How did Jews survive so long in Europe and the world.

How did the Jewish religon survive in Europe to now, and around the world, when there has been so few times when Jews were genunly a large power.

First of all we shall start from the point of view, of seeing how amazing this fact is.

Look at Europe today. Most people when they think of Europe would say that Europe is essentially a Christian Continent. Of course this is not totally the case, but when you look at the facts, the facts state that of every country in Europe, all the independant, and internationaly recognised countries except for just a few have a very stronmg case for being regarded as Christian. Added to this, if you look around the world, the European colonial powers pushed for Christianisation of many communities, including their own emmigrants worldwide. The sole exceptions to this massively Christian society, are large scale immigration into the whole of Europe since the colonial era, and Bosnia, where the Bosnian Muslims are the largest minority, Turkey, which often is not considered part of Europe, Azerbaijan, which is even more not really considered part of Europe, and Albania. Of all those lands, Christians are huge percentages of the population. The only other non Christian fact is this, that secularism, and Athiestism is strong in Europe, possibly stronger than in any other Continent. But all that is exsplainable, a increase is athiestism, since their was a arguable alternative to religon, namely Evolution, and physics and such. The Muslim population is explainable, by the way Muslim country;'s have been big powers in the world, ever since the 7th Century. Also other religons existance in Europe today are explainable, namely Hinduism, Buddhism, and such purely by the way that immigration has brought them past Europe's shores, and of course trade. But if you look at the grand sweep of history from say 2000 years ago, or 1000 years ago, or 5000 years ago, you see this astonishing fact that the only religons which have been in most of Western or Eastern Europe of that time, were Christiainity and Judaism. You look at the history of religon in Europe since say the year 0 AD. and you see immensely powerful faiths, such as worship of the emperor, Viking religons, Celtic faiths, Anglo Saxon faiths, Germanic Gods, Slavic rituals, and many other pagan faiths. And you see none of them survived that well to the modern era, despite having entire nations, and kingdoms, at their beck and call. You look at all the other faiths again, and so much of Europe has a smaller Muslim, or Buddhist history than Jewish. So this is a amazing fact, how did Judaism, survive when really it was never really supported was it by the authorities. Loads of kings, popes, princes, queens, and other dictators through as much as they could at Judaism, and just as much as they did in many cases as at Paganism. Also there were some Pagan faiths like Mithras which had great power in 0AD, but are not even thought of today.

Here I will explain my guess of what the answer is to this.

Well we could say, how on Earth did Christiainity survive, but I suppose that could be explained in the following words too.

My view is that it is the closeness, and the difference between Judaism, and Christianity was what made it survive. as I will explain.

