Originally posted by AllianceI was looking at different sites from religion sites to non-religion sites to get the wider scope because of that. The books that I had at home were more the history of western religion and didn’t do much to answer my queston.
Didn't you mother ever teach you about the quality of websites on the internet? 😛Any religion will do anyhting to justify its historical existance as THE religoin. Fortunately, most do so against fact, so its easy to spot the liars.
Originally posted by ThePittmanThe history of western religion?!? That book sounds retarded. No offense.
I was looking at different sites from religion sites to non-religion sites to get the wider scope because of that. The books that I had at home were more the history of western religion and didn’t do much to answer my queston.
As for Christianity beginning before Christ, it may have been a reference to the belief amongst the Jews that a Messiah would come according to prophecy. That is the only explanation that I can think of.
As for name Christians, it is first used in the Bible in Acts 11:26 where it says:
"The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch."
Basically there were thousands of people already following the teachings of Christ and accepting him as the Messiah at the time Acts was written for which there are varying dates from about 60AD-80AD, both of which are equally feasible as far as I can tell. If the book was recorded after the events it seems feasible that the term 'Christians' could have been used as early as five years after the death of Christ and no later than fifty years after.
Christian is a Greek term as Christ is the Greek word for Savior which is why it would be used in Antioch, a Hellene city.