Truths Revealed In The Da Vinci Code
Historians still marvel at the brilliance with which Emperor Constantine converted the sun-worshipping pagans to Christianity. By fusing pagan symbols, dates, and rituals into the growing Christian tradition, he created a kind of hybrid religion that was acceptable to both parties.’
‘Transmogrification,’ Langdon said. ‘The vestiges of pagan religion in Christian symbology are undeniable. Egyptian sun disks became the halos of Catholic saints. Pictograms of Isis nursing her miraculously conceived son Horus became the blueprint for our modern images of the Virgin Mary nursing Baby Jesus. And virtually all the elements of the Catholic ritual—the miter, the altar, the doxology, and the communion, the act of ‘God-eating’—were taken directly from earlier pagan mystery religions.’
Teabing groaned. ‘Don’t get a symbologist started on Christian icons. Nothing in Christianity is original. The pre-Christian God Mithras—called the Son of God and the Light of the World—was born on December 25, died, was buried in a rock tomb, and then resurrected in three days. By the way, December 25 is also the birthday of Osiris, Adonis, and Dionysus. The newborn Krishna was presented with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Even Christianity’s weekly holy day was stolen from the pagans.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Originally,’ Langdon said, ‘Christianity honored the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday, but Constantine shifted it to coincide with the pagan’s veneration day of the sun.’ He paused, grinning. ‘To this day, most churchgoers attend services on Sunday morning with no idea that they are there on account of the pagan sun god’s weekly tribute—Sunday," from pages 232-233 of the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, published by Bantam
The previous quote is in a fictional novel but is not fiction. A person can argue Church history all day long, but the facts remain. History shows that shortly after the death and resurrection of the Savior, the Roman Empire harshly persecuted the early believers. The more the faith was persecuted, the more it grew. The maltreatment continued until the time of Constantine the Great, who blended the true faith with pagan ideas and evil institutions. Most people are familiar with the story of how Constantine "the Great" conquered the known world with his Roman rule. During a religious experience, he reportedly saw the vision of a cross in the sky. Shortly after this, Constantine declared the entire empire "Christian" and stopped harassing believers. Instead, Constantine proved the old adage, "if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em." And join them he did, but not without making many changes to the true faith.
Constantine's Christianity
In August, 314AD, he held an imperial church council. At this meeting Constantine organized church government. He instituted the Bishop of Rome as ruler over the universal, or "catholic," church. Today, the Bishop of Rome is called the "Pope." From this day forward, church and state were mixed, and the entire empire was under Constantine’s rule for government AND religion. (Imagine President Bush as the head of the church and get the picture!)
Later, in 321AD the "Christian" Emperor Constantine praised Apollos, the sun god, worthy of worship on the first day of the week. He then decreed the official day off for of the Empire as Dies Solis, the Day of the Sun. This is where history records the Sabbath day was changed from the seventh day of the week to the first. This is also where the name Sunday has its origin. Sun-day is the day to worship the sun/apollos. Constantine did not allow any other day to be regarded as holy for worship. Constantine said, "this day should be regarded as a special occasion for prayer," says the book History of the First Council of Nicea.
Harsh fines and even death were imposed on those who kept the seventh day holy, as the Ten Commandments state.
Council of Nicea
In 325AD, the Nicean Council was held. History records that the purpose of this meeting was to decide when the early church would celebrate the feast of Passover. (The first believers kept the Holy Days of Leviticus 23.) However, at the Nicean Council the "Easter Edict" was passed. This Edict, written by Constantine insisted the believers keep the holiday of Easter instead of Passover. Why was it important to change from Passover to Easter? Because, the majority of people in the Roman Empire already celebrated Easter.
