Scream, Is this the man who thinks are dangerous? This the man that aspires to be a king?

Scream, Is this the man who thinks are dangerous? This the man that aspires to be a king?

Come?

Come?

Come, Come, Come.

Come, Come, Come.

Now.

Now.

The leaders of the Sanhedrin accuse you of peaching perverted doctrine.

The leaders of the Sanhedrin accuse you of peaching perverted doctrine.

Come.

Come.

They also say, you call yourself the king of the Jews.

They also say, you call yourself the king of the Jews.

Well, are you king of the Jews?

Well, are you king of the Jews?

If my kingdom were of this world, my followers would have thought to prevent me from being captured. Oh, you speak of a kingdom.

If my kingdom were of this world, my followers would have thought to prevent me from being captured. Oh, you speak of a kingdom.

Therefore you must be a king. Are you a king?

Therefore you must be a king. Are you a king?

I am.

I am.

I was born for one purpose, to bear witness to the truth all who can accept the truth?

I was born for one purpose, to bear witness to the truth all who can accept the truth?

And what is the truth?

And what is the truth?

Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome aboard to the chronicles of the Christians. This is a journey unlike any you've embarked upon before, and I'll be your guide through this spiritual narrative where history isn't just about a sequence of events, but living, breathing testament to faith, power and the divine. This isn't your typical Sunday school lesson. This is history with its armor off, revealing the scars and miracles that have shaped the very fabric of the Western world. I'm talking about Christianity not as a footnote in history books, but as the main character in a saga of human endeavor, conflict, and transformation. Imagine a story where miracles aren't just tales for children, but pivotable moments that change the course of nations. We'll explore the miracles of healing, of resurrection, of divine intervention in times of tarkest despair. These aren't just stories, They're the lifeblood of a faith that has endured against all odds. But this series isn't just about the spiritual. We'll delve into the gritty, the political, the warfare that has often been fought under the banner of the Cross, from the Crusades to the fights to defend Christendom. We'll look at how faith influenced battles, not just in the physical realm, but in the ideological wars that shaped kingdoms and shaped empires. We'll see how the power of Christ was not just in the peace of the church, but in the chaos of battlefields and politics. Oh, they've always been intertwined with faith. The rise and fall of popes, the schisms that split the church, the alliances and betrayals, all part of the divine political chess game, where every move could alter the course of history, and we'll explore how Christianity didn't just react to the politics of time, but actively shaped it, from its humble beginnings to Rome to the Vatican's influence in global affairs. But at its heart, The Chronicles of the Christians is about the power of Christ in a way you've never seen before. It's about a simple message from a man in Galilee and how it echoed throughout the centuries, influencing art, law, culture, and the very soul of Western civilization. This series will challenge you to see Christianity not just as some religion, but as a force that has built, broken, and rebuilt the Western world time and time again. So whether you're a believer, a skeptic, or just a lover of history, join us. Let's uncover the untold, the controversial, and the miraculous. Let's see how the teachings of Christ have not only survived but thrived, shaping our world in ways we are only just now beginning to understand. Prepare for a journey through time where faith meets reality, where the divine meets the human, and where every episode promises to reveal the unseen layers of history.

Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome aboard to the chronicles of the Christians. This is a journey unlike any you've embarked upon before, and I'll be your guide through this spiritual narrative where history isn't just about a sequence of events, but living, breathing testament to faith, power and the divine. This isn't your typical Sunday school lesson. This is history with its armor off, revealing the scars and miracles that have shaped the very fabric of the Western world. I'm talking about Christianity not as a footnote in history books, but as the main character in a saga of human endeavor, conflict, and transformation. Imagine a story where miracles aren't just tales for children, but pivotable moments that change the course of nations. We'll explore the miracles of healing, of resurrection, of divine intervention in times of tarkest despair. These aren't just stories, They're the lifeblood of a faith that has endured against all odds. But this series isn't just about the spiritual. We'll delve into the gritty, the political, the warfare that has often been fought under the banner of the Cross, from the Crusades to the fights to defend Christendom. We'll look at how faith influenced battles, not just in the physical realm, but in the ideological wars that shaped kingdoms and shaped empires. We'll see how the power of Christ was not just in the peace of the church, but in the chaos of battlefields and politics. Oh, they've always been intertwined with faith. The rise and fall of popes, the schisms that split the church, the alliances and betrayals, all part of the divine political chess game, where every move could alter the course of history, and we'll explore how Christianity didn't just react to the politics of time, but actively shaped it, from its humble beginnings to Rome to the Vatican's influence in global affairs. But at its heart, The Chronicles of the Christians is about the power of Christ in a way you've never seen before. It's about a simple message from a man in Galilee and how it echoed throughout the centuries, influencing art, law, culture, and the very soul of Western civilization. This series will challenge you to see Christianity not just as some religion, but as a force that has built, broken, and rebuilt the Western world time and time again. So whether you're a believer, a skeptic, or just a lover of history, join us. Let's uncover the untold, the controversial, and the miraculous. Let's see how the teachings of Christ have not only survived but thrived, shaping our world in ways we are only just now beginning to understand. Prepare for a journey through time where faith meets reality, where the divine meets the human, and where every episode promises to reveal the unseen layers of history.

This is the Chronicles of the Christians.

This is the Chronicles of the Christians.

All right, we're back Chronicles of the Christians. Jack Posobc and I wanted to introduce our co host for the first couple of installments. Here it is, Ladies and gentlemen, we're bringing him back. Fan favorite or fanned frenemy, I'm not sure. It's Blake Nef co host of Thought Crime and also a producer on The Charlie Kirk Show and the co host for Chronicles of the Revolution last year, which turned into the New York Times bestseller on humans, the Secret History of Communist Revolutions and How to Crush Them. What's up, Blake, Jack, It's very very good to be here. So, Blake, what is this Christianity thing? You know, we hear about it. You know, obviously we know the religion. We know the crosses.

All right, we're back Chronicles of the Christians. Jack Posobc and I wanted to introduce our co host for the first couple of installments. Here it is, Ladies and gentlemen, we're bringing him back. Fan favorite or fanned frenemy, I'm not sure. It's Blake Nef co host of Thought Crime and also a producer on The Charlie Kirk Show and the co host for Chronicles of the Revolution last year, which turned into the New York Times bestseller on humans, the Secret History of Communist Revolutions and How to Crush Them. What's up, Blake, Jack, It's very very good to be here. So, Blake, what is this Christianity thing? You know, we hear about it. You know, obviously we know the religion. We know the crosses.

They're all over the place.

They're all over the place.

You can't really go anywhere without anywhere in the European or Western world without you know, seeing elements of Christianity. But how did it become this way? I mean certainly it wasn't always like this. I mean people used to believe in the pagan gods and we kind of get this story that, you know. Okay, So, so Jesus happens, right, Jesus is crucified, Jesus dies on the cross, he comes back to life, he appears to some crowds, but it's not like the whole world is immediately Christian right after that. And usually we kind of get this story that, oh, well, Constantine became Christian around three hundred eighty and then the whole Roman Empire just became Christian and that's that. But it's probably a little bit more complicated than all that, isn't it.

You can't really go anywhere without anywhere in the European or Western world without you know, seeing elements of Christianity. But how did it become this way? I mean certainly it wasn't always like this. I mean people used to believe in the pagan gods and we kind of get this story that, you know. Okay, So, so Jesus happens, right, Jesus is crucified, Jesus dies on the cross, he comes back to life, he appears to some crowds, but it's not like the whole world is immediately Christian right after that. And usually we kind of get this story that, oh, well, Constantine became Christian around three hundred eighty and then the whole Roman Empire just became Christian and that's that. But it's probably a little bit more complicated than all that, isn't it.

