well for one, christian persecution at the beginning is something of a myth - there were some persecutions, but they were isolated events.
there's this idea that the romans just hungrily wanted all the christians dead because they were christians. however, christians at the time WANTED to be martyred - it was preached by bishops as a noble thing, it was played up in christian literature, and whenever christians were arrested they did everything they could to not co-operate so they'd be executed. (for more info, read Candida Moss' "The Myth Of Persecution", and Catherine Nixey's "The Darkening Age")
if the romans were so giddy to execute, and the christians happy to be nixed, there would be no christianity today. there woulda been no christianity by the time of constantine, to be sure.
if you want to talk about a religion that's been persecuted and survived, try judaism. compared to that culture, christianity is a wimpy crybaby.
The biggest reason is Christianity, which forcibly suppressed and destroyed many ancient religions.
A great book about it is The Darkening Age on Amazon. Here's a link: The Darkening Age
I would also recommend Mike Duncan's recent book. The focus is mostly on Marius, Sulla, the Gracchi brothers, + all the other factors that set the stage for Caesar.
Turns out nothing has changed.
Almost all Christian martyrdom stories from early Christianity are false. Read all about it in this book book by Candida Moss.
I think you're making a joke, but there's actually a really interesting book with that title that goes over Carthage's history and Phoenician origins.
​
If anyone has even a passing curiosity about Carthage beyond the surface level you learn reading about Hellenistic history, that book is probably one of the best.
​
Title of the book is Carthage Must Be Destroyed in case the previous post goes away.
Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143121294/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_cxv8DbZAZCZS4
More of an overview of Carthage’s entire history but it has some very interesting theories about the Punic Wars. Particularly the role of religion in shaping the Second Punic War.
Also, if you want to learn more about HOW the average Roman lived, Mary Beards book SPQR is a great look at the average life of Romans. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1631492225/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_2QY8V0QYE84G9X7KNPH6
She also has a video series based on this book. It is called Meet the Romans. Here it is in youtube in different parts: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=meet+the+romans
please please order Meditations - Marcus Aurelius off of Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Penguin-Classics-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/0140449337/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=V7JBEBM6SHBZZX0MKF9K)
If you send me an address I'll ship one to you with my Prime account.
As a non-religious person that went through existential depression, this book helped me understand that I wasn't unique in my mental prison and that there was a meaningful way to live life one moment at a time.
Self-validation. Self-knowledge. Self-love. Key principles that will last you a lifetime.
More like the fall of the Republic. The Storm Before the Storm. Folks who compare Trump to Commodus, just wait till we get our Sulla.
I never finished it because I kept loaning it to people who kept keeping it, but I liked Emperor's Handbook (amazon)
The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User's Manual. Ward Farnsworth
Very readable and an excellent reference book.
It's built into their mythology. They believe if they're being "predicted", then it MUST be the truth. It's an old concept. Here's a good book that goes into the history of it.
You should definitely check out The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World. It will help fill in some of the gaps about just how Christianity became "the most popular/widespread/successful" (namely, because of its violent intolerance for anything perceived to be in competition with or critical of Christianity).
Not sure what country you're in, but you can get them on Amazon for about $130 USD.
Sure, I learned that my anxiety won’t go away but I’ve learned to live with it. Over time it gets easier to manage. When I get thoughts like “what if she doesn't want me anymore” I tell myself that I would be ok. I would be in pain than find someone new
There's no way around pain tho. You just have to accept that sometimes you’re going to get hurt but love is worth it.
I recommend reading this book
I found the Penguin Classic edition easy to read.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140442103/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It wasn't in early Christianity. However, people went around trying to martyr themselves and the church quickly realized that having dead congregants isn't exactly good for the collection plate. That's how the whole "sin" over suicide came about.
In the book, Myth of Christian Persecution, the NT scholar talks about this. Like one early group of Christians beat on some Roman official's door and demanded to be crucified. And while ancient Rome was a violent time and place, there were limits even then. He basically LOL'ed and told them to go home, you're drunk.
There apparently a marauding band of Christians roaming about and attacking travelers hoping to get killed in the process. I can't recall why that was other than they thought it was something Jesus would do.
The author talked about a woman who jumped into a fire that was lit for someone else because they thought they were martyring themselves for Jesus.
Fact of matter is the so-called persecution of Christians was far and few in-between except for a couple notable accts. Most Christians lived normal lives, even taking Roman office at times. As long as they were good citizens, Rome could've cared less. Most of the stories you hear are largely fictional.
The times there were issues were for mostly the same reasons Christians have issues today. They don't think the law applies to them because rElIgIoUs FrEeDuMs!!!! So some were in fact executed not because they were being sought out and hunted down but rather they simply refused to pay proper dues to Rome. That said, there were plenty of Christians were able to circumvent the laws and keep their heads attached. I highly recommend you check the book out.
Christian terrorism. They did things like this in the first century AD against roman public places of worship. That is why the roman government "persecuted" them i.e. they were being held accountable for criminal behavior. If you want to learn more about early christian extremism read the darkening age by Catherine Nixey.
