Persecution of Christians

[Tobias]

Hi all,
I hope this hasn't been discussed here already, at least I specifically searched for the appropriate keywords but could not find any related topic.

There have been theories about the VMS having some pagan content which, for obvious reasons, should be hidden both in text and in the images. That got me thinking: If I wanted to hide pagan (or any other scientific, philosophical, etc) ideas  that would surely get me in trouble in a strictly christian society, I would try to make it look very christian to the uninformed viewer.
Maybe the issue here is the other way around: A christian book which had to look like it has nothing to do with christianity. So what if the author originated from central/southern europe, but lived e.g. in the Ottoman Empire or any other place where there was a certain persecution of christians, and tried to make his work look like something that may have been more tolerated in that area?
That would fit well with the theories about hidden christian motives in the images of e.g. the plants/roots or nymphs.

Does that make sense to you?
Cheers, T.