Primitive Christianity

Thursday, December 29, 2005

What is "primitive" Christianity?

What is "primitive" Christianity?  The first definition given at www.dictionary.com is that it means, "Not derived from something else; primary or basic." Also, the main entry for “primitive” synonyms includes: “basic, earliest, fundamental, original, primary, underived, and unevolved.” Therefore “primitive” Christianity would have to be the form of Christianity originally instituted by the earliest followers of the man named Jesus who claimed to be the “Christ” or Messiah and was accepted as such by his disciples upwards of two thousand years ago.

It is surprising to note that although information about "primitive" Christianity is scattered throughout many reference materials, most of these are both “out-of-print” and “hard-to-find”.  What current knowledge is presented about the earliest form of Christianity is usually contradicted by speculation from so-called “scholarly” sources that have a vested interest in playing down these findings.

One thing that can be stated about "primitive" Christianity is that its foundation is the same as ancient Judaism; it was/is monotheistic and void of biased "afterlife" teachings.

Actually, the whole concept of God becoming flesh in order to save humans from an afterlife of eternal torment in a “hell” of fire and brimstone has no root whatsoever in the religion to which the founder of Christianity belonged.

Approaching Christianity with the preconceived assumption that Jesus is God and he came to save us from “hell” is the worst disserve one can possible do to the true meaning of both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures.  Scripture clearly support the theology of Jesus being the Christ and salvation through a future resurrection of the dead.  If Jesus is made God, then, Scripturally speaking, he cannot be made the Christ as well.  If we humans possess an immortal soul, then, Scripturally speaking, there would be no need of a future resurrection of the dead.  

What is thought to be traditional Christianity, in fact, invalidates “primitive” Christianity at its very foundation.  Primitive Christians would not have accepted nor understood the Trinitarian theology that evolved centuries later.  They also would not have believed in nor would have come to accept the Greek theology of the immortal soul that so went against the ancient Jewish theology of the complete destruction of the soul upon death.    

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