When Christ died, early Christians didn’t really know what to do with themselves. They figured the crucifixion was probably the most important thing to happen in the history of the world, an event of titanic cosmological significance. But what exactly did it mean for folks on the ground? Well that was up for debate. Quite a bit of debate.Â
What exactly was Christ? Was he just a guy? Was he a demigod like how the Greeks had? Was he literally God, or just an aspect of God? Did he even have a body? If he didn’t have a body what did it mean for him to suffer? Maybe he was some kind of energy ghost who didn’t have a real body? Was he a magician? Can we learn to do all that stuff? Can women be priests? The next 300 years of Christianity would hash out these questions in a no-holds-barred free-for-all theology deathmatch. The grand prize? The right to determine what exactly Christianity means.Â
Bishops everywhere would write letter after letter, arguing that their interpretation of Christ is the real, true, inarguable Christianity, and everyone who disagrees with them is a false teacher with dangerous and worthless opinions that are so obviously wrong they require an entire book to debunk how wrong they are.Â
So-called Gnosticism, today on patreon.
