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To: SirWalterRalegh who wrote (4425)3/17/2016 6:57:57 PM
From: LindyBill
   of 7462
 
I apoligize folks, for this exchange. Some will follow me around SI to protest.

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To: LindyBill who wrote (4421)3/17/2016 7:50:09 PM
From: Snowshoe
   of 7462
 
The article cites new genetic evidence supporting a game-changing theory that Irish genes, language and culture flowed eastward from Ireland to mainland Europe. This rather upends the popular notion of what it means to be Celtic ... :o)

In 1955, an Oxford professor, J.R.R. Tolkien, better known as the author of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" novels, described the popular understanding of "Celtic" in a celebrated lecture: “‘Celtic’ of any sort is ... a magic bag into which anything may be put, and out of which almost anything may come.... Anything is possible in the fabulous Celtic twilight, which is not so much a twilight of the gods as of the reason.”

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To: LindyBill who wrote (4424)3/17/2016 7:58:15 PM
From: Snowshoe
1 Recommendation   of 7462
 
My 23andMe genetic profile estimates that I have about 3% Neanderthal ancestry.

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To: Snowshoe who wrote (4427)3/17/2016 8:47:30 PM
From: LindyBill
   of 7462
 
I have a "County Cork" Grandfather and a Scots Irish Mother. "23andme" says my genes are Northern Euro. I am also about 5% Neanderthal.

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To: Tom Clarke who wrote (4419)3/17/2016 10:47:22 PM
From: Greg or e
5 Recommendations   of 7462
 
Amateur metal detector finds ancient crucifix which may change historical record
An ancient crucifix has been found in remarkable condition
Will Worley
  • @willrworley

    The cleaned up crucifix, found by an amateur metal detector The Viking Museum Ladby

    An amateur metal detector has made a discovery that experts think could change our understanding of Christianity in Denmark.

    Dennis Fabricius Holm was enjoying an afternoon off work when he found a Birka crucifix pendant in a field near the town of Aunslev, Østfyn.

    “I got off early on Friday, so I took just a few hours, I went around with my metal detector and then I came suddenly on something,” Mr Holm told DK.

    “Since I cleared the mud and saw the jewellery, I have not been able to think of anything else.”

    On posting the find to social media, other users encouraged him to take it to a museum.

    Malene Refshauge Beck, curator and archaeologist at Østfyns Museum said: “It is an absolutely sensational discovery that is from the first half of the 900s [10th century].”

    “There is found an almost identical figure in Sweden, which has been dated to just this period.”

    However, this specimen is in especially good condition and one of the most well preserved Christian artefacts found in Denmark.

    Weighing just 13.2 grams and 4.1cm in length, the figure is made of finely articulated goldthreads and tiny fillagree pellets.

    It is smooth on the reverse side but has a small eye at the top for a chain.

    It was probably worn by a Viking woman.

    The dating of the crucifix, estimated at being from 900 – 950AD, is significant because it would indicate Danes embraced Christianity earlier than previously thought.

    At the moment, the Jelling Stones - two large runestones erected in 965AD in Jutland - are thought to be the oldest known representation of Jesus on a cross in Denmark.





    One of the rune stones at Jelling, Jutland. A figure with arms outstretched as if on a crucifix can be seen.

    The stones, in the town of Jelling, commemorate Harald Bluetooth’s conversion of the Danes to Christianity.

    Christian missionaries had been present in the country for around two hundred years before then, but had failed to convert the Vikings.

    However, pressures from Christian trade partners to convert, and in particular, influence from the Kingdom of Germany to the south, meant that most Danes were Christian by the end of the Viking period in 1050.

    “The figure can therefore help to advance the time when one considers that the Danes really were Christians,” said Ms Beck.

    “Simply because one can say that the person who carried it here no doubt embraced the Christian faith.”

    The impact of the find is such that the historical record of the country will need to be adjusted.

    “This is a subject that certainly will have to appear in the history books in the future,” said Ms Beck.

    “In recent years there has been more and more signs that Christianity was widespread earlier than previously thought - and here the clearest evidence so far.”

    And as for the amateur archaeologist?

    “I’ve hardly slept!” Mr Holm said to TV2 / Fyn.

    “It has been very overwhelming. I have not yet grasped that find’s influence on Denmark's history.

    “It is hard to comprehend.”


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    From: isopatch3/28/2016 7:28:44 PM
    2 Recommendations   of 7462
     
    Done more than a little digging into the early history of Christianity. Article below offers puzzle pieces which fill out more of the picture outlined in a number of top academic historical research studies.

    Iso

    Was the Emperor Constantine a True Christian or Was He a Secret Pagan?

