Posted by JohnnyC
on June 6, 2008, 7:14 am, in reply to "Sects, Cults and Christianity"
72.214.122.146
Christianity was originally a Jewish Messianic Sect with Apocalyptic overtones. This sect existed in the worldview of second temple period Judaism in the area around Jerusalem.
As a sect it had ideological arguments with normative Judaism at that time which was under Roman control anyway. If we are to read closely the earliest Christianity seemed to have more in common with groups like the Zealots and the Essenes. Although it does show more proto rabbinic influence and less isolationism then the Essenes. Rather then want to separate Christianity wanted to revitalize Judaism and probably separate Judaism from Roman influence.
As Christianity began to move out into the Roman world the gentiles began to integrate and synthesize Christianity with their own worldview. Gentiles took the arguments Christianity had with other Jewish sects and thought, “Judaism must be bad”. When in reality the Sect called Christianity was like other sects and simply arguing with it’s nearest Kin.
After the destruction of the Tempe Gentile Christianity grew strong enough eventually becoming responsible for the demise of it’s parent the Jewish-Christian sects from Palestine. Gentile Christianity applied the term Heresies to these religions E.G. Ebionites and Nazarenes. And the concept of sect emerges all over again now the Gentile cults are using “Sect Rhetoric” to emphasize the differences with Jewish Christianity it’s parent religion. Of course applying the concept of how a cult develops this means that the differences are going to be what gentile Christianity integrated and synthesized from other religions and worldviews. Once the Jewish- sects were gone Christianity developed into a completely different religion. One barely resembling and even in direct opposition to it’s foundation.
Any other ideas, or arguments?
Next will be an examination of sects and cults in more modern times.
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