But here is the other amazing fact, that may actually also help explain everything. How is it, that it is not just Christiainity and Judaism, that had the strongest history of survival in the Western corner of Eurasia, but that ANOTHER Abrahamic, religon, is the next most prominent faith of these areas. namely Islam. So this may be the kernel of where we can find te answer. The facts must be these, that Christiaity is said by some historians of religon to have essentially have been born on the coat tails of Judaism, that Christiainity grew upon Jewish communities and spread from there. And that Islam, was in this area too. Islam also certainly brought on board some Jewish and Christian thinking. So what is the explanation. I think the explanation is that, Judaism, was so linked to Christianity in many ways. So this meant that when other religons like of Pagan varities were attacked, Judaism was a ble to survive as of links to Judaism. But the more important one, would be that for some reason Judaism spread about the world, then Christiainity spread on it's coat tails. But then became more popular than Christiainity. The amazing thing about the Jewish and Muslim and Christian religons is that by 1000 AD they were both spread far and wide. There were believers in all the religons in Europe, Africa, India, the Middle East. Maybe this is as Judaism, had become so big a religon earlier. Even Zoroastrianism, any Pagan faiths and such were not as far and wide. or Hinduism. But there was another faith connected to the 3 Abrahamic religons, 'Manichaeism'. It too spread to Chin and the Middle East. Think of another faith, the Cathars they were big in parts of Europe for a while but died out, As too did the Arian Christians. So my big explanation would be they owe their growth to the fact that the Roman Republic, became such a massive power, and spread across the large portions of Eurasia, becoming the largest state in Western Eurasia, up to then in history, And in terms of population the e largest by an incredible amount to thne, and for a very long time after it had died out. The Roman Empire, expelled Jewish people, after Jewish revolts, around Europe, and they then spread their faith. Then Christianity developed in Israel, during a period of immense change in Israel, and this then was able to spread among Jews across Europe. Why would it be then that Christiainity that became the religon of Rome. Well we can explain why English and Chinese are the major languages, economically speaking, because English was the largest language in Britain, and as Britain became the biggest world power, in the 18th Century, and was qable to establish massive colonies during the era of European hegemony. But Christiainity, why would a religon of a small province of Rome, become the major religon, and why would the 2 largest faiths of today both be decended off the faith of one portion of the Roman Empire. Why not Roman Emperor worship, or the Greek Gods, who were so admired by Rome, or Hinduism, which had such a strong position or Mithras. Well lets think, what was the main threat accordsing to most people tio Christiainmity after it took itself into being the main faith of the Empire, Mithras, so what were the simmilarities between it and Christiainity that made them popular. Well maybe it was that Christianity and Mithras have parts that make it easy to be of these faiths. It seems both faiths based themselves on teaching ways of accepting the idea that you think there is a Allmighty God, a single God, who is worshipped. ANd that you do not need connection with the state, or druids or some thing all that much. That really you can be a Christian on a desrt island or in a city of millions. Whereas religons maybe like Druidic ones are incapable, of having people following say a Aztec God, or such without the huge temple there. And maybe the Greek Gods who surely if it not the Roman Gods, would be the faves for being the new religon of Rome as of the Romans love of Greek things, were not as popular or able to spread as they were so complex, and so many Gods. So say a slave or serf would not be able to unite around this faith all that much. Ok yes Hinduism, is able to survive in a similar way to that, but maybe its how India has such a history of massively seperated states, and so Hinudism, was able to taken on by the Hindu Priests who used their posistion in such a dissunited continent, that was united in other ways to make their power composite and amaglamate, and make their religon major, using the divisions and unity of India. Whereas maybe the Roman Gods, could have had that, but never had such a federal monk and priest way. that could even then maybe not have suited the smaller base that Europe had for the Roman Empire. And maybe the emperor taking over those faiths polluted them. Maybe the growth of Christiainity was from Judiasm, then it and Mithras grew as of opposition to the Roman Enperor's. Maybe the dissunity of the empire, caused possibly by how the Roman Republic, expanded and took over foreign ethnicities and just made them part of the nation made it the case that Rome would never stay all that unified. Whereas China saw less of this, It saw some emperor worship in some sense, and also Confucianmism, and loads of faiths, maybe also based on how China was at times united and strong and at times divided so many faiths could spring up. But Christiainity came about at the time of the "Mystery Religons", It seems to have just been one of many that became strong. I feel the feeling is that in the 1st Century AD, the Romans had created an empire strecthing afar and wide. Surely this would have been devastating to the image of many Pagan faiths. Just like how it is felt the beliefs of some Native American religons were devastaed by loss of their leaders, and priests power. Then the Roman Empire itself experienced massive turmoil. Along came the Roman Empire, instead of the Republic, and along massive civil wars, in this society, which sometimes had seperate governments for different areas and such. So maybe the official state faith Emepror Worship in such a time, of greater trade, and of no proper continual line of succession, as of course the imperial system maybe did not after all suit the Enmpire, as well as the emperors would have imagined, never had proper respect from anybody. With constatntly changing emperors, Especuially among ethinic groups who would have disliked the Roman Enpire to some extent, for inmstance at times the Jews, who felt they were being oppressed by the empire at times, or the Greeks, or slaves of this groups shipped to France and etc., Then from this base these groups were able to spread their faith among a society for whom the emperor was never all that respected. It was not like Japan. where the emperor was there, and the nation then expanded, Not that the Japanese royal family are any good, they did dreadful things, but they would be able to claim they were God Like via such a long history,. The Roman Emperor's were just long lines of rich power hungry aristocrats, yes no better or worse than the Japanese or any other royal family, but they would not really be able to persuad people thier propaganda about them being all Divine was all that true most of rthe time, When even army generals, and any group of people became emperor's in coupsd, and were fighting eacother,. So maybe the way the Roman Reopublic, was born, as colonial esse ntially occupation regime, rather than a make everybody be like us, or colonial absorbition way of China, of making all the people like them, or the British way of just colonising with people, helped make a disunited empire, And so the Empire never believed in the state faith, So Christiainity survived. And maybe it was the one, more able to be believed in by others, so spread more. After all I have heard Judaism, even today is more difficult to convert to than Christiainity, ANd have heard Miothras only accepted Males, So then Christiainity was able to become the state faith. The last of that amazing facts is how the other main threats to Christiain domination were like it too, of the Mytsery Cults, one was one that Worships John the Bapitist, So we must guess that mainly the Mysery Cuklts came from the East, because they were more mallable faiths, and more able to be belived in by people, in any sitautions, Wheras Celtic and Anglio Saxon faiths were requiring Temople leaders, And the only possibel Temple authorities at that time would eminate from Rome, but at that time, Rome's leaders reputations were so dishonmoured by their acts that they were just ignored. So then their was a vaccum, filled by other faioths,. ANd the reason Judaism, and religons like it filled it, is as they were faiths able to be belived in in any sistuation, Maybe Israel developed this, as of the Jewish revolt. The Jewish revolt spread Jews around Europe, then they spread the beliefs that had formed during the turmoil of 1st C ad Roman Occupation, During the 1st C occupation by Rome, local rulers reputations were ruined as of collaberation with Rome. But people kept on believing their faith. No through some quirk of fate Jews belived in a monotheistic faith. And I say the economy and ways of Rome, meant a Mono faith copuld spread more easilly than a poly god faith,. Why did Jews belive in a Mono God faith as of the strengh of Persia. Persia as a strong united empire, in the Centuries before had made Zoroastrianism, major, and the idea of a mono godf way spread to Israel. A Mono faith had suited Persia, as it was such a stronmg united empire, and it needed a Mono Faith. Why did Zoroastrianism, spread to Iarael, and influence Judaism, weell because Israel is where the 2 Great Continents Africa And Eurasia, meet, and in some ways is also a rural area, not that able to have huge cities as it does not have huge rivers, or harbours, so it sits there soaking in these ideas, and just accepts them. The Israeli pre Roman elite had this religous idea of just 1 God, And then it spread the world,. The reason why Judaism, spread with essentially Cults linked to it like Christ and more faiths like the Johnh the Baptist faith is that Jews were of this united faith in the 1st C ad, then revolted against Roman Rule, then they were spread about Rome, during a period, of rampant change and filled the vaccum, more effectivelty than any other faith, eventually the Roman empire split allot, and the greatest split it ever had coincides with when Christ became the emblem of Rome, this 4th C ad events also was when Constantinople replaced Rome, as capitol, and emperor Worship was replaced by Christiainity, Christiainity becoming the faith of Rome, then saw it later the faith of Western Europe and Eastern Europe, as of the power of lands in Western Europe, and then of much of the world. Why, well everybody just loved Roman History after it's fall, there were leaders all over Europe right to 14th Century England's capture of GWynedd in North Wales, glorying in a place like Caernarfon's connections to Roman History. As Rome was still the power like the USA, today is, but a millenia after Rome had fallen that the far smaller relatively states of Europe even in the Medieval era, saw as a amazing thing.

