Posted: Jun 16, 2017 2:57 am
Leucius Charinus wrote:I have made a study of all the Christian references in the classical literature (i.e. not sourced from Eusebius or the "Church") prior to the 4th century, and my provisional conclusion is that the best explanation of these references is that all of them represent corruptions of the classical literature by the church organisation between the 4th century and the 15th century.
...I think there is sufficient reason to conjecture that the church organisation forged manuscripts in order to advance its historical integrity.
'...in order to advance an illusion of historical integrity'.
By 'classical literature' I presume you're referring to Josephus' Antiquities and Tacitus' Annals +/- others.
- [Arthur Drews thought that Annals 15.4 reflects the 4th C. Chronicle of Sulpicius Severus]
"We are therefore strongly disposed to suspect that the passage (Annals, xv, 44) was transferred from Sulpicius to the text of Tacitus by the hand of a monastic copyist or forger, for the greater glory of God and in order to strengthen the truth of the Christian tradition by a pagan witness."
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Witn ... /Section_2