Biblical Hebrew Forum

["K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Ethel:

This is getting off subject

There are many who justifiably claim that Constantine and his alleged
conversion to Christianity was possibly the worst tragedy that ever
hit the Christian church.

There are questions indicating that Constantine never personally
converted to Christianity, rather he reacted to political and military
expediancies related to the civil war in which he was involved, namely
that both armies were largely conscripts where literacy was so low
that if one could read and write, he automatically was made an
officer. Because Christians carried on the Jewish practice of almost
universal education, they made up the majority of the officer corps of
both armies. Therefore, to claim to have a Christian army had the
effect of weakening the opposing force.

But more importantly, Constantine set up what became the Roman
Catholic system, which many claim as having done more to persecute
Christians than any other organization.

But getting back to the question, with the New Testament long
predating Constantine and the Roman Catholic system (also followed by
the various eastern "orthodox" churches), for those of us who accept
no other documents other than Tanakh and New Testament as being
authorative, we find that the evidence militates against the claim
that LXX had any effect on the development of the New Testament.

Karl W. Randolph.

On 10/15/06, Ethel Jean (Kowan) Saltz <macnietspingal AT airmail.net> wrote:
> ...
> I believe Constantine created Christianity as we know it, for a very astute
> political reason.