Constantine

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Constantine murdered people by the thousands including partners and their families. He gives little evidence he ever was a follower of Christ or believed in what early Christians were doing. He did finance a new form of Christianity by being a benefactor to men like Ambrose.
Jesus legalized Christianity. Constantine legalized what became false form of Christianity. The merging of the State and Constantine's form of Christianity practiced by some calling themselves Christians. From this new Church teachings has come what may be called the Modern Church. Many have followed Constantine's lead.
Religion use to be defined as how you took care of the needy of society. Pure Religion was doing that without the State.
Early Rome as the Republic , early Israel, the early Church and early America all took care of the needy of society through freewill offerings but under the Imperial Cult of Rome the temples became government institutions supported by taxation. John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ were social reformers who were teaching people how to go back to free societies through the practice of Pure Religion and through the perfect law of liberty. This was the Christian conflict with Rome. The Modern Christian is in conflict with The Way of Christ.

The Allurement of Wolves

Was Constantine a Christian?

The Baptism by the order of Constantine did not require repentance.

Flavius Salerus Constantinus has been touted in some historical accounts as the first Roman Emperor who was converted to Christianity. Was Flavius the King and Emperor really a man propagating the Gospel of Jesus?

He alleged that an apparition of Christ told him to put XP (khi, hro)[1] on his shield, on the eve of the battle against Maxentius, his empirical rival in Italy.

"His (Constantine) conversion to and support of Christianity produced fewer innovations than one might have expected; indeed they served an entirely conservative end, the preservation and continuation of the Empire."[2]

Did Constantine covert to Christianity or did he began to convert Christianity to something less than Christ intended?

The directive from the beginning was "Repent, and be baptized".[3]

Jesus never baptized with water. He desired us to baptized by His spirit.[4]

To repent is to change one's mind, one's thinking. Should our minds be like Chris or should it be like Constantine?


Did Constantine obey the commands by and doctrines of Jesus?

Did Jesus alter his his straight forward and simple position on not exercising authority one over the other to provide benefits and welfare for the people through force?

“And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.” (Luke 22:25, 27 - Matthew 20:25 - Mark 10:42)

Should the Church following Christ accept the gifts of Constantine?

Constantine was truly a man of visions. He had also claimed a vision of the sun god in 310 while in a grove of Apollo in Gaul.

Constantine may have witnessed Diocletian's destruction of the Christian church at Nicomedia on the 23rd February 303 AD which was the beginning of the "Great Persecution". This was the tenth and final persecution of Christianity as a private religion.

Emperors Diocletian, Galerius, Maximian, and Constantius demanded that Christians comply with traditional Roman religious practices which included the Roman version of the Pharisees' Corban which made the word of Go to none effect.

They rescinded the legal rights of Christians to practice Pure Religion and ordered the destruction of their scriptures[5], liturgical books[6], and places of worship across the empire. It became illegal for Christians to even freely assemble.

The Christians had been feared by the emperors of the past because of the "union and discipline" of their network of those faithful to Christ.[7] Their successful non-participation in the welfare systems of Rome caused such envy and jealousy. The Christians were even deprived of the right to petition the administrative courts of Rome, which would often subject them to judicial torture.

They could not respond to actions brought against them in court because they had little or no status due to their refusal to register in Roman government temples. At that time there were Christian senators, equestrians, decurions, veterans, and soldiers who were deprived of their rank. Some freed slaves were even re-enslaved.

People went along with these injustices because they had degenerated as a moral society. Polybius had predicted this hundreds of years before when he wrote:

"The masses continue with an appetite for benefits and the habit of receiving them by way of a rule of force and violence. The people, having grown accustomed to feed at the expense of others and to depend for their livelihood on the property of others... institute the rule of violence;[8] and now uniting their forces massacre, banish, and plunder,[9] until they degenerate again into perfect savages and find once more a master and monarch." [10]

Constantine Church

In 313 AD, Constantine and Licinius as co-emperors had joined together in “issuing the Edict of Milan, which granted toleration” for his version of Christianity under their binding authority. “As guardian of Constantine’s favored religion”, certain churches and bishops were, “given legal rights and large financial donations.”[11]

These “financial donations”, funded by the spoils of war and compelled taxation, subjected the Churches who accepted them to the benefactors who exercise authority. Christians had been guaranteed their lawful rights by emperors before. Constantine did not free the church, but seduced a small portion of weak Christians and a large number of unrepentant pagans into a “legal status” with the offering of his “deceitful meats” and the "dainties" of his royal table.

