This article exposes how the traditional New Testament canon was shaped by empire, why so many early Christian texts were erased, and what it means to reclaim a faith not built on imperial control. If your Bible was built by Rome, it might be time to start over.
I'm looking forward to reading this. And I'm excited that the foreword is by John Dominic Crossan because I've enjoyed listening to his commentaries on various parts of the Bible over the years. Celebrating the feast day of Constantine and Helen is a huge deal in the Orthodox Church, "equal to the apostles." The more I think about that now that I'm no longer Orthodox, the emperor would be considered equal to the apostles, but Christianity should never have been equal to or subsumed by empire.
Naveeda, yes. Equal to the Apostles—that title burns hotter the longer you sit with it.
The emperor canonized. The empire baptized. The Church militarized.
And suddenly, the man who ordered his wife and son killed gets liturgical veneration... while the woman who first preached the resurrection gets footnoted or erased.
They crowned Constantine. They silenced Magdalene.
Thank you so much for recommending it. I'm torn as far as ordering things from Amazon goes, given that Bezos is a tool of "Empire", but I do want to support you and some others who are Amazon affiliates as well. And it will be well worth it. :-)
AWS holds about 30–35% of the global cloud infrastructure market (as of 2024), which includes computing, storage, networking, and more. That makes it the largest cloud provider, ahead of Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.
Substack definitely uses Amazon SES (Simple Email Service) to deliver newsletter emails at scale
They're likely hosted on some AWS backend services (like EC2 or RDS), though Substack hasn’t publicly confirmed all the infrastructure details.
40–50% of Amazon’s total operating profit coming from AWS alone. Very little profits come from retail sales.
So, when you buy through Amazon, you are not really supporting Amazon that much.
According to a search i did, just retail sales (without AWS) bring in for amazon an annual net profit of anywhere between 26 to 41 BILLION dollars per year. I wouldn't call that "very little profit" exactly.. 🙂 And those tens of billions in retail profit every single year are most definitely being used against us (the non ruling class). Not only through Intense pro-billionaire propaganda and warmongering in Bezos' WashPost and his billions in contributions to NeoCon warhawk "think tanks" to perpetuate eternal war globally (that allows the 0.01% to DIVIDE-AND-RULE us and therefore control us, see full details here https://open.substack.com/pub/johnspritzler/p/oppressors-need-bogeyman-enemies), and not only becasue in our unintelligent and anti-democratic system of oligarch control we operate according to the principle of money equals power to shape society and treat the 99% like dirt ( not 'one person=one vote" but "one dollar=one vote" see here https://www.pdrboston.org/capitalism), but also through the absolutely appaling anti-human conditions, abuse and exploitation happening in amazon's slave-like warehouses.
For all the above reasons, I don't give a single cent to the ruling class predators (and Bezos' amazon is at the top of the list) if i can help it. So if there is another way to get the book (which I'm very interested in reading) without supporting the anti-humanity ruling billionaire predators (like Bezos) then I'd love to know about it 🙏
Look, I get it—you want to stick it to Bezos. That’s cute. But let’s get real.
That “26 to 41 BILLION in retail profit” you found? That’s not real. That’s either gross profit (before expenses) or just plain revenue. Amazon’s actual net profit from retail—after warehouse costs, shipping, returns, and crushing overhead—is razor-thin. Some years, it’s even negative.
In 2023, Amazon’s combined retail segments (North America and International) brought in about $7.5 billion in operating profit. AWS alone brought in $24.6 billion. That’s not a side hustle—that’s the cash cow.
So let’s not pretend retail is this high-margin goldmine funding world domination. The part of Amazon that actually prints money is AWS. And guess what powers Substack, Netflix, and half the “anti-Amazon” content people proudly share online? Yep—AWS.
You want to boycott Amazon? Cool. But don’t hit people like me for being affiliates while you’re unknowingly streaming Bezos-backed bytes every day.
And here's another inconvenient truth: about half the retail sales on Amazon aren’t even by Amazon. They’re third-party sellers. Amazon just fulfills them. That means mom-and-pop businesses, indie publishers, and people like me trying to earn a living without kissing corporate ass are the ones you’re boycotting. Congrats, you’re not hurting Bezos. You’re hurting us.
