THE GREAT SCHISM – Samueh Hugh Moffett
Earthly things have little interest for me. I have died to the world and live for him…. Farewell desert, my friend … and [ farewell ] exile, my mother, who after my death shall keep my body until the resurection… as for Nestorius-let him be anathema… And would God that all men by anathematizing me might attain to reconciliation with God…. – Nestorius, The Bazaar of Heracleides The Great Schism * Samuel Hugh Moffett WHAT finally divided the early church, East from West, Asia from Europe, was neither war nor persecution but the blight of a violent theological controversy,...
Read MoreEntry EDESSA IN THE ERA OF PATRIARCH MICHAEL THE SYRIAN – Rev. Joseph Tarzi, Ph.D.
INTRODUCTION The year 1999 not only marked the 800th anniversary of the departure of Patriarch Michael the Great, but also the 7Sth anniversary of the forced mass-exodus of the Syrian Orthodox people of Edessa, and the movement of the Syrian Church of Edessa to Aleppo, Syria. In an attempt to combine the two occasions, I chose the topic of my paper to be “Edessa at the time of Patriarch Michael the Great.” Although Patriarch Michael was born in 1126, and died in 1199, the period covered in this presentation is almost entirely the 12th century, that is from the year 1100 to 1200...
Read MoreAt the Banquet of Cultures: Mesopotamia’s Heritage in Arabic Times/ CAROLINE JANSSEN Ghent
CAROLINE JANSSEN Ghent At the Banquet of Cultures: Mesopotamia’s Heritage in Arabic Times In regions like Mesopotamia with its heterogeneous population, ideologies of tolerance and universalism were useful tools to unite the different ethnic groups.1 Such ideologies are an inter- cultural phenomenon in se, and vital to societies with complex histories and foundations. A common language, politi- cal ideas and religion are important in- gredients to create a feeling of together- ness. In this paper we explore the idea that such ideologies can be transplanted from one empire to another, and...
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