Behold The Man by Michael Moorcock
The Nantucket Trilogy by SM Stirling
The Time Patrol series by Poul Anderson
There Will Be Time by Poul Anderson
Past Times by Poul Anderson
Somewhere on Stirling's Nantucket, the question is asked: if time travellers go BC and prevent Christianity, will they thus also prevent salvation? A question for Christian theologians. Knowing them, indeed knowing people in general, they will give different answers.
The Time Patrol
"'England will be one kingdom, with Saxon strength and Roman learning, powerful enough to stand off all invaders. Christianity is inevitable, of course, but I will see to it that it is the right kind of Christianity, one which will educate and civilize men without shackling their minds.'"
-Poul Anderson, "Time Patrol" IN Anderson, Time Patrol (Riverdale, NY, December 2010), pp. 1-53 AT 5, p. 40.
"'Maybe you don't know how much Christian belief and ritual is of Mithraic origin, but believe me, it's plenty. Not to mention Judaism, which you, Cyrus the Great, are personally going to rescue. Remember?'"
-Poul Anderson, "Brave To Be A King" IN Time Patrol, pp. 55-112 AT 7, p. 87.
"....without the balance-of-power effect of Rome, the Syrians did suppress the Maccabees; it was a near thing even in our history. Judaism disappeared and therefore Christianity never came into existence.'"
-Poul Anderson, "Delenda Est" IN Time Patrol, pp. 173-228 AT 4, p. 197.
"...how could I in honesty have argued for a heathenism in which I had no belief and which I knew was going under? For that matter, how could I in honesty have argued for Christ?"
-Poul Anderson, "The Sorrow of Odin the Goth" IN Time Patrol, pp. 333-465 AT 1858, p. 404.
"'Patrol units are concentrated on guarding Palestine. You can well imagine what emotions are engaged, through how many centuries. Fanatics or freebooters who want to change what took place in Jerusalem, researchers crowding in and multiplying the chances of a fatal blunder, and the situation itself, the near-infinity of causes radiating into that episode and effects radiating out from it....'"
-Poul Anderson, "Star of the Sea" IN Time Patrol, pp. 467-640 AT 2, p. 492.
"'...this goddess would be the supreme figure, around whom everything gathered. She would give folk as much, spiritually, or almost as much, as Christ could. Few would ever join the Church.'"
-ibid., 11, p. 568.
"The habits of disguise took over. Koch crossed himself, again and again. Or maybe he was a sincere Catholic."
-Poul Anderson, The Shield Of Time (New York, July 1991), p. 313.
One Patrolman cannot in honesty argue for Christ but another might be a sincere Catholic.
There Will Be Time
"'...what he was, or if he was, makes only an academic difference. What counts is what people through the ages have believed. My life expectancy isn't enough for me to do the pure research I'd like.'"
-Poul Anderson, There Will Be Time (New York, 1973), VI, p. 56.
A thirteenth-century man-at-arms who tries to rescue the Saviour is stunned by the question:
"'How do you know that man really was your Lord?'" (p. 62)
"I do not know if my friend ever looked upon Jesus." (p. 64)
Past Times
"Thank you, Holy Father. This holy fire you have given us - we must never let it die."
-Poul Anderson, "The Little Monster" IN Anderson, Past Times (New York, November 1984), pp. 142-163 AT p. 163.
A bit cryptic in parts, maybe? OK. Just read them all.
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