Early Christian Maps and a Fantasy - Bible and Beyond Discussions

In this archived Zoom recording of the June 24, 2024, Bible and Beyond Discussion, guest host, Sara Barnacle, interviewed Dr. Jason BeDuhn.
Dr. Jason BeDuhn surprises us with a challenge to re-think our concepts of early Christian maps. A new idea of how vast the Eastern world of Jesus followers had been puts the Roman church in a whole new light. We have a habit of confining our thinking about early Christianity only in the context of the Roman Empire. The Empire has made our Christian maps rather than the location of those who believed and practiced some form of Christianity. As for the maps, the reality is that some varieties of the Christian movement formed outside of the Roman Empire. Some even evolved outside the world of Greco-Roman culture. The Nicene type of Christianity matched the boundaries of the Roman Empire, but the non-Nicene varieties of Christianity extended way beyond those boundaries. These non-Nicene varieties survived outside the reach of the Catholic-Orthodox power, which was co-terminus with the boundaries of the Empire. Therefore, when the Empire shrunk, so did the Catholic-Orthodox power. BeDuhn will introduce us to the present existence of non-Chalcedonian churches in Armenia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Syrian culture throughout Syria, Iraq, Iran, and India.
For a printable transcript, please go to earlychristiantexts.com/early....

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