"When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what [is] before thee: And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat. Proverbs 23:1-3

A struggle for power soon began between the two commanders, from which Constantine emerged victorious. Constantine betrayed Licinius and had him and all his family put to death. He had thousands of people put to death in mass exterminations of any who opposed him.

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” (Matthew 7:15-16)

Constantine was no shepherd of Christ much less a "bishop of bishops" of Christ's church. The more we study the detailed thorns of Constantine’s life and those ministers he and his successors appointed over men, the less convincing it is that the fruits of the Holy Spirit were in their questionable conversions. There were thousands upon thousands that suffered and toiled under their “exercising authority”, with tens of thousands who died at their murderous, bloody hands. The testimony of their lives bears witness to the purity or impurity of their souls and their claim to faith in Christ.

“Constantine intervened in ecclesiastical affairs to achieve unity; he presided over the first ecumenical council of the church at Nicaea in 325.”[12]

He claimed the office of Pontifex Maximus or High Priest, till he died. As the ruling High Priest, he had demanded that the bishops of the Church come to his council. There were over 1800 known bishops at that time and barely 300 came. He sat on a golden throne, claiming to be the “Bishop of Bishops”, not a servant of servants, but as a dictator.

Flavius Salerus Constantinus created the first major False religion posing as Christianity. The first ecumenical council of the church at Nicaea was attended by many from the eastern churches, where heresy thrived. Less than a dozen bishops came from the rest of the Empire. Constantine I organized the Council along the lines of the Roman Senate and presided over it. Where does Christ give the authority to the ministers of His Church to dictate a unity of beliefs for the whole of Christendom?
The First Council of Nicaea instituted by Constantine promoted a false ideology that religion is "what you think about God". This lie fueled by debate began redefining the word "religion" and has brought persecutions, inquisitions, and wars ever since.

The historical record shows that those who answered the call of Constantine were financially rewarded with the spoils of Constantine's imperial rule. Extravagant gifts of gold, silver, buildings, property, and privilege were bestowed on these collaborating bishops who accepted his rule from the top down. Those bishops who sanctioned his benevolence and title of “bishop of bishops” are difficult to justify.

Did they abandon the teachings of Christ for the rewards of unrighteousness?

His gifts had been taken from fields of corpses and from an overtaxed populations. If ever there was a sin of the Nicolaitan branded on the head of men, it was here at this council of hypocrisy. How could men justify this fundamental departure from the teachings of Christ by becoming the state Church of Constantine?

Fortunately, these men were a small minority.

True Christian faith continued to thrive in those who remained in the liberty of Christ. Those who did not answer his call or questioned his assumed authority were sent packing or, in the years to follow, were labeled heretics and cast out of the graces of these despotic '‘bishops'’, or simply murdered as heretics.

In 381 A.D., the Council of Constantinople was convened by Theodosius I. Only 150 bishops attended condemning various religious groups that did not heed the call of the emperor. Theodosius was as much a tyrant, and more, a murder of thousands.

Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist and Jesus and the early Church advocated a Daily ministration for the needy. Jesus called out His ekklesia. The Church as we say today was institutionalized by Christ, Institutionalized means "established in practice or custom." Jesus spent years training His disciples which means "students" to be the ministers of His kingdom at hand, His government of God, which He took from those who were not bearing fruit and appointed to His "little flock". The problem today is most Churches are descended from the institutional Church of Constantine which was "established in practice or custom" in a different way. Constantine funded his new Church with tax money which provided for the poor. The modern institutional Church does the same. While there are many people who "say they are Christians" and many who are charitable people most of the care of the needy among the Churched and unchurched alike is provided by the state who merely takes from your neighbor to provide those benefits. These "covetous practices and customs" are contrary to the teachings of the prophets and certainly Jesus, James, Paul the Apostle and Peter and the "new covenant".

Several emperors had earlier guaranteed the protection of the Church. The idea that the Church was “legalized” may not be far from the truth, but what exactly does that mean? There was now an official Church of Rome established by men who found favor with the rulers of Rome, but were they true Christians? Or were they taking the name of the Lord in vain?

The legalizing of the Christian church was more a legalizing of certain collaborative sects of churches who claimed to be Christians and were willing to turn a blind eye, or at least give a grateful wink, to the autocratic oppression by these manipulating chiefs of state in exchange for exemption, if not wealth and protection.

Christ would not appeal to Rome to save his life, but these men petitioned Constantine and his senate, not to save their own life, but to take the lives of others. Abraham would not take a buckle, but these men took lavish gifts of gold and silver. They seemed to be “the lovers of soft things” like the Essenes spoken of in the courts of Herod.

