Photo by: Noam Chen Photo by: Noam Chen Courtesy of: Israeli Ministry of Tourism

Netzari History Part 3

156 CE

Two years after the introduction and mixing of the pagan festival of Ishtar with the Pesach, Polycarp bishop of Smyrna is executed on a torture stake for defending the Pesach (Passover) Feast as commanded in the Tanakh.

180 CE

Theophilus of Antioch makes the first mention of a trias later incorrectly translated into English as Trinity, and the insipient beginnings of the Binitarian doctrine emerges for the first time in the history of the church.

200 CE

Tertullian in 200 introduces the doctrine of the trinity. Until then no one had heard of the trinity doctrine. The trinity was not taught by the Apostles nor was it taught by Yeshua haMashiyach. Another subtle introduction by haSatan that would, over time and repeated exposure, become a staple of the false doctrines taught by apostate Christianity. Bear in mind that all of Christianity is not apostate, but the vast majority of Christianity today is. This becomes more evident as we move through this history lesson.

Seventh day Sabbath observance is widespread & appears to have been opposed from Rome. It was kept in Egypt as the Oxyrhynchus Papyrus (c. 200-250 CE) shows.

Egypt (Oxyrhynchus Papyrus) (200-250 A.D.)

"Except ye make the sabbath a real sabbath (sabbatize the Sabbath," Greek), ye shall not see the Father." "The oxyrhynchus Papyri," pt,1, p.3, Logion 2, verso 4-11 (London Offices of the Egypt Exploration Fund, 1898).

Origen also enjoined Sabbath-keeping.

Similarly the Constitution of the Kadosh Apostles (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 7, p. 413; c. 3rd century) states: "Thou shalt observe the Sabbath, on account of Him who ceased from His work of creation, but ceased not from His work of providence: it is a rest for meditation of the law, not for idleness of the hands."

Vicious persecutions of Coptic Christians in Egypt with thousands martyred.

Tertullian says the British Church (do not confuse with the Church of England) has been long established at this time.

"The Gentile Christians observed also the Sabbath," ~Gieseler's "Church History," Vol.1, ch. 2, par. 30, 93. This is an interesting phrase, "Gentile Christians".

220 CE

The problems of Modalism emerge in the discussions between the popes in Rome and Alexandria. A distinction is attempted in the Trias of The Father, Messiah and the Ruach haKodesh. Here the influence of the Modalism of Attis is seen in the Christian church from Rome.

The Sabbath in India

India (Buddhist Controversy)

The Kushan Dynasty of North India called a famous council of Buddhist priests at Vaisalia to bring uniformity among the Buddhist monks on the observance of their weekly Sabbath. Some had been so impressed by the writings of the Old Testament that they had begun to keep [kadosh] the Sabbath. ~Lloyd, "The Creed of Half Japan," p. 23.

225 CE

Palestine to India (Church of the East)

As early as A.D. 225 there existed large bishoprics or conferences of the Church of the East (Sabbath-keeping) stretching from Palestine to India. Mingana, "Early Spread of Christianity." Vol.10, p. 460. This was actually the strong influence and spread of the Netzarim in the East as Hellenism and gnosticism spread to the West.

243 CE

De Pascha Computus, a calendar of feasts produced in 243, gives March 28 as the date of the nativity. ~Roll p.81f

245 CE

The theologian Origen of Alexandria stated that, "only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod)" celebrated their birthdays. ~Origen, "Levit., Hom. VIII"; Migne P.G., XII, 495.

300 CE

What we are seeing is a perpetuation of paganism which began in the era of Constantine, around 300 AD. It's true that Constantine had a so-called conversion to Christianity but that didn't occur until the day of his death (he was baptized on his deathbed) ... until then, Christians who refused to bow down to Constantine's worship of Ba'al (which translates to The Lord in English) were labeled Judaisers. My Note: Actually, Constantine worshipped the Roman Version of Ba'al, Sol Invictus or Solis Invictus.

303 CE

Christian writer Arnobius ridiculed the idea of celebrating the birthdays of gods, which suggests that Christmas was not yet a feast at this time. "Christmas", Catholic Encyclopeida, 1913

The Sabbath in Spain

305 CE

From canon 26 of the Council of Elvira (c. 305), the church in Spain had kept the Sabbath. Rome had introduced the practice of fasting on the Sabbath to make Sabbath-keeping repugnant. Pope Sylvester (314-335) was the first to order the churches to fast on the Sabbath, and Pope Innocent (402-417) made it a binding law in the churches that obeyed him.

Innocentius did ordain the Sabbath or Saturday to be always fasted on (Peter Heylyn, History of the Sabbath, Part 2, Ch. 2, London, 1636, p. 44).

314 CE

Constantine Turns Christianity Into A Political System

Edict of Toleration of Milan, the Emperor Constantine sought to use Christianity for political purposes and initially supported the Roman faction, which came to adopt the doctrines of Athanasius and, later, that of the Cappadocians. The doctrinal position of the church had become blurred by Gnostic factions, influenced by the mystery cults. Constantine supported the Athanasian faction on the mistaken assumption that, because it was dominant in Rome, it was the major sect, but the deposition of Arius in the packed Synod of Alexandria led ultimately to war with his co-Emperor, Licinius, and the troubles of 322-323 CE.

Pope Sylvester (314-335) was the first to order the churches to fast on the Sabbath. Rome attempts to counteract Sabbath keeping.

