Christian forgery Part-2

It’s a truism that those who come out on top in the course of time tend to be the ones who write the history. This is certainly true of the Christian Church. For by the time the Roman Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion (325 CE) the Church had already eliminated all its main rivals in the contest for “correct” or orthodox theology.

In the centuries leading up to that point, there had been no shortage of rival doctrines. Many of these involved re-writing or revising the slowly emerging canon (or standard) of what we now know as the New Testament.

A good example of this sort of heresy (from a Greek word for “choice” or “opinion” in contrast to the “givens” of revealed doctrine) is the person of Marcion. He and his followers were a significant danger to the orthodox Church in the latter part of the second century. Marcion held that the entire Hebrew Bible and much of the New Testament should be scrapped.

If Marcion went too far, there were others who went even further and forged documents. Bart Ehrman notes that

Almost all of the “lost” Scriptures of the early Christians were forgeries. On this, scholars of every stripe agree, liberal and conservative, fundamentalist and atheist … The same holds true for nearly all of the Gospels, Acts, Epistles and Apocalypses that came to be excluded from the canon: [they were] forgeries in the names of the most famous apostles and their companions. [1]

What few people know is that even parts of the New Testament which made it into the canon are forgeries (though many  Christian writers don’t like the term, preferring to call them “pseudonymous”).

1. The Letter to Titus made it into the New Testament even though it was written by someone other than Paul. Another letter, now labelled “Pseudo-Titus” but just as convincing, did not.
2. Scholars are not confident that Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians was written by him – even though the letter warns explicitly against forged letters (2.2), perhaps in an attempt to throw readers off the scent of the fraudulent author’s own deception.
3. The author of 2 Peter claims to be Simon Peter, the disciple of Jesus. Few scholars think that this attribution is true.
4. The same applies to 1 and 2 Timothy.
5. If the letter of Paul to the Ephesians is a forgery, it is so cleverly done that scholars don’t universally agree on the question. Having said that, few will deny that there are many clues pointing to the distinct possibility that someone other than Paul wrote the letter.
6. There are many short passages in the canonical gospels and letters which scholars conclude have been inserted over the centuries and should therefore be classed as forged.

It is open to doubt that these documents should be accorded quite the same condemnation that we give forgers today. We’re used to striving for objectivity, recognising that we’re subject to all sorts of errors of judgement. So anyone who deliberately makes up “what really happened” comes in for criticism (notwithstanding the lies so frequently produced by gutter journalists) and might even face jail. Writers in the ancient world had a considerably looser idea of what might usefully be “made up”.

Having said that, it’s wrong to maintain, as do some, that early Christians and others did not worry too much about forgeries. Not only were many people concerned about forgeries, but they also did everything they could to expose and condemn them. A story is told about the famous Roman physician Galen (129-199 CE) who one day heard two men arguing whether or not a book they saw was truly written by him. One of the men was maintaining that it was a forgery because it did not reflect Galen’s distinctive style. Galen was so pleased at his fame that he dashed off a booklet describing how to distinguish his writings from forgeries. The booklet survives to this day [1].

Some of the most important guidelines to revealing a forgery are:

• If a writing refers to an event which occurred after the death of its supposed author, then we must conclude that it’s a forgery.
  
• Similarly, if a work refers to ideas of which we have no record until after the attributed author died, we must strongly suspect its provenance.
  
• Another clue to forgery would be if the style and vocabulary of a writing differs substantially from that of a document we know for sure was written by the attributed author.
  
• A much more recent way of testing a piece of writing is to subject it to computer analysis, the speed and accuracy of which can reveal inconsistencies not traceable by any other method.

A question remains: Why bother to forge a document?

One reason suggested by Ehrman is profit. Rich people in the ancient world often competed with each other to have the best library. In those days, long before the advent of printing, manuscripts were hand-copied and therefore comparatively expensive. Original documents were even more pricey. A really convincing forgery of an original work by Aristotle, for example, might fetch a substantial price.

Another possible reason might be to destroy someone’s reputation. In World War II, for example, the Allies made an art out of circulating forged documents which sought to undermine the trust between Nazis in authority. Anaximenes in the fourth century BCE did the same thing when he circulated anti-Greek propaganda apparently written by his arch-enemy, Theopompus. The latter quickly found that he was persona non grata wherever he wanted to go.

