I was discussing with an online friend the other day why so many religions sound so similar. He posited there was only one “god” who is called by many different names in many different cultures. I proposed that the meeting and merging of cultures led to the trade of stories as well as goods and services. In the retelling of their stories, facets were expanded to include the newly learned [better, bigger, stronger] facets of the god stories from their trading partners (and conquered neighbors).
Within this framework is the expansion and literal evolution of each tribe’s stories, from their creation stories to their end of the world or end of life stories. This piece will deal with a small part of the evolution of the first-century story of the Christian Jesus. I assume the reader is familiar with the basic Jesus story.
Remember, most people were illiterate then; there was no printing press so books were rare anyway. Mass-produced books were non-existent. Stories traveled by word of mouth, often embellished with each retelling. It’s been compared to the childhood game of telephone in that regard.
The evolution of religious stories can be seen in the bible NT (gospels?) of Christianity. In the earliest stories of Jesus in Mark, Jesus talked of repentance and preparing for the coming kingdom of “God”. By the time of the gospel of John, the stories tell of Jesus speaking more of himself… I am the way, the truth, and the light; no one comes to the Father but by me; I am the light of the world; I and the Father are one; before Abraham was I am. None of these kinds of Jesus sayings exist in the earliest (Mark) stories of Jesus. Was this just an oversight of a bit later Matthew? Did later Luke deem it not important to write these kinds of sayings down? Is this claimed divinity an invention of John? Or is it just John telling the way the Jesus story had developed and expanded over time? Believers’ views of this character evolved over time and re-telling; from Jesus as a messiah (preacher/teacher) in the earlier gospels (70ish CE) to Jesus as a semi- or fully divine being by the time of John’s writings (100+ CE).
Maybe this is why many Christians do not accept the trinity god idea. Maybe this explains Islam’s claim that Jesus is only a prophet/teacher, but Mohammed is the latest (greatest, bestest) prophet.
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