Theos-Talk Archives (October 2003 Message tt00385)

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, samblo@c... wrote:
> As to a solitary loyalty to the writtings of the Nicene Fathers, 
perhaps 
> one of the
> more erudite on this list could help refresh my memory and state 
which one 
> made
> this statement: "We create thsse lies for the good of the many."

There were certainly some scoundrels among them, but in fairness I 
don't think most of them were scoundrels. An excessive cynicism here 
would mislead you, in other words. In an effort to defend themselves 
against criticisms by ancient adversaries they came up with some 
really absurd claims. The most commonly known are that Jesus wanted 
to be crucified (!), that he was born of a virgin(!!), and that he 
ascended into the sky after popping out of his grave (!!!). All of 
these ideas can be shown to relate to controversies which took place 
in ancient times and which are forgotten today. Here are some quotes 
for you:

"What profit has not that fable of Christ brought us!"
- Pope Leo X, pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Barbara 
Walker, The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. San 
Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983, p. 471. Taylor renders this: "It was 
well known how profitable this fable of Christ has been to us." 
(Robert Taylor, The Diegesis, 1860, p. 35n.) Pope Leo X's real name 
was Giovanni de Medici, He became pope when his predecessor Julius 
II was murdered in 1513 and exploited the Catholic Church for his 
personal gain until his own murder in 1521.

"Nothing can impose better on a people than verbiage; the less they 
understand the more they admire. Our fathers and doctors [of the 
Church] have often said, not what they thought, but what 
circumstances and necessity forced them to [say]."
- Gregory of Nazianzen. (This appears in a letter he wrote 
to "Saint" Jerome. Quoted in Isis Unveiled 2.183.)

And finally a comment which is not cynical:

"if we use learning in asserting the errors of antiquity, we ruin 
ourselves by gracefulness and smoothness of speech; but if we apply 
learning and grace of speech to the assertion of the truth, I think 
that not a little advantage is thereby gained."
- Clementine Recognitions i, xxv.