WI: Christian India pre-1400?
- Thread starter Iron_Lord
- Start date
I think you're actually going to need to go back further than that, Christians in India rapidly integrated into Indian Society, and that included into the early caste system. Once that happens its going to be difficult to get converts.
So the ROman EMpire doesn't declare war on Sassnid empire, not destroying it's self.
I'm not sure the Roman Empire's wars with the Sassanians were entirely its own doing.
But the structural problems in the Roman Empire ran far deeper than mere exhaustion in wars. I'd recommend Patrick Wyman's the Fall of Rome podcast as a solid introduction to the material causes of the Roman Empire's fall.
Kaze
Banned
Item 1.
A far, far more successful Thomas the Apostle would be a good start - converts a minor prince. Said prince goes onto converting his court and neighbors... then you have small area that is Christian inside the melting pot of - Hindu / Buddhist.
Item 2.
But Egypt being Coptic Christian would be also a good start.
Item 3 - ASB version.
There has been some question of what was Jesus doing before he did his ministry - if you go in the Gospel accounts there is almost nothing for almost 30 years. (Yes, there are books that have been deleted, but I am talking about the official canon books) One of the most outlandish theories is Jesus took the show on the road and visited other countries - after all his profession was carpenter / mason / prophet? - the proposition being that Jesus went to India and became Buddhist, brought the Buddhist message back, and due to mistranslated of the message and executive meddling by the Apostles and (later) Bishops Christianity came into existence.... and therefore Christianity is a unknowing heresy on Buddhism.
If we go with this theory where Christianity is a Buddhist heresy -> India is the home of the Buddha.
A far, far more successful Thomas the Apostle would be a good start - converts a minor prince. Said prince goes onto converting his court and neighbors... then you have small area that is Christian inside the melting pot of - Hindu / Buddhist.
Item 2.
But Egypt being Coptic Christian would be also a good start.
Item 3 - ASB version.
There has been some question of what was Jesus doing before he did his ministry - if you go in the Gospel accounts there is almost nothing for almost 30 years. (Yes, there are books that have been deleted, but I am talking about the official canon books) One of the most outlandish theories is Jesus took the show on the road and visited other countries - after all his profession was carpenter / mason / prophet? - the proposition being that Jesus went to India and became Buddhist, brought the Buddhist message back, and due to mistranslated of the message and executive meddling by the Apostles and (later) Bishops Christianity came into existence.... and therefore Christianity is a unknowing heresy on Buddhism.
If we go with this theory where Christianity is a Buddhist heresy -> India is the home of the Buddha.
Kaze's suggestion of converting a prince or ruler is probably essential, if that lasts it creates some incentive towards converting as the religion of the elite and maybe makes it less insular. Islams spread in India is a good model to look at for at least partially displacing Hinduism. I'm not particularly knowledgeable on that subject though, so if someone else may need to elaborate there.
?
That's actually a GREAT idea! Iimagine Greek Merchants would travel to Sri lanka often. Have some missionaries go there, get a minor Prince become Christian and BOOM Christianity spreads through the Indies and India!