Quite a good thread at times this one but I do have a question - forget the did He exist what was His real name stuff - what I want to know is Peter, Andrew, Phillip, Bartholemew, Thomas, Matthew etc...what were all those English blokes doing hanging about with him in first millenium Palestine? - Charmain

Also, what denomination were the other ones? We know about "John the Baptist" and of course Peter must have been Catholic since he became Pope, but was it "Bartholomew the Greek Orthodox" and "Andrew the Presbyterian", "Philip the Anglican", "Thomas the Unitarian", "Matthew the Messianic Jew", etc., or what?

Also, as far as Constantine's Sun God goes, remember his vision: it was the Sun God (Sol Invictus, not Ra; Ra spoke Coptic) who pointed him in the direction of the cross, saying "In Hoc Signo Vinces". And remember my little ditty, to Frère Jacques:

Sol Invictus, Sol Invictus
What a god†! What a god†!
Lets us use his birthday
To remember Jesus!
Thank you, Sol! Thank you, Sol!

† or, for those concerned about offending YaHWeH, "What a guy!

There, now this thread doesn't have to stay down here in the BS since I gave it a folk music tie-in ;-)

Haruo