Debunking AI’s Misinformation on Constantine, Christianity, and Christmas

This transcript has been lightly edited from an automated transcription for clarity and readability. While we've worked to preserve each speaker's words faithfully, errors may remain.

1. 00:00

   AI Narrator: video clip

   To understand how these texts came to be, we must delve into a pivotal moment in history, the reign of Emperor Constantine and the creation of a unified state religion.

2. 00:10

   Michael Horton

   Oh, here we go. Historically inaccurate. The Council of Nicaea actually affirmed doctrines that Constantine himself wasn't quite sure of.

3. 00:22

   AI Narrator: video clip

   Key parallels include Mithra, born of a virgin on December 25th, worshipped by shepherds who followed a star, had a Last Supper with 12 companions before his death, resurrected three days later, coinciding with the spring equinox.

4. 00:38

   Michael Horton

   It is an attempt to discredit Christianity by anachronistically imposing later developments on earlier developments. But the earlier developments came first. They were historically foundational for the Christian faith. Christianity grew precisely as it stood out over against the other beliefs and practices of the world around them. And that's why they were persecuted.

5. 01:05

   AI Narrator: video clip

   These factions, often dismissed by historians as rustic and unsophisticated, held sway over the uneducated masses.

6. 01:15

   Michael Horton

   Where to begin?

7. 01:24

   Michael Horton

   Well, Christmas is just around the corner, and not too long Long ago, around this time of year, you'd always see shows on the History Channel or online claiming that Christmas actually came from a mix of pagan myths, or that Emperor Constantine called the Council of Nicaea to write the New Testament, and so on. Now, those kinds of claims, usually made by hobbyists and bloggers, have been thoroughly debunked over the years. But here's the problem: in the age of AI, we're seeing a whole new wave of fake historical content. reaching hundreds of thousands of people. So we thought we'd take a look at one of these AI-generated videos about the origins of Christianity, see what's being said, and respond to it, because this is the kind of stuff a lot of people are watching every day.

8. 02:12

   AI Narrator: video clip

   Christianity is often seen as unique among world religions, largely because it is built upon a series of specific events that allegedly occurred some 2,000 years ago. Unlike other belief systems, Christianity rises or falls on the truth of these events, which are recorded in the New Testament. This scripture is not only central to Christian faith but also serves as its historical foundation. Yet, as we examine these texts, questions arise: How historically reliable are these stories, and why do they seem to lack earlier corroboration? The Church itself provides us with startling admissions. It acknowledges that the New Testament scriptures, the primary source of Christian belief, date back only to the mid-fourth century.

9. 02:59

   Michael Horton

   Well, this is the sort of thing that you hear from Jehovah's Witnesses and Latter-day Saints and other groups. Been hearing it for hundreds of years. It isn't actually historically accurate at all. We have, for example, the Muratorian Fragment, which dates back to the second century that lists the biblical books, the New Testament books, and leaves out a couple of them like Hebrews and 2 Peter and James. But the rest of the New Testament is there in the Muratorian Fragment. But even beyond that, Christians knew what the canon was. They knew what the New Testament was because they heard it read in church every Sunday. Only canonical books could be read publicly in church. You could even go back further to Peter and Paul. Paul quotes the Gospel of Luke as on a par with Deuteronomy, and Peter refers to Paul's writings as Scripture. So people knew, as these writings from the apostles were being produced, they knew what was genuine and what was not. They didn't get together at the Holiday Inn to figure out what they would include in a New Testament. People knew what it was because it went back to the apostles themselves in the apostolic circle, and because it testified to the Lord Jesus Christ. These are the inspired words from God himself. That's what the Christians believed, what Christians still believe, and it's historically valid. The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 gives us a summary creed that Jesus was crucified, buried, and on the 3rd day he rose again from the dead and appeared to many. And this, he said, was something he had received. It was a formula, a creed he had received, which means even non-Christians believe—non-Christian scholars—this goes back to within two or three years of the crucifixion. So there just isn't enough time for fabrication and the creation of a kind of Da Vinci Code Jesus.

10. 05:21

    AI Narrator: video clip

    These manuscripts were written over 300 years after the supposed life of Jesus Christ. Why is this significant? It means that there are no earlier writings to validate these accounts. The church admits that its gospels do not date to the first century and were written long after the events they describe.

