In 41 AD, Simon Peter, an early member of the Christian church, was resting upon the roof of a house in the city of Joppa, when he was suddenly overcome by a vision. In OTL, he awoke and claimed that God sent him a vision that stated that the flesh of all animals was now clean to eat, meaning that the traditional Jewish dietary laws no longer applied, and by extension it was permissible for the Christian gospel to be preached to Gentiles. However, in this timeline, Peter wakes up and claims to have seen something different: he claims that God has told him to "consume the flesh of none of these beasts, for the flesh of all can only be gained by slaughter, and it is sin to kill". Although this still gives Peter the impression that the old Jewish distinction between clean and unclean meat is obsolete, and thus there is no reason to distinguish between Jews and Gentiles when preaching, it also reinforces Peter's already existent vegetarianism, creating a new, even stricter dietary restriction for Christians. Peter would begin to convert peoples of all ancestry to Christianity, including a strict prohibition against killing for meat.
Ten years later, the Council of Jerusalem was held as in OTL, to debate the matter of circumcision and other old Jewish laws applying to Christians. Three camps existed in the Christian community: the Jewish Christians, who wanted to keep all of the Jewish laws intact, the Pauline Christians, who did not support keeping the Jewish laws intact, as well as the new group of Christians, motivated by Peter, who had adopted a restriction against all meat and was divided on the circumcision issue. Although Paul disapproved of Christian vegetarianism, his opposition to forcing Gentile converts to be circumcised was greater, so he decided that he would be willing to back the prohibition against killing for food if it meant the mandate on circumcision would be removed. This compromise was the decision of the Council, and following its end the Christian community would adopt stricter prohibitions against slaughter of animals and people, with a doctrine of non-violence comparable to the Jains of India.
source of Peter's vegetarianism: http://www.all-creatures.org/discuss/didjesuseatfish-20090917-jv.html
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So, Christianity has now become a vegetarian religion. As the prohibition against killing has now been extended to even animals, the prohibition against killing people will be even more severe, leading to far greater Christian pacifism, which will become a permanent feature of Christianity.
Now, with the Christians being such pacifists and vegetarians, it seems unlikely that they will find the levels of converts that they did in real life. Will a smaller Christianity be crushed by the Romans, or will it survive despite persecution? Could Roman leaders even see it as a non-threat and end much official persecution? And, assuming Christianity has failed in becoming the dominant religion of Rome, what religion(s) will take its place?
Ten years later, the Council of Jerusalem was held as in OTL, to debate the matter of circumcision and other old Jewish laws applying to Christians. Three camps existed in the Christian community: the Jewish Christians, who wanted to keep all of the Jewish laws intact, the Pauline Christians, who did not support keeping the Jewish laws intact, as well as the new group of Christians, motivated by Peter, who had adopted a restriction against all meat and was divided on the circumcision issue. Although Paul disapproved of Christian vegetarianism, his opposition to forcing Gentile converts to be circumcised was greater, so he decided that he would be willing to back the prohibition against killing for food if it meant the mandate on circumcision would be removed. This compromise was the decision of the Council, and following its end the Christian community would adopt stricter prohibitions against slaughter of animals and people, with a doctrine of non-violence comparable to the Jains of India.
source of Peter's vegetarianism: http://www.all-creatures.org/discuss/didjesuseatfish-20090917-jv.html
~~~~~~~~
So, Christianity has now become a vegetarian religion. As the prohibition against killing has now been extended to even animals, the prohibition against killing people will be even more severe, leading to far greater Christian pacifism, which will become a permanent feature of Christianity.
Now, with the Christians being such pacifists and vegetarians, it seems unlikely that they will find the levels of converts that they did in real life. Will a smaller Christianity be crushed by the Romans, or will it survive despite persecution? Could Roman leaders even see it as a non-threat and end much official persecution? And, assuming Christianity has failed in becoming the dominant religion of Rome, what religion(s) will take its place?