But sure—go ahead and judge me for being an affiliate. Meanwhile, you're surfing AWS-backed sites, typing righteous essays on your iPhone, and using a financial system propped up by the same capitalist empire you're pretending to unplug from.
Moral high ground? More like rented space on a cloud server owned by the same dude you think you're taking down.
Thanks friend. I seems like you took my comment as a personal attack or accusation against you, but if you'll read it again (hopefully after the enraged emotions comed down a bit) you'll see that there was not a single word of accusation against you in my comment. I was simply explaining why i don't want to give any money and fuel (IF I CAN HELP IT) to anti-Golden Rule abusive ruling class billionaire predators, and therefore why i would prefer to buy the book from elsewhere and not from them. That's what my comment said and was about, but unfortunately it seems like you took it as a personal affront to you when it wasn't anything of the sort.
And no, my motivation is NOT to "stick it to Bezos" (as you presented it as if it is some childish personal vendetta against a single person). If you really have an interest to know what i truly want then kindly read the first three notes on my account (1. drinkers of the mystery, 2. the four key facts about israel/palestine that are hidden from us by the ruling class; 3. Freedom and egalitarianism) or the first post on my account (here https://open.substack.com/pub/headandheart1/p/my-perspective-on-the-conflict-in) and you'll see that my outlook is much much more comprehensive than any childish vendetta against a single person or corporation.
I also intentionally wrote "If I can help it" (won't support the ruling class predation and abuse a d domination over us IF I CAN HELP IT) becasue, well, this might take a minute to explain, but as far as i can see there are two levels in which one can take action (with regard to the controlled abusive political-economic reality we've been corralled into).
One level is the more immediate personal level like what i mentioned in the original comment, of boycotting or not monetarily supporting - TO THE BEST OF ONE'S PERSONAL ABILITY - evil in this world (such as the billionaire ruling class' global war machine, and their abuse, exploitation and treating us like dirt, and their monopolizing and controlling the means of communication and idea-sharing, and their dividong and pitting us agaimst each other). And i agree with you that this first level of action can only goes so far and is not as effective as the second level (which i'll mention in a moment) and is not what will ultimately bring about real lasting change and freedom from ruling class domination and abuse and DIVIDE-AND-RULE machinations (this level of action can't do that because many of the riches that the billionaire ruling class generate off of us are beyond our personal ability to have any say in. They are done for example through either our tax money given to the billionaire ruling class against our wish, or for example through their monopolizing systems, that attempt to cage us with little choice left but to use their "services" (as you rightly pointed out. Although i personally boycott these as well don't use any of the ruling class cages that you mentioned, like netflix or iphone, and dont give any money to substack, but i agree with you that on this level of action we might not have much choice but to contribute to the ruling class' abuse and domination over us, even against our wishes),
And therefore my bigger focus is on the second level of what one can do about this, and that is to remove the anti-Golden Rule ruling class abusers entirely from power over us and have real (not fake!) Democracy, and have the tremendous prosperity that we generate be directed to benefit US (and not the 0.01% anti-humanity predatory thieves).
PS. And just a small technical note (not the main point here) but according to gemini, chatgpt and deepseek, the NET profit (not revenue, but net income after expenses deducted from operational income) of amazon from just retail (not AWS) in 2024 was estimated at 20-22 billion. It's true that the scumbags generated even more net income from AWS, but 20-22 billion (or even "just" 1 billion dollars) is not an insignificant amount, and it is all used against us, like i detailed in tne original comment.
Had no idea this existed. Surprise! Now i have 5 new books to read & after that i’m sure you’ll have some other gems to share.
I have much to learn & while there are usually some strong emotions erupting during the process itz better than hiding in the dark & having those same emotions with no guidance or support to help you on the adventure & journey. 🌈
So wedding physical imperialism to spiritual imperialism may not be a great idea? At least we still have a great city named after Constantine to keep him in our memory. (If you’re gonna be picky, Istanbul is sometimes referred to as “the city that used to be called ‘Constantinople’”, but I don’t think that qualifies as much of an achievement.) trying really hard to think of a marriage between religion and politics that worked out well
Christianity has had to withstand much abuse, starting with the Roman Empire & the Council of Nicaea. But the true essence of it — the teachings of Jesus — is worth saving, by looking into the earliest gospels. Thanks for recommending “A New New Testament.”
