| Humans are by nature social animals, their innate need
for affiliation with others is an important characteristic of the human
species. This need is manifested in a number of subconscious emotional
tendencies to be affiliated with others in various forms of social
interaction, and, from the earliest days, hominins found strength and
protection in being part of family or tribal groups. Indeed, the
survival of the human race appears to have been largely due to the fact
that such groups shared the difficult vicissitudes of primitive
existence. Emotions are primarily influenced by the presence of various powerful chemical substances such as Oxytocin, Serotonin, Dopamine and endorphins within the body. While Oxytocin, a hormone and neurotransmitter, is often perceived as a "love hormone," associated with feelings of trust and attraction, it also acts as a catalyst amplifying whatever one is feeling at a particular time. Neurotransmitters Serotonin and Dopamine are mood enhancers, the former affecting feelings of well-being and happiness, while the latter influences the intensity of feelings, especially feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. Endorphins, (from "endogenous morphine"), are opiate like substances; part of a natural reward system, they are released during pleasurable activities creating feelings of positive well-being, and increased self esteem. Of all human emotions love is particularly powerful. A highly complex condition, in simple terms, it can be described as an intense feeling of deep and constant affection for one's self, or another person, and it is most evident in personal or kinship relationships. Yet love it is much more than simply an emotional feeling, it is also a vital ingredient in the personal development of individuals. Children especially need to be loved, to be aware there is someone to protect, care and love them, and it is known that, when deprived of a close loving relationship, young children never fully develop into effectively functioning mature adults. Even adults have the need for love, to know there is someone to support them and share their problems. It is a fact that, since most humans are followers, they need to have someone in control, and to be aware that the responsibility for their wellbeing is being looked after, such awareness provides them with a sense of reassurance, and encourages feelings of trust and social bonding. The Greeks had at least five words to describe the various aspects of love, Philia (friendship); Philautia (self-love); Storge (familial love); Eros, (sensual or passionate love), and Agape, (unconditional love); however, none of these involved the concept of the love of a deity for human worshippers. Ancient religions primarily perceived the deities as forces of nature who needed to be placated; to maintain their benevolence every member of their society was expected to be obedient, to serve and obey the gods by performing certain prescribed rituals. To fail to do so, it was claimed, would result in terrible calamities descending upon both the state and individuals. Like the Israelites the ancients were expected to, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:5); yet, while the gods expected an extreme level of devotion, they had no personal interest in the lives of individuals. As a result, religious observance and worship, like that of the Romans, had degenerated into rigid ceremonial patterns, where the emphasis was on the accurate performance of clearly defined ritual and prayers. This meant that, only those with the proper knowledge of their proper performances could conduct public ceremonies and sacrifices to properly invoke the benevolence of their deities. All this would change with the introduction by Paul of the concept of a personal saviour deity. Although there were other saviour deities in ancient times; membership of their cults tended to be only for the wealthy, with elaborate and expensive initiation ceremonies and, ongoing costs, only the rich could afford to be members. This was a common problem at this time; the Roman world was essentially divided between a few extremely wealthy, land owning aristocrats, and the greater part of the population, the lowest economic and social class, the proletariat. Mainly landless, and relatively poor, they were despised by the aristocrats, who considered them to be dishonorable and coarse. Most ordinary workers, were economically disadvantaged by having to compete with large numbers of slaves, (estimated at some 20% of the population), who provided unpaid labour for the aristocracy. The growing social unrest and instability caused by this unstable economic situation created a situation where the dissatisfied masses were looking for drastic changes. In particular, the time was ripe for the appearance of a saviour who would appeal to the discontented masses, and conveniently, Jesus who was an ideal candidate for the role, made his appearance to the Gentiles at this time. As Engels, (1894), observed, "The history of early Christianity has notable points
of resemblance with the modern working-class movement. Like the latter,
Christianity was originally a movement of oppressed people: it first
appeared as the religion of slaves and emancipated slaves,
of poor people deprived of all rights, of peoples subjugated or dispersed by Rome. Although, the leader of a small apocalyptic Jewish sect, Jesus' teachings nevertheless closely followed traditional Jewish beliefs; the core of his message, which was only intended for his fellow Jews and not the Gentiles, concerned the imminent coming of the Kingdom of God, "… Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God." (Luke 8:1. However, as his teachings began to be spread amongst the gentiles, Paul appeared and completely transformed the original Jewish identity and message of Jesus; in doing so he created an entirely new religion; unrecognizable to the Nazarenes, the original followers of Jesus, this new religion would become known as Christianity. At the time Paul was "converted", the Nazarenes comprised some 500+ brothers and sisters, (1 Corinthians, 15:5-6), their leaders, Peter, John and James, "the Lord's brother", (Galatians 1:19), the other disciples, the earlier followers of Jesus, and those who had joined after the death of Jesus. The Book of Acts indicates they remained faithful to the practice of their Jewish religion, adhering to their strict observance of ritual and worship, "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts." (Acts 2:46), "… going up to the temple at the time of prayer – at three in the afternoon". (Acts 3:1), "... these followers of Jesus were not Christians,
because they were Jews. … No one, not Jesus, not his disciples, tried
to convert them to Christianity because there was no Christianity."
(Fast, p.118).
Like the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes, and others, the Nazarenes were merely another faction of Judaism; their most important difference from the others was that they believed Jesus of Nazareth was actually the Jewish Messiah. To the Jews the Messiah was not some supernatural being but a man, one who had been chosen by God, to be,
" … a human leader who would restore the Jewish
monarchy, drive out the Roman invaders, set up an independent Jewish
state, and inaugurate an era of peace, justice and prosperity (known as
‘the kingdom of God'), for the whole world." (Maccoby, p. 15).
