Yesterday and Today

Today many persons are drinking green beer, Chicago has colored its river green, and people wear green to honor Saint Patrick.  Patrick was born in 387 AD, but not in Ireland.  For more on the early life of Saint Patrick you can visit an earlier post from 2014.  This post is not about Ireland, but two recent events that seemingly have nothing to do with one another, but have a one element in common. The former sitcom "Everybody Love Raymond" had its genius in taking ordinary events of everday life and making them funny.  I believe one episode dealt with Frank Barone and his metal detector.  For some reason men, particulary old men, have this habitat of walking over the ground with a metal detector in the hopes of finding some treasure.  They may find a few coins, or scraps of metal, but seldom is a real treasure found.

1,100 year old Christian Artifact found by Dennis Holm

However, a man with a metal detector on the Danish Island of Funen discovered a necklace in the form of a crucifex.  What is remarkable about this item is its age--about 1,100 years old, which places it 135 years older than the previous earliest known Christian artifact in Denmark, the Jelling Stone.  Dennis Holm did not know what he had at the start, but did think it a decent find.  He posted a photo of the artifact on Facebook, and received comments that would come out of an Indiana Jones movie--that should be in a museum.  Following advice, he took the object to a area archaeologist who determined the age and noted its significance.  The object now has cultural anthropologists and archaeologists rethinking the date of Danes having become Christian.  This artifact is similar in both scope and age to one found in Sweden, but is in much better shape. Archaeologists must have realized that if persons were going to take the time to carve Christian symbols into the Jelling Stone, they would have been comfotable expressing their faith in public. History is full of Christian persecution and it is likely that there were Christians in Denmark before the carving of the Jelling Stone.  They now have the proof, but which may also mean that Christians were present even earlier, but kept somewhat quiet to avoid persecution.

Left is St Elijah Monastery in Iraq before ISIS destroyed
Right, after its destruction by ISIS

Perhaps it is symbolic that, on Saint Patrick's Day, Secretary of State John Kerry finally declared that ISIS, or the Islamic State, is involved in genocide.  CNN quotes Kerry as saying:  "My purpose here today is to assert in my judgment, (ISIS) is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control including Yazidis, Christians and Shiite Muslims," ISIS has murdered Christians solely for their faith, and have tortured others who do not belong to their Sunni brand of Islam.  What they are doing is not new.  Prior Muslim extremists have extorted payments from Christians in exchange for their lives.  They have enslaved women and children.  They force abortions on their female sex slaves so they can, well, keep being sex slaves.  ISIS is forever ingenious in embarking on new forms of brutality.

Christians being murdered by ISIS adherents

Little is safe in their wake.  The oldest Christian monastery in Iraq became a field of rubble in January due to actions of ISIS.  The 1,400 year old compound had previously withstood a number of assaults by both man and nature, but could not survive a terrorist group now known for its distinct level of hatred. The earliest of Christians are from the Middle East and now few survive in large parts of the region as they have been killed, or driven out by extremist Muslims.  It was not that long ago that the US State Department restored the monastery following the Iraq war.  Mary Prophit, an Army reserve Colonel had served as a lay minister during a dawn mass when deployed to Iraq in 2004.  She noted how she "let that moment sink in, the candlelight, the first rays of sunshine.  We were worshipping in a place where people had been worshiping God for 1,400 years."  She would go on to wonder what "were the last ten years for"?

Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Annunciation
in Nazareth (Although a Latin Rite church it followed the Orthodox
calendar for Easter)

The treasure found by Dennis Holm is not in the artifact itself nor its age, it is in the basic tenants of Christianity--a faith that was remarkable for its differences with many earlier pagan rituals which often involved sacrifice of animals, and even humans.  Christian faith is about a different type of sacrifice, works of mercy and kindness for our fellow humans who join us on this planet earth.  Christianity is under assault in many places that stretch beyond parts of the Middle East.  A special place in heaven must be reserved for those who become martyred because of their faith.  In a few days the Latin Christian world will celebrate Palm Sunday, recognizing Christ's triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. Less than a week following his welcoming hat same man would appear in front of Pontius Pilate with many of the same who had greeted him by laying palmm branches now yelling "Crucify him!"  The finding of that artifact, worn by an early Christian, is a reminder of the power of the faith.  The declaration of genocide is a reminder of the assault that occurs to the faith over 2,000 years later.

Outside Church of the Annunciation

 First three photos from Google images, last two taken in April 2013 by author