"Easter came to be celebrated instead of the Passover for two fundamental reasons: in an attempt to escape Judaism and to conform to paganism. Most every Christian knows that the name Easter is the name of a pagan goddess, variously called Eostre in ancient Anglo-Saxon, Ishtar in Arabic, and Isis in Egyptian. She was and is known as mother earth, the goddess of fertility, and the queen of heaven. Her day was celebrated throughout the Roman Empire on the first Sunday after the first full moon, on or after the vernal equinox. The result was that the church picked up all the ancient customs of Easter: egg coloring and bunny rabbits for fertility celebrations; Sunday sunrise service for homage to the sun coming up from the east; and the honoring of Sunday as the Sabbath. The people enjoyed the festival of Easter. For the church, which rejected all Old Testament traditions on anti-Jewish grounds, it was necessary to invent another tradition for stability stake. Adapting pagan traditions was both convenient and popular, and whatever increased the influence of the church became the rationalization for its adoption," wrote David Hargis in his book The Constantine Conspiracy.
At the Nicean Council Constantine said the Jews had been rejected by the Almighty because they were guilty of killing the Savior. Because of this, any Old Testament tradition should be abandoned. He claimed that the more popular holidays already being kept by various Pagan religions were better then anything from the Old Testament. Constantine wrote, "It was, in the first place, declared improper to follow the custom of the Jews in the celebration of this holy festival, because, their hands having been stained with crime, the minds of these wretched men are necessarily blinded. ...
***Let us, then, have nothing in common with the Jews, who are our adversaries. ... avoiding all contact with that evil way. ... who, after having compassed the death of the Lord, being out of their minds, are guided not by sound reason, but by an unrestrained passion, wherever their innate madness carries them. ... a people so utterly depraved. ... Therefore, this irregularity must be corrected, in order that we may no more have any thing in common with those parricides and the murderers of our Lord. ... no single point in common with the perjury of the Jews," Theodoret's Ecclesiastical History.***
Pagan Origins To Christianity's Holy Days
Constantine’s influence upon Christianity is undeniable. His ruling actions over the church and government drove the world into the Dark Ages. During this gloomy time in human history, learning was thwarted and the Roman Catholic Church ruled worldwide. Bibles were banned and science was stalled. Years later Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformation against many errors. However, mainstream Christianity continues to still follow Constantine. Yes, Luther nailed his 95 Theses to a church door, but his reforms were not enough. Baptist, Methodists, Lutherans, and Charismatics are still joined to Catholicism and Constantine. "If Protestants would follow the Bible, they would worship God on the Sabbath Day. In keeping the Sunday they are following a law of the Catholic Church," said Albert Smith, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Encyclopedias and history books prove that Easter, Sunday worship, and even Christmas were additions to the faith by the Catholic Church. These days were celebrated long before the Messiah came and mixed into the original faith by various Bishops. "In 321AD, Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor, introduced Christmas as an immovable feast on 25 December. He also introduced Sunday as a holy day in a new 7-day week, and introduced movable feasts (Easter). However, even though Constantine officiated 25 December as the birthday of Christ, Christians, recognizing the date as a pagan festival, did not share in the emperor's good meaning. Christmas failed to gain universal recognition among Christians until quite recently. In England, Oliver Cromwell outwaled Christmas festivities between 1649 and 1660. Still, Christmas was not even a legal holiday until the 1800s," says www.didyouknow.com
Who would have thought the origin of Christianity’s holy days would be found in pagan rites? Who knew there was so much truth in The Da Vinci Code? A historic cover up is finally been exposed.
The dark ages have finally ended. The light of truth is exposing the deception that has cloaked the church for hundreds of years. At the heart of The Da Vinci Code is a conspiracy theory, which alleges a massive,conspiracy by the church about the nature of Christianity. According to this idea, the faith founded in the name of the Savior did not develop as he intended. Why doesn’t the church return to its roots and forsake pagan practices? In general, our culture doesn’t inquire about the past. Few study history. Even fewer know about church history. "Ignorance is bliss" for the majority of people that warm pews. Yet the scriptures tell us to "study to show ourselves approved" in 1 Timothy 2:15. We are told to "remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you," Deuteronomy 32:7.
