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It is certainly a study of ages :-) )
Interesting points, for example on syncretism - some originally or ostensibly religious traditions may be so culturally embedded, that converts bring them into the new faith, or continue to think in these habitual forms.
It becomes very difficult to interpret what indicates belief without the same cultural referents - I often think of the local late Georgian cemetery chapel influenced by the Erechtheion Temple, on Athens' Acropolis as well as Egyptian models and used by Roman Catholics, Wesleyans, Anglicans and even Quakers as well as agnostics and atheists for funerals.
I presume few users in it's history did so to worship Athena Polias or Poseidon Erechtheus, let alone Amun-Ra! (a divine figure also merged from separate traditions)
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Jona wrote in his book that the chi-rho sign that has become so very much Christian, may have originated as a sign of the sun ( an x with a vertical beam added) plus a sign of the moon added to that elongated vertical beam, to arrive at the chi-rho. I had not heard that before, as I had not heard before that Constantine had seen a vision of Apollo before he had seen a vision before the battle of the Milvian bridge. What's the earliest occurrance of the chi-rho as a definate Christian symbol? Constantine?
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Bibliographies related to Christianity's first century:
http://moses.creighton.edu/harmless/bib ... ment_0.htm
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Bibliographies related to Christianity's second through fifth centuries:
http://moses.creighton.edu/harmless/bib ... tics_0.htm
AMDG
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Quote: What's the earliest occurrance of the chi-rho as a definate Christian symbol? Constantine?
It is very hard to find actual references, rather than offhand statements.
I understand the skeptical George Pitt-Rivers wrote in his 'The Riddle of the 'Labarum' and the Origin of Christian Symbols' 1966, that it was a pagan symbol, but without citing specific examples:
"because it was an ancient Greek symbol also used as an abbreviation for chreston indicating an especially important passage marked with X or with points ... or else marked with the monogram Chi-Rho in a 'chrestomathies'... In this sense, as Constantine used the symbol, chreston would carry the meaning 'auspicious' or 'of good omen'..." (page 28 )
Certainly, something very similar appears on coins of Ptolemy III, Euergetes, 246 - 220 B.C. between the eagle's legs.
Two recommendations to me were Charles Thomas: Christianity in Roman Britain to AD 500 and David Petts: Christianity in Roman Britain. Thomas appears to show a Roman Chi-Rho form from 331 AD. On my wishlist...
On the net, I seem to find possibles on Constatine's coins of 318 (on a nice helmet) 320 & 324 and a clear one on a follis of 327 (atop a labarum with three medallions and stabbing a serpent with 'Spes Publica') and on a silver medallion someone attributes to 315. Some coins from 317 & 318 have equilateral crosses and he used a lot of eight-pointed stars & chis on their own.
mmm...
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An academic course webpage. It includes smaller, lesser known websites and webpages:
http://pirate.shu.edu/~cottereu/arch-chr.htm
AMDG
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Related RAT Topic/Thread with much good, related content:
http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic.php?t=9542
AMDG
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The following websites and webpages cover persecutions by Christians, during the Roman period, against Christians and non-Christians. The websites and webpages are posted here for critical analysis. Their contents are written from various perspectives. Their detail, accuracy, and neutrality differ.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquisition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecutio ... n_religion
http://ethnikoi.org/persecutions.html
http://www.religioustolerance.org/jud_pers1.htm
http://www.ushmm.org/research/center/ch ... rsecution/
[Work in Progress]
AMDG
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The following websites & webpages cover the origin & evolution of Christianity, during the Roman period; with Jewish, Roman, Greek, and other influences; emphasizing growing Christian-Jewish divergence (Christianity started as a diverse Jewish "cult" or "sect" [aka "The Way" or the "Nazarenes"], became the diversified (Pauline, Jewish, Gnostic, and other varieties), became dominant, official state religion of the Roman Empire). The websites and webpages are posted here for critical analysis. Their contents are written from various perspectives. Their detail, accuracy, and neutrality differ.
http://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/CN610CHRONO.htm (Good Roman-Jewish-Christian chronology, first centuries B.C. and A.D.)
http://vlib.iue.it/carrie/texts/carrie_books/seaver/
http://www.trueknights.org/EarlyFathers.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_fathers (links to more Early Church Father websites at the bottom of this webpage)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Church_Fathers
[Work in Progress]
AMDG
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Restitvtvs":1kak67tb]The following websites & webpages cover the origin & evolution of Christianity, during the Roman period; with Jewish, Roman, Greek, and other influences; emphasizing growing Christian-Jewish divergence (Christianity started as a diverse Jewish "cult" or "sect" [aka "The Way\\n Quote:, became the dominant, official state religion of the Roman Empire). The websites and webpages are posted here for critical analysis. Their contents are written from various perspectives. Their detail, accuracy, and neutrality differ.
