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Creating Christ: How Roman Emperors Invented Christianity Kindle Edition
by James S. Valliant (Author), C. W. Fahy (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (482)
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Exhaustively annotated and illustrated, this explosive work of history unearths clues that finally demonstrate the truth about one of the world’s great religions: that it was born out of the conflict between the Romans and messianic Jews who fought a bitter war with each other during the 1st Century. The Romans employed a tactic they routinely used to conquer and absorb other nations: they grafted their imperial rule onto the religion of the conquered. After 30 years of research, authors James S. Valliant and C.W. Fahy present irrefutable archaeological and textual evidence that proves Christianity was created by Roman Caesars in this book that breaks new ground in Christian scholarship and is destined to change the way the world looks at ancient religions forever.
Inherited from a long-past era of tyranny, war and deliberate religious fraud, could Christianity have been created for an entirely different purpose than we have been lead to believe? Praised by scholars like Dead Sea Scrolls translator Robert Eisenman (James the Brother of Jesus), this exhaustive synthesis of historical detective work integrates all of the ancient sources about the earliest Christians and reveals new archaeological evidence for the first time. And, despite the fable presented in current bestsellers like Bill O’Reilly’s Killing Jesus, the evidence presented in Creating Christ is irrefutable: Christianity was invented by Roman Emperors.
*****
”I have rarely encountered a book so original, exciting, accessible and informed on subjects that are of obvious importance to the world and to which I have myself devoted such a large part of my scholarly career studying. In this book they have rendered a startling new understanding of Christianity with a controversial theory of its Roman provenance that is accessible to the layman in a very powerful way. In the process, they present new and comprehensive archeological and iconographic evidence, as well as utilizing the widest and most cutting edge work of other recent scholars, including myself. This is a work of outstanding and original scholarship. Its arguments are a brilliant, profound and thorough integration of the relevant evidence. When they are done, the conclusion is inescapable and obviously profound.”
– Prof. Robert Eisenman,
Author of James the Brother of Jesus and The New Testament Code
“Powerful... well-argued... I think it’s great and I heartily recommend it. You’re in for a big surprise if you read this. It’s great stuff!”
– Robert M. Price, author of The Colossal Apostle
"A fascinating and provocative investigative history of ideas, boldly exploring a problem that previous scholarship has not clearly or credibly addressed: how (and why!) the Flavian dynasty wove Christianity into the very fabric of Western civilization."
– Mark Riebling, author of Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler
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428 pages
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Review
"I have rarely encountered a book so original, exciting, accessible and informed on subjects that are of obvious importance to the world and to which I have myself devoted such a large part of my scholarly career studying. In this book they have rendered a startling new understanding of Christianity with a controversial theory of its Roman provenance that is accessible to the layman in a very powerful way. In the process, they present new and comprehensive archeological and iconographic evidence, as well as utilizing the widest and most cutting edge work of other recent scholars, including myself. This is a work of outstanding and original scholarship. Its arguments are a brilliant, profound and thorough integration of the relevant evidence. When they are done, the conclusion is inescapable and obviously profound."
--Prof. Robert Eisenman, Author of James the Brother of Jesus and The New Testament Code
"A fascinating and provocative investigative history of ideas, boldly exploring a problem that previous scholarship has not clearly or credibly addressed: how (and why!) the Flavian dynasty wove Christianity into the very fabric of Western civilization."
--Mark Riebling, author of Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler
"Valliant and Fahy have given us a rare and valuable gift worthy of the Magi: A readable, balanced, and scholarly text on one of the most controversial topics in history. What makes this work approachable are its clearly wrought style and beautifully organized sections. What makes it invaluable for anyone (scholar or amateur) with an interest in Christianity (be it religiously inspired or not) is that it provides the reader with research that is too compelling to dismiss."
--Eric Hill, University Honors College Senior Instructor, Rhetoric (Semiotics, Epistemology, Abrahamic Religions, and Translations), Oregon State University
Product details
ASIN : B01LRP3EDG
Publisher : Crossroad Press
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : 7 September 2016
Edition : 1st
Language : English
File size : 5.9 MB
Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 428 pages
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From Australia
bluevapo
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, but controversial
Reviewed in Australia on 14 June 2024
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Very dense, very detailed; but the conclusion of the book is inescapable: that most of the New Testament wasn't written by who we think it was, and the most important parts were written by the Roman conquerors' in-house historian, whose chief aim was to justify Vespasian's and then Titus' claim that they were the promised Messiah who brought peace and plenty under a benign Roman umbrella. This, mind you, after the brutal destruction of the Jewish world after the revolt of 65 A.D.
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Annette Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars History Departments Taking Over From New Testament Departments
Reviewed in Australia on 2 January 2025
I am 81 years old, and so glad to have lived long enough to read this book and Caesar's Messiah, and to have heard and seen various scholars outside of New Testament studies affirming the theses presented, albeit with caveats here and there, but all implying that these studies are all heading in a new and fruitful direction.
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S.D.E.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Teoria interessante
Reviewed in Italy on 1 February 2019
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An interesting, if often repetitive, reading about the almost artificial creation of the Christian movement by the Roman Empire. Citing historical facts, drawing heavily from the works of St. Paul and Flavius Josephus, and quoting books by historians and theologians, the two authors demonstrate a Roman origin for the Gospels and the religion inspired by the figure of Jesus. Without confirming or denying the historicity of his figure, they explain the similarities between Jesus' life and that of the emperors of the Flavian dynasty and their historian, a Romanized Jew, Flavius Josephus. The writings of St. Paul, the difficult relationship with St. Peter and Joseph the Just, and the progressive separation of the pacifist Christian cult from the more warmongering ones, are responsible for the friction with the Romans. The thesis is that Vespasian and Titus, to convince Jews to join the multicultural Roman Empire, developed a new cult that abolished the restrictions of the Jewish religion and professed love and peace towards the "gentiles." Despite the many repetitions of concepts, data, and citations, the thesis is interesting and credible. According to the authors, it resolves the many inconsistencies in the Gospels and explains their tolerance of non-Jews and the Roman Empire. Not being an expert on the subject, I can't say whether they are correct or not, but the thesis is compelling and credible. Further reading is urgently needed.
