My pet theory, which is not original at all and probably very common, but which I have held too long to remember where I got it from, is that obviously Christianity got a leg up from being in Europe, but that it's magic ticket was navigating the separation of church and state: give unto God what is God's, and give unto Caesar what is Caesar's.
This meant that Christianity could ride the wave of modernity in a way that Islam in particular totally failed to do.
And it's focus on love and compassion made it uniquely suited to the ever-richer world in which these things became cheap and the desire for them (or to be seen to express them, at least), almost ubiquitous.
1) In footnote 6 you seem (?) to be conflating Easter the Christian feast day and the pagan celebration it displaced in the Anglo-Saxon world (but not elsewhere in Christian Europe).
2) Joan of Ard is also considered a Saint by the Catholic Church.
Your footnote implies that Judas macabee lived after Pompey which is wrong. Judas was dead for almost 100 years when Pompey invaded Judea.
You are absolutely correct, thank you for the pointer - I will update
My pet theory, which is not original at all and probably very common, but which I have held too long to remember where I got it from, is that obviously Christianity got a leg up from being in Europe, but that it's magic ticket was navigating the separation of church and state: give unto God what is God's, and give unto Caesar what is Caesar's.
This meant that Christianity could ride the wave of modernity in a way that Islam in particular totally failed to do.
And it's focus on love and compassion made it uniquely suited to the ever-richer world in which these things became cheap and the desire for them (or to be seen to express them, at least), almost ubiquitous.
Two corrections:
1) In footnote 6 you seem (?) to be conflating Easter the Christian feast day and the pagan celebration it displaced in the Anglo-Saxon world (but not elsewhere in Christian Europe).
2) Joan of Ard is also considered a Saint by the Catholic Church.
Now, yes, but not at the time!
' (I’m looking at you, Effective Altruism)' : )