WI: Seleucid Christianity

I was wondering about what would happen to Christianity following the old chestnut POD of Carthage winning the Second Punic War.

In these circumstances the Seleucid Empire might still be in control of the holy land around the time of Jesus, as the Romans will likely not be a position to conquer them.

I was wondering what the implications for Christianity (and subsequent history) might be for having the holy land controlled by the Seleucids rather than the Romans during the life of Jesus?

Would the Seleucids have still put Jesus to death like the Romans? And if so how? Would Christianity have spread under these circumstances or fizzled out? What might be the implications for the development of Islam?
 
Well some would say "Butterflies!" but as a Christian, I'll assume that the Lord does indeed decide to send his son to the Jews under a Seleucid administration in the year that we know as 4BC. I assume the Seleucid authorities will treat Jesus as the Romans did, as a rabble rouser- though they may do so without any encouragement from the Jewish religious leaders. So perhaps this alt-Christianity will grow up without such a hatred for the Jews as OTL Christianity did.

The faith ITTL will, I suspect, be far more Hellenistic than in OTL. Perhaps a cult will emerge of Jesus as a famous scholar and philosopher. In fact, I would say that's perhaps what he would be remembered as, rather than the son of God, Jesus would be viewed as a legendary philosopher, and Prophet. Different parts of the Seleucid Empire will view him in different ways; for the Jews he is the Messiah, for the Greeks he is the greatest of all the philosopher's and Plato's heir, and for the Zoroastrians he is the latest Prophet sent by Ahura Mazda.

There's a few thoughts for you. :)
 
To fit in with Old Testament Prophecy, this would mean that the Seleucid Empire is doomed to barbarian invasion and fragmenting much as Rome did IOTL. Islam is butterflied away.

If Christ is remembered as the Son of God, then Christianity will be much more Greek oriented. Greek as the language, etc. Superficially, it might resemble the Eastern Orthodox churches.
 
If the Seleucid Emperor Antiochus IV has better luck at crushing the Maccabee Rebellion and suppressing the Jewish faith, there might not be the formation of a Jewish-derived monotheist cult in Judea. Further rebellions might cause the Seleucid authorities to massacre and enslave the native citizenry of Jerusalem, and resettle the place with loyal Hellenes and Hellenized Asians. And although Judaism may survive in Egypt and Cyrene, they will be Hellenistic, and and as time goes on, will see themselves as too distinct from Aramaic-speaking Jews to properly form a relationship with them.
 
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To fit in with Old Testament Prophecy, this would mean that the Seleucid Empire is doomed to barbarian invasion and fragmenting much as Rome did IOTL. Islam is butterflied away.

If Christ is remembered as the Son of God, then Christianity will be much more Greek oriented. Greek as the language, etc. Superficially, it might resemble the Eastern Orthodox churches.


Why would Islam be butterflied and Christianity remain?
 

Susano

Banned
Now why would God allow butterflies to prevent the birth of His Son?
Because he doesnt exist.

Now, if we could be a bit more realigion neutral here: Under the standard assumption that should always hold in such considerations, i.e. that no higher powers intervene, it does indeed mean a massive amount of butterflies and hence no Christianity. Mind, the area and Judaism tended to have times of great religious activity, so something could well come out of there, but it wouldnt be Christianity.
 
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