11. 05:42

    Michael Horton

    No, the church doesn't—there are no footnotes here. Who's he talking about? And is he talking about the medieval church? Is he talking about the modern church? Is he talking about Roman Catholics or Protestants or Orthodox? It simply isn't the case that the church concedes that these writings date to no earlier than the third century. It simply isn't true.

12. 06:10

    AI Narrator: video clip

    This historical gap opens the door to critical scrutiny of their authenticity. The lack of early manuscripts and the fourth-century origins of the New Testament challenge the foundation of Christian belief. To understand how these texts came to be, we must delve into a pivotal moment in history: the reign of Emperor Constantine, and the creation of a unified state religion.

13. 06:33

    Michael Horton

    Yep, here we go. This is again the same story that you hear from Mormons and, and others. Constantine came in and crushed dissent, and when he became a Christian, he made the empire Christian and called the Council of Nicaea in order to have his way with the empire and its religious beliefs. Again, historically inaccurate. The Council of Nicaea actually affirmed doctrines that Constantine himself wasn't quite sure of. And furthermore, his sons and successors, the emperors, were Arians. And so they persecuted those who professed the Creed of Nicaea.

14. 07:23

    AI Narrator: video clip

    The Roman Empire in the early fourth century was in turmoil. Religious diversity had devolved into chaos, with countless sects clashing over doctrines and gods. Enter Emperor Constantine, who sought not just to stabilize the empire politically but also to unify it under one cohesive religion. Constantine, after becoming emperor in 306 AD, faced a fragmented religious landscape. Various presbyterial groups, the precursors to modern clergy, were embroiled in conflicts over their deities and beliefs. These factions, often dismissed by historians as rustic and unsophisticated, held sway over the uneducated masses.

15. 08:03

    Michael Horton

    This isn't true at all. They, they, the early Christians, the uneducated masses he refers to, preached Christ and him crucified. This is a complaint of pagans like Celsus and also of Christians like Origen. That the earliest Christians were going around preaching nothing but Christ and him crucified. This isn't a doctrine that comes later. It's not that there are all these factions. There were debates in the ancient church, but orthodoxy came before heresy. People knew what was orthodox. They knew what the scriptures clearly taught about who Jesus is, about the Trinity, and about salvation. That historical record is evident to anybody who reads books instead of watches AI.

16. 08:55

    AI Narrator: video clip

    Teaching a mix of legends, paradoxes, and competing dogmas. For Constantine, this disunity posed a problem. It undermined his efforts to consolidate power. He realized that a unified religion could be the glue that held the empire together. In 325 AD, Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea in the city of Bithynia, Asia Minor. This was the first major ecclesiastical gathering in history, and it marked the official birth of Christianity as a unified religion. Constantine ordered presbyters from across the empire to bring their sacred writings, totaling 2,231 scrolls and texts, to the council. These writings represented a dizzying array of gods and saviors, The presbyters, who had long been at odds, were tasked with consolidating their beliefs into a single cohesive doctrine. The process was far from orderly. The council was characterized by heated debates, personal agendas, and the clashing of cultural and religious ideologies.

17. 10:00

    Michael Horton

    This is making it sound as if there were different religions. What you have around the Council of Nicaea are people coming together to try to figure out how do you say the truth with the right terminology. And you did have heresies like the Arians, for example, who were the greatest threat to Christianity, who argued on the basis of Scripture. Now, they were wrong. They misinterpreted Scripture. But everybody came together around this canon of the New Testament to make their points. They didn't have other gods. They didn't have foreign religious practices and beliefs. They had heterodox and orthodox professing Christians.

18. 10:45

    AI Narrator: video clip

    At one point, the names of 53 deities were tabled for discussion, including Zeus, Mithra, Horus, and Krishna.

19. 10:53

    Michael Horton

    Not historically accurate at all.

20. 10:56

    AI Narrator: video clip

    Constantine, as the ruling authority, ultimately made the decision. He decreed that the name of the British Druidic deity Jesus be combined with the Eastern savior god Krishna. Thus, the name Jesus Christ was born.

21. 11:11

    Michael Horton

    Oh my goodness. Jesus comes from Joshua, the leader of Israel after Moses, and it means God saves. Yahweh saves. That's what Joshua means. And that's Jesus. Joshua. Christ is not a name. Christ is a title. It means Messiah. Christos is the Greek translation for Mashiach, the Messiah. But there are people who see this and think that it has some historical relevance. It has no relevance whatsoever. It doesn't follow any of the actual historical reasons for Jesus' name.

