|
Ukraine baptism
Discovering the Bible,. winner of many awards, is a basic introduction to the Bible but also explores where the Bible came from and how it was passed on to us.
|
 |
 t Christmas time "Manger Square"
in Bethlehem is thronged with pilgrims coming to worship at the Church
of the Nativity. At Easter, Christians follow the Via Dolorosa to the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Both of these ancient churches
in the Holy Land are intimately connected with Empress Helena, mother
of the first Christian emperor, Constantine (274-337).
Much
of Helena's life and history is obscure or unknown, including the date
and place of her birth. Some theorize that since the emperor Constantine
later named a town in Asia Minor Helenopolis in her honor, she was born
there, the daughter of an innkeeper.
 order back issues of this story
Unclear too is when Helena met the Roman soldier Constantius Chlorus,
or even if the two were ever officially married. What is certain is that
Constantius and Helena were Constantine's parents. When Constantius became
Caesar of Gaul, Spain, and Britain in 292, he divorced Helena in order
to marry Theodora, daughter of his patron Maximian. It was an obvious
and cold political move designed to promote Constantius' career.
Helena's son Constantine spent much time at the court of the emperor
Diocletian and became a soldier like his father. When his troops later
proclaimed Constantine emperor in 306, one of his first acts was to call
his mother from political exile and give her honors befitting the mother
of the Roman Emperor. When Constantine embraced Christianity, Helena gave
her strong support and encouragement.
All was not peace and prosperity at the imperial court, however. For
reasons shrouded in darkness and uncertainty, in 326 Constantine had his
oldest son Crispus and his wife Fausta executed. He later was apparently
plagued with guilt, and Helena possibly convinced him of his error and
sin. This sense of sin and need for repentance might have caused Constantine
to send Helena on her mission to the Holy Land.
When almost eighty years old, Helena traveled throughout Palestine and
the eastern imperial provinces, encouraging the establishment and spread
of the Christian faith. In Palestine she sought out the original locations
associated with the life of Jesus, and she oversaw the construction of
churches Constantine had ordered built at such sites--Bethlehem, Calvary,
Olivet, Bethany. A pagan temple to Aphrodite had been built on the tomb
site of Jesus' resurrection; it was torn down and replaced by the Church
of the Holy Sepulcher. Later legends arose that Helena also discovered
the actual cross of Christ in the tomb beneath the church. Helena's tour
became a pattern for Christian pilgrims throughout the Middle Ages and
into our own day as she sought to discover and honor the places where
Jesus had lived.
The British have an ancient tradition that Helena was the daughter of
King Coel of Colchester (later immortalized in Mother Goose's "Old
King Cole, the merry Old Soul." If this story is true, Emperor Constantine
is grandson of a Mother Goose hero!). There was a Christian church at
Colchester in 250 AD, about the time Helena was born, and it is possible
she became a Christian as a young person.
DISTANT DATELINE: Good King Wenceslaus Murdered by Brother!
BOHEMIA, 929 AD. The kingdom of Bohemia is in turmoil as the news of
Prince Boleslav's wretched deed spreads throughout the land--King Wenceslaus
murdered by his own brother at the doorway of the church!
As the blessed King Wenceslaus toured his Bohemian lands, visiting the
many churches he had established, Prince Boleslav invited his brother
to his own castle. After an evening of joyous feasting, the brothers retired.
Wenceslaus rose early to worship, as was his custom. Eyewitnesses report
he greeted his brother at the church entrance, saying, "Good health,
dear brother! We owe you many thanks for your kindness because you served
us yesterday so honestly, lavishly, and joyfully." Boleslav maliciously
replied, "And you arrange an even better feast today." With
that, Boleslav pulled out his sword and struck Wenceslaus on the head.
The blow only glanced him, and Wenceslaus threw Boleslav to the ground.
Boleslav's henchmen soon rushed against the king and helped overpower
and slay the king. The king died with his Lord's words on his lips, "Lord,
into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
It is difficult to imagine a king more just, God-fearing and Christ-loving
than Wenceslaus. From a youth he helped the needy, orphans, and widows.
As king, Wenceslaus has worked against the pagan forces in the country,
establishing churches throughout the land and building the beautiful church
of St. Vitus in Prague.
Now many of his supporters have either been killed in the recent mayhem
or have fled the kingdom. The loss is incalculable. |
|
