Some here suggest there is “nothing good at all” about Christianity.
And, during the Cyprianic plague which broke out in Rome in 251 CE:
“Emboldened by the promise of life after death, Christians stuck around and got stuck in. Dionysius describes how, “heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need. Early Christians would have saved many of the sick by giving them water, food and shelter. Even today, hydration and nutrition are important elements of the World Health Organization’s Ebola treatment guidelines”
“As Stark and Harper point out, the fact that so many Christians survived, and that Christians managed to save pagans abandoned by their families, provided the best recruitment material any religion could wish for: “miracles”
— Quotes from the review of Stark-Harper theory by Jonathan Kennedy, author of Pathogenesis: How Germs Made History
Questions
- This idea has been developed by academics with no known (sic) Christian affiliation: Does this lend it credibility?
- If you consider there may be a vein of truth within it, does this change your mind in the least about Christianity being nothing more than a baleful influence on humanity?
- Does the Christian tradition of caring for the sick continue to this day?
- Which other religions and quasi-religious philosophies share this tradition?
- Does it pre-date Judaism’s and other religions’ traditions for the same level of caring?
Verisimilitude
Article URL : https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/25/birth-jesus-plague-roman-empire-christianity