Definitely a current issue: Was early Christianity communist?

Recently a thread appeared in the History subforum about whether the intent of Christianity was communistic. The issue’s importance goes far beyond history.

Some of the ways the early Christian communities conducted themselves strikes some as communist.

Modern Lithuanian speech is the closest thing to the Proto-Indo-European upon which the languages of Europe, North Africa, and West Asia are based. It is possible at least a few people in the middle East spoke similar languages.

The term magic used to not refer to miraculous powers but to the practice of trying to apply an existing pattern to some undertaking. A person tasked with providing patterns, if they spoke any near relative of proto-Indo-European, might call their job “Magijos Dalinimas” because “dalint” means to distribute.

If they were named for their profession, they might have been called “Mag-dalina.”

It is speculated Mary Magdalene was named for the town of Magdala but it need not be so, or it is possible the town was a center of people involved in “Mag-Dalinimas.”

It is said they had to drive out seven demons from Mary Magdalene.

Perhaps back then they used whatever means necessary to form an unhealthy rapport that might have seemed like possession to those not in the know. It seems possible some of the people in Roman-governed Judea practiced other religions, perhaps Babylonian ones.

In some places, they still try to pressure people into the life of an entertainer so they could use their intelligence to educate the masses.
As for the allegedly communistic practices of early Christian communities, it seems possible that the price of admission was to give your all to help others like Mary Magdalene before they were marginalized into a sinful lifestyle, because they were probably being blacklisted from work.

Very interesting.

Not my area — but I look forward to good responses.

a reply to: Solvedit

As for the allegedly communistic practices of early Christian communities, it seems possible that the price of admission was to give your all to help others like Mary Magdalene before they were marginalized into a sinful lifestyle, because they were probably being blacklisted from work.

Mary Magdalene was not a poor person, she was a patroness according to Luke 8:3.

Why focus on the woman who fed and clothed Jesus when he needed it?
You could focus on Acts chapter 5.


To be current, I'll just throw this Youtube video here, which I stole from another thread.


I found the full pdf text HERE

a reply to: Solvedit

I have never heard of communists sending magicians around turning water into wine, multiplying fishes and loaves, pulling rabbits out of hats, etc.... Come to think of it, Christians don't do that ether. I have heard of magicians that do Christian themed tricks. But generally Christians don't do that.

Oh, originally the rabbit from a hat was not from a hat.

I consider early Christianity as a more socialist society thing. But there was some community effect to it to. Communities that work together is actually a type of communism intigrated in sectors of our society. We do have a lot of community oriented practices around here, even though lately people are spending much more ordering online which sends their money to other communities in the country because they think they are saving money. But jobs here are disappearing and the businesses now cannot afford to give wage increases so I expect a lot of them will fold locally in the next two years. Big corporations selling directly to people from other areas are robbing our jobs here, and no income means eventually all of those big internet businesses will also fold since not many people will have money to spend eventually.

The worst is yet to come in the next few years, and there is not much that can be done anymore to fix the issue. I think that is what our new liberal government wants, they want complete control over everyone now.

a reply to: Solvedit

God is God He can be worse than any communist dictator.

The Bible sends a clear message that it breaks his heart to do so.

And he gives every individual person the best chance to avoid his
tyranny.

Sadly many refuse to understand this in the simplest of terms.

Was early Christianity communist?

In the strict definition of communism , which stems from commune , yes.
As we think of communism today ? Hail to the no.

there were communists in the earth in those days.

i guess they all died in the flood but are back now as democrats since gobekli tepe.

Moron Spammer

a reply to: Solvedit

Pre-marxist communism was more common than most US citizens would think, this is a no-brainer. Early Christian sects have been prosecuted by the Romans, so it's rather easy to imagine a different outcome if it wasn't for the socialist practice.

Social and professional networks played an important part in spreading the religion as members invited interested outsiders to secret Christian assemblies (Greek: ekklēsia) that met in private homes (see house church). Commerce and trade also played a role in Christianity's spread as Christian merchants traveled for business. Christianity appealed to marginalized groups (women, slaves) with its message that "in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female, neither slave nor free" (Galatians 3:28). Christians also provided social services to the poor, sick, and widows.

en.wikipedia.org...

originally posted by: beyondknowledge2
a reply to: Solvedit

I have never heard of communists sending magicians around turning water into wine...

To reiterate, magic did not at one time refer to supposed miraculous powers.

Some segments of society may have used them for guidance, such as to teach them morals, ethics, arithmetic, etc.

originally posted by: pthena
Mary Magdalene was not a poor person, she was a patroness according to Luke 8:3.

Why focus on the woman who fed and clothed Jesus when he needed it?

I know that, but the job may be what got her possessed.

