PATH TAKEN BY THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE AND ATTENDANT CHRISTIANITY TO A CONQUERED PEOPLE

“OSTARA IS A PAGAN CELEBRATION OF SPRING AND THE RENEWAL OF LIFE. THE OSTARA FESTIVAL WAS CELEBRATED BY THE GERMANIC PEOPLE, WHO LIVED IN WHAT IS NOW MODERN-DAY GERMANY, AUSTRIA, AND SWITZERLAND”

The Christian holiday of Easter

“Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, as described in the New Testament of the Bible. It is one of the most important holidays in the Christian calendar and is celebrated by Christians worldwide.”

https://www.123cards.com/blog/the-pagan-roots-of-easter/?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3a2iBhCFARIsAD4jQB2lN4J9hEzA7E8fcdG1KZxIN8Rd_S3gPbpqJpPHwdSXQvnmnA1d82waAiC7EALw_wcB

EXcerpts from 'IRONY':

Chapter 2: The Beginnings of the Christian Movement

“All major religious traditions carry basically the same message that is love, compassion and forgiveness. The important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.” ? Dalai Lama

https://www.amazon.com/IRONY-Theophilus-Nicholson/dp/1520964846.

?Many of us in the western world are followers of the Christian Religion, which came to us by way of England. Many read the bible, follow and believe the stories and attempt to embrace canon laws. It should be noted here however, that bible teaching is not only about our creator, but also about the laws we follow; they’re both intertwined.?Though Jesus Christ is believed to be the son of God whose presence here was to teach about his father’s kingdom, he also said: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” Matthew 5:17. Here we can clearly see that the law was also an important part of his teachings.

?Because of the path taken by the Christian bible and attendant Christianity to a conquered people - before it got to us - the importance of its historic journey cannot be diminished. It is also important that we seek to understand its role in the pacification of the Negro slaves and the indigenous people of the New World. This history has to be viewed within the context of a conqueror, who was neither benevolent, nor one who harbored such inclinations toward his captives. This was a ruler for whom homicide was an important tool, easily employed to maintain strict control of his workforce.

Celtic and Roman Traditions

Ralph D Winter, in his writings “Foundations of the World Christian Movement: A larger Perspective,” wrote that though the full story of Celtic Christianity may be hard to know, “but, one thing we can perceive comes from the effect they had on the pagans they evangelized. We do know that the Celtic Christian monks certainly had a lot of Christian vitality.”?

After reading, one will be led to the inescapable perception that Celtic Christians have played a vital role in Christian growth in that area and beyond. History tells us that Columba – the second son of an Irish chieftain and member of a Celtic order – started the first missionary training center around the year 500. Columba was quite discrete when setting up the center on the island of Iona – a few miles off the Scottish coast – because Scotland was mainly pagan. He later built another center on the side of Scotland below the point where it joins England. Though it is on a peninsula, this center appeared to be on an island when the tide was up and was called Lindisfarne. These two training centers sent their missionaries to England, Scotland and across the English Channel. This area was now occupied by pagan Angles, Saxons and Jutes. …

The rapid growth of their membership (Celtic) and mission centers in the British Isles and on the continent inspired the pope to conclude that “his brand of Christianity ought to gain control over the area.”?In the year 596 he sent Augustine of Canterbury to England ( not to be confused with Augustine of Hippo, whose disciples had argued theology with Pelagius 20 years earlier), and he timidly settled on the small peninsula Canterbury which juts out into the English channel south of England. He established the Roman Christian tradition by converting the king and queen of the area.

Today, the English church still has two archbishops; the Archbishop of Canterbury representing the Roman tradition and the Archbishop of York representing Celtic tradition. The Archbishop of Canterbury is – popularly – considered the top leader of the Anglican Church.

Though the scales tipped slightly in the favor of the Roman Tradition, in reality, the Archbishop of York is ‘technically” equal to the Archbishop of Canterbury – the latter being “the first among equals,” and as a?result the Celtic tradition has remained vibrant.

Currently in England, the archbishop of Canterbury’s vestments is derived from Latin Roman secular magistrates and represents the Western traditional form of Christianity. Also, even to this day, the Archbishop of York by his vestments represents the Eastern form of Christianity which adheres to the Celtic tradition of York in Northern England where Celtic Tradition held the longest.

We can see the two forms of Christianity being practiced. The differences in Celtic and Roman theology could be seen in the haircut of the monks, in their tonsure and also, in their method of calculating the date for Easter celebration. The Celtic followed the pattern of the church in the East and celebrated Easter on the first day of spring according to the solstice, regardless of whether it fell on a Sunday, while Easter was celebrated on Sunday under Roman Tradition. ...

https://www.amazon.com/IRONY-Theophilus-Nicholson/dp/1520964846.