Comparative Timeline: Power vs Radical Idea
| Event / Period | Christianity (Roman Empire) | Bitcoin / Cryptocurrencies |
|---|---|---|
| Origin / 1st Century | Radical spiritual movement centered on love, equality, and critique of Roman social order. | Bitcoin created (2009) as decentralized money, free from control of banks and governments. |
| Initial Growth / 1st–3rd Century | Small, marginalized communities; persecutions; philosophy opposed to centralized power. | Online communities of miners and early adopters; strong libertarian and anti-establishment spirit. |
| First Absorption / 4th Century | Constantine and the Empire adopt Christianity as official religion; integration of Roman rituals; centralization through the Church. | Large funds and banks begin entering the BTC market; increasing regulation; ETFs and institutional custody. |
| Narrative Reinterpretation | Original teachings reinterpreted to reinforce hierarchy and authority; the critical spirit of Christianity is controlled. | BTC maintained as “free money,” but operations and liquidity are controlled by institutions; decentralization is limited in practice. |
| Symbolic Dominance | Christianity becomes the official religion; keeps the appearance of the original but content adapted to centralized power. | Bitcoin retains the narrative of financial freedom, but most real power is concentrated in the hands of institutions and strategic funds. |
| Lesson | Central power absorbs disruptive ideas to maintain stability and control. | Large financial players and states can absorb decentralized assets, preserving appearance but inverting essence. |
Symbolic Conclusion:
The historical pattern repeats: a radical idea is absorbed, centralized, and reinterpreted by dominant power, keeping the form but altering the content. In the case of Bitcoin, its original decentralization and freedom risk becoming an instrument of the system it was meant to challenge.