This does not explain why Judaism survived well I say, it is as it was linked to Christiainity. and as of the intial Jewish Revolts. These Jewish revolts meant Jewish communities not only spread to areas that would become Christian, but to areas outside Rome, and in some ways outside Christian influence, so when Muslim armies took North Africa, they took uinder their wing Jewish communities. I belive you look aththis, Jews survived as of this, Whereas Pagans just saw their beliefs crushed, the Jewish people were able to flirt back and to . When the King of France expels the Jews, the Jews go to Spain, when from Spain, to North Africa, when from North Africa, to another bit, When from England, to Holland, or France. It is the case that a very large percentage of Jews today can trace heritage from Jews who were living ubnder the Polish Commonwealth, amazing fact is, the Jews of Poland went theire to partly escape medieval persecution in Germany, then set up in Poland, thrived there, as much as the Mayflower British, then later when life in Poland under the Tsars was to tough went to the US, and western Europe, in greater eras of emmigration. Also that Byzantine Emperor, the fanous one, Justinian he tried to crush Jewsd and Pagans but tried harder V Pagans as they were less connected to Christiainity, For a while the super large Khazar empire, was Muslim, Jewish and Christian, but it changed it's faith so often, it seems to just indicate that all 3 faiths were able to survive by eachother. there, and in Europe. even if all 3 at times were not respected in Khazar or Europe. Also its intresting how Jewish communities were in Yemen and Ethiopia, before 1000s AD, and China before 1600 AD, just like Christianity Muslim,s and that faith Nestorian Christiainity was in China, but thats to do with survival,

The Only religons with Judaism, and Christiainity to have survived long, are a Pagan faith in Lapland, which was in most ways fiinished off by the 18th Century, and some Pagan elements among some tribes like Nenets, in far eastern Europe, of 10s of thousands, but in such small numbers, and so far away from the rest of Europe. Also a Pagan faith in the North Caucacus to the 18th or 19th Centuries I can not remember, but the other tribes and states made them Muslim, and Christian. Added to this the Balts and Lithuanians, remained Pagan to the late in the Middle Ages. But essentially then only Judaism, and Christianity survived long.

There were also small Jewish communities in Guangzhou, as early as 758. very small, similar in size to the 100s in size Jewish communities in a few Indian cities. There were also large Jewish communities in Yemen, Iran, and North Africa. at times. Ethiopia had a 1000s strong Flasha Jewish Community farming too the 1980s, when Israel took much of the remaining community to Israel.

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