These sects and governments have been able to control the writing of history throughout the ages. But, probably even more importantly, they promoted the compilation of the books we know today as the Bible. There is no clear record of how some writings were excluded and how others were chosen to be placed into what some referred as the canon.

“The 27 books of the New Testament are only a fraction of the literary production of the Christian communities in the first three centuries.”[13]

When we see the phrase, "All scripture"[14] in the Bible that did not mean the Bible because it did not yet exist. The fact is the word scripture was just the Greek word "graphs" which meant "writings" referring to "All writings". It is divine revelation by the Holy Spirit that ultimately reveals the truth[15] and not the private interpretation[16] of the reader. Constantine hired Eusebius to produce the first 50 Bibles. Early Christians had a much different view of Jesus than many modern Christians. Constantine had brought in a huge faction who called themselves "Christians" but lacked true repentance and the practice of Pure Religion. These "new Christians" occupied many of the councils we see forming after 300 A.D..

There is one thing clear from the historical record. Large numbers of Christian sects fled the judgment and persecution of the legalized church and their allies of force, fear, and violence. This union of church and state was not one sanctioned by God, nor did it bear much resemblance to the ways preached, demonstrated, and taught by Jesus.

Their fornicating relationship was self-serving, proud, violent, and oppressive. From Augustus to Constantine, the emperors still held the title, if not the office of Apo Theos, Originator of gods.

There is little doubt that the men, who exclude so much from the compilation of the New and the Old Testaments, did so with less than noble purposes, if not evil intent. This is not to say that those writings are not now authentic or valid, but their relationship with the Roman state can only lead one to believe that there may have been self-serving exclusions. These were not the Apostles who made the final decision concerning Bible content or wrote the Creed of the Apostles, but someone quite different. We can only assume that, what some men meant unto evil, the God of Heaven shall turn for good.

It was centuries before these apostates were able to crown rulers who began an aggressive policy of bloody “reform”. With these new institutions, the beast rose again and brought about the inquisition, annihilation, and extinction of millions of people who were seeking God’s Kingdom in spirit and in truth. The persecution of the early Christians by some emperors was nothing compared to the persecution of Christians and others that this unholy alliance of Church and State would eventually create.

Ministers | Why Minister | Minister of the world | Minister of the Church |
Elders | Deacon | Priests | Levites | Breeches | Hierarchy |
Altars | Stones | Stoning Daily ministration | Corban | Welfare |
Essenes | Disciples | Seven men | Church | Church legally defined | Christian |
Churches | Ministry Burnout | Religion | The Blessed Strategy | Widow |
Tens | Tithing | CORE | COM | Minister of Record | Benefactors |
Cain | Nimrod | Constantine | Christian conflict | Fathers |
Lady Godiva | Isaac Backus | Government and Liberty Described |
Monks | Lost Monks | Married Monks | Monasticism | Modern Monastic life |
Seek | Votive | Orders | Religious Orders | Rules of St Benedict |
Jesus | Was Jesus rich | Mendicant | Vow of poverty | Fervent Charity |
Denominations | Guru theories | Iconoclast | Cult | Bible Index | First to do List |


Religion | Pure Religion‎ | Private welfare | Fleeing Religion |
False religion | Public religion | Our Religion | Christian conflict |
Corban | Baptism | Benefactors | That Word | Daily ministration |
Modern Christians | Diocletianic Persecution | Christians check list |
gods | Judge not | Judge | Fathers | Deist | Damnable heresies |

Factions at the altar |
Pharisees | Sadducees | Zealot | Essenes | Levites |
Messianic Judaism | Menahem the Essene | Sanhedrin |
Altars | Clay and Stone | Red Heifer | Golden calf |
Freewill offerings | Religion | Pure Religion | Public religion |
Christian conflict | Paganism | Denominations | Dispensationalism |
Benefactors | Corban | Daily ministration | Calendars |
Cult | Imperial Cult of Rome | Guru theories| | Covet | Merchandise |
Mark of God | Mark of Cain | Mark of the Beast | Nature of the Beast
Section 666 | Benefactors | Biting one another | Cry out | Worship |
Church | Temples | Religious Orders | Priests | Kings and priests |
Hear | Bible Index | Network |

Piso and the Flavian Myth

Caesar's Messiah is a 2006 book of speculative non-fiction by Joseph Atwill, which argues that the New Testament Gospels were written as wartime propaganda by scholars connected to the Roman imperial court of the Flavian emperors: Vespasian, Titus and Domitian.