http://vlib.iue.it/carrie/texts/carrie_books/seaver/
[Work in Progress]
Looks like it may be at least a few weeks before I update this previous post. My Early Christianity studies during the past few months, with much primary literature, has unavoidably extended well beyond the study of people & their places, things, times, religions, etc. Ultimately, worldwide, we all are brothers & sisters. What a mixed bunch we are, individually & collectively. It goes well beyond the physical. What's real. What's imagined? What's misunderstood? Is anything fully understood? It's like I'm still in grad school (applied & theoretical). That's good.
I have a general idea where this all may lead. There's so much fog & we have so many limitations. It seems so complex, and it is, and yet it is also so simple. "It" has been said & written many times before. Understanding "it" is another matter. Living "it" fully is yet another matter. One size does not fit all. Yet, there are at least a few universal absolutes. It's tough & it's easy. Among various things, I pray most for wisdom. So, when the time comes, I will finish updating my previous post with more links for Roman period voices about "it".
Pax vobiscvm, + r
AMDG
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Taking Yet Another Road in Life (Updated)
Quote:Restitvtvs:14tmm8ti Wrote:The following websites & webpages cover the origin & evolution of Christianity, during the Roman period; with Jewish, Roman, Greek, and other influences; emphasizing growing Christian-Jewish divergence (Christianity started as a diverse Jewish "cult" or "sect" [aka "The Way"....], became the dominant, official state religion of the Roman Empire). The websites and webpages are posted here for critical analysis. Their contents are written from various perspectives. Their detail, accuracy, and neutrality differ.
http://vlib.iue.it/carrie/texts/carrie_books/seaver/
[Work in Progress]
Looks like it may be at least a few weeks before I update this previous post. My Early Christianity studies during the past few months, with much primary literature, has unavoidably extended well beyond the study of people & their places, things, times, religions, etc. Ultimately, worldwide, we all are brothers & sisters. What a mixed bunch we are, individually & collectively. It goes well beyond the physical. What's real. What's imagined? What's misunderstood? Is anything fully understood? It's like I'm still in grad school (applied & theoretical). That's good.
I have a general idea where this all may lead. There's so much fog & we have so many limitations. It seems so complex, and it is, and yet it is also so simple. "It" has been said & written many times before. Understanding "it" is another matter. Living "it" fully is yet another matter. One size does not fit all. Yet, there are at least a few universal absolutes. It's tough & it's easy. Among various things, I pray most for wisdom. So, when the time comes, I will finish updating my previous post with more links for Roman period voices about "it".
Pax vobiscvm, +r I have reached another fork in life's myriad of intertwining roads & paths. The more I study about the Late Roman period & early Christianity, the more I understand myself & others today & tomorrow. It started with the "big picture", famous people, Constantinian & later Roman basilicas, etc. It progressed to Jewish, Greek, Roman & many other influences & variations of Christianity within & between provinces, towns, and people over centuries. It continued further back into time, with smaller churches, then to apostolic period church houses. It continued even further, to Jesus & his apostles, and then far beyond to their many ancestors & their more distant lives & times...
My studies have gone far beyond historic facts & figures. From many perspectives, ultimately we are all brothers & sisters. It hurts to see so much avoidable waste & suffering everywhere, throughout history. We're the victims of our own & each other's free will. I'm certainly very flawed. Everything we think, say & do echoes through eternity. Rather than lament, I try to redirect to more positive & constructive actions.
This has been like peeling off so many layers of heavy varnish; removing many trivial tangents & trappings (some well intended, some not; some honestly believe, some dishonestly proclaim; etc.); to better see & understand (as humanly possible) the Source, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Light, the One.
My studies have gone well beyond what we can discuss in RAT fora, so my RAT posts will probably be fewer.
It's so complex & yet so simple.
Wherever you store your treasures, there shall your heart be... I'm giving up more things, for more of others. I recently finished Roman "downloading" & "uploading". Time for me to move on. Whatever you choose to do at any time in your life, there is so much fog, we can only see so much, and there are so many intertwining roads & paths. I hope & pray the best for you & for all of us. Pax vobiscvm, + r 
AMDG
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