Blood and bread, classic meal
this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2025
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Explanation: Early Roman interactions with Christianity were highly suspicious - noted is the persistent rumor that Christians were incestuous cannibals, which is why they always insisted on meeting in secret! What dangerous cultists!
Of course, in reality, the whole 'eating the body and drinking the blood of God in the form of man' is just a convoluted spiritual thing, not a confession to actual cannibalism, and likewise, calling each other 'brother' and 'sister' an expression of spiritual solidarity, not literally asserting that the boy you're canoodling with is your actual brother. This was recognized early on by Roman authorities like the governor Pliny the Younger and the Emperor Trajan, who noted that the only crime of the Christians was meeting in secret and being superstitious.
Nevertheless, the rumors never fully stopped - bizarre folks, these Christians! Can't trust 'em!
As someone from the northern reaches of Europe. "Bizarre folks, these Christians! Can't trust 'em!" turned out to be very true.
Teachings of peace, love, and charity, delivered at the end of a blade. Assimilate or die became their modus operandi.
A strange bunch.
[off topic?]
Old joke. Back in the day, condoms were made of sheep intestines. One day a student was brought before the judges on the charge of having sex with a prostitute. The student claimed that by using a condom he had not actually had sex and should be freed.
The judges told him that the penalty for sleeping with a prostitute was a 15 shilling fine, but the penalty for having sex with a dead sheep was a hundred lashes.
His flesh turns into bread, eh?