Where did the 100's of Christians in Rome come from (around 64 AD) that were tortured and killed by Nero?\n\nBTW: A non-Christian Roman Historian named Tacitus is one source for this...
133873
""Question for those who say `Jesus never existed', or `he is a myth'...? Where did the 100's of Christians in Rome come from (around 64 AD) that were tortured and killed by Nero?""\n\nFirst, plenty of people died for their faith, even if you think their faith was nonsense. Sincerity and willingness to die for what one believes in, does not mean that what one believes in is True.\n\nSecond, there are plenty of people who lived over the last 3,000+ years who definitely existed, but whose faith centered around myth, unless, of course, you think that Zeus and Jupiter, Hercules and Dionysus, among many other mythological gods, and those who followed them, were all real???
469818
to those that quoted Tacitus his accuracy on the subject is quite suspect considering that he was not even born until 20 years after the supposed death of Jesus. \n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacitus_on_Jesus\n\n\nalso the description of Jesus by Josephus has been proven to been corrupted by Christian scribes especially when compared to copies kept in Muslim lands.
453013
Two of the most meticulous record keepers of Ancient Times were the Romans and the Jews, and as you rightly point out, the events recorded in the Bible somehow seemed to escape their notice.  Pontius Pilate's court records still exist, and there is no mention of the trial of Jesus or of the supposed custom of allowing the crowd to free a prisoner.  It is a tradition among the Egyptian Coptic's that their Church was founded by the Apostle Mark, in 42 ad, certainly the first major Christian Chatecal School was in Alexandria, but not until 190, so there could have been several generations worth of revisions.  Hadn't heard that one about about the Sun metaphor, Jesus didn't even get a nimbus in religious art until the 5th century, and then it was part of political deal the Emperor was cutting, The three main religions in Rome at the time were Christianity, the scribes and record keepers, Mithra ism, the army, and Sol Invites (the Unconquerable Sun), the wealthy landowners.  He couldn't afford to make any of them mad, so he declared Mithra and Jesus were two names for the same being, and that YHWH was another name for Sol Invictus.  That is why the rays of the Sun became a Christian symbol of holiness.  The Bible, in it's current form, only dates back to the Vulgate, which was completed in 405.  Personally, I think we should go back to traditional values, this new fangled Christianity stuff just ain't working out.
142760
all are correct, it was king agrippa.  This is likely the saddest verse in the Bible.  We have reason to believe as it is not recorded so, that king agrippa never did convert to christianity.  Paul preached to him, gave him his testimony, and the Holy Spirit convicted him of his own sin, but he refused to turn from his way and accept Christ.  to this day he regretts that he reject salvation and is eternally burning in hell remembering that statement.  "almost thou persuadest me to be a christian."
27751
Oh this one is easy haha. It is according to the book of revelation. It is not the devils number or any of that sort, but actually reference to Emperor Nero. Emperor Nero is the beast mentioned in Revelations. Revelation was written by John of Pathmos (there was more than one John) and it pertained to the time that it was written. It is not to be applied to current times. In the Hebrew form of Gematria 666 Spells out NRON KSR (Nero Kaisar or Nero Caesar)\n\nN=50 R=200 O=6 N=50 K=100 S=60 R=200 = 666\n\nBook of Revelation was written before the collapse of the 2nd Temple in 70 A.D. It was a call for a New Jerusalem. Babylon refers to Rome and the Beast refers to the Emperor.\n\nIt was Evil for Christians, why? Who do you think Nero happened to blame after the fire in Rome? Hehehe. And who do you think had to suffer and be persecuted? The Christians! So obviously, Christians would find this number evil, because it hints a very evil figure. Infact Nero used to use Christians as Garden Lamps in his Gardens (Where the Vatican now stands). He literally lit them on fire! Alive! Thousands of them. They could not openly write any of this because of obvious reasons. Christianity wasnt legalized till 313 AD (Edict of Milan) by Constantine. So anything Christian before that was illegal and you were subject to persecution if you were Christian. So whatever was written before this time was written in secret and using secret allergories and language (like the Hebrew Gematria) so that others would not understand. It was tough being a Christian back then :-p. Revelations was probably written around 68-69 A.D., right before the collapse of the Second Temple in 70. \n\n\nNothings Gonna Happen on June 6th. The sun will rise and it will set. And we'll all be happy. Who knows you might even get a raise at work :-D
104651
Time to crack open the history books there...\n\nWhen the Roman Empire adopted Christianity as the state religion, they made it illegal to participate in any other religion (to control the population...that message of "render unto Ceaser..."). When new areas were conquered, the leaders, both secular and religious, were eliminated by conversion...accepting Christianity and the dominion of the Roman Empire, or dying. In order to control the conquered people, the old faiths were made illegal. \n\nNow, add in mysogeny. Males sought to control and enslave women. A woman who knew herbology and had a healing hand was a threat to male doctors' practice, or who was 'wise' was a threat to the role of the priests as givers of moral rules and advice, etc. Many of the old faiths were matriarchal, as well, and the knowledge of wise decisions, of herbology/medicine, etc. were passed woman-to-woman.\n\nWicca stems from European nature worship prior to the controls placed there by patriarchal Christianity introduced during martial conquests by the Romans (and their splinter kingdoms after the fall of the empire).\n\nAdd in the mistranslation of "do not suffer a poisoner to live" (in the Hebrew) with "do not suffer a witch to live" (that tie-in to herbology, again)...\n\nSo, modern Wiccans tap deep-rooted generational fears by Christians raised in the ancient prejudice against the "old ways." Part of it is the unfortunate choice of self-naming modern celebrants of ancient pre-Christian pantheons/nature awareness to call themselves witches.\n\nGood luck on your report!