    26 MARCH, 2016 - 21:03

    NATALIA KLIMCZAK

    Constantine the Great is known in history as the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity. However, legends and archaeological evidence suggest a different story– it seems that Constantine had a secret about his faith which was hidden for centuries.

    Constantine built many churches. He celebrated the faith in one (Christian) God and his son Jesus by creating many of the greatest churches of the world, including: St. Peter’s in Rome, The Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, The Eleona on the Mount of Olives, The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, and others.



    Construction of The Hagia Sophia depicted in the codex Manasses Chronicle (14th century). ( Public Domain)

    Constantine became emperor in 306 AD, and ruled for 31 years. According to tradition, during the battle of Milan in 312, he experienced a vision of a flaming cross with the inscription 'In his sign conquer'. As the legends say, he understood it as a sign from the Christian God asking him to convert. Constantine believed that he would be awarded with unusual power, the support of a deity, and the greatest kingdom of the world if he followed through with the vision.

    By the decree of Constantine, Christianity became the official religion of Rome in 324. However, did he really become a true Christian, or was he just seeking the support of powerful bishops for political purposes?

    The Christian Emperor of RomeIn the group of his closest advisers there were bishops such as Hosius, Lactantius, and Eusebius of Caesarea. He appointed the group of converted Christians to high positions in many parts of his empire. The Christian ministers had special privileges. He also extended many benefits to pagan priests who became Christian ministers. For example, they received monetary support from the Empire and didn't pay taxes.



    Eusebius in a modern imagining. ( Public Domain)

    The bishops were a faithful army for the ruler, but apart from creating some laws, temples, and supporting the growing group of priests, Constantine didn't appear to be much of a Christian. He agreed with the bishops’ suggestions to legislate against magic and private divination. But if a change in these kinds of laws was not put forth by an influential bishop, Constantine wasn't interested in making the changes.

    Exploring the Origins of the Vandals, The Great Destroyers Archaeologists in Turkey Claim to Have Discovered Piece of Jesus’ Cross The Monastery of Saint Catherine: A Controversial Agreement Across FaithsWith his decree many pagan temples were destroyed. For example, he ordered the damage of the Temple of Aphrodite in Lebanon, but also many other ceremonial pagan places. It seems that he was interested in destroying some of the important places of pre-Christian cults, but at the same time destruction didn't apply to all of them. In every decision to destroy a pagan temple, it was written that the place could not exist because it was a site of misguided rites and ceremonies - a place of true obstinacy. He never outright banned pagan rituals like sacrifices, but only closed and destroyed important temples when the bishops felt the sites were dangerous to their own faith.

    Apart from his political motives to support the growing army of priests, Constantine may have had a secret. What is more interesting, is that it seems that the bishop of Rome knew about it, and supported him in this hidden aspect of his life. The truth was that Constantine outwardly supported the new religion but still worshiped the Sun and pagan symbols.

    A Christian who Worshiped the Sun?Constantine grew up in the court of the emperor Constantine Chlorus, who was a Neoplatonist and a devotee of the Unconquered Sun. His mother, Empress Helena, was a Christian who traveled through the Middle East searching for key sites connected to Jesus. According to the ancient texts, she was the one who identified the most important places known in the Bible. Young Constantine didn't appear as a follower of his mother's religious interests. He worshiped the Sun, or was devoted to Mithraism.



    Orthodox Bulgarian icon of Constantine and his mother, St. Helena. ( CC BY-SA 3.0)

    After his official conversion to Christianity in 312, Constantine built his triumphal arch in Rome. It is interesting that it wasn't dedicated to the symbols of Christianity, but to the Unconquered Sun. During his reign, he changed many aspects connected with pagan cults, but that doesn’t mean that he stopped the cultivation of old traditions. He often named them differently, but still allowed for pagan practices in many ways. For example, in 321 Constantine legislated that the celebration of the Day of the Sun should be a state holiday – a day off for everybody.

    The Mysterious Column of ConstantineIn 330, Constantine set up a statue which is a key to understanding his private beliefs. After decades of supporting Christianity, he appeared as a statue of the Sun god in the forum. The column became the center of the Forum of Constantine, nowadays known as the Cemberlitas Square in Istanbul. Today, the column is 35 meters (114.8 feet) tall, but in the ancient times it was 15 meters (49.2 feet) taller, and ended with an impressive statue of the emperor. The column was decorated with pagan symbolism supported by some Christian decoration.



    The Column of Constantine, seen from the south-east ( CC BY-SA 3.0)

    The statue on the top of the monument presented Constantine in the figure of Apollo with a Sun crown, the greatest symbol of the kings from the times of Alexander the Great. It is said that he carried a fragment of the True Cross in his hand - a relic of the cross of Jesus. At the foot of the column there was a sacred place which contained relics, including other parts of crosses, a basket from the biblical story of the loaves and fishes miracle, a jar which belonged to Mary Magdalene, and a wooden statue of Pallas Athena from Troy.