Yeah, exactly, Jack, It's really it's one of the most fascinating stories in world history because we basically have no good analog for it in history. I mean, we have the spread of Islam, but the spread of Islam is there's a small group that follows Islam and they conquer a bunch of territory and it's instantly this big religion. With Christianity, what we have is we have something that is just an obscure faith in a very marginal province, a very marginal part of this vast empire, and it grows to become this absolutely immense and it grows and grows and grows, and it's only three hundred years later that they convert their first, you know, leader of an entire country, and then from there they just keep going. Because that empire, the Roman Empire, it collapses, and yet it still keeps growing. It expands into new kingdoms, and it just grows and grows and grows and becomes the most influential ideology of any kind in world history. That we all, if you're even if you're not Christian, even if you follow a religion other than Christianity, you live in the Christian world, the world that Christianity built, like we all have its imprint on our brains, on how we see the world, on how we think about moral questions, and it's one of the most interesting stories in world history. Obviously the saga of Christ himself is fascinating, but what his followers in the centuries that followed were able to do.

Yeah, exactly, Jack, It's really it's one of the most fascinating stories in world history because we basically have no good analog for it in history. I mean, we have the spread of Islam, but the spread of Islam is there's a small group that follows Islam and they conquer a bunch of territory and it's instantly this big religion. With Christianity, what we have is we have something that is just an obscure faith in a very marginal province, a very marginal part of this vast empire, and it grows to become this absolutely immense and it grows and grows and grows, and it's only three hundred years later that they convert their first, you know, leader of an entire country, and then from there they just keep going. Because that empire, the Roman Empire, it collapses, and yet it still keeps growing. It expands into new kingdoms, and it just grows and grows and grows and becomes the most influential ideology of any kind in world history. That we all, if you're even if you're not Christian, even if you follow a religion other than Christianity, you live in the Christian world, the world that Christianity built, like we all have its imprint on our brains, on how we see the world, on how we think about moral questions, and it's one of the most interesting stories in world history. Obviously the saga of Christ himself is fascinating, but what his followers in the centuries that followed were able to do.

And so the story of Constantine that people do know, and that is also associated with a miracle, and Constantine he was fighting in a war against, of course, another Emperor of Rome or would be Emperor of Rome in northern Italy, and he's about to cross this or there's there's this battle of the Bridge, the Milvian Bridge in three twelve AD and he purported the seas a cross in the sky and adopted the phrase in this sign you will conquer and this, you know, it's a year lady wins Battle of say in Inn. A year later he issues the Edict of Milan, and this of course legalizes Christianity because prior to then, you know, I think most people know this part of the story that Christianity wasn't exactly encouraged in the Roman Empire prior to this, and at that point he makes it legally. Doesn't necessarily just force everyone to become Christian, does he?

And so the story of Constantine that people do know, and that is also associated with a miracle, and Constantine he was fighting in a war against, of course, another Emperor of Rome or would be Emperor of Rome in northern Italy, and he's about to cross this or there's there's this battle of the Bridge, the Milvian Bridge in three twelve AD and he purported the seas a cross in the sky and adopted the phrase in this sign you will conquer and this, you know, it's a year lady wins Battle of say in Inn. A year later he issues the Edict of Milan, and this of course legalizes Christianity because prior to then, you know, I think most people know this part of the story that Christianity wasn't exactly encouraged in the Roman Empire prior to this, and at that point he makes it legally. Doesn't necessarily just force everyone to become Christian, does he?

No, not at all.

No, not at all.

It's it starts off with, just as you say, an edict of toleration. And it was quite the swerve because just a few decades before, you have, or just a few years before, you have the Persecution of Diocletian, the Great Persecution they called it, where Diocletian is a Roman emperor and he orders very intense targeting of Christians. This is probably when the most people would have ever been martyred for Christianity. It actually causes a split in the Christian community because you have some people who abandon the faith under pressure, and then there's a whole debate like do we welcome these people people back, And ultimately the ruling was, yes, we do.

It's it starts off with, just as you say, an edict of toleration. And it was quite the swerve because just a few decades before, you have, or just a few years before, you have the Persecution of Diocletian, the Great Persecution they called it, where Diocletian is a Roman emperor and he orders very intense targeting of Christians. This is probably when the most people would have ever been martyred for Christianity. It actually causes a split in the Christian community because you have some people who abandon the faith under pressure, and then there's a whole debate like do we welcome these people people back, And ultimately the ruling was, yes, we do.

And then you have more persecutions under Diocletian's successor. I think it was Galleri. I can't. I don't want to. I don't want to get the emperor wrong. There's a lot of emperors.

And then you have more persecutions under Diocletian's successor. I think it was Galleri. I can't. I don't want to. I don't want to get the emperor wrong. There's a lot of emperors.

And then it swerves back to toleration, but it's a very generous toleration. Constantine gives a lot of patronage to Christians. He puts a lot of Christians in senior positions of his imperial administration. And of course Constantine himself becomes a Christian and he makes his sons into Christians. And so from there it's just like a rocket ship. It gets bigger and bigger and bigger. It becomes more and more popular, especially with the urban classes of the Roman Empire, and then from there it spreads into the masses. But I think one of the most amazing things is.

And then it swerves back to toleration, but it's a very generous toleration. Constantine gives a lot of patronage to Christians. He puts a lot of Christians in senior positions of his imperial administration. And of course Constantine himself becomes a Christian and he makes his sons into Christians. And so from there it's just like a rocket ship. It gets bigger and bigger and bigger. It becomes more and more popular, especially with the urban classes of the Roman Empire, and then from there it spreads into the masses. But I think one of the most amazing things is.

Well, is the kind of an idea is there is there kind of an idea that, oh, well, if the emperor and the royal family are Christian, then we should be Christian too, because that'll kind of, you know, that'll kind of help us get in with the emperor. Is is it purely a political thing or was it something where it was catching on and people were saying, hey, there's something to this.

Well, is the kind of an idea is there is there kind of an idea that, oh, well, if the emperor and the royal family are Christian, then we should be Christian too, because that'll kind of, you know, that'll kind of help us get in with the emperor. Is is it purely a political thing or was it something where it was catching on and people were saying, hey, there's something to this.

I mean, it's definitely a mixture of both.

I mean, it's definitely a mixture of both.

You see people, you see Christians at the time complain, who say, oh, you know, our faith, like it was so pure when we were a persecuted faith because everyone was very much a true believer.

You see people, you see Christians at the time complain, who say, oh, you know, our faith, like it was so pure when we were a persecuted faith because everyone was very much a true believer.

And then once the emperors are oh.

And then once the emperors are oh.

Yeah, ogs like complaining about it. Yeah, like, oh, I was a Christian when it was hard to be Christian.

Yeah, ogs like complaining about it. Yeah, like, oh, I was a Christian when it was hard to be Christian.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

If it makes you feel better, if it makes everyone feel better. What I can say is I'm drawing a lot on this book that's a favorite of mine, The Barbarian Conversion from Paganism to Christianity by Richard Fletcher. Very nerdy book, but if you like nerdy books, it's a fun one. And one of the things in it is, for all of Christian history, the Christians of a present moment say, oh, the past generations of Christians were just so much better than us. They were so much more devout. And now people today they don't care.

If it makes you feel better, if it makes everyone feel better. What I can say is I'm drawing a lot on this book that's a favorite of mine, The Barbarian Conversion from Paganism to Christianity by Richard Fletcher. Very nerdy book, but if you like nerdy books, it's a fun one. And one of the things in it is, for all of Christian history, the Christians of a present moment say, oh, the past generations of Christians were just so much better than us. They were so much more devout. And now people today they don't care.