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Timothy Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good News of Unification
Reviewed in Canada on 13 November 2016
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The book is better than I hoped for. There are many books available on New Testament scholarship and they all have their own unique trajectory. This book is signaling a converging of modern thought about New testament authorship that is so welcome. The New Testament has enjoyed a millennium or more of political primacy. In this day and age Christianity is too foolish of a guide to lead us to a more sustainable future. For example Christianity is hugely responsible for unchecked world population growth. Christian ideology may even be at the root of a lot of our widespread schizophrenic reasoning. If we can leave these supernatural delusions behind it will free us up to tackle global warming and family planning. As for the other faiths and the other ideas about higher powers and so forth; at least this will be a good example for them to witness. Humanism will have to fill the huge void that the disappearance of Christianity will leave. It was a long time ago when Christianity filled the huge void left by the disappearance of Paganism. If Humanism had displaced Paganism, instead, we may have been on a more sustainable path millenniums ago.
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Theresa
5.0 out of 5 stars Pieces of the mosaic continued to fall into place with the turning of each page
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 October 2021
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As someone who enjoys studying anthropology and understanding the many different aspects of the human experience and having been raised in Catholic Ireland, I have long since questioned why and how people, rarely, if ever, openly question the contradictions found in the bible and why there has been such a widespread willingness to accept it as literally 'gospel' down through the centuries.
I found Creating Christ to be a truly compelling read for two reasons: 1) The methodical and scientific way in which it examines the origins of Christianity by taking the evidence presented at face value and forensically questioning it, leading to an undeniable conclusion and 2) it allowed me to examine a thought process I have long since pondered, is there a difference between what actually makes us human versus what we are told makes us human and what has the messaging associated with the latter done to the human psyche and how many millions of people have been tormented by it and in the name of it.
Creating Christ is one of those books that I know I will return to time and time again and no matter what your views on Christianity or faith are, is a must read.
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B.Chayes
5.0 out of 5 stars a fascinating theory and an important book
Reviewed in the United States on 24 September 2017
Creating Christ is a book that is easy to underestimate. That may well be out of an instinctive kind of jealousy, as well: who wouldn’t have wanted to come up with a revolutionary theory about the single philosophy and institution that has shaped the world more than any other over the past 2,000 years? God knows I would have! But another, more benevolent, reason is that when we are used to reading nothing but the most reserved and nuanced explanations for a phenomenon, it becomes second nature to be suspicious of any interpretation which offers a simpler and leaner understanding of something that we have come to regard as mystically complex.
Now my personal acquaintance with ‘the Church of Rome’ was quite limited for a long time. Luckily, my mother did give me a bit of background on her side of the family, and one of the highlights of the family lore was her reference to her grandfather as a ‘Papist-eraser’. Growing up in a country with a dominantly Puritan culture, I can’t say that this view of the Church was ever seriously challenged. The slavishness towards authority made any follower of the edicts of Rome an easy target for ridicule. Now I did learn more about the Roman Catholic Church at a more factual level over the years, but it took quite a few years before my insight was brought to a qualitatively different level. It was an Italian friend of mine who rather matter-of-factly pointed out to me that the Church (as, indeed there is no pretender to that title) is the oldest institution in the history of mankind.
In a nutshell, the theory that Creating Christ develops is the idea that, beyond and underneath that incredibly rich and powerful institution in Vatican City, it was Christianity itself which was the product of the most powerful institution of the era in which it came into being, the Roman Empire. So, for all ideological suggestions to the contrary, which present Christianity as the hope for the powerless, the poor, and the immaterialist, the authors present the theory that Jesus Christ was an invention intended to consolidate the power of the Flavian emperors. I believe their theory, in essence, is inescapable, and whatever my ideas and suggestions are, I believe they would make their case stronger, and certainly not weaker.
The authors’ case is substantiated by archaeological/iconographic, textual, and circumstantial evidence. Prominent in the latter category is the considerable number of interpersonal connections between the Imperial household of Titus and ‘alternatively Jewish’ personae, of whom Flavius Josephus is the most widely known. Flavius Josephus was the Jewish leader who changed sides during the 1st Jewish-Roman war. The authors carefully explain how Josephus’ justification for doing so – he was a prolific writer and documented both his personal history and that of the Jewish people – basically amounted to the co-optation of the Messianic Jewish ideologies which were in fashion in those days, for purposes which were in line with those of emperors Vespasian and Titus. Forgive me if I’d like to avoid giving away more than the nutshell of a book I really think you should read for yourselves, which forces me to be compact in my critique as well.
The authors identify the Roman-friendly versions of Messianic Judaism that we have come to know as Christianity as the result of syncretism. Sun-gods, semi-gods, healing gods and the single God of Judaism all conspired to create a new religious brew. In itself this was not a unique event, but where I believe the case of the writers would gain consistency is if they were to emphasize, over the longer term, how this syncretism remained a winning recipe during the geographical expansion of Christianity throughout Europe, and elsewhere. Now they may protest that this would carry them well beyond the scope of their area of study, but this is exactly where I think they could make a more precisely circumscribed argument. Even if their central idea – that Christianity was an invention by the Flavian Emperors to support their worldly power – is perfectly accurate, it is helpful and enlightening to distinguish that particular photograph of ‘Christianity’ from what we perceive as such (being the result of historical developments), as well as from what the Messianic Jews themselves sought in ‘Christ’. Khristos, ‘the anointed’ – as we have learned from the Dead Seas scrolls – was a non-exclusive concept, like a vacant title up for grabs for anyone who was able to make a strong enough case. If we lose sight of the enormous gap that divides this ‘year zero minus 1’ from ‘year zero plus 1’ (or ‘plus 2,000, give or take’), it may give the impression that even the authors’ revolutionarily new theory substantially argues that somewhere in between, on C-day, what we know now as Christianity was pointedly created. It is easy for retrospect to turn into determinism.
The final point of criticism I’d like to leave here, is the limited attention Julius Caesar and emperor Augustus get as a mold for ‘the Father and the Son’. The authors describe the creation of Christianity as the adoption and transformation of a powerful ideology by the Flavian emperors, in order to subjugate the rebellious territory that was inspired by it, giving it the spiritual fuel to resist Pax Romana. There was a substantive internal motive, however, which was pushing for the development of a different type of ideology. The cursed kings had just made their creepy way back to Rome. The whole concept of empire was intended to get around the taboo of the aborted republic. The point is, the Roman leadership, still very much an upstart entity, was logically looking for alternative foundations for their power. Instinctively, they would always have looked eastwards, but as unattractive as Persian despotism may have seemed in its descriptions by Greek writers, and as mixed a symbol as Egyptian pharaonic power still was, even after the flirting of both Marcus Antonius and Caesar with Cleopatra, it was, perhaps, not strange per se they would have shopped for more spiritual gadgets in Judea. What is for sure is that no one could foresee then what stellar career this particular Khristos would have, both over the course of the following 2 millennia and retroactively. For me, Creating Christ has not only re-arranged – or let’s simply say: ordered – a vital passage in the history of religion, but it has also left me with a number of pertinent questions that are worth examining. The most prominent in my mind is whether the historical misinterpretation of the Flavian apocalypse – leading Christians as we know them to keep waiting for, i.e. postponing, the end of times – actually led the way, by default, for a linear conception of time which was resilient enough to dominate the cyclical idea which was closer to the experience of natural phenomena. And as such, it may even suggest that the super-natural was an – at least historically – necessary step for man to emancipate from nature.