Exactly this, Karen. Strip away empire, patriarchy, and PR—what’s left still burns with truth. The earliest gospels weren’t trying to build cathedrals or armies. They were trying to wake us up. “A New New Testament” helps the real ones speak again.
I’ve downloaded the Kindle version and am looking forward to reading it. The explanation of why women had such a minor role in the Bible has always been a question for me. The answer “it was part of the tradition of the times” made an injustice seem rational (kinda the way Trump rationalizes his grievances), but even in the New Testament, Jesus wasn’t exclusionary.
Right on, Teryl. That “it was just the culture of the time” excuse is how injustice keeps getting rebranded as inevitability.
Jesus wasn’t the one sidelining women. That came later, when the empire’s editors decided inclusion was too dangerous to print. Mary Magdalene wasn’t forgotten by accident. She was erased on purpose.
Glad you're diving into the book. This isn’t just history. It’s a recovery mission.
My copy of the “New New Testament” is in some box somewhere after my move. I kept getting the message to “wait” before ordering a replacement. Now I know why. It is very enlightening
Interesting—once we’re alerted to the bias and errors in our highly regarded Bibles, we have a solid, non-contradictory text based on the best original texts.
That God spoke through an ass doesn’t mean we now revere the ass—neither do we revere those God used via the state to compile our present Bible.
Karen, that’s beautiful to hear. Hope it opens up some good questions and unexpected wonder. The voices that got buried didn’t stay silent—they’re still whispering through the cracks if we know how to listen. Let me know what stands out to you as you read.
Yeah I've always scratched my head at the folks who can talk my ear off about the Pope being the Antichrist and Biblical infallibility in the same breath. This isn't exactly secret history here.
But you gotta have some source of Authority, right? Otherwise, how are you able to justify condemning others?
Exactly. You can’t maintain a condemnation economy without a central authority to rubber-stamp your outrage. Sola Scriptura isn’t about scripture—it’s about control. Once the Empire couldn’t weaponize bishops, it handed the sword to the text. And suddenly, every man with a leather-bound Bible and a grudge became the mouthpiece of God.
I’ve never looked at our faith tradition the same since reading Karen Armstrong’s History of God and understanding how the church evolved. It’s funny, I used to hide the fact that I identify as a Christian. Now that I have a deeper understanding of our roots, I feel like I can be transparent about being a follower of this Wisdom tradition.
Kim, that shift from hiding to claiming is holy. Not because the tradition got prettier—but because you saw through the mess and still found the gold. Wisdom traditions aren’t for branding. They’re for burning illusions. And it sounds like yours lit the match. Welcome to the ones who stayed after the curtain got pulled back.
I teach adult education at a local Presbyterian Church. Several of us are reading The New New Testament and weaving its writings into our group adult education. I am so thankful for this substack that has this well written synopsis of what happened under Constantine and Empire. I read your substack to my husband before he left for work as a Professor of medical students ( part time- semi- retired). He wanted a copy sent to his email😆We have been married 51 years yesterday🌹💖I am so thankful for your substack.
Janet, that’s a holy kind of anniversary gift. Fifty-one years and still sharing new texts at the breakfast table. I love hearing that your group is reading The New New Testament. Constantine’s edits get less intimidating once we see them for what they were: politics dressed up as revelation. Grateful the Substack is walking with you in that uncovering. Blessings on your classroom and your marriage, both still teaching.
I'm looking forward to reading this. And I'm excited that the foreword is by John Dominic Crossan because I've enjoyed listening to his commentaries on various parts of the Bible over the years. Celebrating the feast day of Constantine and Helen is a huge deal in the Orthodox Church, "equal to the apostles." The more I think about that now that I'm no longer Orthodox, the emperor would be considered equal to the apostles, but Christianity should never have been equal to or subsumed by empire.
Naveeda, yes. Equal to the Apostles—that title burns hotter the longer you sit with it.
The emperor canonized. The empire baptized. The Church militarized.
And suddenly, the man who ordered his wife and son killed gets liturgical veneration... while the woman who first preached the resurrection gets footnoted or erased.