The Joseph Atwill's Piso/Flavian theory falls apart as soon as you find out what the character and mission of men like Moses and Jesus really were. They agreed with each other but the Pharisees did not agree with Jesus because they did not know Moses or what he actually was teaching the people.

Through false interpretation of the ancient manuscripts their meaning have become a lost to many people who image they know the truth so much so that people like Atwill are at a decided disadvantage to say nothing of their critics. If you begin with confusion more layers of confusion can easily add insult to injury.

What are they missing

Most of the early Church were actually Jews. Like the Church in the wilderness they were actually performing services for the people cast out of the Corban of Judea which Jesus had strongly objected to.

John the Baptist opposed Herod the Great's system of temple welfare which depended on forced offerings rather than the freewill offerings promoted by Moses.

If the Flavians wrote the Bible why would Jesus criticize the Corban of the Pharisees and Herod which was identical to the Qorban of Rome?


No man father

Jesus also warned the people to call no man father. Yet, everyone at that time called the Roman emperors Father. One of His titles was Patronus, which is Our Father, and all the Senators of Rome were all called the conscripti patribecause they were the Conscripted fathers of Rome who saw to the funding of the Imperial Cult of Rome which provided the free bread of the Roman welfare state.

No idolatry

To take of that system was considered idolatry by Paul because it was a covetous system of Legal charity which is idolatry.[17] The problem was the tables provided by their temples were systems of legal charity where their dainties were the wages of unrighteousness because they were provided by men who exercise authority one of the other[18] which was covetous practices which made men merchandiseaccording to Peter.

No oaths

Why would Flavius write that Jesus was commanding his people to "Swear not"?[19] And not apply to rulers of authority for benefits[18] when those systems of legal charity gave Caesar more and more power of the people.

Or why would they write that James said "But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and [your] nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation." James 5:12

These prohibitions against oaths and swearing would not be a part of the Flavian policies since an "Oath of Fidelity" was required by Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian, the entire judicial system and their gods many.

The Conflict

If people had been taught the truth about the Gospel of the Kingdom and the reason for the Christian conflict Atwill's suggestion that rebellious and violent Christians were persecuted would be seen as patently false.

The Christian conflict was because they would not sign up, usually requiring and oath, for their free bread offered at the tablse of the Roman welfare state. That persecution which began with Claudius and Marcus Aurelius continued with and the trial of the Acts of the Scillitan Martyrs who would not sign up for their welfare system.


Sons of God

There was an annual burning of incense at the temples of Rome where the faithful confirmed their allegiance and acceptance of Caesar as the Son of God.

But both Caesar and Jesus were called Savior and the Son of God. It was the difference in their means and methods which differentiated their Godhood. One called the people to repent, to think differently, to seek righteousness of the creator, while setting up a network of fervent charity to provide a social safety net[20] for His people so they would have the courage and character to attend to the weightier matters of Law.[21].

The other Son of God was the emperor of world of Rome who was also the Principas Civitas and Apotheos of that same world order bribed the people woth "treats and gratuities"[22] and searing the conscience of the people with their "appetite for benefits and the habit of receiving them by way of a rule of force and violence. The people, having grown accustomed to feed at the expense of others and to depend for their livelihood on the property of others" degenerated the masses of the empire.

One operated by faith, hope, and charity setting the captive free and the other operated by force, fear , and fealty making the people more merchandise than citizens.

The Piso/Flavian Myth is a product the false religion of the Modern Church who no longer practice Pure Religion which has allowed the conscience of the people to be seared by the covetous practices of Legal charity through the welfare states of the world.

The same persecution and denial will come when the true gospel of the Kingdom of God and His righteousness is preached again to the world. It will be the Modern Christians who will be at the core of a Christian conflict with the modern New World Order of Rome which will come into conflict with Sound Doctrine which is the Doctrines of Jesus.

Other gods

During the Second Persecution, under Domitian, A.D. 81, persecutions among the Christians would bring death by order of their magistrates who commonly were addressed as gods required a "test oath" to prove innocents. Modern Christians do not know why they called these men gods. Likewise, modern Christians don't understand who their actual gods are today.

While those emperors took oaths themselves to be High-priests of their nation But Jesus was proclaimed high-priest and King. He was king because he was the highest son of David but high-priest because of his older cousin John the Baptist who declared that Jesus was to come after him.

It is only a lack of understanding of Jesus and The Way that allows anyone to accept Atwill's premise of a Flavian authorship. If Modern Christians would fully repent and seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness with their whole heart, mind and soul they could not be seduced by the falsehoods and misdirection of Atwill and others.