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Maureen
5.0 out of 5 stars How Roman Emperors Invented Christianity is a fantastic book by James Valliant & C
Reviewed in Canada on 24 January 2017
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Creating Christ: How Roman Emperors Invented Christianity is a fantastic book by James Valliant & C.W Fahy. These authors present a gold mine of historical evidence to support their claims that the Christian religion was invented by Roman Emperors to infiltrate & convert messianic Jews to the subjection of the Roman Empire and against the orthodox Jewish religion at that time.
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PP
5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling case
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 February 2021
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A thorough, compelling, and detailed case is made on the basis of undeniable evidence from a large variety of sources and disciplines. Quite suddenly, all the inconsistencies and puzzles which Christian theologians have struggled with, and in response to which they have constructed and argued over myriad unconvincing theories for centuries, just fall away. All were looking for the clues in the wrong direction, shaped by an inherited faith rather than following the evidence, even that of the NT itself. The collapse of the faith as factual allows the underlying values to be re-evaluated, and perhaps the world to move on to something more humanly positive and life-affirming. This book and the huge effort over thirty years that is behind it, without the support of academe, is a service to humanity. It takes up the challenge laid down in the early 1980s by Cupitt and co in The Myth of God Incarnate and drives the case home once and for all.
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Dwayne Davies
5.0 out of 5 stars It is one of those great, invocative titles that tells you exactly what you ...
Reviewed in the United States on 9 February 2017
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This is the work of over thirty years of research and is one of the most interesting and important books which I have ever read. Let me show you why.
First of all, let me start with the title. It is one of those great, invocative titles that tells you exactly what you are going to get. It is one of those rare instances of a very simple but gripping title. It is hard to imagine that any other title would have sufficed for this book.
The thesis of the book is extremely interesting and one with many important implications (more on this soon). It is extremely well presented and the copious evidence provided should leave the reader with no doubt that the Romans did indeed create Christ.
The authors present much evidence, in many forms. All of which on its own is very interesting and convincing and which collectively makes for an argument so powerfully convincing that the conclusion the authors reach is very easy to grasp and readily agree with. The reader is left with the unavoidable conclusion that it would be surprising if the thesis of the book was *NOT* correct and that Christ is not the result of Roman propaganda.
Many may find the thesis somewhat controversial. I suspect that many of those will not think so by the time that they finish the book. The book addresses many of the objections such people may have, certainly all of the important objections I could imagine them having.
The book itself is also very interesting. One might expect that a book of this sort may be a dry and difficult read, however, I am sure that very few readers would find this book to be so. It presents the material in a very compelling manner and is one of the most interesting books of its type which I have ever read.
It is also very accessible. I was somewhat familiar with some of the history when I read this book, however such background knowledge is hardly required. The authors clearly present whatever information is required to understand the evidence presented. The reader should not require much, if any, existing knowledge of Roman or Christian history in order to be convinced by this highly accessible book.
Whereas, the expert scholar in the field may well find that the authors present material they are familiar with in a very new and compelling light. There is much for expert scholars to digest and I expect that it will cause at least some of them to greatly challenge what they think they know about the history of Christianity.
I highly recommend this to anyone interested in history. But, recommending it purely on the basis of historical interest is not to do it full justice. Obviously, I would recommend this to anyone wishing to understand the history and nature of Christianity. More importantly, I would suggest this to any person wishing to understand the history and possible future of Western civilization.
Please read this book. Even if you are somewhat sceptical, you should read this book. I think that you will end up agreeing with the authors and find it very interesting. Even if you do not agree, I think you will find it interesting and it may give you a lot to think about.
One might ask, what difference it makes what the exact origins of Christianity are and whether it was originally created by the Romans. There are a number of reasons why this is actually an important issue.
Christianity is a religion with a monstrous moral code which led to the brutal domination of much of the Known World for hundreds of years. After finally somewhat escaping the chains of Christian morality, the West is starting to be once more bound by those same chains.
The fact that Christianity was created by the Romans has important implications. It helps to powerfully demonstrate the great power and importance of morality. According to the thesis of this book, the Romans were struggling to win a war against violent fanatical enemies, a war which they felt no guarantee of winning, at least without the loss of countless lives.
Within a relatively short time, they were able to use the moral propaganda of Christianity to help pacify their enemies. If that does not show the power of morality, then I am not too sure what does.
We should also note that this shows us that moral propaganda can be extremely powerful, with very long-lasting and devastating effects. The Romans had no idea that their actions would cause the rise of a religion which would come to rule and suppress much of the world, but this is exactly what happened.
The success of this Roman propaganda should serve as a warning of the extreme danger not just of religion, but the danger of allowing any mix of religion and the State.
There are other implications of this book which I have not touched on, but I hope you have grasped a little of the importance of this book. Not just in regards to Christianity but the past and future of Western civilization. I can say without any fear of hyperbole, that this book helps explain a major turning point in the history of Western civilization. And that it may help grasp the dangers that all religions, not just Christianity, present to the future of civilization.
If that is not a sufficiently good reason to read this book, then I am not sure what might be …
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ralphy
4.0 out of 5 stars Good research and cogent arguments....
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 February 2019
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Ralph Ellis proposed much of this more than 20 years ago. Of course the Gospels were inspired by Roman political needs, and written or edited by Jusephus Flavius. It is the only thing that makes sense.
However, Ralph Ellis goes several steps further, saying that the Gospels were a sugar-coated history and version of the Jewish Revolt of AD70, with the biblical Jesus as its leader. And of course Josephus says that the leader of the Jewish Revolt was Jesus — Jesus of Gamala. See Ralph’s revolutionary ‘Gospel of King Jesus Trilogy’, and especially the volume called ‘Jesus, King of Edessa’.
This argument that the Gospels were Roman-inspired is patently true, but the research needs more exposure.
