Well, there's this one.

Ouch!

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Yeah, the ones where she's beaming rapturously and carrying them around are much less disturbing than the event itself.

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I could only find a modern image of that with a quick google. I'll check when I get home and can google an actual artist/place.

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The phrase "Catherine's wheel" comes from the burning wheel St. Catherine was strapped to in her martyrdom. Martyrology is not for the squeamish.

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St Agatha (and her bells): [link]

eta...

Hil, did you get through the NT book called "Acts" or "The Acts of the Apostles"? That's probably the best vision of the early church, post Jesus, but pre Holy Roman Empire.

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Martyrology is not for the squeamish.

It's great if you have a black sense of humor, though.

My friend Josh threw a St. Ursula party in college.

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Hil, did you get through the NT book called "Acts" or "The Acts of the Apostles"? That's probably the best vision of the early church, post Jesus, but pre Holy Roman Empire.

Nope. I read Matthew, then most of Mark, then started flipping through and read the beginning of John because it seemed more interesting than Luke. Didn't really get anywhere beyond that. (Perhaps I'll try some more later on. I've got a copy of the New Testament at my office. It's the version published by the Promise Keepers. It was left there by the previous occupant of my office. Along with several Chick Tracts. The previous occupant of my office, by the way, was Muslim.)

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Along with several Chick Tracts. The previous occupant of my office, by the way, was Muslim

Who was probably given those wretched Tracts in an attempt to "save" him. Please, they're dreck, don't take them seriously.

edit: Heck, I don't even identify as Christian anymore, and I'm trying to protect the religion.

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I'd be a little leery of a Promise Keepers edition myself. Though I don't in fact know whether they just use a standard edition and relabel - might not be anything hinky.

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I'd be a little leery of a Promise Keepers edition myself. Though I don't in fact know whether they just use a standard edition and relabel - might not be anything hinky.

The Promise Keepers put their imprint on regular translations (or paraphrases) of the Christian version of the Bible (probably published by the Zondervan). They include a study guide or something similar and that's why they call it that. It's most likely a New Living Translation Hil has in her office, which I think of as more of a paraphrase and don't actually like for any sort of study because of that, but for reading it's fine, Hil. (It's the study guides where the hink could be.)

The Muslim had Chick tracts too, huh? Huh.

I haven't seen all of Frontline's From Jesus to Christ. I think I'd have some historical quibbles with some of their presentation (and know I certainly theological ones, but that's neither here nor there since you're looking for history) based on what I've seen of some of those scholars on History Channel productions, and the like. That said, I imagine they're pretty solid on the build up of what eventually became the Roman Catholic church, though.

Basically, from what I remember from Western Civ., when Constantine converted (or "converted" -- I'm not sure) he finally legalized the religion, which had been persecuted until that point (although it enjoyed short periods of tolerance, off and on). Over time, the Empire co-opted the church's power, and the church co-opted the Empire's power.

Bishop grew into a rather grand office from its early beginnings. In the beginning, Christians were a heretical sect of Judaism, in Jerusalem, and looked on as Weird Jews by the rest of the Empire (who already thought Jews were Weird to begin with). You might not even see the word "Bishop" in the translation of the NT that you have. You might see elder, deacon, overseer, or something simliar, instead.

Popes (fathers) came from Bishops. Each main cosmopolitan area had a bishop. The bishops started jockeying for power. The bishop at Rome was the bishop of the Holy Roman Empire. That's when everything started to get glitzy.

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