Historical Context and Early Christianity
🕰️The Gospel of Mark was written to reboot Christianity after the Jewish War (66-70 AD), explaining the delay of the apocalypse and presenting Jesus as a fable-like figure communicating through parables and actions.
🌟Early Christians believed Jesus came from outer space, understanding heaven as a physical place with seven layers, including hell, with God residing in the highest heaven among the stars.
🏛️The Roman Empire prosecuted early Christians not for their religion, but for assembling illegally without a license, which appeared as treason to them.
Biblical Interpretation and Mythology
🧠The Gospels are myths conveying deeper truths about reality, using unrealistic elements to illustrate spiritual concepts, such as the ring structure in Mark's Gospel.
🗿Plutarch explained that myths like the Osiris story had dual meanings: a surface narrative for the masses and deeper truths for the educated elite, similar to Christianity's approach.
Historical Figures and Sources
👥Paul's authentic letters only mention Jesus through revelatory experiences and scripture interpretations, without historical details about Jesus' life.
📜Tacitus and Josephus are considered late sources that don't provide independent evidence for Jesus' historicity, potentially containing Christian interpolations.
Religious Evolution and Influences
🇮🇷Judaism adopted Persian influences such as resurrection, apocalypse, and messianism after the 5th-4th centuries BC Persian Empire freed Jews from exile.
🩸The blood sacrifice of Jesus was seen as replacing the Yom Kippur ritual, with Jesus' blood considered powerful enough to calm God's anger forever.
Cultural and Legal Context
📜A treaty between Jews and Rome protected Jewish laws, including the requirement for burial before sunset, which influenced the Gospel narratives of Jesus' death and burial.