They crowned Constantine. They silenced Magdalene.
And we’re still living in the fallout.
Thank you for naming it.
Let the roar rise.
Thank you so much for recommending it. I'm torn as far as ordering things from Amazon goes, given that Bezos is a tool of "Empire", but I do want to support you and some others who are Amazon affiliates as well. And it will be well worth it. :-)
AWS holds about 30–35% of the global cloud infrastructure market (as of 2024), which includes computing, storage, networking, and more. That makes it the largest cloud provider, ahead of Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.
Substack definitely uses Amazon SES (Simple Email Service) to deliver newsletter emails at scale
They're likely hosted on some AWS backend services (like EC2 or RDS), though Substack hasn’t publicly confirmed all the infrastructure details.
40–50% of Amazon’s total operating profit coming from AWS alone. Very little profits come from retail sales.
So, when you buy through Amazon, you are not really supporting Amazon that much.
According to a search i did, just retail sales (without AWS) bring in for amazon an annual net profit of anywhere between 26 to 41 BILLION dollars per year. I wouldn't call that "very little profit" exactly.. 🙂 And those tens of billions in retail profit every single year are most definitely being used against us (the non ruling class). Not only through Intense pro-billionaire propaganda and warmongering in Bezos' WashPost and his billions in contributions to NeoCon warhawk "think tanks" to perpetuate eternal war globally (that allows the 0.01% to DIVIDE-AND-RULE us and therefore control us, see full details here https://open.substack.com/pub/johnspritzler/p/oppressors-need-bogeyman-enemies), and not only becasue in our unintelligent and anti-democratic system of oligarch control we operate according to the principle of money equals power to shape society and treat the 99% like dirt ( not 'one person=one vote" but "one dollar=one vote" see here https://www.pdrboston.org/capitalism), but also through the absolutely appaling anti-human conditions, abuse and exploitation happening in amazon's slave-like warehouses.
For all the above reasons, I don't give a single cent to the ruling class predators (and Bezos' amazon is at the top of the list) if i can help it. So if there is another way to get the book (which I'm very interested in reading) without supporting the anti-humanity ruling billionaire predators (like Bezos) then I'd love to know about it 🙏
Look, I get it—you want to stick it to Bezos. That’s cute. But let’s get real.
That “26 to 41 BILLION in retail profit” you found? That’s not real. That’s either gross profit (before expenses) or just plain revenue. Amazon’s actual net profit from retail—after warehouse costs, shipping, returns, and crushing overhead—is razor-thin. Some years, it’s even negative.
In 2023, Amazon’s combined retail segments (North America and International) brought in about $7.5 billion in operating profit. AWS alone brought in $24.6 billion. That’s not a side hustle—that’s the cash cow.
So let’s not pretend retail is this high-margin goldmine funding world domination. The part of Amazon that actually prints money is AWS. And guess what powers Substack, Netflix, and half the “anti-Amazon” content people proudly share online? Yep—AWS.
You want to boycott Amazon? Cool. But don’t hit people like me for being affiliates while you’re unknowingly streaming Bezos-backed bytes every day.
And here's another inconvenient truth: about half the retail sales on Amazon aren’t even by Amazon. They’re third-party sellers. Amazon just fulfills them. That means mom-and-pop businesses, indie publishers, and people like me trying to earn a living without kissing corporate ass are the ones you’re boycotting. Congrats, you’re not hurting Bezos. You’re hurting us.
But sure—go ahead and judge me for being an affiliate. Meanwhile, you're surfing AWS-backed sites, typing righteous essays on your iPhone, and using a financial system propped up by the same capitalist empire you're pretending to unplug from.
Moral high ground? More like rented space on a cloud server owned by the same dude you think you're taking down.
Thanks friend. I seems like you took my comment as a personal attack or accusation against you, but if you'll read it again (hopefully after the enraged emotions comed down a bit) you'll see that there was not a single word of accusation against you in my comment. I was simply explaining why i don't want to give any money and fuel (IF I CAN HELP IT) to anti-Golden Rule abusive ruling class billionaire predators, and therefore why i would prefer to buy the book from elsewhere and not from them. That's what my comment said and was about, but unfortunately it seems like you took it as a personal affront to you when it wasn't anything of the sort.