We can easily understand such reasons. Less easy to get a grip on are more honorable reasons such as the motivation of neo-Pythagoreans in the second century CE. They argued that their forgeries in the name of Pythagoras (570-495 BCE) were legitimate because they were merely valid extensions of the master’s work. To sign such work in their own names would, they thought, have been insufferably presumptuous.

Even less understandable was the practice of signing one’s own work in the name of a famous person. In some cases this was done because the person had agreed to be a sponsor of the writing. In others, an author merely hoped that a famous person might become a sponsor. More usually, however, the forgery was produced to give a writer’s views enough credibility to be read. So if a Christian bishop had problems in a local church, he might write a letter to them and sign it “Paul of Tarsus” in order to give his teaching some extra weight.

The vast majority of non-canonical Christian writings are what we today call forgeries. They include gospels purporting to have been written by James, Mary, and Peter. There are the gospels of the Hebrews, the Ebionites and the Nazoreans, to name but a few. The Gospel of Thomas, although it contains some passages which match or reflect the canonical gospels, was probably not written by the Thomas of the New Testament.

It’s worth reflecting that the gospels of Mark, Luke and Matthew are all in fact anonymous, the authors having been attributed by tradition. 

St John’s Gospel has few parallels to the other gospels. Indeed, it contains very little good history at all [2]. It turns out to be a long theological reflection on Jesus of Nazareth – a reflection which gripped the imagination of early Christians (it was written probably between 100 and 120 CE) and which is the basis of much orthodox teaching to this day. But it nevertheless comes perilously close to being open to charges of being a forgery in modern terms. It was certainly not written by the John of the gospels, and it attributes to Jesus long monologues which he certainly did not deliver.

The consequences of forgery on Christian thought and practice have not been insignificant. As a simple example, for much of the Church’s history, it has been taught that women should obey their husbands, shut up in church, and cover their heads. As Ehrman puts it:

… women earn salvation by keeping quiet and pregnant: it is men who have the authority to teach.

Two passages are usually quoted to support this view: 1 Corinthians 14.34-35 and 1 Timothy 2.12-15. The Timothy passage is a known forgery – but what about Paul’s teaching to the Corinthians? No reputable scholar says that Paul did not write this letter. But there are good reasons for thinking that this passage has at some point been inserted into the original text.

1. In Chapter 11 of this letter, Paul (though insisting that women cover their heads) encourages women to pray and prophesy – both of which were done aloud. Why this contradiction?
   
2. The passage is intrusively out of place. It comes baldly in the middle of a section about prophets in the church.
   
3. In our best manuscripts of Paul’s letter, this short passage appears in a number of other places. It’s possible, if not likely, that it was originally a marginal note and then inserted by different copyists in different places.

Lest one thinks this issue of marginal importance today, it should be noted that these and other passages are fundamentally the basis of the objection by many Christians of women as priests and bishops. The matter has caused, and is causing, much angst in the worldwide Church.

To sum up: Forgeries were much more common in the ancient world than they are today [3], if only because it was so much harder to detect them and to spread the news of their existence. When they were detected, there were those who cared enough to take action as far as they were able to do so. Christianity has not been impervious to the activities of forgers; but modern scholars have been able to expose most pseudo-Christian forgeries. Despite that, some clear forgeries remain part of the canon of the New Testament.
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[1] Bart D Ehrman, Lost Christianities, OUP, 2003
[2] See John’s Gospel
[3] Having said that, a fascinating case in modern times is the 1903 book titled The Protocols of the Elders of Zion which, despite having been clearly and repeatedly shown to be a forgery, is still on sale in Russian bookshops and elsewhere

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Devil at Vatican

Catholic scholar Dr. Malachi Martin, formerly a Jesuit professor at Georgetown University and a confidant of Vatican insiders, flatly declared in a recent New York City interview: “Yes, it’s true. Lucifer is enthroned in the Catholic Church.”
      Martin was also interviewed by The Fatima Crusader, a well-known Catholic publication. He again repeated his allegations, and expressed his dismay and distress that the Catholic institution of which he is a part has grown so decadent and morally reprobate since the Vatican II conference of the 60s. The contention that there are Satanists in Rome is “completely correct” said Martin, adding:

“Anybody who is acquainted with the state of affairs in the Vatican in the last 35 years is well aware that the prince of darkness has and still has his surrogates in the court of St. Peter in Rome.”Blatant Satan worship is now rampant within the Catholic Church. High-ranking churchmen are guilty of this heinous crime against God. According to one reliable source, the smoke of Satan has entered the very sanctuary of St. Peter’s Cathedral in the Vatican. Mind-boggling though it may be, priests and bishops alike are known to have taken contract oaths to serve the devil, signed in their own blood!
      These amazing facts about devil worship inside the Vatican and its subsidiaries have come not from hostile Protestant critics of Roman Catholicism, but from top-ranking Catholic prelates themselves. Evidently, this awful malignancy is so far advanced that Satanism has reached the papacy itself and has seriously affected the rank and file of nuns and priests in the U.S.A. and throughout the globe. Untold numbers of outright Satan worshippers are now masquerading as Catholic clergy while secretly paying homage to Lucifer.

