this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2024
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Gnosticism, to me, honestly feels like the true story of Christianity. Like, in the gospel of Mary I believe it's basically stated that Mary was the favorite apostle of Jesus and that Peter was jealous. So while all the other apostles seem to have encountered Jesus after his death in a more spiritual fashion rather than a literal resurrection, Peter was the only one to have explicitly met Jesus and seen him physically resurrect after his death. Convenient that Jesus would also tell him, and only him, that he would carry on as the head of the faith.
I just love how much the whole thing feels like the church covering up what really happened, even if it's basically impossible to know for sure.
St. Peter's account of being labelled head of the faith is mostly just Catholic doctrine. Whichever of the apostles ended up in Constantinople, then Byzantion, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Alexandria could theoretically have claimed similar visions and been taken just as seriously because before power was consolidated Christianity was "run" by a Pentarchy of Patriarchs, one in each of the five holy cities of the faith, and each of whom technically equalled the pope in rome in rank, just in the sense that pope's descend from St. Peter while other patriarchs descended from different apostles or early converts.
Had Christianity spread in India you'd probably hear about a Christian Hexarchy with one of the patriarchates based in Chennai.
There are lots of unrelated ideas and beliefs grouped together as "Gnosticism". The truth was that early Christianity was incredibly diverse, varied and local.
Only when the Emperor(s) got involved (around the third century) does there--like everything the Emperor's did--need to be a uniformity and consistency so that Christianity reflects the Emperor's fasces--his imperium and potestas.
You are no longer some rudderless Christian, you are a Roman Catholic Christian who worships the Jesus sponsored by the Emperor!