Rendering Unto Caesar

WI the Christians had been willing to acknowledge the Emperor as a god? Granted, you'd have to find a way around the whole "No other God but me" thing, but suppose Jesus, as a way of compromising with the Romans, said it was OK to worship both the "One true God" and pay fealty to the Emperor as the head of state? Does this butterfly away later persecution of the Christians, and are they assimilated into the Empire?
 

Philip

Donor
WI the Christians had been willing to acknowledge the Emperor as a god? Granted, you'd have to find a way around the whole "No other God but me" thing, but suppose Jesus, as a way of compromising with the Romans, said it was OK to worship both the "One true God" and pay fealty to the Emperor as the head of state?

Not sure what you are proposing here.

The positions of the early Christians was to fully recognize the emperor as the 'head of state' (is that term a bit of an anachronism?). They believed that he was placed over them on earth by God, interceded for him, paid taxes to him, and otherwise generally behaved as good little Romans. This is evident both in the Bible (such as the title of this thread) and in the writings of later Christians. They did, however, refuse to acknowledge him as anything more than a man.

If you want to add to this that they acknowledge the emperor as more than an earthly ruler, I think you are going to have a hard time getting Christianity started. I have a hard time seeing the initial Jewish converts agreeing to such.

Does this butterfly away later persecution of the Christians, and are they assimilated into the Empire?
No, per OTL.
 
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I'm not sure what you are talking about. "Render unto Caesar" in the Bible actually means to recognize Caesar as placed in authority in accordance with God's plan. So the early Christians did recognize him as head of state.

Do you mean something like believing the Empire is guided personally by God? Something like the Emperor as a bridge between heaven and earth?
 

Skokie

Banned
Part of the appeal of Christianity was that it was a new moral community, in a world of pain, powerlessness and imperial caprice. Reconciling early Christianity to the Imperial Cult would take away its entire raison d'être.
 
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