Page 11 - lesson39.vp
P. 11


Lesson 39 Hope of Israel Ministries BIBLE Correspondence Course 11



seen....until they were made plain to us Chris-
tians by our Great Teacher...” (Shiel, op. Cit., p.
3).

Compromise and Defeat


VISIBLE Christianity was well on the
way to becoming just another version of a
modern, updated Oriental mystery religion.
Elaborate ceremonies were instituted, an
intellectual priestly caste began to assert itself,
and esoteric doctrines were kept back from the
multitudes. Many of the major tenets of
competing PAGAN religions readily found a
SAFE HAVEN within the walls of a changing
Christianity.
PAGAN divinities were transformed
into “Christian” saints, martyrs and angels. The
cult of the Oriental mother goddess was
revitalized in the veneration of the Virgin Mary.
And PAGAN temples were often transformed
into “Christian” houses of worship.
Hellenistic DUALISM centered around
the concept of an immortal soul; and an evil,
corrupt material creation loomed large in
The pagan mother goddess became known as post-apostolic thinking. Augustine and Thomas
the Virgin Mary. Aquinas also drew deeply from these same

The HEAVY influence of Greek philo- philosophical wells in their writings, The City of
sophical concepts on Christianity was apparent God and Summa Theologica.
from the writings of the post-apostolic fathers.
Origen, for example, even urged that Hellenistic A Remarkable Transformation
philosophy be used as a BASIC PRIMER for
Christianity: “I am therefore very desirous that Long before Augustine and Aquinas got
you should ACCEPT such parts even of Greek around to writing their weighty tomes, the
philosophy as may serve for the ordinary established Christian church had LOST
elementary instruction of our schools, and be a whatever little resemblance it had borne to the
kind of preparation for Christianity” (Philocalia early Ecclesia of Paul and the apostles. The
of Origen, p. 57). Sermon on the Mount had given way to the
Clement of Alexandria echoed these Nicene Creed, Christian communities period-
sentiments: “The philosophy of the Greeks, ically became more agitated over tortuous and
partial and particular though it is, contains the involved dogmas on the identity of YEHOVAH
basic elements of that genuine and perfect God and largely IGNORED the simpler
knowledge which is higher than human, which is teachings of the Messiah from Nazareth. The
engaged upon purely intellectual objects, even Messianic HOPE of a world under the rule of
upon those spiritual objects which eye has not YEHOVAH God and the Messiah had been
ABANDONED in favor of a gospel of other-




The Black Horse of Revelation 6
   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16