Blood Oaths and Blasphemous Rituals


Malachi Martin is a very traditional Catholic. Author of Hostage to the Devil and numerous other books, his acclaimed Keys of This Blood, published some five years ago, was a strong, apologetics volume supporting the papacy of the current Pope, John Paul II. But now, Martin has doubts. He cannot understand why this Pope allows such evil to exist and even prosper within the church.
      It has gotten so bad, Dr. Martin contends, that in one shocking incident, high-ranking churchmen actually took oaths signed with their own blood and participated in “meticulously enacted rituals that blaspheme and devilishly mimic the holy sacrifice of the mass.”
 

 

Treachery Inside the Sanctuary


If Dr. Malachi Martin was the only authority sounding the alarm about devil worship in the Catholic Church, the whole affair would simply be dismissed as the outrageous accusations of a single cleric. But as far back as 1976, Pope Paul VI shocked a papal audience by confiding that, “The smoke of Satan has entered the very sanctuary of St. Peter’s Cathedral.” The Pontiff went on to explain that he had knowledge of a midnight hour, Black Satanic Mass having been conducted at the altar of St. Peter’s, on the exact spot where the Pope himself regularly says mass.
 

 

Secret Involvement Exposed

Already reeling from Martin’s accusations and stung by the memorable revelations of a previous pontiff, the Catholic hierarchy was further set back on its combined heels in Rome last November. With thousands in attendance at Rome’s Fatima 2000 International Congress on World Peace, a respected Archbishop, Emmanuel Milingo, strode to the podium. The crowd gasped as they heard Milingo solemnly affirm that members of the Catholic Church hierarchy are secretly involved in the darkest kinds of formal Satan worship.
      Archbishop Milingo, an exorcist, is author of a bestselling book exposing the occult, Face to Face With the Devil. In his speech, Milingo called Satan worship the “Third dimension of Evil,” and explained:

Now, the third dimension (of evil) is the most dangerous. It is subtle and the most terrible–.I could not believe when I discovered this third dimension of evil. The third dimension is people who follow instructions in satanic sects–.
Now with this third dimension, I’m sorry to say, our church belongs to it. I’m very sorry, I could not understand myself, and even now I don’t understand. But the only consolation I have is that, well, Judas Iscariot was one. Together with Jesus three years, he never changed. Then I understand that the third dimension of evil existed not only now, but it existed even then. Because nothing could change the heart of Judas Iscariot–nothing.

 

 

Devil Protected by Catholic Authorities

Archbishop Milingo went on to make an accusation which sent hurricane force shockwaves throughout the Catholic community. According to Milingo, the devil is actually protected by the Catholic Church:

The devil in the Catholic Church is so protected now that he is like an animal protected by the government; put on a game preserve that outlaws anyone, especially hunters, from trying to capture or kill it. The devil within the Church today is actually protected by certain Church authorities from the official devil hunter in the Church–the exorcist. So much so that the exorcist today is forbidden to attack the devil. The devil is so protected that the one who is the hunter, the exorcist, is forbidden to do his job.

In a subsequent interview, the courageous archbishop stated: “Certainly, there are priests and bishops alike who are followers of Satan.” When asked whether cardinals or even the Pope himself were guilty of this repulsive heresy, Milingo responded that, because he is an archbishop, he does not feel it is proper for him to name or comment about superior officials. The archbishop’s silence, of course, spoke volumes.