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Richard Dagan
4.0 out of 5 stars Well-researched, documented, compelling…
Reviewed in Canada on 9 July 2024
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This book presents a clearly documented theory that the Roman Flavians created Christ through the writings of Josephus et al., based on Emperor Vespasian, his son Tacitus, and the Flavian dynasty, to quell Jewish violence under Roman rule. The authors have also made a film (“Creating Christ”, 1h49m, 2022; available on Prime), with the following leader: “Did Roman emperors create Christianity. Discovered archeological evidence now links the first Christians with ruling elites of Rome. A conspiracy to end the great conflict between Jews and Rome changed the course of history…”
Authors Valliant and Fahy follow symbols for Apollo in Ancient Greece to Rome and beyond, with evolutions through time, showing early Christian use of these same symbols (anchor and dolphin or fish), noting Christian burials marked with such symbols in Roman catacombs, and shown through Roman coinage stamped on one side with the emperor’s visage and, on the obverse, said symbols. They’ve found this evidence throughout the ancient world, have tracked it in a history much more complex than that of which I’d been aware, and have disproved many of the ideas regarding the treatment of Christians I’d been taught in childhood. The importance of Vespasian (reputed to have restored a man’s sight when the Emperor spit in his own hand and applied it on the man’s lids, just as Jesus was later said to have done) is emphasized, for example, as were other miracles appropriated by and ascribed to Jesus for effect by Josephus and additional writers in the Flavian effort to control Jewish rebellion against the Roman Empire.
The text is extensively footnoted, but, without an index it’s somewhat difficult to refer back to specific portions of the text.
Their work is filled with excerpts from known documents and provides a more complete picture of socio-political ideation and conditions at that time, from classical Greece to Rome, circa 1-100 CE through the time of Constantine (272-337 CE; baptized Christian 337 CE), who shifted the symbol of Christianity from anchor and fish to a cross (Chi Rho > lit., Christ) following a battlefield vision of a cross with the sun above.
Watching the film provided me with a broad overview of the book, an engaging visual synopsis. The book itself is a time-consuming read, I found, because there’s so much material from so many sources that, unless you’re conversant with the history, there’s a great deal to absorb.
See also: A Chronological Revision of the Origins of Christianity. Frans J. Vermieren. 2017.
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P. Visser
4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended read!
Reviewed in the United States on 3 November 2017
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A very interesting theory about the origin and rise of Christianity! The book is understandable for non-academics, but it did help me to know a little about Christianity ('thanks' to my upbringing), and the notion of religion as a tool for nation/statecraft with a lot of syncretism involves - 'cultural appropriation' in the old days. (I read Tom Holland's book with a similarly interesting theory about the rise of Islam). The authors have chosen an useful structure for the book, discussing the various lines of (reconsidered) evidence that all point to their main theme: Early Christianity was a product of the Roman state, a piece of cultural/ideological warfare in their battle against the prominent Jewish people in Ancient world that was not too willing to join the 'pluralistic' Roman state. To paraphrase Ayn Rand, the Flavian dynasty was both Atilla and Witchdoctor.
I think this importance (numbers, jobs, spread) could have been described more, because to me 'the Jewish war' does not sound very different from the many other wars the Romans fought, aside from the well known ones like the Punic, Gallic and German wars.
In general the line of argument was not difficult to follow, technical aspects and relationships are explained clearly, but at maybe at times there is too much repetition of previous arguments during later chapters. I understand it helps integrating, but I think I would prefer such an integration at the end of a chapter. The logic and engagement of the authors is clear from reading the book, and it reads a bit like a mystery novel. This works, but also made me pay attention, because it has a bit of Dan Brownian feeling to it, one has to get used to the main claim of the book, even if one is an atheist whom considers ideology including religion a great tool for ruling over people. Aside from the initial conspiracy, it seems to me quite likely that this was never known widely and hence was basically lost throughout the dark ages.
I am not 100% convinced, simply because this is the sole book I read on the topic, and the data-constraints make knowing the full historical reality difficult. However, I do think this book does offer a lot of proof that makes me accept the theory for now, until other scholars address the evidence and conclusions of this book. The recommendation by Eisenman looks interesting in this regard, although I am unfamiliar with his work.
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Tom
5.0 out of 5 stars The opposite of a conspiracy theory
Reviewed in Canada on 19 June 2021
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An excellent, well-argued case for Christianity's true origins. Will we accept the facts at face value, or continue to propagate millenia of lies?
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and eyes-opening
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 September 2022
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Well written, full of informative, well researched facts. A valiant attempt (pun intended) to clarify one of the most important historical events and dispel the myths created around the origin of Christianity.
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Amie
5.0 out of 5 stars Very well laid out
Reviewed in the United States on 20 August 2025
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Lays out the facts! Great book
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Marina Landisberg
4.0 out of 5 stars Author had not avoided doing slanders
Reviewed in Canada on 6 July 2017
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It is correctly revealed in book that xtianity is Roman hoax, manufactured for political reasons, by hellenistic patterns of man-god stories, hero worship.what is offensive, author does share with romans hostility to hebrews, calling them messianic zealots, xenophobic, comparing with islamic invaders. Reality was that "messianic hebrews" were not occupying rome, and stoning nonwilling gentiles for not following kashrut and being uncircumcised, but romans were occupying Judea, legality of their presence was zero, romans provoked rebellion by interfering with how locals worship their God, like demanding statues of emperors to be put in Temple, or banning public teaching of Torah, or banning circumcision, executing many people without any trial. Hebrews were defending their homeland, there was no any "threar to Roman civilization"., judaism is about leaving as separate people by commandments from God in designated area, not about conquering others., proselyting, forcing their religion on other nations. Romans could avoid all the trouble be leaving judea and jerusalem alone and returning to their homeland in italy instead expanding their empire
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5.0 out of 5 stars How to quickly deconstruct from christianity
Reviewed in the United States on 18 May 2025
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Great book, A must have for christians, Maybe right after reading the book, they can start their deconstruction from all the years of indoctrination
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Pedr
5.0 out of 5 stars Tolo Lege
Reviewed in the United States on 19 June 2023
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Tolle Lege is Latin for the command “take up and read” that St. Augustine heard from a mysterious voice during his conversion to Christianity which he took to mean, pick up the NT and read it.