Parallels

Joseph Atwill also claims that there are dozens of parallels between the Gospels and the history of Titus and his military. This requires a huge stretch of imagination. They prove nothing but the desperate hope of selling more books.

Atwill and his followers mix facts and ignore others. They fail to explain the well-documented activities of early Christians who were well known Historical characters and what they were doing. They mislead people about the persecutions of Christians and seem ignorant of the court issue that got peaceful people executed by the tens of thousands.

The makers of the film Zeitgeist try to make comparisons with many other characters of ancient history to prove Jesus was a fictional character but the sources and information they present as fact are more often incorrect or entirely fictional.

Many people are quick to jump on board their thesis for a variety of reasons but the whole truth reveals they are confused and dependent upon speculation and leaps of logic.


“Sometimes the best way to learn a lesson isn't just hearing the words, but putting it into practice by experimenting with it and finding its truth for yourself instead of taking someone else’s word for it.” ― A.J. Darkholme, Rise of the Morningstar


They are right that pagan ideas crept into what began posing as Christianity after Flavius Salerus Constantinus's First Council of Nicaea that attracted only a small number of Bishops who convened in Nicaea in Bithynia.

The people advocating that the Flavians created Christianity are mixing the creation of the Church of Flavius Salerus Constantinus with real Christians.

A thousand years later during centuries of inquisitions the Church created by Constantinus would murder millions of real Christians who were a living Church practicing Pure Religion.

Rome had become a Welfare State. That had not only made the Caesar's gods but made the people subject to the Imperial Cult of Rome in much the same way as the modern image of Rome.

Early Christians were practicing Private welfare instead of Public religion. It was the Public religion which involves the Covetous Practices that made men Merchandise and curses their children with debt.


"Fortunately for serious minds, a bias recognized is a bias sterilized." Benjamin Haydon



"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)

Footnotes

  1. XP are the first two Greek letters in the word, christos which means “anointed”, the same as the word messiah. Christos is also the name of a Greek God. Christos
  2.  Hans Pohlsander, The Emperor Constantine, pp. 78–79.
  3. Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
  4. John 1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
  5. There was no Bible as we know it today at that time but there was many books and writings used by Christians to teach the way of Christ
  6. Christian liturgy consisted of records about people who looked to the Church for their Daily ministration and those records were similar to the ones kept in the Roman temples which supplied the welfare of citizens. But the welfare of Christians was a system of private welfare based on charity and hope and the perfect law of liberty rather than entitlements and force like the system of Rome and Constantine.
  7. In Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Chapter XV, he praised “the union and discipline of the Christian republic”. He also pointed out that “it gradually formed an independent and increasing state in the heart of the Roman Empire”. Rousseau and Revolution, Will et Ariel Durant p.801. fn 83 Heiseler, 85.
  8. Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
  9. Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets [were] until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
  10. "But when a new generation arises and the democracy falls into the hands of the grandchildren of its founders, they have become so accustomed to freedom and equality that they no longer value them, and begin to aim at pre-eminence; and it is chiefly those of ample fortune who fall into this error.
    So when they begin to lust for power and cannot attain it through themselves or their own good qualities, they ruin their estates, tempting and corrupting the people in every possible way. And hence when by their foolish thirst for reputation they have created among the masses an appetite for gifts and the habit of receiving them, democracy in its turn is abolished and changes into a rule of force and violence. For the people, having grown accustomed to feed at the expense of others and to depend for their livelihood on the property of others, as soon as they find a leader who is enterprising but is excluded from the houses of office by his penury, institute the rule of violence; and now uniting their forces massacre, banish, and plunder, until they degenerate again into perfect savages and find once more a master and monarch" –Polybius: The Histories (composed at Rome around 130 BC)Fragments of Book VI, p289
  11. Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia Vol. 7 p.149
  12. Microsoft Encarta 97
  13. Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia Vol. 4 p.47
  14. 2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
  15. Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
  16. 2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
  17. Covetousness is idolatry
    Colossians 3:5 "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:"
    Ephesians 5:5 "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
    1 Corinthians 5:10 "Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat."
  18. 18.0 18.1 Not exercise authority
    Matthew 20:25 "But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you:..."
    Mark 10:42 "But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you:..."
    Luke 22:25 "And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye [shall] not [be] so:..."
  19. Matthew 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: city of the great King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
  20. Mark 7:11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, [It is] Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; [he shall be free]. 12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
  21. Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
  22. "That the man who first ruined the Roman people twas he who first gave them treats and gratuities. But this mischief crept secretly and gradually in, and did not openly make it's appearance in Rome for a considerable time." Plutarch's Life of Coriolanus (c. 100 AD.)

Author Brother Gregory