Pagans and Christians

Otto Scott referenced a work by Robin Lane Fox called "Pagans and Christians" 780 pgs with foot notes, covers from the second to the fourth century. I don’t think he is saved, there is no hint of it in the intro or cover jacket and he is just matter of fact passing on what he has read as the contrast between Pagans and Christians. Tons of footnotes. (My help meet found me used copy for $6 bucks, whoo hooo! ) As a non- Christian he does understand that it isn’t Pagan (secular) and Christian but rather notes he is looking at two different religions. Pg19 He is ahead of many Christians.

Writing of Cyprian, who in the mid 240AD, walked away from his old life as he had become a "born again Christian." pg16 As a bishop he wrote letters to influence Christians from Spain, Southern Gaul, Rome and to the east. At home in Carthage "his advice was required on practical matters, the dress and conduct of virgins, the commemoration of martyrs, the diluting of wine at Holy Communion. He debated matters of great moment with fellow bishops in Church councils whose deliberations were believed to be guided by a "holy Spirit"..... They had the Holy Spirit but they had debates .....

Pagans did not have biographies written of them after their deaths Fox said, but the one written after Cyprian’s execution..."ignored the fierce arguments of Cyprians career" ( fierce arguments from a man of God?) and gave special prominence about his death and its approach. The crowd watching his execution had climbed trees even to see..." almost the last thing Cyprian saw was a little pile of clothes"…"thrown by the crowd to catch the martyrs blood and become a relic for the faithful" Fox points out that no Pagan notable ever saw such a site. pg17 (a pile of cloths to catch their blood)

When I first heard Pastor Morecraft, prior to a “History of the World” CD (two yrs ago?), mention the name, Otto Scott, as having authored the best and most interesting to read book about the Reformation. I had no idea what an understatement it was. I read two of his books and having listened to almost all of his recorded talks on Sermon Audio (some of them many times) and then scrounged around to find articles that he wrote that correspond to his talks ( harder to get), I think he should be recognized as one of the very best historians of Christian history. But the gate keepers of modern mainstream Christian thought and publishing will have none of this. They are too used to a Christianity that is seen and not heard in polite company.

This last Christmas I stressed for my family some of the incredible fruit that came with Christ’s entry into our physical world. The reason for celebrating his birth! By next Christmas I should be needing a roller brush to give an even a bigger, but still only partial, picture of what Christ has done. Christmas has never been so glorious! If you think that the salvation of men, is the end all, then you are man centric. We have been trained well, to think this way.

We wind up leaving vast areas of the work of Christ and his glory left lying on the ground. The humanists never tire in claiming that any advance of man is due to mans great reason, and humanity towards one another. We are called to be HIS witness. So we had better see what HE has done.

Along the way I discarded (resold) what was claimed as an excellent History of Christianity. A big book. I made it up through and into the Reformation period with it, when I was just starting to dig into Scotts work, and so large were some things that Scott was pointing out, that were not even noticed in the other book, that I gave it up. The vision was too small, they didn’t see how any dots were connected, how ideas have legs, and lead to other ideas, and as important, to actions. The authors view of life mirrored modernity and imposed that view onto history. History and life were compartmentalized.

Francis Shaeffers in his "How should we then live" series, saw the big picture, but couldn’t see any solid tangible answers. Beth and I also watched two other historical series on the Church that were ok, but had no real details.

So I look on, and am also reading "How Christianity Changed the World" by Alvin J Schmidt. A Lutheran pastor. This has been good to show what Christianity brought forth in the West. On page 68 in passing, he made the statement that speaking of the Christians "...Given their adherence to the Old Testament scriptures..." stuck out at me. This was speaking of a time period between 81-96AD. He doesn’t foot note it, but I am guessing it is something he saw over and over. That would be keeping with Paul’s instructions!

I know nothing of this period. One thing I was wondering? Did the early church have the view that the modern Church has embraced? In which, as we are now saved, it means, we have an internal compass that the Holy Spirit turns on, and now we can discern how we should then live, by listening to the spirit? Is that what they thought? Is that how they lived? This idea just bugs me as there is not much from our lives to say that this is so, but it does have biblical truth to it. But the way in which most Christians apply it, it winds up colliding with, rather than harmonizing with, other scripture. It as an accepted paradigm, it’s just part of the lay of the land and it will need dynamite (Holy Spirit and Gods Word) to dislodge it. If someone asks me to flesh out what I mean in those three sentence’s I bet its good for two pages.

The second Christian talked of by Fox was Hilarion,( died 380AD) he was of the hermit variety. He exorcised "a friend of his grandfathers and turned the mans family to Christianity." pg18 Jewish and Pagan (Pagan!) exorcists had failed. (Someone figured out that about 20% of Jesus ministry dealt with the demonic realm. What happened to all the demons? Don’t pull your hair out, I am just wondering.)

People came to him for healing and even brought animals. It is said a prominent Christian "asked Hilarion to bless his horses, as his archrival in the city, a pagan magistrate" used a pagan sorcerer to help him. The Christian won the competition. The Author might be correct in his skepticism about the sincerity of the additional numbers that then flocked to the Christian position afterwards."The decisive victory in those games and many others later, caused very many people to turn to the faith"

They tried to kill Hilarion too, but he died an old man.