As such the Jewish concept of the Messiah had nothing whatsoever to do with Paul's concept of a messianic figure, the Christ, which was a central figure of the new religion. Actually, Christianity had very little to do with the human Jesus, in reality "… the personality of Jesus was quite eclipsed by the supernatural value attached to him." (Lake, p. 61). Paul had ingeniously transformed the human Jesus into an incredibly powerful, transcendental being, Jesus Christ, (Christos), who was not only a divine being, the "Son of God," but a "god" in his own right; "… his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe." (Hebrews 1:2). Yet, despite his powerful origins, first and foremost, Paul depicted Jesus Christ as a loving saviour deity; one, so concerned with the personal life of the individual that he had sacrificed himself and would grant eternal salvation to all who believed in him!; "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12). Initially there was an ongoing struggle between the Nazarenes and Paul over the conflicting representation of Jesus, however, as Christianity attracted increasingly greater numbers of Gentile followers, the Nazarenes, and their teachings, were gradually overwhelmed. Then, after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Nazarenes all but disappeared and, with no opposition, Christianity was free to spread their version of events. As Churchill commented, "History is written by the victors," and certainly from then onwards, everything written about Jesus, his life, and especially his teachings, came from Christian authors who, pursuing the doctrines of the new faith, increasingly depicted Jesus as a divine-being, using non-Jewish terms which would have been blasphemous to the Nazarenes. "The central myth of the new religion was that of an
atoning death of a divine being. … Paul derived this religion from
Hellenistic sources, chiefly by a fusion of concepts taken from
Gnosticism and concepts taken from the mystery religions, … The
combination
of these elements with features derived from Judaism, particularly the incorporation of the Jewish scriptures, reinterpreted to provide a background of sacred history for the new myth was unique, and Paul alone was the creator of this amalgam." (Maccoby, p. 16). Christianity "… conquered the world by offering salvation through a redeeming Lord." (Lake, p. 61). It proved to be immensely popular to the underprivileged masses for It offered them a personal relationship with a divine saviour and security in the afterlife. For the poor and the disadvantaged of this age, this must have provided a wonderful sense of emotional reassurance well-being, and self esteem, for, despite their lowly status, they could regard themselves as being special individuals, for, as members of God's family they were the chosen people. They would have appreciated the fact that Jesus, having himself been a poor peasant, would have understood the difficulties they faced in everyday living. Christianity had other attractions for them, it, "… had no priests and no sacraments." (Moxon, p. 56), its worship was simple, and, in those immoral times, it promoted a strict moral code. Its popularity with the naive uneducated masses led to some criticism, as Celsus, disparagingly commented, "Let no one come to us who has been instructed, or who
is wise or prudent (for such qualifications are deemed evil by us); but
if there be any ignorant, or unintelligent, or uninstructed, or foolish persons, let them come with confidence." (Origen, Book 3, Chapter 44). Paul appears to have been obsessed with the idea of love, not merely the human variety, but something much greater, a transcendental redeeming love, so powerful that even the worst offenders could be forgiven. It was this mystical form of love, one which, "… comes from god" (1 John 4:7); "Whoever does not love does not know God, because god is love." (1 John 4:8) which was a fundamental and principal feature of early Christianity, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13). The concept of god's absolute, self-sacrificing love for humankind was referred to by the early Christians as agape, to them it was completely unconditional, for, unlike the impersonal pagan deities, he, "… so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son," (John 3:16), and, as the followers of the Christ, they were expected to demonstrate this same type of love for their fellow men. Paul appears to have believed that, although this divine love for humankind had always existed, it had remained hidden throughout the ages, but now, through a divine revelation, "…the mystery made known to me by revelation," (Ephesians 3:3), it could finally be revealed. The concept of divine revelations of secret and hidden mysteries, to special individuals, was a key aspect of Gnosticism; for, it was only by receiving "enlightenment" that one could reach the heavenly realms. Paul frequently used Gnostic terminology, he clearly refers to a hidden mystery, "… that God destined for our glory before time began." (1 Corinthians 2:7), which would be revealed when the time was right;
"With all understanding and wisdom he made known
to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he
purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their
fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under
Christ." (Ephesians 1:8-10).
Now, as far as Paul is concerned, the time for revelation had come and he was the one who had been chosen to reveal this secret to all humankind, "Although I am less than the least of all the Lord's
people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the
boundless
riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Ephesians 3:8-11). One can never know whether or not Paul's dramatic "revelation" on the road to Damascus arose from an unconscious need to alleviate his own overwhelming feelings of guilt for his previous involvement in the persecution of the early followers of Jesus; "For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it." (Galatians 1:13). Whatever the true origins of Paul's concept of this forgiving love, it appears to have resolved his guilt and provided solace not only for him, but for many who followed the new faith. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Engels, Frederick, Works of Frederick Engels 1894, On the History of Early Christianity, https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1894/early-christianity/index.htm Lake, Kinsopp, (2021). Landmarks in the History of Early Christianity. Eugene: Oregon. Wipf and Stock Publishers. Maccoby, Hyam, (1986). The Myth-Maker, Paul and the Invention of Christianity. New York: Harper and Row. Moxon, Philip Stafford, (1896). From Jerusalem to Nicaea: The Church in the First Three Centuries. Boston: Roberts Brothers. Origen, Adamantus, (1710). Origen Against Celsus. Translated by James Bellamy. London, B. Mill Publishers |