Crazyguy - The gospels came later in the 2nd century according to most experts.
The gospels? Which gospels? The gospels we have in the New Testament were most likely written before the end of the first century. There are scholars who propose later dates for those gospels, but this is a scarce minority. This is basic stuff...
Crazyguy - Some people think Jesus was modeled after Apollonius of tyanna and that even Paul was modeled after him.
People say that, but it makes no sense whatsoever. Stories about Apollonius were written down 150 years after Jesus. The gospels and Pauline epistles came way before the written sources for Apollonius. If anything, it'd make sense if Apollonius were modeled after Jesus. But we know that both Apollonius and Jesus were both likely historical figures.
Crazyguy - Other think Jesus was modeled after Simon Madgus.
That's more crackpot stuff. Simon Magus (not Magdus...) was a convert to Christianity.
Crazyguy - Most of the Christian teaching were copies of older Egyptian religious teachings and Jesus as the God seemed to be an algamation of several older Gods like Dionysus and Osiris.
Not true at all. There certainly are similarities between Egyptian religious teachings and Christian teachings (I'm not saying there aren't), but there isn't much of those similarities at all. And Jesus as an amalgamation of other gods? Completely not true. I advise you to study Egyptian mythology first before copying what other crackpot writers say. (Hell, I'm glad you didn't mention anything about Horus... That'd be embarrassing.) Read what actual Egyptologists have to say about those idiotic ideas. You'd be surprised.
deegee - Given Paul's pandering to the Roman authorities, Constantine saw the political value of Pauline Christianity - Pauline Christianity was not just seen as a religion but as a political solution to bring about the unity and harmony and control of the populace which Constantine desired.
Not at all. According to the sources we have, Constantine did not have a single clue what Christianity was before his conversion. His mother most likely was not a Christian in his youth, and his father was not one at all. After the visions—he probably had two visions—he had to have someone explain to him the teachings of Christianity etc. (How would he know that becoming Christian would bring peace and unity in the empire if he had no idea what this religion was?) Bart Ehrman puts it this way:
Constantine became a Christian convert. Possibly the most important point to make about the conversion is that Constantine – as is true of all converts – did not and could not understand everything there was to know about the Christian faith at the time. His faith, and his knowledge, may have been very rudimentary indeed. He may not have known that he needed to be baptized at some point. He may not have known that Christians not only refused to worship other gods but believed the pagan gods were demons and not gods at all. He may not have known that there were ethical requirements that went along with being Christian. He may not have known that there were refined theological views and serious debates among the Christians about the nature of God, the identity of Christ, the relationship of Christ and God. He may not have known … lots and lots of things [emphasis added].
Moreover, Eusebeius makes it very clear that what Constantine wanted was help from a divine in the Battle at the Milvian Bridge:
Knowing well that he would need more powerful aid than an army can supply because of the mischievous magical devices practiced by the tyrant, he sought a god to aid him. He regarded the resources of soldiers and military numbers as secondary, for he thought that without the aid of a god these could achieve nothing; and he said that what comes from a god’s assistance is irresistible and invincible. He therefore considered what kind of god he should adopt to aid him (Life of Constantine 1.27).
This battle was a very important one in his life; it paved the way for him to become the only emperor in the Roman Empire (the Rule of the Four/Tetrarchy...) You could study the historical context of Constantine's conversion. It's a very interesting read. When you study the fight for power amongst the six emperors of the Roman Empire (Constantine, Severus, Galerius, Maxentius, Maximian [Maxentius asked him for help in Rome], Licinius), it becomes clear that the reason Constantine became Christian was to seek divine help in his battle. He didn't think that becoming Christian would bring peace or unity in the empire. That's simply not true. If he became Christian, Maxentius would not care, and he was the problem. The solution was to kill Maxentius. Maxentius would not step down if Constantine became Christian. Maxentius had a problem with Constantine because Constantine became an Augustus after his father. Diocletian gave rise to the Tetrarchy so that people wouldn't become emperors after their fathers. Constantine ignored that. Maxentius didn't like that because he himself wasn't allowed to become Augustus or even Caesar after his father Maxentius... So, no, becoming Christian had nothing to do with bringing peace or unity. This is stuff that people say when they have no idea what was actually going on in the empire at that time.