Catholicism and the Ravages of Freemasonry
Satan worship apparently has mushroomed in recent years as Catholic cardinals, bishops, and priests have joined the Masonic Lodge in record numbers. Until the papacy of today’s Pope John Paul II, membership by Catholics in any kind of Masonic order was an excommunicable offense. Now, however, it is commonplace. Indeed, in 1980, New York’s Terrance Cooke, one of America’s most powerful Catholic cardinals, addressed a gathering of 3,000 Masons. Cardinal Cooke electrified the assemblage when he said that, as friends, Masons and Catholics should recognize each other.
      Refraining from mentioning the name of Jesus–the name despised by many Masons and prohibited inside their lodges–Cardinal Cooke bowed to Masonry’s worst heresy by remarking, “I know of your firm belief in the Supreme Being, the Great Architect of the Universe, and of the holy writings appropriate to the religion of your members, and I salute you for your loyalty to these ancient values.”
      Cardinal Cooke’s words were obviously well chosen and imbued with hidden meaning. In fact, the Masonic Lodge’s “Supreme Architect of the Universe” is none other than Lucifer, who cloaks himself in Masonic literature with the names of such deities as Zoroaster, Shiva, Abaddon, and in other Masonic pagan-god disguises. As for the “holy writings” of Freemasonry, these have their origins in the Roman mystery religions, in 19th century occultism, and in Egyptianism/Babylonianism. Such are the “ancient values” of the satanic Masonic Lodge.

 

Satanism in Methodist, Episcopal, and Mormon Churches
In my special edition audiotape, Satan Worship in the Vatican Exposed, I explore further the overwhelming evidence of devil worship by the Catholic hierarchy. Authoritative quotes and documentation are given. I also tie the aging Pope John Paul II to this horror.
      We must remember, however, that Satanism is not only practiced by Catholic clergy. This wickedness is found in some of today’s Methodist and Charismatic churches, and especially in Episcopal and Anglican churches. Two years ago, the Mormon Church hierarchy even went public, admitting that satanic rituals had been secretly conducted by some church elders.
      Meanwhile, members of the Masonic Lodge, including pastors and denominational leaders, continue to dominate the Southern Baptist Convention.
      Contrary to what some believe, the devil is not a “Catholic.” Indeed, he is remarkably tolerant of all false religion, and he is known to be pleasingly nondenominational in his approach to religion. Satan is proud to be an ecumenical being. “Any faith but Jesus and His Word, the King James Bible,” is the devil’s handy motto.

 

The Power of Prophecy
These revelations of devil worship inside churches which claim to be “Christian” should not surprise us. The power of Bible prophecy is thereby made manifest. The books of Daniel and Revelation describe the Antichrist as a man who appears as a lamb but has horns. He ordains amongst his flock men and women who are unrepentant murderers, liars, fornicators, pedophiles and adulterers. Daniel says that the devil’s Antichrist shall speak “dark sentences” and shall worship a god his fathers knew not.
      Thus we understand why Satan worship is so fervently and irreverently practiced in the very seat of Rome, inside the profane temple the popes built–the temple known as St. Peter’s Cathedral, which has the Egyptian sun god obelisk on display in its front courtyard.       Yes, 666 is rising fast. The Pope, his Vatican, and its hierarchy are preparing the way for the corrupt Beast. They, as well as their non-Catholic helpers, are opening a creaking doorway to the Ultimate Evil. May God have mercy on their souls.

This revealing photo of Catholic Cardinal Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky, of the Ukraine, appeared in the magazine Inside the Vatican (1997), in an article entitled, “The Princes of the Church.”. Observe the cardinal’s unusual staff, with its vile phoenix serpents facing each other and its Maltese Cross at the apex. This same imagery–the dual phoenix serpent–is found on the wall behind the black stone altar inside the sanctuary of Freemasonry’s House of the Temple in Washington, D.C.
 

      In Pergamos, where Revelation says that “Satan’s seat” was, the sun deity was worshipped in the form of “Aesculapius, the man-instructing serpent.” His seed, the son (or Antichrist), was the devil’s spitting image–an incarnation, as depicted in the illustration at right (below) from Hislop’s classic book, The Two Babylons.


      According to Hislop, the mysterious symbol of the dual serpent was brought from Pergamos to Rome, where Satan began to be worshipped by the Pope and the Catholic hierarchy. Satan worship can thus be traced from Babylon, to Pergamos, to Rome.

 

 

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Satanism In The Vatican!

Please notice the picture above with an upside-down cross. In his article, The Kingdom of Satan, Professor J. S. Malan says this about the inverted cross . . .

“This cross is not broken, but turned upside down. It indicates the rejection of Jesus Christ and contempt for the gospel of salvation. Inverted symbols are typical of the opposite values pursued by Satanists. People who are sometimes sacrificed to Satan on Black Sabbath are crucified upside down in accordance with this tradition.”

“…even now are there many antichrists…” —1st John 2:18.