They're all terrible.

They're all terrible.

They've been doing that to two thousand years straight. They were doing it in the three hundreds, they were doing it in one thousand, they were doing it in fifteen hundred, and.

They've been doing that to two thousand years straight. They were doing it in the three hundreds, they were doing it in one thousand, they were doing it in fifteen hundred, and.

They're doing it today.

They're doing it today.

So you know, maybe that makes people feel a bit better about, you know, what our own situation is with Christianity and the wider.

So you know, maybe that makes people feel a bit better about, you know, what our own situation is with Christianity and the wider.

World, except time the opposite. Yeah, I think that.

World, except time the opposite. Yeah, I think that.

I think that the current the current trend is slightly different is that we're it's it's more of like bucking the trend. You hear this with zoomers that who you know, get converted and they say they say, no, we want to be we want to be more devout than the generation prior because they weren't devout enough.

I think that the current the current trend is slightly different is that we're it's it's more of like bucking the trend. You hear this with zoomers that who you know, get converted and they say they say, no, we want to be we want to be more devout than the generation prior because they weren't devout enough.

Yeah, maybe we're living through a brand new trend. And if so, it could be it could be something really amazing. We could see a big revival. And that's another thing that we see in history. There are big swings. It was not sometimes the reduction is just oh, from the Conversion of Constantine to the Reformation. They'll call it the age of faith, and it was an age of faith, but it was an age where it rose and it fell. You had entire rate regions England, for example, England or Britain under the Romans had a lot of Christians, and then the Roman Empire falls, it gets conquered, and Christianity in Britain, in northern France it basically vanishes, it gets wiped out. Pagan's conquer it and they have.

Yeah, maybe we're living through a brand new trend. And if so, it could be it could be something really amazing. We could see a big revival. And that's another thing that we see in history. There are big swings. It was not sometimes the reduction is just oh, from the Conversion of Constantine to the Reformation. They'll call it the age of faith, and it was an age of faith, but it was an age where it rose and it fell. You had entire rate regions England, for example, England or Britain under the Romans had a lot of Christians, and then the Roman Empire falls, it gets conquered, and Christianity in Britain, in northern France it basically vanishes, it gets wiped out. Pagan's conquer it and they have.

To bring it back.

To bring it back.

And if you were living through that, it might have felt like it was the end of the world. Oh, Christianity has been defeated.

And if you were living through that, it might have felt like it was the end of the world. Oh, Christianity has been defeated.

You know, Northern Gaul overrun, the.

You know, Northern Gaul overrun, the.

Christians, ransacked, the bishops, the priests, they're gone, and hundreds of years later they bring it back. They expanded again with this missionary zeal from new places. You have Ireland, for example, gets converted by Saint Patrick in the late Roman Empire. All the places around it get taken out, Britain gets overrun. Like I said, Gaul gets overrun. And then in the five hundreds, the six hundreds, the seven hundreds, you have missionaries coming out of Ireland bringing Christianity back. And it's one of the most amazing stories and it's not widely known today, right.

Christians, ransacked, the bishops, the priests, they're gone, and hundreds of years later they bring it back. They expanded again with this missionary zeal from new places. You have Ireland, for example, gets converted by Saint Patrick in the late Roman Empire. All the places around it get taken out, Britain gets overrun. Like I said, Gaul gets overrun. And then in the five hundreds, the six hundreds, the seven hundreds, you have missionaries coming out of Ireland bringing Christianity back. And it's one of the most amazing stories and it's not widely known today, right.

And so well, let's go back to the one that people know. So people know about Saint Patrick. People obviously know Saint Patrick's day. There's a lot of cultural iconography around that. But so what you're saying is actually did the core of it is true that Saint Patrick really was not just the person who uh the the the priests who converted Ireland, but he really was the first Christian missionary of anywhere, exactly behind themselves obviously.

And so well, let's go back to the one that people know. So people know about Saint Patrick. People obviously know Saint Patrick's day. There's a lot of cultural iconography around that. But so what you're saying is actually did the core of it is true that Saint Patrick really was not just the person who uh the the the priests who converted Ireland, but he really was the first Christian missionary of anywhere, exactly behind themselves obviously.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, so we had and we have the stories of the apostles themselves, but it's also it's not well superdocumented what they did, whereas with Saint Patrick we have a little more primary source evidence about how it happened. And uh, I think the line from the book itself that I have saved here he says, as far as our evidence goes, Saint Patrick was the first person in Christian history to truly take the scriptural injunctions literally, to grasp that teaching all nations meant teaching even barbarians who lived beyond the front tiers of the Roman Empire.

Yeah, so we had and we have the stories of the apostles themselves, but it's also it's not well superdocumented what they did, whereas with Saint Patrick we have a little more primary source evidence about how it happened. And uh, I think the line from the book itself that I have saved here he says, as far as our evidence goes, Saint Patrick was the first person in Christian history to truly take the scriptural injunctions literally, to grasp that teaching all nations meant teaching even barbarians who lived beyond the front tiers of the Roman Empire.

And that's what made him so amazing.

And that's what made him so amazing.

Christianity in the ancient times was an urban religion, and you know, it's kind of natural, like it's a communal religion. You have to go to a church to do the church services, the ritual, you know, all of that, all the stuff we associate with church going. It naturally requires settlement. And he went to this place. Ireland had no cities and had no towns. It was like itinerant bands. It had more than two hundred or so kingdoms in this tiny island. No place could be harder to establish the Christian faith in, and he manages to do it and turns it into this huge source of scholarship, a source of Christian learning, a source of Christian missionaries. It was a very remarkable accomplishment that we really it's it's easy to underplay it with the simple stories we hear about Saint Patrick.

Christianity in the ancient times was an urban religion, and you know, it's kind of natural, like it's a communal religion. You have to go to a church to do the church services, the ritual, you know, all of that, all the stuff we associate with church going. It naturally requires settlement. And he went to this place. Ireland had no cities and had no towns. It was like itinerant bands. It had more than two hundred or so kingdoms in this tiny island. No place could be harder to establish the Christian faith in, and he manages to do it and turns it into this huge source of scholarship, a source of Christian learning, a source of Christian missionaries. It was a very remarkable accomplishment that we really it's it's easy to underplay it with the simple stories we hear about Saint Patrick.

That's right, and this is actually a monumental shift, not just for the spread of the faith, but also this idea that Christianity could be hearty and that could go into a place as Austere as you're describing and actually work there as well. And so it's showing an adaptability and it's showing a perhaps central truth or central veracity that so many people have been able to glom onto and the spread of it throughout Europe as an end of this really is something that we should all understand and perhaps understand better as we are even here in our Christian season we right back the Chronicles of the Christians, The Rise of Christianity.

That's right, and this is actually a monumental shift, not just for the spread of the faith, but also this idea that Christianity could be hearty and that could go into a place as Austere as you're describing and actually work there as well. And so it's showing an adaptability and it's showing a perhaps central truth or central veracity that so many people have been able to glom onto and the spread of it throughout Europe as an end of this really is something that we should all understand and perhaps understand better as we are even here in our Christian season we right back the Chronicles of the Christians, The Rise of Christianity.

Jack Pisoviec. Blake that.

Jack Pisoviec. Blake that.

And we're back the Chronicles of the Christians, the Rise of Christianity.

And we're back the Chronicles of the Christians, the Rise of Christianity.

Now, Blake.

Now, Blake.

