Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 154 The Erased Name (Third Update)

"It's amazing that if that woman hadn't witnessed Jesus' resurrection, Jesus might not have been shrouded in a divine aura, and Christianity might have simply become a branch of Judaism, quickly disappearing into the annals of history along with other religions, instead of later separating from Judaism and becoming a world religion that spread throughout the entire world..."

—From "Moments That Shaped the World"

……

Just as Joshua was nailed to the cross, his disciples rescued him from the cross. The grieving disciples chose to bury Joshua, but not long after, a woman who was overjoyed suddenly appeared.

“God, I have seen Joshua rise from the dead…”

According to the woman's account, when she and several others were remembering Joshua at the cemetery outside the city, Joshua suddenly appeared before her, radiant with light, and told her to tell her disciples that he would protect them and spread the faith throughout the earth.

The disciples, who were somewhat bewildered by Joshua's death, grasped at this lifeline as if it were a lifeline. Since these women insisted that Joshua had truly risen from the dead, they could proclaim it as a miracle.

However, they did not notice that these women gathered together somewhere sometime later.

"In this way, we will be able to fulfill Judas's dying wish."

The women talked while secretly wiping away tears.

Unbeknownst to anyone, during their time in Jerusalem, they were inspired by Judah and secretly embraced Joshua's teachings. Just days before, Judah had given them a single, and only, command.

The meticulous Judas had already foreseen what might happen after Joshua's death and directly fueled the flames, giving Joshua even more divine aura.

In a world where supernatural powers are not allowed to be displayed, how easy is resurrection? However, it would be much easier to persuade a few women.

……

Many years later, in Rome, inside the emperor's bedroom.

"what!"

As the emperor awoke with a start, the middle-aged Roman emperor Constantine sat up in his bedchamber, which was made of purple silk. He was covered with a soft brocade quilt, and he stroked his head with one hand, letting out a soft groan.

Outside the bedroom, a cacophony of footsteps could be heard; they were the emperor's attendants and guards.

"Your Majesty, what has happened?"

No one dared to barge in directly. Only an urgent voice rang out from outside the door, and the emperor simply spoke casually in response.

"It's nothing, Romunas, it was just a nightmare. You may leave."

The people outside retreated meekly, but the faint firelight proved that they had not gone far and were still waiting for the emperor's summons.

Ignoring all this, Constantine simply stroked his head and frowned.

In his dream, he seemed to see someone smiling at him from above the clouds, but he couldn't see clearly. He could only vaguely make out the white things that looked like the wings of birds behind him.

"what is this?"

Constantine wasn't particularly enthusiastic about religion, but his mother and wife were devout Christians, so he vaguely felt that it might be related to their faith. He summoned his academic advisor, who, after carefully listening to his dream, exclaimed in amazement.

"Your Majesty, these are the angels that the Christians speak of."

Christianity……

The emperor fell into deep thought.

This is a religion that has become so powerful in the Roman Empire that it is impossible to ban it. The number of believers is countless. Since the time of Nero 250 years ago, the Roman Empire has been trying its best to suppress the growth of these Christians. His predecessors were strong anti-Christians, but they were helpless to stop it.

These believers seem endless; no matter how many are killed, it cannot stop more people from following them. To this day, even the mother and wife of the Roman emperor are Christians, and the ban on Christianity has become almost meaningless.

What does this signify?

The emperor was somewhat confused.

……

A few years later, at an unprecedented conference, a large number of Christian scholars gathered, and even the Roman emperor could only sit at the end of the table.

The Council of Nicaea was the first time since the Roman Empire issued the Edict of Milan, recognizing Christianity as the state religion, that it had relied on the emperor's authority to convene almost all the prominent bishops within the empire to discuss various differences within Christianity.

Two hundred and ninety-five years have passed since Joshua, or Jesus in Greek, was nailed to the cross. In those nearly three hundred years, the world has undergone tremendous changes. The Christians who once spread throughout the empire have developed vastly different doctrines, even to the point of near-diametrical conflict, depending on the regions they preached in and the local customs.

It was for this reason that Constantine summoned more than three hundred bishops and numerous scholars from across the empire to address the various differences that arose during the spread of Christianity.

