Sunday sermon on the Gospel

[Leucius Charinus]

A HOLY MAN IS BORN:

* A Holy Man arose in antiquity and throughout his life claimed to be guided by the divine spirit.
* He appeared in the midst of a centralised monotheistic religious national state.
* He influenced many people, he preached and discussed salvation, he performed miracles.
* Abut him it was written - "He teaches the word of the Living Gospel for Eye and Ear, and he preaches the fruit of righteousness"

HE FOUNDED A CHURCH, COMMISSIONED HIS APOSTLES AS MISSIONARIES

* He founded a new religious cult related to the salvation of mankind within the old monotheistic national state.
* He and his teaching attracted apostles and followers.
* He commissioned apostles to establish churches in all the lands.
* The missionary activity of his apostles went into the Roman Empire and beyond.

HOLY WRITINGS ARE COMPOSED & PRESERVED

* A "Canon" of Holy Writings was assembled - preserved as a Gospel of “Living Teachings".
* Records of his "Gospel" and sayings - "logoi" - were gathered and collected.
* The Apostles wrote epistles (some of which are today extant) between the churches.
* Fragments of writings discovered in Egypt during 20th century - date to antiquity.

HE WAS CRUCIFIED, APOSTLES & CULT PERSECUTED

* He was persecuted in his final years by the state religion and the Romans.
* By some accounts he was crucified in the capital city, and his apostles persecuted.
* Their churches were destroyed, their writings burnt, and apostles were executed by the rulers of the age.
* Records are extant for Roman imperial persecution of the cult - particularly by Diocletian.

THE RISE OF CONSTANTINE & NICENE ORTHODOXY

* His churches existed in Rome when Constantine conquered the city 312 CE.
* Schismatic sects appeared after the Nicene Council and some sects preserved "The Gospel of Peter".
* The writings of these schismatic sects were prohibited and burnt by Christian orthodoxy.

THE TRIUMPH OF NICENE ORTHODOXY

* These sects were the subject of heresiological narratives by Christian orthodoxy.
* These sects were finally condemned and outlawed by the Emperor Theodosius c.381 CE.
* Their sectarian writings were prohibited and were burnt by Christian orthodoxy into the 5th century and beyond.
* The sects finally left the Roman empire and set out via Persia down the silk road to the east and China.

HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, CHRISTIANS ORIGINS & THE CHURCH

Yes, in case you were wondering, all the above data refers to Mani and the Manichaeans.



QUESTION FOR THE CONGREGATION

Could Eusebius have modelled Jesus and the Christians on Mani and the Manichaeans?



My notes on Mani are here:
http://mountainman.com.au/essenes/author_Mani.htm

[StephenGoranson]

But Mani was influenced by Christianity, before Constantine.

From The Penguin Dictionary of Religions, edited by John R. Hinnells, p. 200:

"Mani...A prophet (216-77 CE)....He had his first vision at the age of 12 and later taught that he brought the fulfillment of Zoroastrian, Christian, and Buddhist beliefs."