Someone that I want to talk to, you know. Going back as well is the role of Saint Helena, who was the mother of Constantine. And correct me if I'm wrong, But she was Christian before him, right, so the mom was had converted before the sun.

Someone that I want to talk to, you know. Going back as well is the role of Saint Helena, who was the mother of Constantine. And correct me if I'm wrong, But she was Christian before him, right, so the mom was had converted before the sun.

I double checked.

I double checked.

This is debated, So there are some narratives where she converted before and may have exposed him to Christianity, you.

This is debated, So there are some narratives where she converted before and may have exposed him to Christianity, you.

Know, prayed for him. There are other accounts.

Know, prayed for him. There are other accounts.

I know Eusebius writes in early Church history and in his version Constantine converts first. So it's not clear, but there is definitely there are definitely traditions in which she was the person who came first.

I know Eusebius writes in early Church history and in his version Constantine converts first. So it's not clear, but there is definitely there are definitely traditions in which she was the person who came first.

And that's very kind.

And that's very kind.

Everyone agrees there was a sort of yeah, but everyone agrees there was definitely a mother son dynamic to it.

Everyone agrees there was a sort of yeah, but everyone agrees there was definitely a mother son dynamic to it.

Yes, yes, for sure, and she was She was definitely a very enthusiastic Christian.

Yes, yes, for sure, and she was She was definitely a very enthusiastic Christian.

Right right, very devout and coming from coming from a mother who is also a very devout and enthusiastic Christian, Catholic Christian, I could certainly relate to Constantine when it comes to that. So one of the big things that Saint Helena is known for, though, is she's the one who embarks in So this is a couple of decades later and she's still around. After the adict of Milan about I guess about ten years after that, she conducts this first pilgrimage to the Holy Land and she kind of becomes the first pilgrim to the Holy Land. So she goes to Jerusalem and she's looking for the holy sites and saying, look, I'm a Christian now, I really believe this stuff. And you know, travel is expensive back then, but you know, when your son's the emperor, it's not so bad. And so she goes in and says, look, I want to find these relics, like where was the sight of the Crucifixion?

Right right, very devout and coming from coming from a mother who is also a very devout and enthusiastic Christian, Catholic Christian, I could certainly relate to Constantine when it comes to that. So one of the big things that Saint Helena is known for, though, is she's the one who embarks in So this is a couple of decades later and she's still around. After the adict of Milan about I guess about ten years after that, she conducts this first pilgrimage to the Holy Land and she kind of becomes the first pilgrim to the Holy Land. So she goes to Jerusalem and she's looking for the holy sites and saying, look, I'm a Christian now, I really believe this stuff. And you know, travel is expensive back then, but you know, when your son's the emperor, it's not so bad. And so she goes in and says, look, I want to find these relics, like where was the sight of the Crucifixion?

Where was Jesus's tomb?

Where was Jesus's tomb?

And of course one of the big ones that she's associated with is the finding of the true Cross. And of course this one is hotly debated, and I'll just tell the quick story though, is that one of the one of the traditions that we have regarding the true Cross that was supposedly found by Saint Helena was that a terminally ill woman.

And of course one of the big ones that she's associated with is the finding of the true Cross. And of course this one is hotly debated, and I'll just tell the quick story though, is that one of the one of the traditions that we have regarding the true Cross that was supposedly found by Saint Helena was that a terminally ill woman.

Was brought.

Was brought.

Before the site of the true Cross, and each cross was touched to her, but only when the third cross was applied that it led to an immediate healing, and that was how she was able to identify it as the Cross, and that, of course it also had the title above it the inri Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, and she then has them sent to Constantinople. She has this sent around and then thus begins the building of the church Holy Sepulcher and many of the other pilgrimage sites. And to be fair, these had been there had been pilgrimages before, and she certainly wasn't the first one, but the fact that the Emperor's mother was going to these places certainly brought with it an amount of prestige and an amount of wealth that just sort of your average, you know, peasant pilgrim wouldn't necessarily bring, and a lot of renown, and it really kind of started this overall process of Europeans conducting pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

Before the site of the true Cross, and each cross was touched to her, but only when the third cross was applied that it led to an immediate healing, and that was how she was able to identify it as the Cross, and that, of course it also had the title above it the inri Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, and she then has them sent to Constantinople. She has this sent around and then thus begins the building of the church Holy Sepulcher and many of the other pilgrimage sites. And to be fair, these had been there had been pilgrimages before, and she certainly wasn't the first one, but the fact that the Emperor's mother was going to these places certainly brought with it an amount of prestige and an amount of wealth that just sort of your average, you know, peasant pilgrim wouldn't necessarily bring, and a lot of renown, and it really kind of started this overall process of Europeans conducting pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

Exactly.

Exactly.

And this was a huge part of the Christian experience, especially in this period. I mean, we obviously still have pilgrimage today, but it was enormously popular in a time where it was very difficult to be a pilgrim.

And this was a huge part of the Christian experience, especially in this period. I mean, we obviously still have pilgrimage today, but it was enormously popular in a time where it was very difficult to be a pilgrim.

We have we have.

We have we have.

Evidence that, you know, even in the Middle Ages, you'd have bishops and they would organize these giant multiple thousands of people would go on a big pilgrimage journey to the Holy Land, and then you had more local pilgrimages. Famously, the Canterbury Tales one of the foundational works of English literature. It's about pilgrims going to Canterbury, so the chief church in the English Church at the time. And you have there's famously a pilgrimage site at what's the name of It's in north northwestern Spain. It's like the route the root of Saint James, and they would go to a shrine there. And of course Rome has always been a popular site for pilgrims, and so there's all there's a strong tradition of you know, piety expressing itself through actions, and that's been in the from the earliest day or you know, from the earliest days of Christianity as a big public religion. That's been a part of it, and we owe that to a Roman emperor's mother.

Evidence that, you know, even in the Middle Ages, you'd have bishops and they would organize these giant multiple thousands of people would go on a big pilgrimage journey to the Holy Land, and then you had more local pilgrimages. Famously, the Canterbury Tales one of the foundational works of English literature. It's about pilgrims going to Canterbury, so the chief church in the English Church at the time. And you have there's famously a pilgrimage site at what's the name of It's in north northwestern Spain. It's like the route the root of Saint James, and they would go to a shrine there. And of course Rome has always been a popular site for pilgrims, and so there's all there's a strong tradition of you know, piety expressing itself through actions, and that's been in the from the earliest day or you know, from the earliest days of Christianity as a big public religion. That's been a part of it, and we owe that to a Roman emperor's mother.

Well.

Well.

Now, one of the pieces though, going back to this, is that it's not just Golgatha. So the spot where were this is it gone on on? However, listen to this. According to tradition, upon arriving in Jerusalem, Saint Helena aimed to find the site of Jesus crucifixion, which was then buried under a temple of Venus which had been erected by Emperor Hadrian to suppress Christian veneration at the site. And so this is you know, Christians had been going here in Pilgrims for for a long time since the Crucifixion because they knew this was the site, and yet a pagan temple had been built on top of the site. Saint Helena of course orders that to be destroyed and then and then the site converted into a church. But this really speaks to how there was a huge process of the conversion from and of course, as the title of your book is, this process of conversion of the Pagans into Christianity, this was not and the pagan pantheon of people, I think know the Roman gods and the Greek gods, and there were and the Norse gods, but there were so many others and even lesser gods, and there were just there were religions all over the place, and everyone was competing for to be like the top religion at the time, which was a huge thing, and not really in a sense that we have today in society where sure, you know, you can you know, you can go and Google and look up a bunch of different churches in your area, but you don't really have this competition like we did back then, and these claims of primacy and claims that we are the one true religion. So how is it that Christianity in that context is able to really come out on top. I mean, certainly if the Emperor converts, that's not just going to be enough to get people who are true believers to say, all right, never mind, forget you know, forget about uh, you know, Venus and Jupiter and Zeus and all that nonsense and Thor and no, we're gon We're gonna go with this guy from from where oh yeah, yeah, Israel and Jerusalem and these places that no one's ever heard of.

