Indo-Greek Christianity

Wouldn't surviving Indo-Greek society cause some butterflies? Christianity might still be exist but there is some changes so it hardly would be exactly similar than OTL Christianity on its early centuries.
 

GdwnsnHo

Banned
Right, so I'm going to assume a butterfly net beyond Persia Proper? Or something that ensures that Persia and Rome coexist in the same manner so that the Empire works roughly the same. I assume this, because the PoD for such a theory is so far before Christianity emerged that I doubt the same form would exist.

So, assuming an Indo-Greek state focused around Bactria/Ferghana/Kashmir, then I'd expect them to first interact with Nestorian, or any Eastern Christianity, but the decision on which form to embrace (assuming they wish to), would entirely rely on the political realities of the day. Are they more interested in a Roman alliance? Adopt that form. Interested in a local form, Nestorian/Other. Interested in conquering Persia? Nestorian, with a particular focus on encouraging the Mesopotamian followers to revolt
 
If they did, they'd likely be both unrecognizable and also very heavily influenced by Indian traditions.

An Indo-Greek state in Baktria would undoubtedly be influenced by Buddhist thought and have a thriving religious tradition of its own. An Indo-Greek state on the Indus or Ganges would be even more assimilated with sufficient time.

I imagine these states would be rather tolerant of these early Christian missionaries, and you might see some early converts. Perhaps a few monasteries and whatnot. But the Indo-Greeks themselves and their subjects will probably not abandon their uniquely Hellenic form of Buddhism or Hinduism.

If they do convert in large enough groups, it'll very quickly become something exceedingly different from the Christianity of the west. The big challenge though is maintaining an Indo-Greek state that remains identifiably Greek for centuries, something that I imagine necessitates a surviving Greek state in Persia and Mesopotamia, or something like that to keep an influx of new Greek settlers. And then you've butterflied Christ.
 
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