Role of Christian Faith in Ancient and Contemporary Turkey
Turkey?s population is nearly 99% Muslim, and even though Christianity is a clear minority (1), Turkey has played a major role in the history of the Christian faith.? Turkey is second in the number of Christian biblical sites, Israel being the first, so Turkey contains a wealth of Christian history (2).?
Ancient Biblical Heritage:
Antioch:
Christianity began in 50 AD with Saint Paul, born Saul of Tarsus, located the southern region of Turkey.? Paul spent a majority of his active ministry traveling in Turkey, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ (3).? Antioch (now called Antakya) was an early center for Christianity and a place of Christian learning (4).? Both Paul and St. Peter preached in Antioch, and it is here that followers of Jesus were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). Peter built the first Christian church in Antioch, now called The Grotto Church of St. Peter, which was carved in a cave (1).? It is the place where the earliest Christian community met in secret to hide from the Romans, and is considered by author Nicholas Pappas to be ?the most visible symbol of Christianity in Antakya today? (5).? Also located in Antioch is the Apostle Paul?s church?The Church of Saint Paul.
Ephesus:
?Another important biblical figure is Apostle John, who lived the last part of his life in Turkey.? After being exiled to the island of Patmos, the Lord gave John a vision, which he wrote of in the book of Revelations.? It is the message for the ?seven churches? (Revelations 1:1) and all seven congregations are located in what is now Turkey:? Bergama (Pergamum), Akhisar (Thyatreira), Alasehir (Philedelphia), Sart (Sardis), Pamukkale (Hierapolis, n...
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...15 Dec. 2003 <http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions?10_13_97/feature.htm>
?Ephesus (Efus).? 18 Dec 2003? <http://www.allaboutturkey.com/hristiyan.htm>
Coffman, Elesha.? ?The cover?s story. (From the Editor).?? Christianity Today ?May 2002 v21 i2 p7.? Expanded Academic ASAP.? Furman University Libraries.? 15 Dec. 2003.? <http:// web2.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/140/549/44710665w2/purl=rcl_EAIM?>
?History of Christianity 301 to 600 CE.?? 18 Dec 2003.? <http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_hise.htm>
?Constantine, the first Christian emperor.?? Antiquity Online 18 Dec 2003 http://www.fsmitha.com/ht/ch24.htm
Oden, Thomas C.? ?Death Watch?One of the world?s earliest Christian cultures totters on the edge of extinction.?? Christianity Today 31 Jan 2003 18 Dec. 2003 http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/001/5.44.html
This essay will closely study and describe Rosso Fiorentino’s The Descent from the Cross. The painting depicts the process of Jesus Christ being taken off of the cross.
Through her cultural influence on dance, as well as her impact on reinventing dance itself, Anna Sokolow has gone down in history as one of the great modern dancers. Her Jewish roots were a huge basis for the dances she would perform and the messages that she would try to get across, which is significant to me and my own similar religious views. It was important for dancers and choreographers to speak up for what they believe in and disseminate their message throughout the world of the arts, and Sokolow was one of those who did this with great success. Through her unique style of movement, her eye-opening piece Rooms, and her own personal connection to Judaism, Anna Sokolow’s inspirations and works come together to address a powerful issue in Jewish society and culture during her time.
Pullen, H. W. Modern Christianity, a Civilized Heathenism. Boston: William F. Gill and, 1875. Print.
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Islam has been a dominant force throughout Turkish history. During the Ottoman Empire, Islam ruled every part of the theocratic state, but after the demise of the empire, Turkey's rulers led the country away from political Islam. The modern Turkish state has a strictly secular government, and Islam has been relegated to the personal sphere. Although Turkey has experienced a rise in fundamentalism in the past twenty years, the separation of church and state has remained relatively intact. Even with this increase of fundamentalist Islam, the wide majority of Muslims in Turkey are moderate and tolerant. They have adapted to modern life and value Islam for its moral and spiritual messages. Islam is a guide for right living and ethical conduct rather than a political system. Turkey constantly struggles to balance Islamic life with a secular government. Although the government wants to maintain a strict separation between religion and politics, it cannot ignore the power and influence that Islam has in the lives of the Turkish people.
conrad Henry Moehlman The Journal of Religion , Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr., 1938), pp. 174-182
Slavery might have had better conditions like: clothes and medical care, according to New York Historical Society but, Wage laborers could leave work and go...
To most, surfing is often described as a Hawaiian art-form, and rightfully so, Hawaiians apparently have been surfing for over a thousand years, but most experts will tell you that surfing began in Ancient Polynesia somewhere between the eighth and ninth centuries. Because the historical records of these ancient civilizations were carved into stone and bone, much of their culture has weathered away and little of their history is known. Nonetheless, we have an understanding of...
LoPresti, Anthony. “Christianity.” Sex & Religion. Ed. Christel Manning & Phil Zuckerman. Belmont, CA: Thompson, 2005. 117-141.
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Ziegenhals, Gretchen E The Christian Century; July 19, 1989; 106, 22; ProQuest Direct Complete pg.693
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