I am speculating that before they got rich, they had to be blacklisted into the lifestyle.

originally posted by: rickymouse
I consider early Christianity as a more socialist society thing. But there was some community effect to it to. Communities that work together is actually a type of communism intigrated in sectors of our society...

My point was, socialism and communism seek communalism as an end to itself.

What if the point of the early communities was to save anyone who would otherwise have been marginalized into a sinful and exploitative lifestyle?

Such as for example those few rock stars of today who became hooked on drugs and homeless before they started to put on shows. What if they had a society to go to which would help them not become marginalized, which would help them say no, which would help them eat without doing disgusting work for which drugs are necessary, etc.

It doesn't say so, but then again, the New Testament rarely spells everything out.

The early community where just communities if we devolved back to that point we'd be the same and treat each other in similar ways, but none of it scalable beyond tribal levels let alone the regional, state, national or international levels religions and ideologies are able to indulge in.

using an example of the English reformation as first there were 30,000 different view points 1 per group what over time distilled down to 5 main groupings, the Catholic, levellers, diggers and the most radical/smallest the ranters.

modern democracy is based on those groups talking through how to work together from there we get our ideological groupings from left to right each framing their interpretation as the true interpretation of the bible or Christianity..

the us was founded on 2 groups escaping the ranters hence why labour n the uk could claim universal healthcare was both socialist and Christian but that idea not resonate in the Americas.. as they where not only divided by the same language but also divided by the same book..

after Brexit and trump we are at the start point of that process again..

UGH SO MUCH MENTAL GYMNASTICS in this thread just to justify people's corporate greed.
Yes, the literary figure of Je'shua Bin Josef, who you all mistakenly call "Jeesus", as described in your book,
was most definitely a Socialist, and probably would have been fine with being called a communist too.

He hated rich people and literally said they weren't going to heaven, he wrecked the booths of the "money-changers",
he evenly distributed bread and fish among crowds, he had sympathy for people who'd had to steal to survive,
and was totally anti-establishment to boot. The whole concept of "Not being worldly" revolved around not being greedy, and making sure other people had what they needed and were doing okay. Service to others before yourself.
That mentality simply does not jive with modern day capitalism, and I'm not sure if it jived with any form of it from any era, even the sugarpop 50s tradwife era.

You don't have to like it, but if you can't get over it, then you're definitely not a Christian, because the red letters weren't important enough for you to read and comprehend them.

Go ahead, cope harder. This shouldn't even be contraversal, and it's really sad anyone thinks it's a valid debate.
He WAS. You don't want him to be, because you're greedy, but he WAS.

He told parables and talked in metaphors, and literally no one else has ever demonstrated an ability to manifest food out of nothing.

Did it REALLY never occur to people that maybe the dude was a idealist and a philosopher, and that they started
with SOME bread and fish, and he broke them up into the TINIEST possible rations just to make a point?

"Yes, this isn't enough, we're still hungry, but we are all holding something now, and if we shared like this all the time, then it WOULD be enough! Now turn and get to know the people around you! Fellowship! Mankind is a family! Family shares at the same table!"

Get it now?

Communism. No magic trick, no friggin miracle, just a boldly made point, that is lost on almost everyone.

a reply to: Solvedit

a reply to: TheValeyard
Community, commune, etc are specific things.

Communism is nothing but a hare-brained concept that delivers dictatorships, and it never works because it’s the polar opposite of normal human motivation and dedication.

a reply to: Solvedit

Early Christians were an egalitarian crisis cult that formed from the absence of absolute power the Roman elite started to leave once the empire grew too large to enforce influence on everyone, or even take care of the abandoned slave citizens.

I'd imagine what happened in China with mao was similar to what happened with a figure like Jesus back then.

Mao grew to power because he started a communist rural community that helped one another, they were all basically abandoned farmers and rural peasants that he rounded up.

His red guard would also morally shame and beat people in the streets who didn't follow their way of living and blamed them for the starvation of the rural people and troubles in China.

The Christian - communist tie is a deep subject. It's also argued that Karl Marx based his idea off the canonized Christian / catholic dogma.

a reply to: Solvedit

I know that, but the job may be what got her possessed.

I am speculating that before they got rich, they had to be blacklisted into the lifestyle.

I don't think etymological gymnastics are required to establish that there were outcasts from polite society.

I may have a slightly unorthodox take on demon possession also, sort of psychological. A person should have only one demon, their own. If they have other demons forced upon them from outside cultural influence, their super ego gets to killing on their own inner demon. That's a bad thing. Mentally and emotionally messed up.

It very well may be that Mary fell victim to the distain of society from many quarters. Was she a childless widow who inherited wealth? We will never know.