An excellent book that should be widely read. While the author quotes sources, the author is not a professional academic, but you shouldn't let that put you off. The evidence is not stretched but fairly obvious once you drop the Christian propaganda you've been fed all your life. For example, why is the NT pro-Roman and overtly anti-Semitic? Why does St. Paul in Philippians 4:22 say, 'All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household' WTF. Why are people at the top of the Roman Empire saying hi to Christians? Especially so early? Philippians is considered one of Paul's 7 authentic epistles which BTW was written during Nero's reign. All the references are there to refer to. For Roman coins, find a copy of Roman Coins and their values, Vol 1, by David Sear. The edition I have was printed in London in 2000. On pages 464, 466, you can see an example of gold aureus and silver dinarius with the anchor and dolphin symbol on the obverse. I have the book because I collect Roman coins. Of course that doesn't prove anything, but it does show the author is not making up evidence. Read the NT yourself as well as Josephus' The Jewish War and you'll see for yourself the connections the author makes. If you're familiar with the NT, you'll be surprised by the verses that you overlooked. The book will make you look at the NT in a new way. If you find the book troubling or are into this subject, you might want to pick up copies of the books the author quotes and find the references for yourself. Most libraries have copies of the ancient Latin literature like Tacitus, etc or they're relatively cheap to buy. At least before you pooh pooh the book and fall back into the BS you've been fed by the Christian propaganda machine or hear your pastor engage in what about-ism, give the book a chance and check out the evidence for yourself. You don't need to be an expert in the field to understand the point the author is making. It is evidence that demands a verdict.
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paul tomlinson
1.0 out of 5 stars ....and if you order in the next 10 minutes, you'll get.........
Reviewed in Canada on 29 August 2024
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yeah- pretty disappointed; got about 60% of the way through this book and it just doesn't work for me. Firstly, this is not a scholarly work. It tries, but it's not. Feels more like a 1980s late-night infomercial that's trying to convince me to part with my money. The theory is interesting: I want to believe it- but this book is a lot of noise about varying degrees of separation. Yes- there are some interesting coincidences, but mostly it's repetitive. Lots of rhetorical questions and lots of italics. The font and general layout of this book made me think it was self-published. Yeah- disappointed. Would like to read a better book on this same subject. Save your money.
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Charlottekrn Bookfair
3.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting!
Reviewed in the United States on 6 September 2020
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The book, unfairly charged as Christian bashing, points to the origins of Christianity as distinctly Greek-Roman. Though the information is not new, the authors lay out facts with archeological evidence and make use of the New Testament itself, in that the Gospel writers are unknown.
The author’s hypothesis cannot be dismissed as hyperbole for three important facts that become clear with illustration:
1. The archeological evidence of coins, statues, grave markings etc
2. The abject love of the New Testament authors for Rome and their virulent hatred for Jews
3. And, the New Testament was written during Flavian period
Further, the authors clarify that Christianity did Not spring from Judaism and recognized the plagiarism of the Jewish Bible in the New Testament. (Verified: The NT writers not only copied passages of the Jewish Bible into the NT, but changed, deleted or added words to fit the narrative)
After the destruction of the Temple in 70ce, the Flavians determined to redirect Judaism , which was a clear and present danger to Rome, by rewriting the Bible. The New Testament issued a new God and obliviated the commandments. (It just did not work. Judah rose again in 135ce and were then practically obliterated. The only other nation to rise against Rome internally was Sparta and Spartans received the same fate.)
Criticism arises with the authors’ long stretch to attest the bulk of emphasis of the NT onto Josephus, the historian. Even though Josephus “literally lived” under the auspices of the Flavians, and fumed at the rebels he blamed for war with Rome, Josephus never denied Judaism and never turned to Christianity, as is known from his other works.
Secondly, as pagan Rome invaded Judea, and dominated the country for nearly 100 years before the first War with Rome, the Jews fought Rome for their freedom. This hardly made Judeans xenophobic but rather, committed to the One G-d (and the Laws of Kosher or Shabbat) of which pagan Rome had no understanding of. To disregard this and label Jews as intolerant of other beliefs as “polluting” is incorrect.
Moreover, the book lacked clear, definitive distinctions between the differing sects.
James’ sect did Not believe Jesus was a divinity or a god. Therefore, James was not a “Jewish Christian” as the term is an oxymoron.
“Jewish Christian” erroneously implies a Jew who accepted Christ. Christ is the Greek term for messiah, which changed the meaning of messiah to be a god, or a divinity. The Hebrew word messiah simply means anoint.
Further,
The Judean Jews fighting the War with Rome in the 1st and 2nd centuries were all “messianic”, as in hoping for the messiah to deliver the Jewish nation from Rome, though the authors left this particular and important identification unclear in the book.
Pagans and Romans who affiliated with the Jesus message as Christ, were not Jews but were Christians, though grouped as Jews. This blurred message becomes the nutshell of the book.
Jesus was simply not the Jewish messiah, as the authors explain in the book.
Judaism is monotheistic. The Jewish messiah will Not be divine. The Jewish messiah Is Not a god, and will rise from the Jewish nation.
The Jewish Messiah Will Not Replace G-d. The messiah will come when the Jews have prepared the world,
and G-d deigns it the time.
Lastly in contemporary terms:
Those who claim to be “Messianic Jews” are Christian and Not Jews, (which makes the term sneaky).
And:
“Jews for Jesus” are not Jews.” Jews for Jesus” are Christians who are obviously unaware of what accepting Christ means, as the act of accepting Christ makes one a Christian.
In essence, the authors advocate philosophy over religion. Philosophy however, is not inherently moral, and prescribes no moral laws and its concepts are no more immune from evil than “a religion”.
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Richard Bellows
4.0 out of 5 stars A very good save at the end
Reviewed in the United States on 9 April 2025
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I would have loved to give this book the full 5 star rating. The research put into this book is excellent and showing very strong reason. As a comment was made to Occam's razor was made, I have to say through much of this book I got a feeling the author was pushing the crucifixion too really. Since except for the Bible there exists no mention what so ever from all the historians of the era of Christ time period any comment whatsoever of biblical events, I would have to agree more with Joseph Atwill's conclusions. Even though his book is a nightmare to follow, it accounts better for the lack of evidence more clearly.
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chris goritz
4.0 out of 5 stars Hard to follow highly detailed
Reviewed in the United States on 3 June 2025
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Hard to follow. But if it will put priests out of business I'm all for it.
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Dr J
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but a somewhat difficult
Reviewed in the United States on 30 July 2025
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Lots of Roman names repeated many times ad nauseam. Good points were made regarding the origins of Christianity. My main objection is that the author’s points could have been made with a lot fewer words. Instead, he worked hard to sell what he spent years learning.
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Matthew Rapaport
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting hypothesis. A little repetitive, worth a read
Reviewed in the United States on 24 August 2023
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The thrust of this historical re-telling is that Christianity as it has come down to us in both the Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Roman) branches emerged thanks to geopolitical maneurvers of the Roman emperors beginning with Nero and culminating in Constantine. The authors are not claiming that Christianity was an imperial idea as such though they leave this possibility open. They are claiming that Rome put effort into fostering the “peaceful and globalist” branch of teachings laid out by Paul (Saul of Tarsus) in opposition to a more militant, Jewish independence, branch represented by James the brother of Jesus, and to an extent also Peter.
