From a chapter on “Gnosticism” by Henry Chadwick. Chadwick was an eminent historian of the early church.
The pagan world was quite accustomed to myths of great heroes, such as Heracles and Asclepius, who were elevated to divine rank as a reward for their merits. The Christians amazed the world by the extraordinary claim that the divine redeemer of their story had lately been born of a woman in Judea, had been crucified under Pontius Pilate, had risen again, and at last (which they believed to be in the near future) would judge the world. It would all have been less startling to the ancient mind if only the story could be cut free of its historical anchorage and interpreted as a cosmic or psychological myth attached to an esoteric mystery cult – p. 33 “The Early Church”, Penguin 1993, revised edition.
The ancient mind – so miserably familiar.