How Judaism Evolved Into Christianity 

This is an historical, scholarly perspective (a respectful, non-religious, treatment of the subject).

The Cultural Background of early Christianity (The Melting pot that brewed Christianity: How before the advent of Christianity, during the Hellenistic era, the Greeks and the Romans promoted the blending of religions. How the Greek culture and religions transformed Judaism. How Judaism absorbed beliefs and ideas from the Greek mystery religions.)

The Greek Mystery Religions and their Influence on Christianity. (Christianity sprouted in the Diaspora, in the midst of the Greek mystery religions, which were popular at that time. The rituals of Baptism and Communion, which today we consider central to Christianity, were practiced by the devotees of the Mystery religions, long before the emergence of Christianity. The ideas of "born again" and "united with God" were integral to the Mystery religions. The idea of a demi-god conceived by God and a virgin woman did not come from the Old Testament. It came from the Greek religions, which existed before Christianity and exerted strong influence upon it.)

Alexandrian Judaism: the Precursor of Christianity: (Various doctrines of Christianity were concocted in Alexandria, before the Christian era. Also, the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek -the Septuagint- in Alexandria, can be regarded as the conception of Christianity, because after the advent of Christianity the Septuagint became exclusively the Bible of the Gentile Christians.)

How Philo Laid the Foundations of Christianity. Philo of Alexandria, was the greatest interpreter of the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, which later became the Bible of the Gentile Christians. (The Jews rejected the Septuagint.) In his writings, Philo blended the beliefs of the Judaism with the beliefs of the Greek Mystery religions. He produced a new set of beliefs (the Alexandrian Judaism), which became the foundation of Christianity. He wrote a few decades before the New Testament writers. His phrases and beliefs appear in various books of the New Testament. He also influenced the early Church Fathers, particularly those who in the 3rd and 4th century promoted the Trinity doctrine.

 Note: The book contains over 2,500 footnotes (quotations and references), which explain or document the facts presented. Those footnotes are not included in the excerpts presented in this web site.  

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