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corpus-paul - Re: Why were Gentiles attracted to Christianity?

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  • From: jwest AT highland.net
  • To: Corpus-paul <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Why were Gentiles attracted to Christianity?
  • Date: Thu, 06 Jun 2002 08:58:53 +0000 (GMT)


Gentiles were attracted to Christianity because:

1- it was a mystery religion (in the dress Paul gave it) which promised
redemption.

2- it used language familiar to the man on the streets. (salvation,
fellowship,
bloody atonement, etc.)

3- it promised life in eternity (which had to beat life here in their abject
poverty and misery).

in short- Pauline Christianity (which is the source of Gentile Christianity)
was an amalgamation of all the best stuff in popular greco-roman religion-- a
hybrid if you will. as such it was able to outlast the other mysteries
because
it was a little bit of all of them. (mithraism, etc.)

best

jim

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jim West, ThD
Adjunct Professor of Biblical Studies
Quartz Hill School of Theology

Biblical Studies Resources
http://web.infoave.net/~jwest







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