Early Christianity

 Up to the third century, educated people wrote Greek.  That includes scripture.  It also seems that Carthage was the center of the church, like we would consider Rome.  Up to the third/fourth century it would not have been Rome.  The Caesars in Rome outlawed Christianity.  Even the famous, Hippolytus, who lived in Rome, wrote in Greek.  

As the peoples across the Mediterranean--Rome, and the Roman empire, became more knowledgeable of Christianity, they wanted the texts in their own language--Latin.  More and more "Bibles" in Latin were written, read, and spread.  There wasn't one, official, book.  Only with Jerome, 400 AD, was a common, Latin text of Scripture published, known as the Vulgate.  Latin was the common language--or the vulgar language.  There was a lot of written works for the 70 people, who were compiling the Bible, to choose.  There were writings from the Apostolic Fathers, such as Barnabas, the Didache, letters from popes and other leaders.  

One of the 70 compilers of our Bible was Epenetus.  He was a companion of Paul in Asia-Minor Romans 16: 5.  His center of comfort, however, was Carthage.  He is known as Epenetus of Carthage and is considered a saint.

                                            From Greek Orthodox Church of America.

Chi-Rho

 

Do you see the three P's?  Three for Trinity.  The P is Greek, Rho.  The "X" is Christ's cross.  Thus this symbol is called Chi-Rho or a Christogram, common in the early centuries of Christianity. This symbol is on the ceiling of the baptistry of Albenga.  Around the monogram are 12 doves for the 12 apostles.

This is an important piece of architecture in northern Italy. As people were baptized they were underneath this dome.  Imagine looking up.  There is symbolism everywhere.  Remember that most people couldn't read and were taught their catechism from architecture and stained-glass windows, and other visualizations of Christianity.

The Magical Attic

 The Husbands by Holly Gramazio was one of my book club's monthly reads.  It certainly was different than my usual fare.  It was entertaining, comedic, apropos to today's dating scene, where there're online dating, dating in a minute meetups, etc.

The idea is that every time a man enters the attic, he comes down a different man. At first, the main character, Lauren is curious, and keeps sending rejects up the ladder to the attic.  However, she finds a good husband that she wants to keep, but he accidently goes up into the attic!

Then there's the time, one of the husbands falls out of the attic, down the steps, and is incapacitated for months!  He, understanderedly, never wants to go up the steps, again.  What a scene to push him back up into the attic!

There is a conclusion to this never ending supply of husbands.  Lauren does not pick the man she falls in love with, nor one she can he live with, or the richest, or anything at all.  She takes what she's left with, lives with it, and makes the best of it.  After all, that may be what we all do.

Is Pacifism Tenable

 Interesting that the early Christians were mostly pacifists.  They took scripture descriptions of warfare as warfare of Christians fighting demons.  Good fighting bad.  However, it seemed that once Constantine made Christianity legal, and many people became Christians, governing Christians became a problem.  How do you repel Barbarian attacks?  This was a serious problem.

Hence, the crusades came to be.  Could Christians allow Infidels to take over the Holy Land?  I wonder how pacifists would handle that?  Nowadays, the media would show the world that people were being killed and negotiations for peace probably would result.  But then there was no instantaneous news.

What would Jesus do?  

Apocatastasis

 Apocatastasis is a theological theory where at the end of the world everything will be restored to its original state. This idea was around the second and third century.  I kind of like it.  Everyone will be in heaven, even Satan and his minions.  

Even Origen thinks God's purpose is that all souls will be saved.  He is all merciful, is He not?  This final restoration includes Satan.

However, it seems that this opinion is considered an "open question."    It is also called universalism = apocatastasis.

As for me, I don't believe it, because it was Satan, who told Eve, "you surely will not die."  So I wouldn't believe a word he said.

Although, it is a nice thought.

Orchiectomy

 Yes, I'm still here.  I confess my only excuse is laziness.  Plus, I was attempting to write a short story for a contest in the Lamp.  It's terrible!!!  I would be embarrassed to submit it.  However, I will post it here, after I catch up on telling you what been going on in my monkey brain, and some books I've read.  

First, I need to tell you something I learned about one of our early church fathers, Origen.  Origen lived 

Origen of Alexandria (c. 185–253 AD) was an early Christian theologian, biblical scholar, and ascetic whose vast writings—estimated between 2,000 and 6,000 works—

Note his birth date, 185 A.D.  This was when the church was just learning to stand.  His father, Leonidas, was a martyr.  When Origen was teaching, he was interacting with youth.  To ensure, that no one could ever accuse him of inappropriate sexual behavior, he castrated himself.  

No one could ever accuse him of not being a committed Christian, either!

Dante Reimagined

 If you enjoy time travel, then Down Pinhole by Glenn Cooper is the book for you.  Down Pinhole is the first in a trilogy.  The story begins with Emily, a physicist, who is working on a space collider.  When the machine is put to the maximum test, Emily is gone and in her place is a man from another time and place. Emily's boyfriend, John, volunteers to go in and get her back.

Where she went wasn't really in time.  It's a place--hell.  It's interesting to see who's there and their story.  It's an interesting mix of science, history, fantasy, and horror.

The end was a surprise because I wasn't expecting it, yet, it had to be, because there's another in the Down series.