Secret History #23: The Organization of Evil

Gospel writers, Roman authorities, and Jewish communities become actors in a narrative that blames Jews for Jesus’ death while protecting Roman legitimacy.

Augustine and later church authorities articulate a doctrine of original sin that positions humans as unreliable and in need of strict guidance.

Roman dynasties, church leaders, and allied elites form a long-lived power network that survives the fall of the empire by relocating authority into religious institutions.

Paul targets Jews, Greeks, and Romans, tailoring a single religious system that can appeal to each group while serving imperial stability and the interests of elite patrons.

Paul, previously a persecutor of Christians, becomes the central figure in a conversion story that grants him authority to reinterpret Jesus’ message.

Early Christian communities led by charismatic figures, including prominent women, face a centralized movement led by Paul that favors hierarchy and uniform belief.

Roman patriarchs and Greek cultural elites maintain private mystery cult practices even as the broader population adopts public Christianity.

Christian congregations practice the Eucharist, a ritual meal that echoes older Greek mystery cults and binds participants into a unified body.

Paul addresses Jewish and Gentile audiences by reframing Jewish law in spiritual terms, arguing that inward faith matters more than outward ritual.

The lecturer addresses students seeking a way to distinguish truth from deception and genuine love from draining relationships.

Jesus and Paul function as contrasting teachers, with Jesus offering inner liberation to the poor and Paul building a disciplined church that serves elite interests.

Paul addresses disputing Christian factions and positions himself as a steward of Jesus’ message rather than a participant in doctrinal debate.

Roman patriarchs, freed clients, and enslaved workers operate within a social model that Paul repurposes into a church hierarchy led by bishops and disciplined followers.

James the Just, described as Jesus’ brother and leader in Jerusalem, clashes with Paul over authority and the rules for Gentile converts.

Paul, portrayed as a Hellenized Jew trained in rhetoric, reframes Jesus’ teachings for Roman audiences and uses sophist techniques that treat language as a tool for constructing reality rather than revealing truth.

Paul, described as a rhetorically trained Hellenized Jew, applies sophist techniques that treat language as a tool for constructing social reality.

Paul appears as a wealthy, educated Pharisee who suddenly joins an illiterate peasant movement and then spends decades traveling with staff and resources.

Roman slaveholders and imperial authorities face Jesus and his followers, who teach enslaved people that a divine spark lives within them and that spiritual freedom overrides earthly ownership.

Roman slaveholders and enslaved workers become the primary audiences for a new Christian promise that reframes obedience as a pathway to eternal reward.

Paul addresses slaves, elites, Jews, and Gentiles, presenting himself as a servant of God who can adapt his message to each audience to win converts.