Our Jewish Roots
The truth is that the first believers were very "Jewish" in their worship and lifestyle. In fact, historical writings prove that the early followers of Messiah were so Jewish that most people could not tell them apart from the majority of the Jews. "The Nazarenes do not differ in any essential thing from [the Orthodox Jews], since they practice the customs and doctrines prescribed by Jewish Law; except that they believe in Messiah. They believe in the resurrection of the dead, and that the universe was created by the Almighty. They preach that The Lord is One is One, and that Messiah is his Son... They are very learned in the Hebrew language. They read the Law," wrote the early Church Father Epiphanius in his doctrinal book: Adversus Haereses, (Against Heresies) Panarion 29.
The Savior Himself said, "Salvation is of the Jews," in John 4:22. This doesn’t mean that one must convert to Judaism to be saved. What Messiah was teaching is that the true pathway of faith can be found within the lineage and lifestyle of the Hebrews. The Jewish people make up just a small portion of the greater Israel family that has been scattered all over the world. This nation of Israel is being regathered as millions of people around the world are recognizing their Hebrew roots. This isn’t about being Jewish. It is all about recognizing that "if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise," Galatians 3:29. Multitudes are rejecting false worship and returning to the ancient path set by the Savior. He came teaching, healing, and proclaiming a message of repentance. A message that said, "the kingdom of heaven is here." A message that included the words, "think not that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets," Mathew 5:16.
Fortunately, the sins of our fathers have been exposed. A growing remnant of the church is recognizing its error and returning to its Hebrew roots. The true faith of the Messiah and the Apostles is returning with power and understanding. Revelation 2:5 explains, "Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first." Saints should take heed. We need to see the reality of history and learn from these mistakes. One should ask, seek, and knock to know the truth behind fossilized customs followed by the masses today. Then, as truth is revealed one should reject error and accept the ancient path.
The truth is out there; it just remains to be found by most people. It is sad that millions had to be exposed to the pagan roots of the church through a murder and mystery book by Dan Brown. Brown simply wouldn’t have much of a plot if everyone knew the truth.
‘Transmogrification,’ Langdon said. ‘The vestiges of pagan religion in Christian symbology are undeniable. Egyptian sun disks became the halos of Catholic saints. Pictograms of Isis nursing her miraculously conceived son Horus became the blueprint for our modern images of the Virgin Mary nursing Baby Jesus. And virtually all the elements of the Catholic ritual—the miter, the altar, the doxology, and the communion, the act of ‘God-eating’—were taken directly from earlier pagan mystery religions.’
Teabing groaned. ‘Don’t get a symbologist started on Christian icons. Nothing in Christianity is original. The pre-Christian God Mithras—called the Son of God and the Light of the World—was born on December 25, died, was buried in a rock tomb, and then resurrected in three days. By the way, December 25 is also the birthday of Osiris, Adonis, and Dionysus. The newborn Krishna was presented with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Even Christianity’s weekly holy day was stolen from the pagans.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Originally,’ Langdon said, ‘Christianity honored the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday, but Constantine shifted it to coincide with the pagan’s veneration day of the sun.’ He paused, grinning. ‘To this day, most churchgoers attend services on Sunday morning with no idea that they are there on account of the pagan sun god’s weekly tribute—Sunday," from pages 232-233 of the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, published by Bantam
The previous quote is in a fictional novel but is not fiction. A person can argue Church history all day long, but the facts remain. History shows that shortly after the death and resurrection of the Savior, the Roman Empire harshly persecuted the early believers. The more the faith was persecuted, the more it grew. The maltreatment continued until the time of Constantine the Great, who blended the true faith with pagan ideas and evil institutions. Most people are familiar with the story of how Constantine "the Great" conquered the known world with his Roman rule. During a religious experience, he reportedly saw the vision of a cross in the sky. Shortly after this, Constantine declared the entire empire "Christian" and stopped harassing believers. Instead, Constantine proved the old adage, "if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em." And join them he did, but not without making many changes to the true faith.