650780
As a Pagan, it really makes me sad to see my fellow Pagans take history out of context and ignore the parts that make our own predicessors look bad.\n\n#1. Christianity is full of Pagan concepts, much more than Jewish concepts- Virgin birth, child of a God born of a mortal woman, the trinity, all Pagan concepts. Therefore, why we feel the need to throw up an impenetrable wall, I don't friggin know!\n\n#2. Umbanda, Voodoo, and Santeria are three Christian/Pagan blends with HUGE followings that have been around since long before you were born to complain.\n\nI am not going to even address your dubious history except to point out that Pagans also killed Christians, and most of these killings were political in nature, rather than religious. \n\nThank you. Move along.
515491
Where was the "Christ" in Christianity during the witchhunts? During the several Crusades? Where was the "Christ" in Christianity during the horrific Inquisitions, where non-Christians, Jews, Muslims, homosexuals, pagans were brutally tortured in the name of Jesus, and slaughtered by the thousands? And the list goes on, to the Native Americans, who were forced to convert  or die.\n\n"Christian" extremists may have claimed "Christ", but it should be obvious that "Christ" would never have claimed them. They don't care, though. They think they own "God" and can make "God" anything they want "him" to be.
595763
Those weren't "real" Christians.  The "real" Christians spoke up and put a stop to it.\n\n"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing."
426457
Christianity of 200 years ago was propagated by preaching, not by the sword. Christians don't cut your head off if you refuse to become Christian.
44742
Too bad people don't read their history books, Christianity spred practically only because it was violently forced upon the pagans. \n\nI agree with you, it's silly to think you can relate a 'terrorist' to a model Christian.
586094
u my friend r quite mistaken. i am an orthodox  jew, im the first to admit it and very proud of it. what ur saying now is not only rediculous but insulting towards the christians and catholics alike. hitler, may his name be erased, was a psycopath. he was a monster who was out of mind and barely human. his beliefs and morals (or lack there of) had nothing to do with christianity. his focus was about killing the jew en route to creating the perfect nation. learn some history.
639027
Depends on your and their definition of the term Christian? Everyone who calls themselves a Christian is not  Christ’s disciple. But from a Biblical perspective, I would think that  Messiah would have been more likely to support one of the many Israeli insurgent rag tag armies, like the one that finally rose up against the emperor in 70 ad and resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the loss of their country, than that of the occupying Roman Army. As an interesting aside, some  scholars believe that Barabbus, the man who was released  by Pilate, instead of Messiah by the vote of the people, was  a leader of  such a group of anti- Roman insurrectionist, and not just a common criminal.  That the Messiah supported  neither worldly army or supported any earthy kingdom and preached against violence, would cause you to think these facts alone would give the modern right wing, patriotic, Bush supporting,  Jingoistic American Christians a clue, but they remain clueless and will till the Anti-Christ deceives them fully.
260766
SALVATION? Saved from what? A place it took the church of Rome 500 years to identify from the ancient writings they chose to selectively canonized? Do you know there are pre dating myths and beliefs those stories were probably plagiarized from?\n Do a search on Mirtha...\nWithout the fear factor Christianity has no power.\nWithout faith no spirituality exists.\nStake yours on some Johnny come lately cult...I'll stay with the old ways.
279037
I don't know how you got those facts but i am not surprised, a lot of Christians are killed for their faith. Many especially those who live in countries dominated by Muslims and communist are continually persecuted until they change or die.\n\nJesus said it already in Matthew.24:9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake."\n\nI think that is what we have been seeing over time. There is another scripture that says a time will come when someone who kills you will think he is doing God a favor.\n\nI hope i answered your question.
28055
It is a strange thing, actually, and a few scholars are actually pushing for the mythical christ idea. Personally I think it explains the evidence better - think about it, if the events in the gospels did occur as they are portrayed, then it's totally inconcievable to me that *not one* contemporary historian bothered to write down any corroborating account.  Think about it, if dead saints were jumping out of their graves, don't you think one of the 40 contemporary historians would have made mention of it?\n\nI do.\n\nThe thing is, apologists will point to the interpolated accounts of Josephus in order to show that there were contemporary accounts - the problem is that Josephus was born in the year 37.  In other words, he wasn't a contemporary.  The best Christians can do is come up with accounts decades after the fact.  One of the posters here says that we should consider Josephus and Tacitus more then we do - but why? Neither actually has any first hand knowledge of Jesus, both of them are going off of what the Christians at the time were telling them.  In short, they are no more credible then the gospel accounts.\n\nIt's a tangled web we weave when we practice to believe (Dr. Price says this).\n\nCheck out the links below:
450990
Perhaps if you posted the Latin you might get some responses.  How many people here on Yahoo who know Latin do you think have actually been there and have seen it?  And remember the whole inscription?