Although I find the author’s purported connections between Roman politics and Christianity interesting they are largely circumstantial. This does not mean the authors’ musings are entirely wrong, but it does leave room for misinterpreting symbols, especially writing, histories, that have suffered much modification before coming down to us in the present day. There is room for both misinterpretations of what was said and done in those days while leaving room for the thesis that Rome, deliberately if unevenly, fostered a certain view of Jesus (who may or may not have existed, the authors are ambivalent), and from there the writings of Paul, the Gospels, Acts, and so on.
None of this thesis is likely to be entirely true, there is too much historical room–time’s passage and dilution of the evidence–for error. But none of it is entirely unreasonable either. Even if Jesus existed and was a divine bestowal on the world (the latter mostly discounted by the authors) there is no reason to believe the Roman government did not have a hand in what subsequently became of Jesus’ original teachings.
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Patrick Devoy
5.0 out of 5 stars Falsehood after Falsehood
Reviewed in the United States on 15 May 2022
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So Valiant in his book, for starter's talks about that “Jesus” was some sort of man God, born of a virgin, even though Paul never taught that, nor did the 1st century writers. See Acts-2:22, 1st Timothy-2:5, also 2 Timothy-2:8, finally Romans-1:1-3. He makes a big deal that in book of Mark-7:22- “Jesus made all foods clean,” even though it says in the greek “and it is expelled in the toliet.” He makes a connection to the Flavian emperors via the words of Yeshua that would “he come with clouds of the heavens.” Even though Daniel said those verbatim words centuries before, according to occum’s razor they were quoting Daniel not each other. He makes a big deal about the Iconography, which I might add is one is a dolphin, also ones a fish, with this said he may as well make a connection to the Pharaoh’s crown and the serpent in Numbers-21, images inherently mean nothing, all that matters is what you do with them. He makes a big deal that the church fathers had a cushy life, even though they were listed on a list called the lebellous in 250 C.E. Which indicating they would not offer sacrifices to Rome’s Patron Deities, this effectively declaring themselves “enemies of the State.” Yet they offered torah offerings, in book of Acts, so his case that this the book of Acts was edited is falling apart. Because if it was true, and as he suggests “the temple was only going the people?” Then they would have changed that detail, wouldn’t they? Plus as we see they didn’t do Sacrifices for Rome, Gee sounds more, and more like they loved the god of Israel. If his argument was plausible? Then why did the teachings about him evolve over time, as all roman manuscripts do? As we see in book of Matthew, and in the Book of John, and in the Church fathers? All the evidence dictates is the stories about him were changed over time, and that’s all he is able to say he cannot go beyond that.
In essence this guy has no smoking gun, uses leading evidence, and for the layman presents a credible argument, in essence he should never do such things, it wrong.
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swimdb
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Hypothesis.
Reviewed in the United States on 21 May 2019
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First off, I bought it because I saw mention of it online and what it contains. I saw mention of how it differs to Atwill, which was key to me buying it. The basic premise is quite interesting, though quite radical and unorthodox at first sight.
The writing style was slightly repetitive, maybe that is good to reinforce their points and carefully build their case but I was annoyed by it. The location of the notes all at the end was not super convenient, I prefer them on page or at the end of the chapter. They refer to Pericope de Adultera when discussing early sources without mentioning it does not appear in early sources, that was slightly jarring.
Regarding the content, the idea is very interesting and they make an interesting case. The basic idea is that somehow early Christianity was somewhat deliberately encouraged by the Flavian emperors and their administration in a form that would allow Jewish zealots to transition to a more empire friendly theology. They refer to the "Paul is a secret agent" theory and build their case by noting a few factors.
- One is similarity between iconography between early Christianity and the Flavians,
- Another is the huge messy overlap of various characters swirling around in a nexus of connections between the NT and the Roman power elite.
- Another is the exceedingly positive view that Book of Acts, for example, portrays various Roman and Empire connected people.
- They discuss Josephus and his thematic and content similarities to the Gospels.
One thing they do not address which would need some sort of explanation is the synoptic problem and the tension between Mark and Matthew for example. How is the evolution of Mark to Matthew to Luke explained in this model? We may never know the precise mechanism but it seems that this theory of origin needs to account for it somehow.
Whether or not you believe their overall hypothesis, there are points that really strike a nerve. Their discussion of the repeated rescue of Paul by Roman figures really shows the incredibly pro-imperial sentiments in parts of the NT. We know already that Luke is really pushing the Pauline school but he really lauds the Roman authorities. They also point out that 20th century media seems to have forgotten that and made Romans the bad guys in various films and such.
Again neglecting their hypothesis the discussion of the coin and tomb iconography is pretty thought provoking.
In the larger picture, presumably the "fake new religion" just got out of hand and people took it for real within a generation or two. This really has significant echos of both Mornomism and Scientology, so if true, maybe this is the dominant way large new religions are formed and not an outlier.
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Plankwing
2.0 out of 5 stars Some good history, but from a wrong premise.
Reviewed in the United States on 29 November 2021
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Clearly the authors do not come to the table as having a belief in Yeshua. They say, "Whether a man named Jesus existed or not cannot be proved." Well, of course, "Jesus" never appears in the Scriptures or Testimony of Yeshua, because "Christianity" is/was indeed "created" by Greco-Roman philosophy that commenced to corrupt the Israelite Torah/Tanakh during their sojourn in Egypt. That corrupted "religion" was evidenced when Aaron consented to have the Israelites construct the Golden Calf when Moses "took too long" to come down from Mt. Sinai.
The history of the Israelites from the Judges through King Solomon records them wavering between following Yehovah their Elohim and of worshipping Baal, Molech, and many other "Gods/Idols." That idolatry has corrupted "Christianity" from then until our time as evidenced by the names of pagan gods supplanting the Hebrew/Aramaic names of Yehovah, Elohim, Yeshua, and Ruach Qadim. Then there is the supplanting of Sabbath observance with the worship of the various pagan gods of the Sun ... Sunday observance:
Peter Geiermann, C.S.S.R., The Converts Catechism of Catholic Doctrine (1957), p. 50.
"Question: Which is the Sabbath day?
"Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day.
"Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
"Answer. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred
the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday."
Then, when the kingdoms were split into Israel and Judea, Israel never had a king that did not sin against Yehovah, and Judea again wavered between Yehovah worship and worshipping gods of wood and stone. Those kingdoms were banished into other nations, and Judea specifically to Babylon.