    The Column of Constantine in its original form, with the statue of Constantine as Apollo on top. ( Public Domain)

    The Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos (1143 – 1180) saw this monument as too pagan, and he decided to place a cross in place of the statue on the top of the column. The monument was damaged a few times in history, but the column has survived until modern times. Parts of the statue of Constantine are located in a museum, but the Column of Constantine is still one of the most important examples of Roman Art in Turkey.

    Pagan, Christian, or a God?After his death in 337, Constantine became one of the pagan gods. An analysis of archaeological sites suggests that Constantine, like previous emperors of Rome, had never stopped seeing himself as a son of the ancient deities. It is hard to believe that Constantine’s Christian beliefs were as strong as his mother Helena’s. He appears more as an intelligent politician than a man who truly wanted to Christianize the world.



    Colossal marble head of Emperor Constantine the Great, Roman, 4th century, located at the Capitoline Museums, in Rome. ( CC BY-SA 3.0)

    Featured image: The Baptism of Constantine, as imagined by students of Raphael. Source: Public Domain

    By Natalia Klimczak

    References:Ramsay MacMullen, Christianizing the Roman Empire, 1986

    Charles M. Odahl, Constantine and the Christian Empire, 2004.

    Michael Grant, Constantine the Great: The Man and His Times,1994.

    biblicalcatholic.com

    sententias.org

    See more at: ancient-origins.net

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    From: Tom Clarke3/28/2016 7:42:41 PM
       of 7462
     
    On This Day In History: ‘Sea King’ Ragnar Lodbrok Seizes Paris – On March 28, 845



    messagetoeagle.com

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    From: Tom Clarke3/30/2016 6:49:20 AM
    2 Recommendations   of 7462
     
    "The discovery of real unicorns isn't new, but according to a new study in the American Journal of Applied Science, they roamed the Earth much more recently than previously thought. Researchers from Russia's Tomsk State University found a Siberian unicorn skull in Kazakhstan and dated it to around 29,000 years ago, disproving the original theory that the species went extinct 350,000 years ago."



    nymag.com

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    From: Tom Clarke3/30/2016 9:57:42 AM
       of 7462
     
    Scan of Shakespeare's Grave Indicates Skull Is Missing


    A portrait of William Shakespeare is pictured in London, painted in 1610 and thought to be the only surviving picture of him painted in his lifetime

    Reuters
    March 24, 2016 7:12 PM

    LONDON—
    Shakespeare's skull is likely missing from his grave, an archaeologist has concluded, confirming rumors that have swirled for years about grave-robbers and adding to the mystery surrounding the Bard's remains.

    Four hundred years after his burial at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford-upon-Avon, central England, researchers were allowed to scan the grave of England's greatest playwright with ground-penetrating radar. In the area under the church floor where the Bard's skull was expected to be, they found signs of interference.

    "We have Shakespeare's burial with an odd disturbance at the head end, and we have a story that suggests that at some point in history someone's come in and taken the skull of Shakespeare," said archaeologist Kevin Colls from Staffordshire University. "It's very, very convincing to me that his skull isn't at Holy Trinity at all."

    The findings deepen the mystery about Shakespeare's last resting place.

    The grave does not bear his name, merely this warning rhyme: "Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear, to dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones."

    Second skull

    In their quest to find Shakespeare's skull, Colls' team also investigated a long-standing tale that it was hidden in a sealed crypt in another church 15 miles (24 kilometers) across the English countryside in Worcestershire. But analysis of that skull showed it to be that of a woman who had been in her 70s when she died.

    The story of Shakespeare's missing skull appeared in The Argosy magazine in 1879, which blamed the removal on trophy hunters from the previous century when grave-robbing was common.

    Skulls were worth collecting because genius, thought some at that time, would be evident in the remains of a man like Shakespeare, whose character Hamlet famously holds a skull while musing on death.

    The scan of the grave where Shakespeare's remains rest next to those of his wife, Anne Hathaway, was conducted in a nonintrusive way, said the team, who will present the results in a television documentary due to air in Britain on Saturday.

    "There are so many contradictory myths and legends about the tomb of the Bard," Colls said in a statement. "These results will undoubtedly spark discussion, scholarly debate and controversial theories for years to come. Even now, thinking of the findings sends shivers down my spine."

    voanews.com

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    From: Tom Clarke3/30/2016 10:10:30 AM
    1 Recommendation   of 7462
     
    Tolkien & Anglo-Saxon England: Protectors of Christendom



    theimaginativeconservative.org

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