Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 / QGSI 2.0; site qubix.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!sun!idi!qubix!lab From: lab@qubix.UUCP (Q-Bick) Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: Re: Destruction of literature by Christians Message-ID: <1437@qubix.UUCP> Date: Wed, 17-Oct-84 14:18:26 EDT Article-I.D.: qubix.1437 Posted: Wed Oct 17 14:18:26 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 18-Oct-84 19:26:14 EDT References: <1026@bbncca.ARPA> Organization: Quadratix ... Quartix Lines: 24 > Ron Rizzo > In "Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek (and no proof)", Yirmiyahu BenDavid alludes > to possible & large-scale destruction of scriptures in the early centuries > C.E. To underscore the possibility of violent intolerance in the early > Christian church, at least one classics scholar (Don Liles of San Francisco > State) believes much of ancient Greek & Roman literature was lost not through > the ravages of barbarians, final collapse of empire, decline in culture, > etc., but by deliberate & systematic destruction by Christian zealots, often > acting "officially". In support, he cites such mysterious facts as the com- > plete loss of the entire corpus of very prolific, highly-regarded, and wide- > ly read authors such as the poet Sappho (only quotations of individual > verses from her poems in other people's writings survive). Let us not overlook the Roman emperor's (Diocletian?) attempt to destroy all Christian writings. God has a sense of humor - about 50 years later, Constantine ordered the making of 50 copies of the New Testament. (Sorta like Voltaire proclaiming that Christianity would be dead in 100 years - 100 years later the Geneva Bible Society was using *his* house and *his* printing press to produce Bibles!) -- The Ice Floe of Larry Bickford {amd,decwrl,sun,idi,ittvax}!qubix!lab You can't settle the issue until you've settled how to settle the issue.