Expert: Messianic Rabbi Yochanan Levine - 9/21/2008

Question
I read your answer regarding mostly the Catholic perspective on Communion. Can you site the primary sources you used to confirm your opinions on the religious beliefs of Constantine and the pagan source of certain Christian holidays? I've recently read two rather disturbing books by a former Baptist now Catholic named Steven Ray - "Crossing the Tiber" and "Upon This Rock" - where he lists hundreds of sources from the Bible and the Early Church Fathers to confirm his now Catholic beliefs on communion and the necessity of baptism (which sounds like the Baptist perspective and that of the churches of Christ). I've read several articles like yours that express similar ideas, but I have never seen the primary sources sited. I attend Crossroads Fellowship in Raleigh and am preparing a class on Understanding Catholicism. Any help you could give me would be much appreciated.

Answer
Hi Charley,

My views on this are not derived from any one source but from several years of study and contrasting rite with rite, teaching with teaching, symbol with symbol.

Most secular studies on Constantine include abundant information about his "pre-conversion" religious beliefs and touch on his mixed loyalties as Pontifex Maximus, a term emperors bore as heads of the pagan priesthood. He used this title before and after his "conversion." Studies on the meetings at Nicea (such as http://www.piar.hu/councils/ecum01.htm) and otherwise reveal how the various current beliefs of the Empire were consolidated. The very name of the Roman Catholic (Universal) Church attest to his intentions to establish a single religious and political hierarchy that would unite all the religions under Papal authority. Catholicism is a vast mixture of Pagan and Christian elements sanctioned by Church law. It was this that eventually led to the Protestant Reformation and Martin Luther's 95 Thesis.

As for the holidays, Jesus obviously wasn't born on Dec 24 because the Bible says the shepherds were at the time tending their flocks by night in the fields. However many Pagan gods (including  Dionysos and Ra) were born on that date. The Christ-Mass holiday features many Pagan elements, the decorating of the tree (which is directly condemned in the Hebrew Scriptures), Eoster and Goddess Eostar, the resurrection of the Sun, All Saints Eve and Samhain (Halloween)... all the many symbols. One source for more info on this is here:
http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/BA/JO-Eo.html but there are many many others. Even a cursory study of the world's religions, symbols, holidays, rite, etc. attest to the truth of this.

When one contrasts Catholicism with the Roman Pagan religions the similarities are as astounding as the differences between Catholicism and Judaism, the religion of Jesus and his followers.

Hope this helps,
~ John of AllFaith