Now, one of the pieces though, going back to this, is that it's not just Golgatha. So the spot where were this is it gone on on? However, listen to this. According to tradition, upon arriving in Jerusalem, Saint Helena aimed to find the site of Jesus crucifixion, which was then buried under a temple of Venus which had been erected by Emperor Hadrian to suppress Christian veneration at the site. And so this is you know, Christians had been going here in Pilgrims for for a long time since the Crucifixion because they knew this was the site, and yet a pagan temple had been built on top of the site. Saint Helena of course orders that to be destroyed and then and then the site converted into a church. But this really speaks to how there was a huge process of the conversion from and of course, as the title of your book is, this process of conversion of the Pagans into Christianity, this was not and the pagan pantheon of people, I think know the Roman gods and the Greek gods, and there were and the Norse gods, but there were so many others and even lesser gods, and there were just there were religions all over the place, and everyone was competing for to be like the top religion at the time, which was a huge thing, and not really in a sense that we have today in society where sure, you know, you can you know, you can go and Google and look up a bunch of different churches in your area, but you don't really have this competition like we did back then, and these claims of primacy and claims that we are the one true religion. So how is it that Christianity in that context is able to really come out on top. I mean, certainly if the Emperor converts, that's not just going to be enough to get people who are true believers to say, all right, never mind, forget you know, forget about uh, you know, Venus and Jupiter and Zeus and all that nonsense and Thor and no, we're gon We're gonna go with this guy from from where oh yeah, yeah, Israel and Jerusalem and these places that no one's ever heard of.

Yeah, it's it's another I think i'd say it's a myth of early Christianity is the claim that you'll have critics who will say, you know, Christianity is just another religion.

Yeah, it's it's another I think i'd say it's a myth of early Christianity is the claim that you'll have critics who will say, you know, Christianity is just another religion.

It could have been anything. You'll run into this.

It could have been anything. You'll run into this.

You'd see this something the online hot takes about why Christianity is bad. They'll say, for example, Mithraism is basically the same religion, they'll say, and that could have been picked instead, or there's other faiths and that's really not the case. If you read into the details, you definitely find we have a handful of critics of Christianity whose writings have survived and what they'll say. For example, the emperor Julian Julian the Appa state he was the last Roman emperor to be a pagan, and he wrote these attacks on Christianity, and one of the things he says in these attacks is, you know, it's a big problem how those Christians are actually so much better at following through on their moral claims, and they're really good. One of the things he says is the Christians are great at universally loving people. So we have accounts from people who aren't Christians where they say, when a plague hits the city, the Pagans will treat the Pagans and the Christians will treat everybody.

You'd see this something the online hot takes about why Christianity is bad. They'll say, for example, Mithraism is basically the same religion, they'll say, and that could have been picked instead, or there's other faiths and that's really not the case. If you read into the details, you definitely find we have a handful of critics of Christianity whose writings have survived and what they'll say. For example, the emperor Julian Julian the Appa state he was the last Roman emperor to be a pagan, and he wrote these attacks on Christianity, and one of the things he says in these attacks is, you know, it's a big problem how those Christians are actually so much better at following through on their moral claims, and they're really good. One of the things he says is the Christians are great at universally loving people. So we have accounts from people who aren't Christians where they say, when a plague hits the city, the Pagans will treat the Pagans and the Christians will treat everybody.

They will treat every everyone basically equally in that regard.

They will treat every everyone basically equally in that regard.

And we have accounts where in the ancient pagan world the Pagans would it was common to expose infants, for example, if they weren't wanted or if they were disabled. And they say, the Christians don't do this. The Christians like they care for every life.

And we have accounts where in the ancient pagan world the Pagans would it was common to expose infants, for example, if they weren't wanted or if they were disabled. And they say, the Christians don't do this. The Christians like they care for every life.

You're not talking about child sacrifice, are you, and child killing because certainly there were no child that.

You're not talking about child sacrifice, are you, and child killing because certainly there were no child that.

Yeah, child sacrifice, but just also just treating lives as not as not holding value. And that was a big innovation of Christianity, and I think that's one of the most important things. It's not just that Christianity is monotheistic. There had been other monotheistic religions, and there was a trend towards a more monotheistic.

Yeah, child sacrifice, but just also just treating lives as not as not holding value. And that was a big innovation of Christianity, and I think that's one of the most important things. It's not just that Christianity is monotheistic. There had been other monotheistic religions, and there was a trend towards a more monotheistic.

A Judaism time.

A Judaism time.

Judaism obviously was a monotheistic religion, and there were tons of Jews that lived in Rome, the city and also obviously throughout the Empire.

Judaism obviously was a monotheistic religion, and there were tons of Jews that lived in Rome, the city and also obviously throughout the Empire.

But you don't really.

But you don't really.

Yes, you don't see that level of some obviously who are even citizens, and but you don't necessarily see that level of spiritual or theological acceptance of Judaism anywhere in the Roman elite.

Yes, you don't see that level of some obviously who are even citizens, and but you don't necessarily see that level of spiritual or theological acceptance of Judaism anywhere in the Roman elite.

Yeah, not nearly as much.

Yeah, not nearly as much.

And you do even see a trend, like I say, towards a monotheistic attitude. So, for example, there's a cult of this syncretic Egyptian Greek god named Serrapis, and this is a big god in the East, and it is people do go towards that faith, and you start seeing people say things like, yeah, there are other gods, but like Syrapis is definitely the number one god, and he's cooler than the other ones, and he answers prayers that other gods won't necessarily answer. There's a trend there. But Christianity really is a level up over this where they're very strong. It's a very strong belief in, you know, this monotheistic god. But also just the level of moral seriousness they bring to it is such an ad ants over paganism there. In paganism, the gods are just are much more capricious. They might the gods might have moral expectations of you, but they don't necessarily listen to prayers, and they don't the gods themselves are often not very moral beings. You know, you have the famous stories where Zeus has slept with every single woman, which is probably some holdover from you know, every town had its own chief god, and they all got merged into Zeus.

And you do even see a trend, like I say, towards a monotheistic attitude. So, for example, there's a cult of this syncretic Egyptian Greek god named Serrapis, and this is a big god in the East, and it is people do go towards that faith, and you start seeing people say things like, yeah, there are other gods, but like Syrapis is definitely the number one god, and he's cooler than the other ones, and he answers prayers that other gods won't necessarily answer. There's a trend there. But Christianity really is a level up over this where they're very strong. It's a very strong belief in, you know, this monotheistic god. But also just the level of moral seriousness they bring to it is such an ad ants over paganism there. In paganism, the gods are just are much more capricious. They might the gods might have moral expectations of you, but they don't necessarily listen to prayers, and they don't the gods themselves are often not very moral beings. You know, you have the famous stories where Zeus has slept with every single woman, which is probably some holdover from you know, every town had its own chief god, and they all got merged into Zeus.

And Christianity was just such.

And Christianity was just such.

An advance on that of a God who individually cares about you, who like your fate is, he cares deeply about your spiritual faith, and he has very sincere expectations for you that our faith. Our faith carries with it moral commandments that we expect people to follow. And this seems to have just really worked and resonated with people. I think one of the most incredible things about Christian history, and we can talk more about this if you want, is one of the reasons Christianity wins is it really embeds itself into people's mindsets. They think this is the way, like the faith that the world needs. And you have elites, you have so wealthy, very powerful people spreading it for centuries on.

