A historical, social and philosophical overview of Christianity and its relationship to other religions will be found on Holy Saturday in Hot.Doc History which will be embedded in Documento. Christianity is judged as a great plebeian movement of the downtrodden looking for hope in a Roman world sinking into its decline.
“Descent into Hades” also exists in earlier – Mesopotamian, Jewish and ancient Greek – beliefs. From Marduch and Orpheus, to Dionysus and Adonis. What is not there is the Resurrection which follows to be connected (not just with the rebirth of nature, but…) with the messianic promise of man’s redemption from miseries. And of a better life both heavenly and earthly.
The apostolic saying “Neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female”, captivated the oppressed and the oppressed and turned into a revolutionary movement by the standards of the time. It worked corrosively for the foundations of the Empire and the persecutions – of whatever nature and extent – failed to bend the devotion of the followers of Jesus.
An emperor, who was baptized a Christian on the last day of his life, came to terms with the new religion, intervened in the doctrinal matters of the Council of Nicaea from 325 and “adopted” it. But the bishops also came to terms with Constantine the Great. The Gospels – from Luke to Matthew and from radicalism to realism – have eliminated … extremist sayings such as “Uk ilthon vailein peace but mahairan”.
Christianity put an end to eschatological expectations, had now renounced the proto-Christian radical promises, had softened the tone of opposition to the existing world in order to connect functionally and in a predictable way with state power. And to be at the end its submission.
In return the emperor had won his recognition as a god on earth and “by the grace of God” ruler.
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