And no, my motivation is NOT to "stick it to Bezos" (as you presented it as if it is some childish personal vendetta against a single person). If you really have an interest to know what i truly want then kindly read the first three notes on my account (1. drinkers of the mystery, 2. the four key facts about israel/palestine that are hidden from us by the ruling class; 3. Freedom and egalitarianism) or the first post on my account (here https://open.substack.com/pub/headandheart1/p/my-perspective-on-the-conflict-in) and you'll see that my outlook is much much more comprehensive than any childish vendetta against a single person or corporation.
I also intentionally wrote "If I can help it" (won't support the ruling class predation and abuse a d domination over us IF I CAN HELP IT) becasue, well, this might take a minute to explain, but as far as i can see there are two levels in which one can take action (with regard to the controlled abusive political-economic reality we've been corralled into).
One level is the more immediate personal level like what i mentioned in the original comment, of boycotting or not monetarily supporting - TO THE BEST OF ONE'S PERSONAL ABILITY - evil in this world (such as the billionaire ruling class' global war machine, and their abuse, exploitation and treating us like dirt, and their monopolizing and controlling the means of communication and idea-sharing, and their dividong and pitting us agaimst each other). And i agree with you that this first level of action can only goes so far and is not as effective as the second level (which i'll mention in a moment) and is not what will ultimately bring about real lasting change and freedom from ruling class domination and abuse and DIVIDE-AND-RULE machinations (this level of action can't do that because many of the riches that the billionaire ruling class generate off of us are beyond our personal ability to have any say in. They are done for example through either our tax money given to the billionaire ruling class against our wish, or for example through their monopolizing systems, that attempt to cage us with little choice left but to use their "services" (as you rightly pointed out. Although i personally boycott these as well don't use any of the ruling class cages that you mentioned, like netflix or iphone, and dont give any money to substack, but i agree with you that on this level of action we might not have much choice but to contribute to the ruling class' abuse and domination over us, even against our wishes),
And therefore my bigger focus is on the second level of what one can do about this, and that is to remove the anti-Golden Rule ruling class abusers entirely from power over us and have real (not fake!) Democracy, and have the tremendous prosperity that we generate be directed to benefit US (and not the 0.01% anti-humanity predatory thieves).
I could write an entire book just describing all that's entailed in that, but instead, will just share this https://johnspritzler.substack.com/p/freedom-and-egalitarianism (and kindly see the links leading out from it for full details)
PS. And just a small technical note (not the main point here) but according to gemini, chatgpt and deepseek, the NET profit (not revenue, but net income after expenses deducted from operational income) of amazon from just retail (not AWS) in 2024 was estimated at 20-22 billion. It's true that the scumbags generated even more net income from AWS, but 20-22 billion (or even "just" 1 billion dollars) is not an insignificant amount, and it is all used against us, like i detailed in tne original comment.
Anxious to read this book! It’s coming in a couple of days. Not one’s typical summer beach book! 😉 But so much more important. Thank you!
Had no idea this existed. Surprise! Now i have 5 new books to read & after that i’m sure you’ll have some other gems to share.
I have much to learn & while there are usually some strong emotions erupting during the process itz better than hiding in the dark & having those same emotions with no guidance or support to help you on the adventure & journey. 🌈
Beth, you just described the sacred curriculum: strong emotions + new books + not hiding = actual growth. 🙃
It’s wild how the light hurts when we first crack open the cave door—until we realize it’s not judgment beaming in, it’s guidance.
So wedding physical imperialism to spiritual imperialism may not be a great idea? At least we still have a great city named after Constantine to keep him in our memory. (If you’re gonna be picky, Istanbul is sometimes referred to as “the city that used to be called ‘Constantinople’”, but I don’t think that qualifies as much of an achievement.) trying really hard to think of a marriage between religion and politics that worked out well
Christianity has had to withstand much abuse, starting with the Roman Empire & the Council of Nicaea. But the true essence of it — the teachings of Jesus — is worth saving, by looking into the earliest gospels. Thanks for recommending “A New New Testament.”
Exactly this, Karen. Strip away empire, patriarchy, and PR—what’s left still burns with truth. The earliest gospels weren’t trying to build cathedrals or armies. They were trying to wake us up. “A New New Testament” helps the real ones speak again.