An advance on that of a God who individually cares about you, who like your fate is, he cares deeply about your spiritual faith, and he has very sincere expectations for you that our faith. Our faith carries with it moral commandments that we expect people to follow. And this seems to have just really worked and resonated with people. I think one of the most incredible things about Christian history, and we can talk more about this if you want, is one of the reasons Christianity wins is it really embeds itself into people's mindsets. They think this is the way, like the faith that the world needs. And you have elites, you have so wealthy, very powerful people spreading it for centuries on.

End, and so I want to get into that in the next segment here, but let me just ask you that question right there is did they actually believe it or was it all just cynical?

End, and so I want to get into that in the next segment here, but let me just ask you that question right there is did they actually believe it or was it all just cynical?

They one percent believed that what they did makes no sense unless millions of people really believed.

They one percent believed that what they did makes no sense unless millions of people really believed.

This, millions of people really and truly cared about Christianity and the Christian project to bring it forward through the ages, starting in the Roman Empire all the.

This, millions of people really and truly cared about Christianity and the Christian project to bring it forward through the ages, starting in the Roman Empire all the.

Way up to today.

Way up to today.

That's something that we need to talk about because that is absolutely fascinating and you're not going to hear this anywhere else.

That's something that we need to talk about because that is absolutely fascinating and you're not going to hear this anywhere else.

Stay tuned.

Stay tuned.

Episode with Blake Nef Moore The Rise of Christianity, Chronicles of the Christians. Ladies and jentleen, Welcome aboard today's edition of Human Events Daily.

Episode with Blake Nef Moore The Rise of Christianity, Chronicles of the Christians. Ladies and jentleen, Welcome aboard today's edition of Human Events Daily.

It's very clear what's going on here. Everything that you've seen it boils down to this Human Events with Jack Pasobic.

It's very clear what's going on here. Everything that you've seen it boils down to this Human Events with Jack Pasobic.

Okay, folks, we're back here, Jack PROSOBC, Blake Nef The Chronicles of the Christians, The Rise of Christianity.

Okay, folks, we're back here, Jack PROSOBC, Blake Nef The Chronicles of the Christians, The Rise of Christianity.

Folks.

Folks.

We are in crunch time right now. New administration will be sworn in soon. But it's great as that is. That also means our enemies have days left to stir up trouble. That could mean a cyber attack, an invasion, or god forbid, a nuclear strike. So until the long term bureaucrats are out of Washington, I am not taking any chances that's why I have an emergency food supply from my Patriot Supply right now. They're offering one hundred dollars off their three month emergency food kit. And we're talking two thousand calories a day for three whole months. This is plenty to get you through even a prolonged emergency. All their food kits last for up to twenty five years in storage. Plus they come in rugged weatherproof buckets. So go to my Patriots Supply dot com right now to order your three month emergency food kit. I've got an emergency food supply in my home and in my car because my safety and my security for my family are worth it. Go to my Patriots Supply dot com to order your three month emergency food kit right now. All right, Blake, So we're talking about this idea that the early Christians and the Christians as Europe became Christian, and we're talking kings and elites and lords and all of these other royals that this wasn't just some cynical you know one off. Oh you know, we're doing this because the Emperor said too that they actually devoutly believed in Christianity. And you and I were talking prior to the episode that one of the ways that we see this is through the founding of the great monasteries, which really become the blueprint for universities. But the fact that tons of money the equivalent of like billions of dollars today were spent on this project.

We are in crunch time right now. New administration will be sworn in soon. But it's great as that is. That also means our enemies have days left to stir up trouble. That could mean a cyber attack, an invasion, or god forbid, a nuclear strike. So until the long term bureaucrats are out of Washington, I am not taking any chances that's why I have an emergency food supply from my Patriot Supply right now. They're offering one hundred dollars off their three month emergency food kit. And we're talking two thousand calories a day for three whole months. This is plenty to get you through even a prolonged emergency. All their food kits last for up to twenty five years in storage. Plus they come in rugged weatherproof buckets. So go to my Patriots Supply dot com right now to order your three month emergency food kit. I've got an emergency food supply in my home and in my car because my safety and my security for my family are worth it. Go to my Patriots Supply dot com to order your three month emergency food kit right now. All right, Blake, So we're talking about this idea that the early Christians and the Christians as Europe became Christian, and we're talking kings and elites and lords and all of these other royals that this wasn't just some cynical you know one off. Oh you know, we're doing this because the Emperor said too that they actually devoutly believed in Christianity. And you and I were talking prior to the episode that one of the ways that we see this is through the founding of the great monasteries, which really become the blueprint for universities. But the fact that tons of money the equivalent of like billions of dollars today were spent on this project.

Yeah, it's exactly the case, Jack.

Yeah, it's exactly the case, Jack.

They we have pretty good source records on this that you know, we'll have people's wills where they'll leave money for this, and you know, of course we have the sites the monasteries themselves. We have people are spending Yeah, as you say, millions and billions of modern day dollars to establish churches, to establish monasteries, to support priests, to support mission work in other places. And the author of that book I mentioned, he says the word he uses is like staggering, Like he says, the numbers are practically unbelievable, except that it's so well attested that they actually did this. And you know, obviously it's monasteries where there's an element where you'd build a church and the monks there would pray for your soul and all of that stuff. But even like the Christianization of the public, a big reason this happens.

They we have pretty good source records on this that you know, we'll have people's wills where they'll leave money for this, and you know, of course we have the sites the monasteries themselves. We have people are spending Yeah, as you say, millions and billions of modern day dollars to establish churches, to establish monasteries, to support priests, to support mission work in other places. And the author of that book I mentioned, he says the word he uses is like staggering, Like he says, the numbers are practically unbelievable, except that it's so well attested that they actually did this. And you know, obviously it's monasteries where there's an element where you'd build a church and the monks there would pray for your soul and all of that stuff. But even like the Christianization of the public, a big reason this happens.

It used to be.

It used to be.

The vast majority of churches in early Europe were built by lay people. They were basically a private endeavor. You would endow a church for the people within the lands that you ruled, and.

The vast majority of churches in early Europe were built by lay people. They were basically a private endeavor. You would endow a church for the people within the lands that you ruled, and.

The vast majority of churches are built this way.

The vast majority of churches are built this way.

And a notable thing that he hits upon is once they scaled this back, and they had reasons for scaling it back, because you had a lot of simony where you know, you'd you'd endow.

And a notable thing that he hits upon is once they scaled this back, and they had reasons for scaling it back, because you had a lot of simony where you know, you'd you'd endow.

A church, and then you'd go to name who.

A church, and then you'd go to name who.

The priest was, and oh, the priest is your nephew, and then he collects the tithe There was stuff like that. But once that went away, the number of new churches went down and it was much more difficult to get those churches founded. So for hundreds and hundreds of years you have the case where Christianity is mostly spreading as a private endeavor that not you know, as in, it's not the pope or you know, a central organization that's doing all the missionary activity. It's thousands and thousands, really millions and millions of lay Christians are doing it.

The priest was, and oh, the priest is your nephew, and then he collects the tithe There was stuff like that. But once that went away, the number of new churches went down and it was much more difficult to get those churches founded. So for hundreds and hundreds of years you have the case where Christianity is mostly spreading as a private endeavor that not you know, as in, it's not the pope or you know, a central organization that's doing all the missionary activity. It's thousands and thousands, really millions and millions of lay Christians are doing it.

You'll have all of these, all of.