Constantine's Christianity
In August, 314AD, he held an imperial church council. At this meeting Constantine organized church government. He instituted the Bishop of Rome as ruler over the universal, or "catholic," church. Today, the Bishop of Rome is called the "Pope." From this day forward, church and state were mixed, and the entire empire was under Constantine’s rule for government AND religion. (Imagine President Bush as the head of the church and get the picture!)
Later, in 321AD the "Christian" Emperor Constantine praised Apollos, the sun god, worthy of worship on the first day of the week. He then decreed the official day off for of the Empire as Dies Solis, the Day of the Sun. This is where history records the Sabbath day was changed from the seventh day of the week to the first. This is also where the name Sunday has its origin. Sun-day is the day to worship the sun/apollos. Constantine did not allow any other day to be regarded as holy for worship. Constantine said, "this day should be regarded as a special occasion for prayer," says the book History of the First Council of Nicea.
Harsh fines and even death were imposed on those who kept the seventh day holy, as the Ten Commandments state.
Council of Nicea
In 325AD, the Nicean Council was held. History records that the purpose of this meeting was to decide when the early church would celebrate the feast of Passover. (The first believers kept the Holy Days of Leviticus 23.) However, at the Nicean Council the "Easter Edict" was passed. This Edict, written by Constantine insisted the believers keep the holiday of Easter instead of Passover. Why was it important to change from Passover to Easter? Because, the majority of people in the Roman Empire already celebrated Easter.
"Easter came to be celebrated instead of the Passover for two fundamental reasons: in an attempt to escape Judaism and to conform to paganism. Most every Christian knows that the name Easter is the name of a pagan goddess, variously called Eostre in ancient Anglo-Saxon, Ishtar in Arabic, and Isis in Egyptian. She was and is known as mother earth, the goddess of fertility, and the queen of heaven. Her day was celebrated throughout the Roman Empire on the first Sunday after the first full moon, on or after the vernal equinox. The result was that the church picked up all the ancient customs of Easter: egg coloring and bunny rabbits for fertility celebrations; Sunday sunrise service for homage to the sun coming up from the east; and the honoring of Sunday as the Sabbath. The people enjoyed the festival of Easter. For the church, which rejected all Old Testament traditions on anti-Jewish grounds, it was necessary to invent another tradition for stability stake. Adapting pagan traditions was both convenient and popular, and whatever increased the influence of the church became the rationalization for its adoption," wrote David Hargis in his book The Constantine Conspiracy.
At the Nicean Council Constantine said the Jews had been rejected by the Almighty because they were guilty of killing the Savior. Because of this, any Old Testament tradition should be abandoned. He claimed that the more popular holidays already being kept by various Pagan religions were better then anything from the Old Testament. Constantine wrote, "It was, in the first place, declared improper to follow the custom of the Jews in the celebration of this holy festival, because, their hands having been stained with crime, the minds of these wretched men are necessarily blinded. ...