Glad you’re here in the holy mess with us.
It feels like this is where I belong!🌎
I’ve downloaded the Kindle version and am looking forward to reading it. The explanation of why women had such a minor role in the Bible has always been a question for me. The answer “it was part of the tradition of the times” made an injustice seem rational (kinda the way Trump rationalizes his grievances), but even in the New Testament, Jesus wasn’t exclusionary.
Right on, Teryl. That “it was just the culture of the time” excuse is how injustice keeps getting rebranded as inevitability.
Jesus wasn’t the one sidelining women. That came later, when the empire’s editors decided inclusion was too dangerous to print. Mary Magdalene wasn’t forgotten by accident. She was erased on purpose.
Glad you're diving into the book. This isn’t just history. It’s a recovery mission.
Used your link to order it. Thanks for the tip.
May your bookshelf tremble gently under the weight of uncensored wisdom.
And may every page you turn in that New New Testament un-Constantine your spirit just a little more.
Glad you grabbed it.
Thank you for the book recommendation 🙏 I’ve been searching Amazon for “gnostic gospels” but there’s so many versions it’s hard to even decide.
My copy of the “New New Testament” is in some box somewhere after my move. I kept getting the message to “wait” before ordering a replacement. Now I know why. It is very enlightening
Interesting—once we’re alerted to the bias and errors in our highly regarded Bibles, we have a solid, non-contradictory text based on the best original texts.
That God spoke through an ass doesn’t mean we now revere the ass—neither do we revere those God used via the state to compile our present Bible.
Just got it from the local library. Glad we still have those 😅
Miracle of miracles. A local library that still stocks heretical liberation texts instead of just VeggieTales and Reagan biographies.
Cherish that place like it’s the last spring in Babylon. And read fast, before someone tries to “re-shelve” it under Self-Help.
Yes, grateful to be living in the Chicago area. We have plenty of those books for the time being and hopefully for a long time 🙏🏻
This book looks very interesting indeed. :-)
Interesting, and new to me information. I just ordered the Kindle version of the book. Look forward to reading it.
Karen, that’s beautiful to hear. Hope it opens up some good questions and unexpected wonder. The voices that got buried didn’t stay silent—they’re still whispering through the cracks if we know how to listen. Let me know what stands out to you as you read.
Yeah I've always scratched my head at the folks who can talk my ear off about the Pope being the Antichrist and Biblical infallibility in the same breath. This isn't exactly secret history here.
But you gotta have some source of Authority, right? Otherwise, how are you able to justify condemning others?
Exactly. You can’t maintain a condemnation economy without a central authority to rubber-stamp your outrage. Sola Scriptura isn’t about scripture—it’s about control. Once the Empire couldn’t weaponize bishops, it handed the sword to the text. And suddenly, every man with a leather-bound Bible and a grudge became the mouthpiece of God.
I’ve never looked at our faith tradition the same since reading Karen Armstrong’s History of God and understanding how the church evolved. It’s funny, I used to hide the fact that I identify as a Christian. Now that I have a deeper understanding of our roots, I feel like I can be transparent about being a follower of this Wisdom tradition.
Kim, that shift from hiding to claiming is holy. Not because the tradition got prettier—but because you saw through the mess and still found the gold. Wisdom traditions aren’t for branding. They’re for burning illusions. And it sounds like yours lit the match. Welcome to the ones who stayed after the curtain got pulled back.
Great post - super challenging. Definitely need to check out the New New Testament!
I teach adult education at a local Presbyterian Church. Several of us are reading The New New Testament and weaving its writings into our group adult education. I am so thankful for this substack that has this well written synopsis of what happened under Constantine and Empire. I read your substack to my husband before he left for work as a Professor of medical students ( part time- semi- retired). He wanted a copy sent to his email😆We have been married 51 years yesterday🌹💖I am so thankful for your substack.
Janet, that’s a holy kind of anniversary gift. Fifty-one years and still sharing new texts at the breakfast table. I love hearing that your group is reading The New New Testament. Constantine’s edits get less intimidating once we see them for what they were: politics dressed up as revelation. Grateful the Substack is walking with you in that uncovering. Blessings on your classroom and your marriage, both still teaching.