Quotes from Kenneth Atchity

the historian's one alleged mention of Jesus of Nazareth — a little over one hundred notorious words in all — that was considered by Josephus scholars as a later insertion by an unscrupulous Christian scribe. Some historians believed that Josephus himself must have inserted the passage upon threat of his book being banned, or that it was inserted by later forgers. Ryan didn't know what to believe about the famous Testimonium Flavianum:

Facilis descensus Averno," he quoted from Virgil's Aeneid. Ryan found himself answering, by rote, The gates of hell are open night and day; Smooth the descent, and easy is the way: But to return, and view the cheerful skies, In this the task and mighty labor lies.

Augustus burning all the books attributed by ages past to the Sibyl–except the ones he ordered redacted to suit his image as the Awaited One, the Eternal Son of the Eternal Father, and Initiator of the Age of Gold. At the Pontifical Institute

though I fear I will be long consigned to the Purgatory reserved for doubters of the faith." She squeezed his hand. "It's not your faith in God that's failed you. It's your faith in the infallibility of the Holy Roman Catholic Church as an institution worthy of your unquestioned obedience." "One thing we agreed on," he admitted, his voice growing weaker, "was that organized religion was going to destroy us all.

Writing must have an element of magic to it. When that magic takes over, the writer himself loses track of time during the writing—and the reader will lose track of time during the reading. If you're happy at work and think of it as your own private briar patch—a place of escape from the world in which time is your time—the clock of life becomes your clock, and even the thorns in that briar patch are of your own choosing.

the verses were written no later than 39 B.C. and even as early as 42 B.C. — decades before the alleged birth of the biblical Jesus. The early church fathers wanted their followers to believe that the Prince of Peace the Roman poet referred to was Jesus of Nazareth, so the Middle Ages honored the poet as "St. Virgil," a lay prophet who had foreseen the coming of Christ.

divinity lies not in heavenly or earthly gods but in the immortal god within each one of us.

The creative spark in Augustus' eyes warned Virgil that the emperor was personally invested in these particular lines. Augustus Caesar would be the centerpiece, the awaited one, the anointed one, the savior of the world, the Messiah, the reborn Apollo, god and son of god, whose destiny it was to bring the Roman world through blood and sweat and tears to its fated greatness. His poem would make the emperor eternal.

well knew Augustus' practice of recasting ancient religions to include his coming in their traditional prophetic literature. Egomania coupled with absolute power could indeed change the world — but not necessarily for the better. Why doesn't he just write the cursed thing himself? Virgil fumed — silently.

Virgil's eyes fell on the papyrus, where Augustus' distinctive cursive had recorded the lines he had recited. Farther down he could just make out the sketchy words to mean, "Augustus Caesar… brings a Golden Age; he shall restore old Saturn's scepter to our Latin land." The poet rolled his eyes. And hoped to Hades that his Praetorian escort hadn't noticed.

the cross, from time immemorial, was universally symbolic of the intersection between earth and heaven, matter and spirit, the one and the many, human and divine.

There's no such thing in this world as absolute certainty. So accept that and go forward acting toward the best outcome no matter what.

Discipline, not the Muse, results in productivity. If you write only when she beckons, your writing is not yours at all.

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given, And the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His Name shall be called: Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. —Isaiah 9:6

believed he'd discovered sort of a forgotten link between Jesus and Augustus. Some truth that had been known to Constantine, but had been lost to the general public before — and since.

a myth is the matrix that is transformed from culture to culture, but basically remains essentially the same.

You in big trouble w'en you have ta apologize foh bein' yo'self.