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Fear of Knowledge and Power
In the past, many rulers believed that knowledge was dangerous. They felt that if people learned even a little, the system of oppression would...
The Role of the Nobles’ Retainers
The retainers of the nobility were men who served powerful lords and shared in their military life. Because many of them were of similar...
Reflection and the Weakening of Authority
Everything that teaches people to think, reflect, and compare ideas naturally weakens systems of absolute authority. When individuals begin to question and examine the...
Abbreviations Used in This Book
This section explains the abbreviations that are used throughout the book. These short forms are mainly for books of the Bible and common historical...
The Story of Noah’s Pudding
According to tradition, when the Ark of Noah came to rest on Mount Ararat after the great flood, Noah and his family were filled...
The Meaning of True Richness
St. John’s metaphor gives us a clear message about the church in Laodicea. The Christians in this city were rich in material things, but...
Pliny the Younger and the Christians of Anatolia
One of the earliest official records of Christianity in Anatolia comes from Pliny the Younger, who served as the Roman governor of the province...
Persecution of the First Christian Leaders
During the first decades after the death of Jesus, the leaders of the early Christian movement faced severe persecution. St Stephen, the first Christian...
St John of Patmos
Much of what we know about St John of Patmos, also called the Theologian or the Divine, comes from later Christian traditions and apocryphal...
Tower Opposite the Imperial Gate
Another strong piece of evidence concerns the tower that stood opposite the Imperial Gate. Phrantzes describes this tower as being “in the middle of...