The nation was given 70 years in exile, than 490 years to "repent" and "redeem" themselves from their former sins. But, when Alexander the Great invaded Judea, he compelled them to compromise their Torah/Tanakh with Hellenistic philosophy and paganism.
Among those compromises were "God" then "G-d" in place of Elohim so they would not "take the name of the Lord in vain." Then, the two parties, Sadducees and Pharisees formed, each of which added to (Sadducees) or took away from (Pharisees) the clear word of the Scriptures. Over a number of decades, those two parties then agreed to compromise by forming the Sanhedrin.
Because of the Maccabean wars and the defeat of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Jews determined that the prophecy in Daniel 8:14 to 12:12 was fulfilled by the "2300 days" that Antiochus "desecrated" the Temple in Jerusalem. Then, because of that belief, the Jews did not realize that Yeshua was the Mashiyach, their expected Messiah (Messiah means hero) that was to "deliver them" from the Roman rule.
They erred by not understanding Yeshua's mission was to "pay for the sins of mankind," so they rejected Him because they refused to believe He was the Mashiyach (set apart one) that was foretold in prophecies in Genesis, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zachariah, among others.
There is no question that Babylonian-Egyptian-Hellenistic-Roman-Catholic philosophy and paganism has resulted in the "creation" of Christianity. But to fall into the trap Marcion created: "By replacing the word covenant with testament, Marcion theologically divided Jesus (sic) and away from YHWH (sic) the Father and turned him into a self-sustained deity that opposed 'the Old Testament.'" AENT p83.
"Old Testament" is a false name for the Scriptures (Jewish Tanakh). Throughout the so-called "New Testament," Yeshua and the Envoys (aka disciples/apostles) referenced and quoted the Tanakh. Yeshua especially referenced "Moses and all the Prophets" that spoke of Him. In short, those "NT" writing are correctly cited as "The Testimony of Yeshua."
All the modern philosophy in the minds of those who dispute whether Yeshua existed does not rebut the Roman guards who testified that He arose from the tomb.
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R.H.
4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing Reading
Reviewed in the United States on 22 September 2016
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For decades, there's been this ongoing chat or discussion about Roman, Christian, Jewish, and Catholic history.....how some things just don't fit correctly and it begs questions. So, Valliant has taken the discussion to the stage of asking the question....was Christianity developed by the Romans as a counter-religion against the Jews in Judah? Valliant has thrown a number of dots up on a wall, and makes a fairly good case of connecting probably 300 or more dots to the argument of the Romans making Christianity out of nothing.
Now, I will say this to the matter that I don't consider the connections to be enough yet to be absolute about this, but it really begs more research and details on Roman activities in the region. Valliant used a great deal of Roman history details, and lays out a number of stories utilizing the New Testament commentary.
As for those who might say this was all a fraudulent piece of work? Here's the thing....Greeks and Romans weren't idiots. You can examine architecture, engineering, writings, and military conquests. Both cultures were very capable of manipulation. It could very well be that the New Testament is simply a contrived thing to support the Roman quest to bring down the Jewish religion and that it got out of control. So, you might reach a stage where you realize that only the Old Testament is without manipulation. What does that say? Most of what I've read of the Romans in this age or period.....states the obvious when they got to Judah.....that these were not regular people to fight against and their religion was going to be a massive problem to counter.
I will recommend the book, but it does relate heavily upon Roman history and you might want a introduction to it prior to taking up this book. I also think the topic needs more research....particularly over the Greek involvement in this.
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Banjo
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book !!
Reviewed in the United States on 5 July 2023
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The history and the research in this book is great it was a easy read and well worth it coupled with Joseph Atwell book "Creating Christ" it tells you everything you ever needed to know about the "Biblical" Jesus that people worship everyday what I did appreciate is the authors made no stance on whether a "Historical" Jesus ever existed- myself being a gnostic deist I believe a Jesus "type" and some of the named disciples did exist that easily falls in in line with this book. I think Jesus was part of the Essenes probably around 14 years old and was suspended (not uncommon) then went to India and studied Buddhism and Hinduism then returned to Galilee to start his ministry and maintain a loose relationship with the Essenes and probably other groups it also explains the peace and love Jesus and how he was misunderstood about being one with God and the son of God - it doesn't mean the same thing as it does in Jewish or Roman culture. The only negative thing I could say is the first half of the book is a little repetitive.
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Peter Aleff
5.0 out of 5 stars The roots of the imperial Catholic Church structure laid bare
Reviewed in the United States on 31 May 2019
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The authors deserve congratulations for their discovery that the second Flavian emperor, Titus, used the same symbol on his coins and some other artifacts as the early Christians did on their rings and funerary designs -- a dolphin wrapped around an anchor. The use of that identical iconography by early Christians and by the destroyer of the Jerusalem Temple documents at long last the connection between these apparently very different groups. Previous authors had tried to demonstrate this connection but only with limited and circumstantial evidence, such as the unprovable claim that the four canonical Gospels had been commissioned by the Flavian emperors and had been written under their guidance and supervision. However, none of the early Christian writers mentioned any of these Gospels until about 125 CE, and the first listing of all four together had to wait for Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, in about 180 CE.
This alleged literary connection between the Flavian emperors and the nascent Christian sect does therefore not withstand scrutiny, but the use of the identical symbol is a tangible proof of this connection even if the Gospels were written only much later, once Christianity had become independent of this link. However, its roots in the ideology of the Roman Empire remain unmistakable even today: According to a recent cover story in The Atlantic Monthly, "To save the Church, dismantle the Priesthood", by a former priest who became a critic of the clerical hierarchy and its lack of accountability to anyone, the Roman Catholic Church developed "a structure of governance that owes more to emperors than to apostles". Kudos to Valliant and Fahy for having now proven this still influential link!
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Jose Luis Saavedra
4.0 out of 5 stars Great product
Reviewed in the United States on 11 November 2024
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Good book
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wb56
5.0 out of 5 stars A theory that aligns with justice
Reviewed in the United States on 1 November 2024
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Today's Christianity is a mess, divisive, violent, and seduced by power. It ignores the teachings of Jesus, especially love of neighbor. Trump has exposed that remarkably. I recommend this, you will learn a lot, dismiss myths that have been around for millennia, and possibly free you from the prison of religion.
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DRAKON
3.0 out of 5 stars The Author's Agenda Limits the Historical Scope
Reviewed in the United States on 18 October 2021
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Creating Christ has some interesting insights, such as the use of an Anchor and Fish to symbolize Christ long before the Cross became dominant. However the author fails to make a logical case for his claim that Roman emperors were willing to turn the entire belief system of the Roman empire upside down in order to pacify the ZEALOT Jews who were apparently far more powerful and numerous than history gives them credit for.
