you have multiple gods and goddesses with careful reading and not apparent in the English translation. The pantheon consists of:
Zeus
Apollo
Leto
Hades
Thalassa
Thanatos
Ge (Gaia)
Ouranos
Zeus is the supreme God. In Revelation he is shown on a throne surrounded bu lightnings and thunder. This is an apt description of Zeus.
The birth narrative is the Woman of the Apocalypse which is a direct borrowing of Leto, Apollo and Python (dragon). The son of God is born in heaven and comes to earth. The opposite of the later gospels.
Hades is referred to by other NT writers as God of the underworld, so not controversial.
The others are mistranslated by bible translators as things or places, whereas they're actually persons, not things. In Revelation they flee from the throne, give up dead, and are thrown in the lake of fire. These are actions of persons, not of places or things.
So a more correct reading is the proper names of the gods and goddesses.
The early "church" is a black hole between the first Jewish war and the end of the first century. Hence the confusion and all so difficult to untangle.
The theory/ speculation is the first "Christians" were polytheistic Greeks. Which shows itself in Revelation as outlined above. Revelation in my view was written 68/69 ce but finished/expanded in 95 ce. Roughly parallel to this in the timeline was the Apostle Paul writing in the 50s so earlier than revelation. Paul's peculiar world view was heavily influenced by Mithraism possibly because he was an ex Mithraic cult leader himself (speculation).
In Paul' letters the other lesser "gods" are largely dropped, leaving a duotheistic formula of God the Father and his son, Christos Iesous, but retaining "principalities and powers". He had a belief in archangels, angels, archons, and demonic powers. His "Jesus" is derived from the hebrew scriptures by revelatory visions and looking for hidden meaning in passages. This hybrid identity formed the emerging religion.
What do you think? Thanks
OK here goes, in the book of Revelation you have multiple gods and goddesses with careful reading and not apparent in the English translation. The pantheon consists of:
Zeus
Apollo
Leto
Hades
Thalassa
Thanatos
Ge (Gaia)
Ouranos
Zeus is the supreme God. In Revelation he is shown on a throne surrounded bu lightnings and thunder. This is an apt description of Zeus.
The birth narrative is the Woman of the Apocalypse which is a direct borrowing of Leto, Apollo and Python (dragon). The son of God is born in heaven and comes to earth. The opposite of the later gospels.
Hades is referred to by other NT writers as God of the underworld, so not controversial.
The others are mistranslated by bible translators as things or places, whereas they're actually persons, not things. In Revelation they flee from the throne, give up dead, and are thrown in the lake of fire. These are actions of persons, not of places or things.
So a more correct reading is the proper names of the gods and goddesses.
The early "church" is a black hole between the first Jewish war and the end of the first century. Hence the confusion and all so difficult to untangle.
The theory/ speculation is the first "Christians" were polytheistic Greeks. Which shows itself in Revelation as outlined above. Revelation in my view was written 68/69 ce but finished/expanded in 95 ce. Roughly parallel to this in the timeline was the Apostle Paul writing in the 50s so earlier than revelation. Paul's peculiar world view was heavily influenced by Mithraism possibly because he was an ex Mithraic cult leader himself (speculation).
In Paul' letters the other lesser "gods" are largely dropped, leaving a duotheistic formula of God the Father and his son, Christos Iesous, but retaining "principalities and powers". He had a belief in archangels, angels, archons, and demonic powers. His "Jesus" is derived from the hebrew scriptures by revelatory visions and looking for hidden meaning in passages. This hybrid identity formed the emerging religion.
What do you think? Thanks
Statistics: Posted by dabber — Mon Mar 10, 2025 12:49 am
