Religion
In reply to the discussion: Ancient Confession Found: 'We Invented Jesus Christ' [View all]struggle4progress
(118,032 posts)it seems unlikely to me that the Roman intelligentsia had much spare energy in the Third Century or early Fourth Century to devote to a small and obscure Jewish splinter sect, a hundred and fifty or more years after the destruction of the Jewish nation:
Rome was at war with the Sasanids 229232 and 241244. Severus Alexander was assassinated in 235 CE. He was followed by:
Maximinus I (235-238), assassinated
Gordian I (238), suicide
Gordian II (238), killed in battle
Pupienus (238), assassinated
Balbinus (238), assassinated
Gordian III (238-244), died, possibly assassinated
Philip I (244-249), killed in battle
Trajan Decius (249 - 251), killed in battle
The Plague of Cyprian broke out in 251 and lasted fifteen years, causing up to 5000 deaths/day in Rome at its peak. Rome was at war with the Sasanids 252261. At about the same time, the Empire split into four fragments. The list of short-lived emperors continues:
Hostilian (251), died of plague
Trebonianus Gallus (251 - 253), assassinated
Aemilian (253), assassinated
Valerian (253 - 260), captured in the current Sasanid war, died in captivity
Gallienus (253 - 268), assassinated
Claudius Gothicus (268 - 270), died of plague
Quintillus (270), died, possibly assassinated or suicide
Aurelian (270 - 275), assassinated
Tacitus (275 - 276), died, possibly assassinated
Florian (276), assassinated
Probus (276 - 282), assassinated
Carus(282 - 283), died
Numerian (283 - 284), died, possibly assassinated
Carinus (283 - 285), died in battle
Rome was at war with the Sasanids 283 and 296-8. Diocletian partially reunited the Empire in 293, but the reunification only survived about twenty years, leading to several civil wars from 311 until Constantine's victory in 324. Rome was again at war with the Sasanids 337350