318 CE

Conference of the Deposyni: In 318 Constantine had ordered the conference between the bishop of Rome and the desposyni, the bishops were alledgedly of the family of Y'shua haMashiyach.

The desposyni* (meaning literally in Greek "Belonging to the Lord" as they were blood relatives of Y'shua) asked Sylvester, who now had Roman patronage, to revoke his confirmation of the authority of the Greek Christian bishops at Jerusalem, in Antioch, in Ephesus, and in Alexandria, and to name desposynos bishops in their stead. In addition, they asked that the practice of sending cash to Jerusalem as the mother church be resumed. This practice is easily recognizable as the tithe of the tithe system, which had been in force in the church until Emperor Hadrian's ban in 135 CE. These blood relatives of Mashiyach demanded the reintroduction of the Law, which included the Sabbath and the Kadosh Day system of Feasts and New Moons of the Bible. Sylvester dismissed their claims and said that from now on, the mother church was in Rome and he insisted they accept the Greek bishops to lead them.

This was the last known dialogue with the Torah-keeping church in the East led by the disciples who were descended from blood relatives of Mashiyach.

The bishop, or pope, (all bishops of major sees were called pope initially when the term was introduced from the cults) then with Roman contrivance, ordered that they be exterminated and this campaign of extermination was undertaken against Mashiyach's immediate family from 318 onwards.

* The Desposyni is a term that, according to Sextus Julius Africanus, a writer of the early third century, refers to alleged" blood relatives of Jesus who were then alive." [My note: "Jesus", a word created in the 16th Century, used within original author's quotation.]

According to the Gospel according to the Hebrews, some of these held, even at that relatively late stage, positions of special honor in the Early Christian Church. (Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon).

321 CE

The text of Constantine's "Sunday Law", perhaps the first "Blue Law":

"On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country however persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits because it often happens that another day is not suitable for gain-sowing or vine planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost. (Given the 7th day of March, Crispus and Constantine being consuls each of them the second time." ~Codex Justinianus, lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; translated in History of the Christian Church, Philip Schaff, D.D., (7-vol.ed.) Vol. III, p.380. New York, 1884.

"The primitive Christians had a great veneration for the Sabbath, and did spend the day in devotion and sermons. And it is not to be doubted but they derived this practice from the Apostles themselves, as appears by several Scriptures to that purpose." ~Dialogues on the Lord's Day. p.189. London: 1701. By Dr. T. H. Morer.(church of England divine)

Dr. A. Chr. Bang says regarding this Law :

"This Sunday law constituted no real favoritism to Christianity..... It is evident from all his statutory provisions that the Emperor during the time 313-323 with full consciousness has sought the realization of his religious aim: the amalgamation of heathenism and Christianity." ~Kirken og Romerstaten (The Church and the Roman State) p.256. Christiania, 1879

325 CE

Council of Nicea convened.

A Pagan Gentile named Constantine conquered Rome and made himself emperor. Constantine, although a Pagan himself, declared his brand of "Christianity" to be the Catholic (universal) religion, thus making apostate Christianity the enforced state religion of the Roman Empire. Constantine, who was an anti-Semite, called the council of Nicea in 325 C.E. to standardize Christianity.

Netzarim were excluded from the meeting. Jewish practices were banned. The "Day of the Sun" was substituted for the Biblical Sabbath. For the first time Gentile Christianity officially labeled the Nazarenes as apostates. From this time forward Nazarenes begin to be listed in the catalogs of apostate movements (the first of these to include the Nazarenes was Epiphanius' "Panarion" around 370 C.E.).

The council introduced standing prayers at Sunday worship and during the "Paschal Season." The Paschal Season so-called was in fact the forced introduction and harmonization of Easter (Ishtar) as practiced in the West from Rome by the Attis system and by the Greeks in the East under the Adonis system and in Egypt under the Osiris/Isis system. This festival replaced the Torah based Pesach (Passover).

The Creed reconstructed from Constantinople itself, introduces the concept of Binitarianism essential to the formulation of the Trinity and introduces the aberration that Christ was the "only begotten of the Father" and hence removes the promise of the elect as begotten sons of God. Athanasius says (in Ad Afros) that there were 318 bishops present. Arius was summoned to the Council often, which began possibly on 20 May 325 CE under the Athanasian Hosius of Cordova. Constantine joined the Council on 14 June.

To get agreement Constantine marched in a cohort of Roman troops and arrested a number of bishops and exiled Arius, Theonas of Marmarica and Secundus of Ptolemais to Illyrica. Arius' writings were then burnt and all three were anathematised. The remainder agreed on the symbol of the Creed on 19 June. The Council ended on 25 August with a 'party' hosted by Constantine with presents to the bishops.

Silencing of early Church Father/Historian Eusebius - see "The Chicken Or The Egg"

Three months after the Council, Eusebius of Nicomedia and Theognius of Nicea, who were forced to sign the Creed under duress, were exiled for retracting and Theodotus of Laodicea, who also signed under duress and retracted, recanted rather than join them.

328 CE

The goal of the empire was world domination through a religio-poltical system. The converts to the Catholocism were also imbued with this mentality. They courted an organization that wanted world domination and would tolerate no opposition. The Roman Church system adapted the pagan system of the sun cults, and among the Aryans to Christianity, resulting in no Scripture believing person being able to follow both systems.

Click here to continue to Netzari History Part 4 

Mark
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Monday, 21 July 2014 17:00
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