At the beginning of the conference, many theological issues were resolved through joint discussions among the bishops and scholars, gradually correcting many differences. However, while the simpler issues were resolved, the remaining problems were naturally fraught with difficulties. When a certain unavoidable core issue came to the fore, this contradiction finally erupted.

"Jesus is the Son, and God is the Father. Their identities are different, so they cannot be treated the same."

Arius couldn't help but roar angrily at the bishop in front of him. "God and Messiah are one, Jesus is the manifestation of God, the Word made flesh, so there is no difference between them."

But in front of him, the bishop named Adanath stubbornly retorted.

Both bishops are prominent figures within Christianity, managing churches and hundreds of thousands or even millions of believers in their respective regions. Their current argument is a long-standing unresolved issue within Christianity.

Was Jesus a man or a god?

This is naturally a very strange question for non-Christians, but for believers in Christ, it is the most serious question because it directly determines many fundamental issues.

With these two sides at the helm, the conference was divided into two massive factions, and their opposing viewpoints became the focus of the entire meeting. Even the Roman emperor, who was sitting on the sidelines, was unable to reconcile the conflict between the two sides.

The debate lasted a long time, and ultimately, the "Trinity" as perceived by the supporters of the Anassa people prevailed.

Immediately, Emperor Constantine, using his imperial authority, declared that the Trinity was the only legitimate authority, and all other pronouncements were heretical. Under pressure from the sword and the scriptures, the unwilling Arian had no choice but to accept it.

……

And then, after who knows how long.

"Mentor! Mentor! I've made a major discovery..."

Inside the monastery filled with books, the excited young apprentice almost ran, panting, to his mentor, then held up the old, worn parchment scroll in his hand.

The elderly monk held his cross in his hands, murmuring prayers, and looked at the young apprentice in front of him with a puzzled expression.

"what happened?"

Looking at the young apprentice before him, the elderly monk smiled and spoke.

"Just now, deep within the dusty classics, I accidentally discovered a parchment scroll tucked between bricks. Then I looked at it, and... there was a major discovery inside!"

Then, the young apprentice tried to calm his breathing and spoke mysteriously to the old monk in front of him.

"This parchment scroll... records many things about the Lord's life, and it mentions that the Lord actually had a name..."

“It is called Hanna.”

The old cultivator's aged eyes paused for a moment, then slowly widened.

Then, he took the parchment scroll from the apprentice's hand. As soon as he got close, a stale, musty smell hit him, making him nauseous and almost unable to imagine how it had been preserved. But the old monk didn't care. Instead, he eagerly opened it, almost pressing his nose against the paper, reading every word inside.

Finally, he opened his mouth wide, his hand holding the parchment trembling slightly, looking utterly lost.

Clearly, the contents of this parchment scroll had a profound impact on him.

Then, a glint flashed in his eyes...

"Parker, have you told anyone else? Or does anyone else know about this?"

The monk lowered his head, smiling as he looked at the young apprentice before him, while Parker simply replied.

"No."

The old monk's smile grew even wider as he stroked Parker's head and said repeatedly.

"Okay, okay... It's getting late, let's get ready for dinner."

"Ok!"

Parker nodded excitedly, then turned around... and behind him stood the old monk with a ferocious expression, holding a wooden club high in his hand.

"Oh!"

Blood seeped from the small body on the ground, its limbs twisted unnaturally from the frenzied blows, its frozen eyes seemingly unaware of what had happened. Looking down at the young corpse before him, the devout old monk, who had never committed any evil or even lied, now had bloodshot eyes, gripping a blood-stained wooden stick, and gasping for breath.

He then stumbled and fell to the ground, but didn't seem to care, muttering to himself.

"Jesus is God, not a man... How could Jesus be a man... How could it be a man... Yes, this must be the devil tempting me, it can't be the manuscript left by the disciples..."

The old monk lit a fire, threw the parchment that terrified him into it, and laughed heartily as he watched the manuscript gradually burn.

"Ha...hahahahahaha..."

And on his neck, the blood-stained figure on the cross flickered in the swaying firelight, as if weeping…

(End of this chapter)