Lost History of Christianity #2
Halfway between the death of Jesus and today — around AD 1000 — there were approximately 25-30 million Christians in Europe, according to Jenkins. But keep in mind that many of them just lived in Christian states. While they might technically fall into the “Christian” category, that’s not to say that it was the guiding influence in all their lives.
But remarkably, given the paucity of our knowledge, Christianity could also claim 17-20 million Christians in Asia and about 5 million in Africa.
“Many Europeans were still in the first or second generation of the faith, a situation comparable to that of modern-day Africa. Most Asian Christians, in contrast, stemmed from Christian traditions dating back twenty-five or thirty generations. If raw numbers favored Europe, Asia could still properly claim the leadership of the Christian world.”
How did the Christian faith flourish in Asia and Africa? Among the many answers are these two:
First, they carried the faith intentionally, always seeking to connect with the local culture (including translating scripture into local dialects — even where they had to invent alphabets). Places like Edessa became “powerhouses of Christian expansion.” They even used the word “merchant” as a metaphor to describe those who were carrying the good news — far away to places like India and China.
Syrian missionaries led the way up the Nile, well into the continent of Africa. “When Europeans discovered [Ethiopia] in the seventeenth century, they were astounded by the degree of Christian devotion.” Think how long the faith had survived there!
Second, as Christianity became intertwined with the political structure of Europe, influential leaders were able to chase away all the heretics. These “heretics” were welcomed out on the borders of the empire. There they practiced and spread their faith with great devotion. Places like Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the imperial capital of Persia and the largest city of the world at the time (in population), had a strong Christian presence.
So . . . what happened? (More to come.)
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A DAY WITH MI-MI and Papa
That granddaughter gets cuter every day.
Many of us tend to forget that Augustine was African.
Fascinating series, Mike. My church history education is meager, to say the least. This series is a real blessing and learning adventure. Thanks for leading me on the journey.
Reese is more adorable day by day and Diane glows with even more happiness than usual when she’s holding Reese, as do you, btw.
Such sweet pictures! I miss you guys! Give Diane a hug from me! Love you!
One of these dolls is real!
Looks like an American Girl Doll is in her future!!! Or IS her future!
Mike,
I too have read the Philip Jenkins’ book, as well as an article he wrote in “The Atlantic” about the implications of Christianity’s growth in Africa. As for the book, it intrigued me that the initial response to Islam from the Eastern Church was to regard it as a Christian heresy. Since these were Christians who had early, intimate interaction with Islam, this would seem to suggest that Muslims at least were trying to worship the same God. Second, one of the failings of the church in that part of the world was identifying too closely with one political system, the Mongols when they conquered the Middle East. When later generations of Mongol governors converted to Islam, it had horrible effects for Christians.
The picture of Reese and the doll is funny to me because I HAVE THAT SAME DOLL! (So does my sister, cousins, daughter…. it became THE DOLL we got in our family…)
I know. I stole your doll for the picture.
(Just kidding.)
Have you read the book PAGAN CHRISTIANITY by Frank Viola? Excellent book that explains the evolution of the Church throughout history and what came from where.