Early Christianity in East Asia

by fulltimestudent 4 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  fulltimestudent

  Early Christianity developed as a series of regional churches. We can see the rough outline by Constantine's time. The main political centres of the Roman Empire also became regional centres of power for the Church.

  One of those centres became the Church of the East, also called the Easst Syriac church and sometimes (mistakenly) the Nestorian church. In the first century, this grouping was certainly the strongest of all the early groupings, even though it now seems on the verge of disappearing. The remains of this form of worship (churches and religious items) have been found all the way from the Mediterranean coast to China.

  If the topic interests you, you may like to seek out this recent book:

  Hidden Treasures and Intercultural Encounters- Studies on East Syriac Christianity in China and Central Asia.

  Edited by: Dietmar Winkler and Li Tang.

  A review appears in my universities, Asian Historical Research Society and the web-link is:

  www. mahrs.org/books/htie
• 

  Satanus

  Interesting. A few yrs ago, i would have dove right in. But, for now, your supplied info is enough for me.

  S
• 

  fulltimestudent

  I understand, Satanus. Its not going to grab everyone's attention. But for those who may desire to understand the REAL development of Christianity and not the propaganda versions of the WTS/JWs or the Catholic Church or any of the other versions of Christianity, this can be an enlightening ride.

  That's only part of my interest though, my principal goal is to understand the web of information that covered the earliest history of mankind and how it may have interacted.
• 

  Satanus

  ' understand the web of information that covered the earliest history of mankind and how it may have interacted.'

  For sure. It's interesting to compare the vastness of the early christian preaching w the pifling bleats of the wt org today. They think their preaching of the last few yrs in unprecedented. But, it's nothing compared to what has already been done by the catholics and other christian groups.

  S
• 

  mP

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_in_Aracoeli

  The Basilica of St. Mary of the Altar of Heaven ( Latin : Basilica Sanctae Mariae de Ara coeli in Capitolio , Italian : Basilica di Santa Maria in Ara coeli al Campidoglio ) is a titular basilica in Rome , located on the highest summit of the Campidoglio . It is still the designated Church of the city council of Rome, which uses the ancient title of Senatus Populusque Romanus .

  ...

  Originally the church was named Santa Maria in Capitolio , since it was sited on the Capitoline Hill (Campidoglio, in Italian ) of Ancient Rome; by the 14th century it had been renamed. A medieval legend included in the mid-12th-century guide to Rome , Mirabilia Urbis Romae , claimed that the church was built over an Augustan Ara primogeniti Dei , in the place where the Tiburtine Sibyl prophesied to Augustus the coming of the Christ . "For this reason the figures of Augustus and of the Tiburtine sibyl are painted on either side of the arch above the high altar" (Lanciani chapter 1). A later legend [citation needed] substituted an apparition of the Virgin Mary . In the Middle Ages, condemned criminals were executed at the foot of the steps; there the self-proclaimed Tribune and reviver of the Roman Republic Cola di Rienzo met his death, near the spot where his statue commemorates him.