A review of the book 'Heresy: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God' written by Catherine Nixey.
In the early years of the first millennium there were many other saviours, many sons of gods who healed the sick and cured the lame. Among them were Asclepius, the son of Apollo, who made the blind see; gentle, long-haired Apollonius, who raised the dead and Zalmoxis, who promised his followers eternal life.
But as Christianity spread across the Mediterranean, these other saviours were pronounced unacceptable – and in some cases heretical – and they faded from view. Now, in Heresy, Catherine Nixey tells their extraordinary story. It is a story of contingency, chance and plurality; it is a story about what might have been.
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Coming up: A review of the book 'Heresy: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God' written by Catherine Nixey.
Namaste Friends. My name is 'Shinil Subramanian Payamal' and you are listening to the Historylogy podcast.
Before I proceed, a full disclosure: This book was bought with my own money and not been provided to me by the author or publisher.
Little bit about the author:
Catherine Nixey is a journalist and author. She currently writes for The Economist. Her writing has previously appeared in The Times and the Financial Times, among others. She lives in England with her husband. Her first book, The Darkening Age, was published in 2017 and was an international bestseller, and won a Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Award.
Let me read a brief description of the book:
QUOTE
‘In the beginning was the Word,’ says the Gospel of John, and this sentence – and the words of all four gospels – are central to the teachings of the Christian church. They have shaped Western art, literature and language, and the Western mind.
Yet in the years after the death of Christ there was not merely one word, nor any consensus as to who Jesus was or why he had mattered. Instead, there were many different Jesuses, among them the arrogant, aggressive Jesus who scorned his parents and killed and crippled those who opposed him, the Jesus who sold his twin into slavery and the Jesus who had someone crucified in his stead – then laughed.
Moreover, in the early years of the first millennium there were many other saviours, many sons of gods who healed the sick and cured the lame. Among them were Asclepius, the son of Apollo, who made the blind see; gentle, long-haired Apollonius, who raised the dead and Zalmoxis, who promised his followers eternal life.
But as Christianity spread across the Mediterranean, these other saviours were pronounced unacceptable – and in some cases heretical – and they faded from view. Now, in Heresy, Catherine Nixey tells their extraordinary story. It is a story of contingency, chance and plurality; it is a story about what might have been.
UNQUOTE
Some of things I found interesting in this brilliant book:
1. In the “Introduction” section of the book, the author has mentioned the following:
Quote
Within a few decades of Christianity coming to power, so-called ‘heretics’ started first to be deprived of certain legal rights, then of certain jobs, then of their places of worship and even, eventually, their homes.
In this new world, heretical books (and indeed books that were merely critical of Christianity) were outlawed and burned, while heretics could find themselves pursued, at times violently. Within fifty years of Christianity coming to power, as one observer noted, ‘many whole communities of those who are called “heretics” were actually butchered.’ This book will look at this story and at how, as the great Oxford historian G. E. M. de Ste. Croix put it, the Catholic Church became ‘the greatest organized persecuting force in human history.’
‘Heresy’ comes from the Greek word haireo, which means ‘I choose’.
2. On pages 79 and 87, the author has mentioned the story being the Birth of Jesus which many may find very controversial and shocking. I won’t reveal it here and leave it for you to read yourself.
3. On page 98, the author has mentioned about the Jesus of the Bible:
QUOTE
The Jesus of the Bible ─ however he is remembered ─ makes no pretence at being solely a prince of peace: ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth,’ he says. ‘I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ Jesus is famed for saying, ‘Blessed are the poor’ ─ but it is worth remembering that he did not end that speech there. ‘But woe to you who are rich,’ he continues, ‘for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.’ Those words have found their way into fewer happy hymns.
UNQUOTE
4. Across the empire, long running disputes between ‘heretics’ and the ‘true Church’ often ignited around church buildings, which, in those days of rapidly increasing numbers of Christians, were much in demand. It was a common complaint that the Church persecuted less from a love of righteousness than from a love of real estate.
5. Classical authors had observed and readily admitted similarities between their own religions and other people’s. But Christianity, which tended to insist that it was unique, was much less to do this. Instead, many Christian writers turned to a novel explanation for how such manifest similarities had arisen: Satan. Christianity looked similar to other religions? Well, Christians argued, that is what the Evil One wants you to think. Satan had put these religions on earth to deceive people into following the wrong gods. Asclepius looked like Jesus? Again, that was Satan’s doing: he had created Asclepius deliberately to mislead people. The Devil had brought forward ‘Asclepius as the raiser of the dead and healer of the other diseases.’ Asclepius might heal bodies ─ that much Christians admitted ─ but in doing so he damned spirits: ‘when it came to souls he was a destroyer’. Asclepius, Christian authors warned, was ‘the demon’, that ‘beast, so dangerous to the world’. He was a fraud, deceiving mankind and ‘drawing the gullible away from the true Saviour and attracting them to godless error.’
In summary, "Heresy: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God" is a bold and insightful examination of early Christianity that invites readers to explore the diversity of beliefs that existed alongside the burgeoning faith. Nixey's work is a significant contribution to the conversation about the foundations of Christianity and the rich tapestry of beliefs that have shaped it over the centuries. Whether you are a scholar, a casual reader, or someone simply curious about the complexities of faith, this book offers a thought-provoking journey into the heart of heresy and belief.
I give this book 4.5/5.
The printed price of the paperback versions of the book is around Rs. 700/- and $23.27 USD on Amazon India and Amazon USA respectively. The book is also available in Kindle and Audible format. I have given the respective buy links in the show notes. Please check them out for the latest prices.
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