No, Christians haven't been "historically persecuted". That is a myth. Have there been times that's the case? Certainly. But this idea that Christians have spent centuries scurrying about in the shadows, afraid to reveal their faith is just plain, made-up BS. Might want to read up on it.
If anything, Christians have historically been the persecutors throughout the yrs. Burning down pagan temples and murdering it's adherents. How'd they used Jewish villages to warm-up before heading into the Crusades. Kidnapping children to raise as Christian is a favorite of there which they still do to this day. Just look at their history just in the US. They fight like mad for the right to torture gay children in gulags throughout and outside the US. They try to force non-Christian children to pray to their god in public schools. They're well known to persecute atheists and other non-Christians as well. One pastor was convicted on domestic terrorism when trying to recruit a militia to burn down a Muslim community. Bragged that if it came to it, he'd hack them down w/ a machete. Atheists like Nicole Smalkowski and Jessica Alhquist received rape and death threats from the "loving" Christian community. Hemant Metha had the local chapter of the hate group Focus On the Family tried to get him fired from his high school teaching position.
So do yourself a favor and drop this nonsense. It's dishonest and disingenuous.
>Do we know if it is a historical fact that early Christians were persecuted?
>Catholic Churches are literally being burned down as we speak. It takes some serious mental gymnastics to claim otherwise.
I said you're not suffering mass persecution. Didn't say none. Even so, the idea that there's some world-wide hunt where Christians are scurrying around in the shadows of the 4 corners of the earth is just plain laughable. Might want to read up on how a lot of the persecution legends came about and the real reason why suicide is considered a sin today even though it wasn't so in ancient times.
You are absolutely right! I highly recommend the book “Carthage Must Be Destroyed” if you are interested in this subject.
Not sure if intentional or not, but the book with the same title is a great read! It made me appreciate how cunning and imaginative Hannibal was.
i really really recommend Ward Farnsworth: The Practicing Stoic
i’m 22 and have about 6 stoicism books- i wish i’d read this one first
This isn't a formula. It isn't A + B +C = happiness.
Take food as an example. You think Michaela Peterson wouldn't want to chow down on a pepperoni pizza with double cheese? No - it is a choice you make. Choices have consequences. That is why we have memories..to stop us doing the same negative shit over and over.
I'd suggest getting into the bigger picture. Read some Seneca and Marcus Aurelius. Seriously. Buy this book : https://www.amazon.com.au/Practicing-Stoic-Philosophical-Users-Manual/dp/1567926118
​
As for being an autist - remember 95% of all people are assholes. Gender, race, creed, disability status are irrelevant. Being popular is overrated. Having friends is important - more important than acquaintances. "Avoid, I say, what ever is approved of by the mob" (Seneca). I have a couple of toes on the spectrum and my son is in it up to his knees... I prefer people on the spectrum - you know what you are getting, they are loyal, not encumbered by bullshit, honest, forthright, intelligent and just better people (gross oversimplification but there you have it).
Good luck.
As described on amazon.com:
>"Essayist Matthew Arnold described the man who wrote these words as “the most beautiful figure in history.” Possibly so, but he was certainly more than that. Marcus Aurelius ruled the Roman Empire at its height, yet he remained untainted by the incalculable wealth and absolute power that had corrupted many of his predecessors. Marcus knew the secret of how to live the good life amid trying and often catastrophic circumstances, of how to find happiness and peace when surrounded by misery and turmoil, and of how to choose the harder right over the easier wrong without apparent regard for self-interest.
The historian Michael Grant praises Marcus’s book as “the best ever written by a major ruler,” and Josiah Bunting, superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute, calls it “the essential book on character, leadership, duty.” Never intended for publication, the Meditations contains the practical and inspiring wisdom by which this remarkable emperor lived the life not of a saintly recluse, but of a general, administrator, legislator, spouse, parent, and judge besieged on all sides.
The Emperor’s Handbook offers a vivid and fresh translation of this important piece of ancient literature. It brings Marcus’s words to life and shows his wisdom to be as relevant today as it was in the second century. This book belongs on the desk and in the briefcase of every business executive, political leader, and military officer. It speaks to the soul of anyone who has ever exercised authority or faced adversity or believed in a better day."
Nah, that's pretty much made up. No one can say that this didn't ever happen, but it's part of the Christian-persecution myth whose truthfulness was ably debunked in this book, written by theology prof. Candida Moss, an expert on early Christianity. Recommended.
Marcus Aurelius helped me through some tough times, there's lot to be said for using stoicism to keep things ordered in your life.
>I still standby my statement that Christianity is something that included Greco-Roman culture, rather than removing it...
You cannot be serious. Christians destroyed so much of Greco-Roman culture that only one percent of literature survived: https://www.amazon.com/Darkening-Age-Christian-Destruction-Classical/dp/0544800885
Christians are murderers and destroyers. But what you did to Hypatia and the Great Library of Alexandria will come back to you. You cannot escape karma.
I strongly recommend listening to Mike Duncan's History of Rome podcast along with reading his book The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic.
Mary Beard's SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome covers a lot larger time frame but is still very accessible.