You'll have all of these, all of.

These religious figures who decide I want to go become a missionary, and they'll go into Saxony, they'll go into Poland, they'll go into Scandinavia, they'll go into Russia, preaching Christianity in dangerous places, and a lot of them die there. We have no shortage of accounts of these individuals getting martyred. Some of them get martyred five minutes after they walk over the bord. They were very tough people they were running into and we just have so many accounts like this, so many that it's impossible to it's simply impossible to argue that these are all made up or exaggerated.

These religious figures who decide I want to go become a missionary, and they'll go into Saxony, they'll go into Poland, they'll go into Scandinavia, they'll go into Russia, preaching Christianity in dangerous places, and a lot of them die there. We have no shortage of accounts of these individuals getting martyred. Some of them get martyred five minutes after they walk over the bord. They were very tough people they were running into and we just have so many accounts like this, so many that it's impossible to it's simply impossible to argue that these are all made up or exaggerated.

There's just too much of it.

There's just too much of it.

It just overflows the number of examples we have, and it really was. People believed in this, and they thought it was important to encourage other people to believe in this. One of my favorites is the English of the Dark Ages, early Middle Ages, the Anglo Saxons. They were very aware, oh yeah, we're part Saxon, we came from Saxony. And so you have a ton of English missionaries who go to Saxony in modern day Germany because they think it's very important we need to get the other Saxons to become Christians because they are brethren there this is our homeland and they should join the Christian faith. And tons of them do this, and eventually they do succeed.

It just overflows the number of examples we have, and it really was. People believed in this, and they thought it was important to encourage other people to believe in this. One of my favorites is the English of the Dark Ages, early Middle Ages, the Anglo Saxons. They were very aware, oh yeah, we're part Saxon, we came from Saxony. And so you have a ton of English missionaries who go to Saxony in modern day Germany because they think it's very important we need to get the other Saxons to become Christians because they are brethren there this is our homeland and they should join the Christian faith. And tons of them do this, and eventually they do succeed.

And that's what's so amazing, because I do think that part of this that is well known to a lot of people that through the Middle Ages, it's in this monastery system where we get the ideas of higher learning, where the Bible is of course hand copied, hand copied down again remember this is prior to the printing press, prior to any of that folks. So where the Bible itself is hand copied word for word, translated here and there into the various monasteries. You have the Book of Kels, which again in Ireland speaks to the ancient Irish tradition of spreading Christianity. And it's through this system that they really were able to preserve the document of the Bible as well as keep the flame of the faith throughout the entire Middle Ages, which is the time, as we know, we're just brought with warfare and constant threats on all sides. That it was the fact that you had kings and knights and lords that truly believed in it and believed that having this religion would be the best way forward for their people that actually kept it together. And at one point, and we'll be going further in depth in all of this. In this period you have the founding of Oxford as a university, and you even have the building of the Notre Dame, the founding of that almost a thousand years.

And that's what's so amazing, because I do think that part of this that is well known to a lot of people that through the Middle Ages, it's in this monastery system where we get the ideas of higher learning, where the Bible is of course hand copied, hand copied down again remember this is prior to the printing press, prior to any of that folks. So where the Bible itself is hand copied word for word, translated here and there into the various monasteries. You have the Book of Kels, which again in Ireland speaks to the ancient Irish tradition of spreading Christianity. And it's through this system that they really were able to preserve the document of the Bible as well as keep the flame of the faith throughout the entire Middle Ages, which is the time, as we know, we're just brought with warfare and constant threats on all sides. That it was the fact that you had kings and knights and lords that truly believed in it and believed that having this religion would be the best way forward for their people that actually kept it together. And at one point, and we'll be going further in depth in all of this. In this period you have the founding of Oxford as a university, and you even have the building of the Notre Dame, the founding of that almost a thousand years.

Ago, exactly exactly.

Ago, exactly exactly.

And just I'm looking at my notes here, just all of the some of the fascinating stuff that was going on in this period that would just capture the enthusiasm for it.

And just I'm looking at my notes here, just all of the some of the fascinating stuff that was going on in this period that would just capture the enthusiasm for it.

There was one this is interesting.

There was one this is interesting.

So during the eight hundreds, of course, Spain was conquered by Muslims, and you had Christians living under Muslim lords. And in the eight hundreds there was a fad where Christians in Cordoba, which was a Muslim city, they would come out and they would publicly denounce Islam and say they're Christians, and then they would be put to death for this, because you weren't allowed to do that. And there was actually a big debate among Christian leaders which was are these people martyrs because martyredom Properly, you're not supposed to intentionally seek death. You accept death if it is inflicted on you, but you don't. It's you can't just do it as a fancy way to commit suicide. So they had to tell people you should affirm your faith, but you should not go recklessly commit suicide in the city of Cordoba.

So during the eight hundreds, of course, Spain was conquered by Muslims, and you had Christians living under Muslim lords. And in the eight hundreds there was a fad where Christians in Cordoba, which was a Muslim city, they would come out and they would publicly denounce Islam and say they're Christians, and then they would be put to death for this, because you weren't allowed to do that. And there was actually a big debate among Christian leaders which was are these people martyrs because martyredom Properly, you're not supposed to intentionally seek death. You accept death if it is inflicted on you, but you don't. It's you can't just do it as a fancy way to commit suicide. So they had to tell people you should affirm your faith, but you should not go recklessly commit suicide in the city of Cordoba.

And it's just.

And it's just.

Amazing to read something like that, and then you know, see some loser on the internet who just says, ah, they were part timing to in Christianity, lets you control people like dork losers.

Amazing to read something like that, and then you know, see some loser on the internet who just says, ah, they were part timing to in Christianity, lets you control people like dork losers.

Yeah, it's it's it's kind of a joke when you actually look back, and so this is one of those myths and just talk a little bit about how people totally get this wrong, especially your typical like redd and atheist type.

Yeah, it's it's it's kind of a joke when you actually look back, and so this is one of those myths and just talk a little bit about how people totally get this wrong, especially your typical like redd and atheist type.

Yeah, it's just you run into all of these like the bizarre takes where it's so clear, I think that they've never like they've never been around people of faith, they've never been in a like really avid faith community. So they come up with these bizarre narratives where oh, like everyone just does it to get money or to get wealth or to get status, and it's totally alien to them.

Yeah, it's just you run into all of these like the bizarre takes where it's so clear, I think that they've never like they've never been around people of faith, they've never been in a like really avid faith community. So they come up with these bizarre narratives where oh, like everyone just does it to get money or to get wealth or to get status, and it's totally alien to them.

It's alien to them.

It's alien to them.

That someone would sacrifice a great deal, like a huge amount of wealth a huge amount of time, potentially their very life, that they would sacrifice that for an idea, an idea that they really truly believed in. And yet throughout the Middle Ages we have countless cases of people doing this, and in ancient times too, during the early rise of Christianity, we have so many cases where it's so clear that this is hugely important to people that they would dedicate their entire lives to this. In a period where life is life is relatively cheap, your life is not as long, you don't have a secure retirement to look forward to, things can be very tenuous, and people growing up in that environment they think, I like, what am I going to do? I Am going to dedicate my life to God, and I'm going to try to dedicate it to bringing God to the Heathens, whether they're in my own country or in another country. And that's one of the most remarkable things with Christianity is them taking their faith of their locality and saying, I want my enemy to accept the saith. I'm going to go to the place where they send raiders they kill us, and I'm going to preach the word of God to them.

