According to author Joseph Atwill, when Rome failed to colonize the Jews in its wars it turned to religion to spiritually pacify them and make them less willing to die for their Messiah.
Thus, Christianity was born as a tool of imperial statecraft to de-militantize Judaism, not as some divine revelation unique in the history of mankind.
It was a form of psychological counterinsurgency in 30 B.C. on a macro level. To take an example on a smaller scale from our time it would be like if the FBI infiltrated an ISIS cell to try to turn a Wahhabi terrorist into a Sufi dervish.
The Romans wanted a tribe of peaceniks, spiritual ascetics, and hippies in their empire's frontier, not a murderous Koreshian death cult that would destabilize their empire from within.
And can you blame them?
Based on this theory, the character of Christ was deliberately engineered by Roman mythmakers in the court of the Caesars to make him the new model Messiah for radical and militant Jews to look up to - peaceful, humble, and wise enough to stay out of Caesar's way.
Previously, the Jewish version of Messiah, their future political saviour who was to deliver them from slavery and exile, was akin to a modern suicide bomber, a violent radical willing to go to extreme limits to defend the Jewish temple and the Jewish religion from all foes.
That form of Messianism was too chaotic and troublesome for the Romans. They knew something had to be done to transform this explosive Messiah concept and diffuse its war-making potential. The last thing they wanted was to fight in Judea for generation after generation. They had an empire to run, new lands to conquer, dams to build, soldiers to train, roads to maintain, and distant enemies to worry about. The prickly Jews were a headache they could do without.
So they went about solving the Jewish question with a clever invention, a little Messiah of their own.
It's a compelling theory. And one that raises many questions about mankind's religious history, not just the history of Christianity.
It is clear we do not all share one religious story, for in the Jewish telling of this Roman myth the real Antichrist was the personage of Jesus Christ. He would be the opposite of the Messiah from the Jewish perspective. They believe the Romans insulted their spiritual inheritance and religious iconography. They still spit upon the Cross and Christians today in Israel. They've held onto this grudge for millennia. It's remarkable if you really think about it.
What Rome did still pisses the Jews off to this day. Netanyahu was talking about how Rome won't conquer Judea again. Motherfucker, Rome's been gone. What are you talking about? Put away the Torah for a minute and open a history textbook for once.
But Netanyahu is not alone. For Zionists Rome didn't go anywhere. And this paranoid reading of history influences the Israeli worldview immensely.
A less paranoid reading of history tells us the Jews outlived Rome. David won. Rome failed to win them over with either the sword or the pen. All the Roman elite managed to accomplish was introduce a new god for other peoples to cling onto. And all that did was add more confusion and mystery to the Greco-Roman religious landscape.
Christianity as a myth has its merits. Don't get me wrong. I don't like knocking any successful religion. It has elevated individuals, instructing them to live righteously, and treat their neighbours with kindness. That's great stuff.
Christian societies have fared better throughout history than pagan ones. A sense of community beyond the nearby king and tribe was established in Christian lands, making them more resilient militarily and economically. Christianity also produced God-fearing men and mystics who preserved knowledge and contributed to science, medicine, and mankind's general enlightenment.
I will get around to reading the Bible soon. That's on the reading list. But the fact it didn't resolve the central tension between Jews and the other races means it's a flawed book to begin with. The authors failed in their mission to convert and pacify the Jews. Something went wrong in the translation.
The subsequent attempts at forced conversions after Christianity's rise only produced horror and distrust. The Jews retained their identity throughout the centuries ferociously. The success of Christianity stimulated their own, older religious tradition, eventually leading them home.
After the rebirth of Israel the assumption was the Jews would finally be happy and settled, becoming just another nation amongst the nations.
But the state of Israel wants to put itself above the nations, viewing itself as a master of the world, lecturing others from a cosmic pulpit. It is Santa Claus and we're all the children. If we're being naughty we don't get any presents. And all his little elves laugh, falsely thinking they're also part of Santa's power trip.
That relationship will have to fundamentally change moving forward. Israel has to be humbled. Not eliminated. Not converted. Just humbled.
A new Rome will have to rise and put it in its place again.