For example, the Romans practiced Blood Sacrifice and so did the Jews, including the Zealots. Jesus Christ was killed over this issue when he charged into the temple at Passover with a whip. The Gospels are clear - Not only did Jesus drive out the `money changers', he drove out all the cattle, sheep and goats that were lined up at the temple to be sacrificed. The Jews condemned him to death for this and Jesus was sacrificed THE NEXT DAY.
In Rome an animal was sacrificed every day. The Gladiatorial Games were nothing but mass blood sacrifices. But the Christians denied blood sacrifice as DEMONIC.
So why would Roman emperors `create' a religion which denounced blood sacrifice, an important part of both Jewish and Roman religions? MITHRAISM which required the sacrifice of a bull (tauroctony) was already well established in Rome. Why not popularize Mithraism or a similar religion? Why Christianity which forbade important practices of BOTH Judaism AND Rome?
`Creating Christ' seemed to have a biased, anti-Christian agenda, to the point that it ignored logical questions. This detracted from book's historical impact and reach.
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Jeri L. Studebaker, author of *Still Starving After All These Years: The Hidden Origins of War, Oppression and Inequality*.
2.0 out of 5 stars In most indigenous societies, altruism reigns supreme
Reviewed in the United States on 24 September 2022
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If the author had stuck with his premise that Christianity was invented by the Roman government in order to more easily control its populace, I'd be happy with this book. For that argument he makes a good case. Unfortunately, however, he frequently strays over into Ayn Rand territory, and her contention that altruism is the worst thing that has happened to humanity since the last ice age. Yes, the Romans did indeed build altruism into their invention "Christianity," but it was an extreme altruism, essentially one asking humans to give up critical needs, so that someone else's needs are satisfied instead of their own. Although this level of altruism might or might not be healthy for human societies, a rational level of altruism is a necessity for societies to maintain any level of psychological and/or physical well being. Most indigenous societies are based on this level of normal altruism -- and most of those that don't have been corrupted by nearby state societies. Indigenous societies are exactly the kinds of societies humans lived in for about 95% of our existence on earth, and in indigenous societies when a hunter brings down a deer or giraffe or caribou he doesn't hoard it all for himself or his own nuclear family, he divides the meat and other parts and hands equal portions to the others in his village. In indigenous societies when one family encounters a year of bad luck, other families give them what they need to tide them over. In short, a normal level of altruism is the glue that has always held healthy human societies together, and always will. To say otherwise is just plain ignorance.
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Mark Wallace
5.0 out of 5 stars Novel view of the origin of Christian belief
Reviewed in the United States on 17 October 2016
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While not taking a position on the historical Jesus, the authors do take one on the stories that were written after the Crucifixion, and that now comprise the basis of the Christian religion. The thesis of the book is that those stories were commissioned by the Roman Government, in order to weaken Jewish resistance to Roman rule in the Holy Land. What did Rome want? More peace and less war. One way to achieve it was by (secretly) setting up an alternative form of Judaism, or an alternative to Judaism (take your pick), whose spokesman brought a message of peace and love for one's fellow men ... all of them.
The book points out that the Jesus of the New Testament is unfailing loyal to Rome, perhaps most famously in the command to his followers to "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's ..." And it presents a substantial amount of historical evidence, including recent numismatic discoveries, in support of its claims.
I suppose we'll never know for sure, but this book makes an interesting and novel case for the origin of Christian belief. For those who are familiar with Schonfield ("The Passover Plot" and subsequent books), this work carries on the tradition of not taking everything the Church says about the First Century at face value, but now incorporating more recent evidence. It's a carefully argued and fascinating read.
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B Houk
5.0 out of 5 stars A Plausible Explanation
Reviewed in the United States on 9 November 2016
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I liked how the information was laid out. An important question/issue was presented. A solution was given. The authors presented the historical facts well. They presented many sources for their well written arguments. This book was of interest to me because my parents chose a fundamental Christian religion, in which I was raised.
I took the time to study religions/cultures across the world and throughout time from 15 yo to 31 yo. My interests refined to the similarities so as to discover what is required by humans (assuming constants across cultures must be needed and are not just by accident). Eventually, I was looking for what was needed to develop a happy, healthy human.
This book was a step back in time, back to the questions of my youth for me. The authors proposed ideas that had been of some interest of that started when I read the King James Bible cover to cover at 7 yo and continued to my late teens but I had not the resources at that time to answer.
The conclusions the authors draw from their well reasoned arguments make sense to me because of all the historical information I have gathered in my 6 decades of life.
Yes, I do recommend this book to anyone serious about history.
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Johnny Rojas
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book
Reviewed in the United States on 28 December 2024
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Great seller fast delivery ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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A. Perkins
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is devastating truth. Get your therapist on the line
Reviewed in the United States on 21 August 2023
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Yeah these guys are right. I’m devastated. And we gotta stop this antisemitic nonsense and spread the truth. I’m ashamed at believing these Roman imperial published nonsense. I’m ashamed at the treatment of the ppl of Galilee since before Abraham/Nebuchadnezzar until today all because they have refused to syncretize their god with outsiders gods for thousands of years and little baby emperor gods can’t handle it and vainly revenge genocide and use books like Ezekiel and so many others to repeatedly blame the Jews for their repeated destruction by foreign conquering narcissistic jerks.
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Larry
5.0 out of 5 stars This book answers the question. Who created Christianity and why?
Reviewed in the United States on 18 May 2021
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When I saw Dr Robert M Price recommended the book and found its conclusions plausible I knew I had to read it. I wasn’t disappointed.
It answered a lot of questions I’ve had about the origins of Christianity. The authors conclusions are believable, IMO.
Predictably, those that are Christians will likely dismiss this book as fiction. Those that have left the faith, or were never particularly religious, will more likely consider the authors conclusions at least plausible.
Religion is an emotional subject, so the believability of the historical evidences presented by scholars often comes down to whose ox is being gored. In this case it seems those offering only one or two stars might have an ax to grind. Whether the reader agrees with the authors conclusions or not, it’s obvious a great deal of scholarly research went into this book.
I tend to believe the authors conclusions are at the very least plausible.
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mikemacdonald72
5.0 out of 5 stars Like drinking water from a firehose
Reviewed in the United States on 21 February 2023
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Creating Christ takes all we have been made to believe and stands it on its head. Citing endless sources, the authors give evidence of what has been taught and why it has been taught.
A challenge to faith, an opportunity to question, and a clear chance to dig deep into who, how, and why Christ is our earthly connection to God is a lot of information. Deserves more than one read.
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