What If the Biggest Story Christianity Tells… Isn’t Actually True? (Prof. Candida Moss)

Описание: What if one of the most powerful stories Christianity tells about itself… isn’t actually true?

In this video, we explore the groundbreaking work of historian Candida Moss, whose research challenges two of the most widely assumed ideas in Christian history: that early Christians were constantly persecuted by the Roman Empire, and that the New Testament was written directly by the apostles themselves.

Drawing on Moss’s influential books The Myth of Persecution and God’s Ghostwriters, we examine the historical evidence behind Christian martyrdom, the origins of persecution narratives, and the overlooked role enslaved scribes may have played in shaping the New Testament. If the apostles didn’t all die as martyrs — and if enslaved Christians helped write and transmit the Bible — what does that mean for how these texts should be read today?

This video looks at:
• Whether early Christian persecution was exaggerated or invented
• How martyr stories developed centuries after the events they describe
• Why claims about apostles “dying for their beliefs” are historically fragile
• The role of enslaved scribes in writing and shaping the New Testament
• How persecution narratives continue to shape modern religious rhetoric

This doesn’t “disprove” Christianity — but it does force a serious re-examination of how its foundational stories were constructed, preserved, and later weaponised.

An interview with Candida Moss is coming soon. Leave a comment with questions you’d like me to ask her.

Links & Resources

Read more in-depth analysis on Substack: https://logosleaper.substack.com/

The Myth of Persecution — Candida Moss: https://www.amazon.co.uk/MYTH-PERSECU...
God’s Ghostwriters — Candida Moss: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gods-Ghostwr...

Related:
Sean McDowell responds to The Myth of Persecution:    • Dr. Sean McDowell Critiques “The Myth of P...  

Topics Covered

Christian martyrdom
Early Christianity
Roman persecution
New Testament authorship
Biblical scholarship
Historical Jesus studies
Candida Moss


Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:28 Candida Moss
3:25 The Myth of Persecution
9:12 The Modern Legacy of the Persecution Narrative
10:40 God’s Ghostwriters
15:23 Conclusions