It is easy to find Satanic websites and occult stores where you can purchase all types of items with inverted crosses. The “Upside Down Cross” symbolizes mockery and rejection of Jesus. Necklaces are worn by many Satanists. It can often be seen on Rock singers and their album covers.”

“…and no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light”
—2nd Corinthians 11:14.

The “Bent Cross” is a grotesque emaciated depiction of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God who died to provide salvation for those who believe in Him. This scepter is used by the Popes on many occasions. Its occult ramifications and connections cannot be disregarded.

Pope John Paul II with frontal view of the Bent Cross.

Pope John Paul II with side view of the Bent Cross.

The Catholic religion often calls herself the “Mother Church.” She’s NOT the mother of Christ’s church! By calling herself “mother” she is telling on herself. Is this the abomination spoken of in the Scriptures? . . .

THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH

(Revelation 17:5)!

Notice the Catholic religion calls herself a woman. The Bible calls Catholicism a whore, and what a GREAT WHORE she is—committing spiritual fornication with the kings and rulers of the earth (nearly every king throughout history has had some type of political, economic or religious ties with the Vatican). Read about how Nazi Germany and the Vatican worked together to murder millions of innocent Jews in the holocaust!  Read The Vatican’s Holocaust. She’s DRUNKEN with the blood of the saints. Study the Inquisitions—the torture and killing of tens-of-millions of people.Oh, even the antichrist is naked in light of God’s word.

“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists (Popes and priests); whereby we know that it is the last time” —1st John 2:18

“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color (official Vatican colors), and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls (the Vatican is filthy rich), having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations (the Holocaust, inquisitions, etc.) and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY (very few people realize where the Catholic religion started), BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS (who seduce people into their damnable religion) AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” —Revelation 17:4,5

Catholicism’s ill-gotten children profess to know Christ but do service to Satan by disregarding the commandments of God in order to keep the traditions of men which papists even themselves call “TRADITION.” Why is she (the whore) called a mystery? The antichrist spirit of ancient pagan Babylon, though seemingly long fallen, lives in the rites and blasphemies of the Roman Catholic religion. Now that ancient Babylonian false religion lives today within the Catholic religion, disguised by Christian names. What a Satanic scam! The queen of heaven is now… Mary! Mystery Babylon lives, undetected by doomed millions across the world.

“The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the QUEEN OF HEAVEN…that they may provoke me to anger” —Jeremiah 7:18

Notice the Halo around Mary (especially her head). The is an idolatrous practice of the Catholics which symbolizes deity (that she is equal with God).The Babylonians practiced the same idolatrous worship to the Queen of Heaven. Mary is NOT deity, she was a normal every-day woman. Yes friend, Satan is definitely working in the Vatican and in Catholic organizations all across the world. Though most Catholics will deny worshipping Mary, the evidence says something very different! They bow down and literally pray in the name of “Mother Mary” to a graven statue of Mary. This is sinful idolatry! They are lying through their teeth. God makes CLEAR in His Word that He will NOT share His glory with another (that includes Mary).

“I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” —Isaiah 42:8

How could anyone be so foolish to actually bow down in prayer to a statue of Mary, yet at the same time deny that they are worshipping her? Talk about crazy! God clearly command us in the second of the Ten Commandments NOT to make unto ourselves ANY graven images.

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:” —Exodus 20:4

Do the Catholics need glasses? It says right there in black and white in Exodus 20:4 that we are NOT to make unto ourselves ANY likeness of anything that is in heaven!!! Mary is in Heaven.   We are NOT to make any likeness of her according to Exodus 20:4. So what do you call a statue of mother Mary?It surely is a likeness of her, a graven image! Here’s another shocker…

“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them…” —Exodus 20:5

Ok, so then why does every Catholic BOW DOWN before a statue of Mary in their worship places? I’ll tell you why… because they are practicing FALSE religion totally void of the truth of God. You can argue whether or not you are worshipping Mary as your bowing down to her; but one thing is for certain, God has commanded us in Exodus 20:5 NOT TO BOW DOWN to her. Even if your not worshipping Mary, you ARE SINNING if you bow down to her because the Bible strictly forbids it! As I write, millions of people all around the world are bowing down to Mary in violation of God’s Word. Yes, Satanism is in the Vatican!

“Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” —Mark 7:7

“For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.” —Mark 13:22

Sister Faustina’s blasphemous Image of Divine Mercy. Notice the occult New Age pyramid.

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