So, based off comments over at the Writer Dojo’s Facebook page and over at the BWDC Discord, it’s becoming pretty clear that most Westerners have no clue about the history of the Church outside of whatever they were taught during a Western-centric history course where Rome is considered the Center of the Universe and no history happened outside of Rome and the West (especially not any Christian history which totally couldn’t have occurred in Jerusalem, Antioch, or Alexandria because everyone knows that Jesus only existed in Rome).
Excuse me, I have to retrieve my eyeballs now.
I didn’t know I could roll them out of my head.
Okay, so, to kick off this new little segment I’d like to start doing, I want to ask one question:
How much do you know about Byzantium off the top of your head? How much were you taught about this era and region in school?
— G.K.
Post the First: Byzantium — The Pre-Founding (with images here)
6 replies on “Crossroads of History: Byzantium”
I probably know more about that region than most. But did not learn it in school. Some i learned in the church I went to. The teacher knew a lot and shared it. The rest i learned here and there.
My favorite thing surprises me that most Christian’s don’t know: The term “Christians” was first used in Antoch. Before that, the term “The Way” was the most used.
And the alarming thing about that, Harry, is the explicit statement of the fact in the scriptures.
Acts 11:26 ESV
It is often taught that Christians is a term of mockery — ‘little Christs’ — that the disciples embraced as a badge of honor.
I converted from Roman Catholicism to Orthodoxy and was first taught at an Antiochian Orthodox Church when I was in my early twenties. 🙂 We celebrated Feast of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29 almost like it was Pascha-lite or Christmas-lite. 😀
The ikon of the two Apostles embracing and the quote from that verse (“In Antioch, the disciples were first called Christians”) were frequently part of the church bulletin and had a permanent place of honor on the wall near the church library (which is where my catechumen classes were held).
So, Harry’s kind of correct in that “not many” know this so long as we exclude just about every Antiochian Orthodox Christian or anyone who ever attended Divine Liturgy at an Antiochian Orthodox church. LOL
— G.K.
Well, you just added to my knowledge of Christian churchs. Never heard of Antiochian Orthodox. Knew about Russian, Eastern and Greek Othordox. (Even attended a wedding at a Greek Orthodox church) Thanks. I always value new knowledge, even (or especially) when it proved what I thought before was wrong.
Hey guys,
I just posted the first informative post on this topic here and here (with pictures)!
— G.K.
Sad, but true. It astounds me how little people who call themselves Christians know about what the Bible says. Especially the Old Testament. I try at least every other year to read the whole Bible at least one chapter per day. Some times I read several short psalms in one day. And then there is Psalm 119. Loooong! Today was Isaiah 61.