22. 11:59

    AI Narrator: video clip

    A fusion designed to appeal to both Western and Eastern factions. This decision was more political than theological. It aimed to create a universal deity who could unite the disparate religious sects under one banner. With a vote of 161 to 157, the presbyters approved this amalgamation, and Constantine used his authority to legally deify the newly created figure. The council's outcome was the creation of an official state religion. Constantine then instructed his advisor, Eusebius, to compile a single, unified collection of writings, the beginnings of the New Testament.

23. 12:38

    Michael Horton

    This is bizarre.

24. 12:41

    AI Narrator: video clip

    These writings would serve as the foundation of this new faith, blending myths and doctrines from a variety of religious traditions. The Council of Nicaea was not just a theological gathering; it was a politically charged event that redefined religion in the Roman Empire. Eusebius and his scribes embarked on a monumental task: merging the legends, doctrines, and myths of various religious traditions into a single narrative. This process included blending elements from Mithraism, Druidic beliefs, and Eastern philosophies, The figure of Jesus Christ, newly deified at the council, became the central character of these writings. The goal was to create a cohesive story that could unite disparate factions. For instance, the virgin birth narrative echoed similar myths from Mithraism and Egyptian beliefs. The concept of a messianic figure drew heavily from Jewish and Persian traditions. Themes of resurrection and ascension were borrowed from older religions like those of Osiris and Mithra.

25. 13:47

    Michael Horton

    Where to begin? First of all, even Tom Holland, who is an agnostic historian, has pointed out that there is a sharp contrast between Christianity and all of the various religions that were floating around the Roman Empire at this time. Yeah, you had Mithraism. You had— it was very popular especially among Roman generals. You had all sorts of cults and sects and so forth. But here's the thing. Jesus didn't get cut up into different pieces and then put back together again like Dionysus or Osiris. Jesus was crucified on a cross by Romans and was raised on the third day bodily as the beginning of the new creation. It's 180 degrees different from the philosophies of the East and the philosophies of Plato and others who thought that the goal of salvation was escaping the body. No, the goal of Christianity is the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting.

26. 15:00

    AI Narrator: video clip

    These elements were woven together to craft a narrative that was both familiar and universal, appealing to a wide audience. The narrative of Jesus Christ shares remarkable similarities with earlier religious myths, suggesting significant borrowing and adaptation. Key parallels include Mithra, born of a virgin on December 25th, worshipped by shepherds who followed a star, had a last supper with 12 companions before his death, resurrected three days later, coinciding with the spring equinox.

27. 15:31

    Michael Horton

    Um, yeah. Again, Tom Holland is really good in summarizing this. He points out Aurelian created the Sol Invictus Festival. In 274 AD, after Christians were already celebrating Christmas. Paganism was reacting to Christianity. In fact, Tertullian and many others proposed extreme measures of church discipline for those who tried to blend Christianity, both practices and beliefs, with other religions. Biblical sun imagery is not solar worship. It is symbolic of the light coming into the world. In a dark world, God said once again, let there be light, and there was light, and his name was Jesus. These modern myths are really 19th century Victorian ideas that come from Frazer's Golden Bough. It's a work that was read widely by sort of the people who read dime novels in Victorian times. But it has now become something that has seeped into the psyche of Western culture. It simply isn't the case. Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces is basically a more contemporary version of Frazer's Golden Bough, but it's not historical. And even non-Christian scholars of Roman antiquity recognize that the story that's being told here really is its own pagan myth. It is an attempt to discredit Christianity by anachronistically imposing later developments on earlier developments. But the earlier developments came first. They were historically foundational for the Christian faith. How did Christianity get off the ground? Not by scrambling to get all of the other religions to agree with their point of view. Christianity grew precisely as it stood out over against the other beliefs and practices of the world around them, and that's why they were persecuted. The main reason for doing this is not to interrogate—I know I've been doing a little bit of that along the way—interrogate AI for its heterodoxy, but rather to underscore the danger of AI-generated videos about the origins of Christianity. Basically, all AI can do, at least at this point, is troll all of the content from the handful of pseudo-scholars out there who have written about this. And whoever developed this program sent it on a mission, that's for sure—a mission to undermine the claims of Christianity. Just walk away from AI. And open a book and look at the history of what really happened, and you'll be surprised.