***Let us, then, have nothing in common with the Jews, who are our adversaries. ... avoiding all contact with that evil way. ... who, after having compassed the death of the Lord, being out of their minds, are guided not by sound reason, but by an unrestrained passion, wherever their innate madness carries them. ... a people so utterly depraved. ... Therefore, this irregularity must be corrected, in order that we may no more have any thing in common with those parricides and the murderers of our Lord. ... no single point in common with the perjury of the Jews," Theodoret's Ecclesiastical History.***
Pagan Origins To Christianity's Holy Days
Constantine’s influence upon Christianity is undeniable. His ruling actions over the church and government drove the world into the Dark Ages. During this gloomy time in human history, learning was thwarted and the Roman Catholic Church ruled worldwide. Bibles were banned and science was stalled. Years later Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformation against many errors. However, mainstream Christianity continues to still follow Constantine. Yes, Luther nailed his 95 Theses to a church door, but his reforms were not enough. Baptist, Methodists, Lutherans, and Charismatics are still joined to Catholicism and Constantine. "If Protestants would follow the Bible, they would worship God on the Sabbath Day. In keeping the Sunday they are following a law of the Catholic Church," said Albert Smith, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Encyclopedias and history books prove that Easter, Sunday worship, and even Christmas were additions to the faith by the Catholic Church. These days were celebrated long before the Messiah came and mixed into the original faith by various Bishops. "In 321AD, Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor, introduced Christmas as an immovable feast on 25 December. He also introduced Sunday as a holy day in a new 7-day week, and introduced movable feasts (Easter). However, even though Constantine officiated 25 December as the birthday of Christ, Christians, recognizing the date as a pagan festival, did not share in the emperor's good meaning. Christmas failed to gain universal recognition among Christians until quite recently. In England, Oliver Cromwell outwaled Christmas festivities between 1649 and 1660. Still, Christmas was not even a legal holiday until the 1800s," says www.didyouknow.com
Who would have thought the origin of Christianity’s holy days would be found in pagan rites? Who knew there was so much truth in The Da Vinci Code? A historic cover up is finally been exposed.
The dark ages have finally ended. The light of truth is exposing the deception that has cloaked the church for hundreds of years. At the heart of The Da Vinci Code is a conspiracy theory, which alleges a massive,conspiracy by the church about the nature of Christianity. According to this idea, the faith founded in the name of the Savior did not develop as he intended. Why doesn’t the church return to its roots and forsake pagan practices? In general, our culture doesn’t inquire about the past. Few study history. Even fewer know about church history. "Ignorance is bliss" for the majority of people that warm pews. Yet the scriptures tell us to "study to show ourselves approved" in 1 Timothy 2:15. We are told to "remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you," Deuteronomy 32:7.
Our Jewish Roots
The truth is that the first believers were very "Jewish" in their worship and lifestyle. In fact, historical writings prove that the early followers of Messiah were so Jewish that most people could not tell them apart from the majority of the Jews. "The Nazarenes do not differ in any essential thing from [the Orthodox Jews], since they practice the customs and doctrines prescribed by Jewish Law; except that they believe in Messiah. They believe in the resurrection of the dead, and that the universe was created by the Almighty. They preach that The Lord is One is One, and that Messiah is his Son... They are very learned in the Hebrew language. They read the Law," wrote the early Church Father Epiphanius in his doctrinal book: Adversus Haereses, (Against Heresies) Panarion 29.
The Savior Himself said, "Salvation is of the Jews," in John 4:22. This doesn’t mean that one must convert to Judaism to be saved. What Messiah was teaching is that the true pathway of faith can be found within the lineage and lifestyle of the Hebrews. The Jewish people make up just a small portion of the greater Israel family that has been scattered all over the world. This nation of Israel is being regathered as millions of people around the world are recognizing their Hebrew roots. This isn’t about being Jewish. It is all about recognizing that "if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise," Galatians 3:29. Multitudes are rejecting false worship and returning to the ancient path set by the Savior. He came teaching, healing, and proclaiming a message of repentance. A message that said, "the kingdom of heaven is here." A message that included the words, "think not that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets," Mathew 5:16.
Fortunately, the sins of our fathers have been exposed. A growing remnant of the church is recognizing its error and returning to its Hebrew roots. The true faith of the Messiah and the Apostles is returning with power and understanding. Revelation 2:5 explains, "Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first." Saints should take heed. We need to see the reality of history and learn from these mistakes. One should ask, seek, and knock to know the truth behind fossilized customs followed by the masses today. Then, as truth is revealed one should reject error and accept the ancient path.
The truth is out there; it just remains to be found by most people. It is sad that millions had to be exposed to the pagan roots of the church through a murder and mystery book by Dan Brown. Brown simply wouldn’t have much of a plot if everyone knew the truth.
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