That someone would sacrifice a great deal, like a huge amount of wealth a huge amount of time, potentially their very life, that they would sacrifice that for an idea, an idea that they really truly believed in. And yet throughout the Middle Ages we have countless cases of people doing this, and in ancient times too, during the early rise of Christianity, we have so many cases where it's so clear that this is hugely important to people that they would dedicate their entire lives to this. In a period where life is life is relatively cheap, your life is not as long, you don't have a secure retirement to look forward to, things can be very tenuous, and people growing up in that environment they think, I like, what am I going to do? I Am going to dedicate my life to God, and I'm going to try to dedicate it to bringing God to the Heathens, whether they're in my own country or in another country. And that's one of the most remarkable things with Christianity is them taking their faith of their locality and saying, I want my enemy to accept the saith. I'm going to go to the place where they send raiders they kill us, and I'm going to preach the word of God to them.

And they did so because they had devout and deep faith in Christ, the true rise of Christianity. The chronicles of the Christians will be right back.

And they did so because they had devout and deep faith in Christ, the true rise of Christianity. The chronicles of the Christians will be right back.

Let's make them wonder, Let's squeeze them for a change instead of them constantly squeezing us. And then finally we rally around President Trump him with support.

Let's make them wonder, Let's squeeze them for a change instead of them constantly squeezing us. And then finally we rally around President Trump him with support.

All right, folks are back the chronicles of the Christians, Rise of Christianity.

All right, folks are back the chronicles of the Christians, Rise of Christianity.

Folks.

Folks.

Thieves have found a new way to steal. Recently in Montgomery County, where I'm from. A wave of car theft has hit in Pennsylvania. And what's the new technique. They call it cloning keyfobs like your car's keyfob. Now it's not just happening in Pennsylvania, it's everywhere in the United States. But you don't have to be a victim. You can take back control of your security with today's show sponsor Silent Stop big tech and government overreach. Start the new year off right. Protect yourself and your loved ones with the gift of Silent Silence. Faraday products block all incoming and outgoing signals so no one can get their hands on your information from keyfob to phones and laptops and be playtry device inside, close the sleeve and that's it. You are off the grid and safeguarded from unauthorized access. Go Silent today at slnt dot com. Take advantage of their end of year warehouse sale, which is happening right now and saving you up to seventy percent off. This is the biggest event of the year and your last chance to get some of Silent's most popular products at a massive discount seventy percent off and free shipping on qualifying orders. Stay ahead of what's coming. Secure your privacy today again, that's slnt dot com to take advantage of their end of year warehouse sale, giving you up to seventy percent off plus free shipping on qualifying orders. Slnt dot com, slash Poso, so Blake. All of this is going on, and you know, we're right about the you know, the first that we've covered one thousand years so far in the in the show, so to just give people a placemarker, we're at the one thousand year mark. But there's something pretty big that happens in ten fifty four, and that's called the Great Schism where the church this and obviously there have been other schisms and uh there have been different sects and things that have broken up. But this, this is the really big one that people point back to. The Church basically splits into West and East, And personally, I've always viewed it as kind of, you know, just just kind of political in nature, because this is where you also kind of see Byzantium is growing in its own regard in the East, whereas the Western Empire has totally changed its character into uh, into a different you know, different kingdoms and different areas where you know, the the Western Empire is like just not the Roman Empire anymore. You've got different kingdoms people claim to the Roman Empire, et cetera. But Byzantium really becomes the home of Eastern Christianity. Talk to me a little about the Great Schism.

Thieves have found a new way to steal. Recently in Montgomery County, where I'm from. A wave of car theft has hit in Pennsylvania. And what's the new technique. They call it cloning keyfobs like your car's keyfob. Now it's not just happening in Pennsylvania, it's everywhere in the United States. But you don't have to be a victim. You can take back control of your security with today's show sponsor Silent Stop big tech and government overreach. Start the new year off right. Protect yourself and your loved ones with the gift of Silent Silence. Faraday products block all incoming and outgoing signals so no one can get their hands on your information from keyfob to phones and laptops and be playtry device inside, close the sleeve and that's it. You are off the grid and safeguarded from unauthorized access. Go Silent today at slnt dot com. Take advantage of their end of year warehouse sale, which is happening right now and saving you up to seventy percent off. This is the biggest event of the year and your last chance to get some of Silent's most popular products at a massive discount seventy percent off and free shipping on qualifying orders. Stay ahead of what's coming. Secure your privacy today again, that's slnt dot com to take advantage of their end of year warehouse sale, giving you up to seventy percent off plus free shipping on qualifying orders. Slnt dot com, slash Poso, so Blake. All of this is going on, and you know, we're right about the you know, the first that we've covered one thousand years so far in the in the show, so to just give people a placemarker, we're at the one thousand year mark. But there's something pretty big that happens in ten fifty four, and that's called the Great Schism where the church this and obviously there have been other schisms and uh there have been different sects and things that have broken up. But this, this is the really big one that people point back to. The Church basically splits into West and East, And personally, I've always viewed it as kind of, you know, just just kind of political in nature, because this is where you also kind of see Byzantium is growing in its own regard in the East, whereas the Western Empire has totally changed its character into uh, into a different you know, different kingdoms and different areas where you know, the the Western Empire is like just not the Roman Empire anymore. You've got different kingdoms people claim to the Roman Empire, et cetera. But Byzantium really becomes the home of Eastern Christianity. Talk to me a little about the Great Schism.

Yeah, So the Great Schism for those a lot of our viewers are probably Protestant, they might not be familiar. There's divisions within the church that pre date the Reformation in the fifteen hundreds, which broke up Western Christianity. So initially, of course, ideally there is only one Christian faith community, but they do like to argue about things. They disagree about things, and so one of the big disputes. By ten fifty, you've got a big growing chasm between Christianity as it's practiced in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, in the Greek Byzantine Empire, the Roman Empire what you might call it, and then the West, which is where there's the Pope in Rome. And then you have tons of different kingdoms in Spain, in France, in England and Ireland and Germany, all these places, and they just they've diverged in their practices, they've diverged in their beliefs. In the West, there was increasingly the sense that the Pope in Rome was the boss, the number one guy to look to for guidance. In the East they tended to disagree with that. They also had some religious disputes that would seem that it would be very confusing to a lot of people today. For example, there's a huge debate over something called the filioque. If you are familiar with the Nicene Creed, it's where the Holy Spirit, we say in the West will say it proceeds from the Father and from the Son. In the Eastern Creed it just proceeds from the Father. And this is a huge debate. This is if we didn't have this dispute, the Great schism might not have happened, but they did schism over that, and when.

Yeah, So the Great Schism for those a lot of our viewers are probably Protestant, they might not be familiar. There's divisions within the church that pre date the Reformation in the fifteen hundreds, which broke up Western Christianity. So initially, of course, ideally there is only one Christian faith community, but they do like to argue about things. They disagree about things, and so one of the big disputes. By ten fifty, you've got a big growing chasm between Christianity as it's practiced in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, in the Greek Byzantine Empire, the Roman Empire what you might call it, and then the West, which is where there's the Pope in Rome. And then you have tons of different kingdoms in Spain, in France, in England and Ireland and Germany, all these places, and they just they've diverged in their practices, they've diverged in their beliefs. In the West, there was increasingly the sense that the Pope in Rome was the boss, the number one guy to look to for guidance. In the East they tended to disagree with that. They also had some religious disputes that would seem that it would be very confusing to a lot of people today. For example, there's a huge debate over something called the filioque. If you are familiar with the Nicene Creed, it's where the Holy Spirit, we say in the West will say it proceeds from the Father and from the Son. In the Eastern Creed it just proceeds from the Father. And this is a huge debate. This is if we didn't have this dispute, the Great schism might not have happened, but they did schism over that, and when.