The Historical Deviation of Institutionalized Christianity

The Historical Deviation of Institutionalized Christianity

By: Evangelos Dim. Kepenes (Junuary 7, 2026, 12:59)

Preface

The historical trajectory of Christianity was marked by a paradoxical transition: from the persecuted revelation of the Word to the state-imposed enforcement of a philosophically formulated dogma. The replacement of biblical simplicity with the complexity of philosophical controversies was not a mere academic disagreement but the prelude to the exercise of worldly power. This text examines how the misinterpretation of "wisdom," the demonization of inquiry, and the mobilization of fanaticism—from the historical thread of the Parabolani of Alexandria to the Crusades—led to alienation from the spirit of the Scriptures, transforming the message of salvation into an instrument of repression and spiritual darkness.

The Christological Controversies and Philosophical Disputes

The Christological controversies of the early centuries bear a striking resemblance to the disputes of ancient philosophers and their disciples, some of whom were dragged into "trials for impiety" by the theocratic establishment of their time—such as Anaxagoras and Socrates—or were persecuted and murdered, like the Eleatic Zeno and the Pythagoreans.

However, the theogonic and cosmogonic theories of the Philosophers failed to provide knowledge of the true God and correct answers to existential quests, a point captured by the Apostle Paul: "the world did not know God through wisdom" (1 Cor. 1:21). Paul's opposition to "the wisdom of the world" did not refer to scientific achievements (Mathematics, Astronomy, Medicine) but to the inability of human thought to lead to divine revelation.

This biblical opposition is not limited to Greek systems of metaphysics but extends also to the people of Israel when they rejected the Word of God by turning to foreign deities. "Do you thus repay the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is He not your Father, who bought you? Has He not made you and established you?" (Deut. 32:6). "The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken. Lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; so what wisdom is in them?" (Jer. 8:9)

Wisdom and Inquisitive Intellect

The failure to distinguish between wisdom and inquisitive intellect often led to misinterpretation of terms and the demonization of reason. A prime example is Augustine's notorious warning in his work De Genesi ad Litteram (II, xvii, 37) against the "mathematici," which is often misinterpreted due to the evolution of language. In late antiquity, the term mathematici (mathematicians) referred primarily to astrologers and diviners who used star charts to predict the future (fate). Augustine was warning against a "pact with the devil," referring to empty prophecy and soothsaying, not to arithmetic or geometry, which he himself admired.

The Persecution of Greek Thought

Greek thought underwent a violent transformation: from a source of inspiration for the early Church Fathers, it became a threat to fanatical Christians who equated it wholesale with paganism. This led to systematic persecutions, despite the prevalence of a theology that had already incorporated many Greek philosophical tools. In both the persecutions of the Ancient Philosophers and the Christological Controversies, the ruling establishment used charges of "impiety" or "heretical deviation" to suppress dissenting intellect.
In the late Roman Empire (especially the 4th and 5th centuries), organized fanatical mobs—often led by lower clergy or monks—became a violent tool for imposing Institutional Christianity and suppressing its opponents, whether they were heretics, pagans, or intellectuals.
A characteristic group were the Parabolani (from the Greek paraballomai, meaning to risk one's life). They were members of a brotherhood in Alexandria during the time of Pope Dionysius. Initially, they undertook the work of caring for the sick—which often involved hydrotherapy in public baths, the balaneia—and burying the dead, especially during epidemics. However, under powerful Patriarchs like Theophilus and Cyril, this brotherhood was transformed into a private army of the Church.
Their actions included terrorizing political opponents, attacks on synagogues, and the destruction of pagan temples—an act equivalent to the obliteration of the spaces where worship and philosophy were practiced. Their actions culminated in the destruction of the Serapeum in 391 AD and the murder of the philosopher Hypatia in 415 AD, which was the result of the conflict between the Prefect of Alexandria, Orestes, and the Bishop of Alexandria, Cyril. The decree of Theodosius I (391 AD) and the closing of the Academy of Athens by Justinian (529 AD) violently sealed the end of antiquity.

Conclusion

The violence of the Parabolani was not an isolated incident but a precursor to the atrocities committed by the official Crusades: campaigns with papal approval that granted participants full absolution of sins and protection of their property. From the murder of Hypatia to the massacres in Jerusalem and the mass cannibalism of the defeated at Ma'arrat al-Nu'man in 1098, as well as the unchecked persecutions of heretics and pagans, the common denominator remains: the replacement of the Commandment of Love with the tyranny of fear and the obliteration of life. Thus, institutionalized Christianity became the continuator of biblical disobedience, embodying the written "because of you the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles," and transforming the salvific message into a symbol of slaughter and darkness.

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