Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Jordan
Yes, the Bible and other documents were "translated" when transcribed, by whoever was in power at the time... primarily to make sure all those religious people were believing and doing exactly what the people in power wanted them to do. Among the earliest major examples, Romans merged the emerging Christian religion into the Roman culture by creating Catholicism, essentially based on existing Roman law and mores.
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It might be more accurate to think of it the other way around. The Romans historically adopted the beliefs of others. When Rome conquered the Greek city states, they adopted the Greek pantheon as their gods and goddesses. (It's an interesting question what they believed before that, but I'm not sure the answer is really known.)
Christianity has always been a malleable religion, adept at incorporating elements of beliefs of societies that converted. A fair bit of Christian practice has pagan origins. Sometimes, the process is better described as a merger than an acquisition, as witness Voudon and Santeria, similar results of Christianity meeting the Yoruba faith of imported African slaves.
The folks doing the translations were Christians, and the end result had far more to do with internal church politics than any sort of "official" pressure.
Religion grows from and adapts to the societies and cultures in which it is practiced. Of course the Catholic Church adopted Roman customs and mores. The members were, after all, Romans.
I've commented elsewhere that that your theology defines what you believe, but the culture you live in determines how you
express that belief, and I'd say that's what happened here.
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Dennis