1
The Early Spread of Christianity This site opens with a map tracing the spread of Christianity. By clicking on pointers on the map, a history of the spread of Christianity in the area is offered.
http://shell5.ba.best.com/~gdavis/ntcanon/places.htm#Lyons
Questions for exploration:
Why is Antioch a particularly important place in the history of early Christianity? How is Edessa sacred to many of the religions of southwest Asia? What happened in Lyon in Gaul (today’s France) that was typical of much of early Christianity in the Roman Empire before Constantine?
2
Constantine the Great This site is the Catholic Encyclopedia’s entry for Constantine the Great.
http://newadvent.org/cathen/04295c.htm
Questions for exploration:
What was Constantine’s famous vision? How did it prove useful in his military campaign in Italy? How did he reward this sign of God’s favor? How could Constantine worship both the Sun and Christianity? Why is he seen as having “syncretistic tendencies?” How was the emperor himself seen as a God? Did Constantine give the Christian church too much power? Why did he attend Church Councils? Assess Constantine as a reformer. Was he generous to the poor and to children? What were the reported circumstances of his death and how might they reflect his personal religious beliefs?
3
The Council of Nicea This site offers an essay meant to clarify the issues in dispute at the Council of Nicea.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/sbrandt/nicea.htm
Questions for exploration:
What was the chief issue in dispute at Nicea? Why can Eusebius’s account of the Council of Nicea be considered as possibly less than accurate? How did the majority of the Fathers of the early Church defend their opposition to Arius’s assertions? What evidence is mustered to demonstrate the sincerity of the majority of bishops and the correctness of their views? What would have happened had the majority decided otherwise?
4
The Anti-Semitism of the Council of Nicea This site argues that the Council of Nicea marked am irrevocable break between Christians and Jews and that its emphasis on creed over acts heralded the persecution of Jews by Christians for which the Catholic Church has recently made a very public apology.
http://yashanet.com/library/antisem.htm
Questions for exploration:
Why did the Nicean emphasis on “creed” possibly encourage Christians to cut themselves off from Jews and Judaism? In what ways were Christianity’s Jewish roots rejected by Christians? Why is the term “Yeshua” used at this site, instead of “Jesus?” Does the author argue that “genuine Disciples of Christ” would ever seek to undertake anti-Semitic acts? What is the moral position the author of this site wishes both Christians and Jews to take? How would have the majority of bishops at Council of Nicea responded to the arguments offered here?
5
Diocletian’s Place This site offers a tour of Roman Emperor Diocletian’s palace.
http://www.st.carnet.hr/split/diokl.html
Questions for exploration:
What folk medicines were available to Roman midwives and how may the most useful of these remedies been of assistance to women in labor? Who acted as midwives? Who were the best midwives? Without a midwife, Roman women were subject the kinds of treatment noted by Pliny. What were the practices Pliny identified and how effective/dangerous were they?
6
Roman Jerusalem This site examines the impact of Roman rule on Jerusalem.
http://jeru.huji.ac.il/ed1.htm
Questions for exploration:
What was the impact on Jerusalem of the Romans conquest of Judea? How did the Emperor Constantine and his family alter the face of Jerusalem?
7
Life in Byzantine Jerusalem This site offers a glimpse into the Jerusalem of later Roman times as seen through a visit to the Cardo, Jerusalem’s ancient main thoroughfare and commercial district. A related site offers more historical details, virtual tours and links to this period in the city’s history: http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Archaeology/Nea.html
http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00z90
Questions for exploration:
How were houses grouped in Jerusalem neighborhoods? What kinds of flooring were employed? What fuel was used in the hearth fires? How did people tell time and why would they want to do so, especially in the Cardo?
8
The Sassanian Empire This site is a study of the Sassanian Empire, here given the alternative spelling of Sasanian.
http://www.silk-road.com/artl/sasanian.shtml
Questions for exploration:
Why did the Sassanian emperor, Shah Shapur I, have the right to call himself “Shahinshah” or ‘King of Kings?” How did the famous rock-cut reliefs devoted to him offer evidence in art and stone of his vast power? Why was this empire nonetheless ripe for later conquest by the armies of Islam?
9
Devi This site explores the worship of the female principle present in Hindu worship.
http://www.asia.si.edu/devi/
Questions for exploration:
Who is Devi? What are some of the guises, forms or ways in which Devi is manifested? How is she celebrated? In what three Indian religions is she an all-important deity?
10
Mahayana Buddhism This site offers a good introduction to Pure Land Buddhism, which spread rapidly across Asia, in part because it offered a seeker the means to attain enlightenment in one life, rather than only after many re-births.
http://www.kheper.auz.com/topics/Buddhism/Mahayana.htm
Questions for exploration:
How does one attain salvation in Pure Land Buddhism? Who is Amitaba? What is a Bodhisattva? How can a Bodhisattva aid in the attainment of salvation?
