Christian Antiquities

[Sphinx777]

If you could recover any relic or artifact from any age of Christendom,
which item would you want to see restored to the church? I would
want to find the remains of the True Cross, if it were possible...

 

[david01]

I would give anything to have the original manuscripts of the Bible.

 

[Peter]

The true cross has been found, by Helena.

But why would you want it? Do Protestants believe in holy relics? What is your theology for or against? (Please note theology. How does your for/against view help explain God?)


However, from an Orthodox view...
The longing for holy relics is imbedded in us. It is also God blessed. Elisha asked for the holy relic of Elijah's cloak. Aarons rod that budded, the bowl of manna and the ten commandments (all holy relics) were kept in a God designed reliquary. They proceeded the people in processional. They were not to be touched, on point of death. Holy objects indeed. And lest we forget a NT relic, the cloths and aprons that Paul used (Acts 19:12).

God the Creator became part of His creation. By doing so He blessed His creation, His material world.

 

[nzguy]

which church do you mean? Seeing as 'church' can be applied to the Methodist Church.. the Anglican Church.. the Catholic Church... The Presbyterian Church..(there are many more)

or maybe you mean the scriptural identity of church as an assembly or congregation.. and in that case the assembly I go to I don't think would be that fussed over having a relic from the past.. seeing as in history people have basically worshipped those kinds of things !

from

NZguy

 

[LamorakDesGalis]

I'd like to see the Hagia Sophia restored as a church.

 

[Sphinx777]

The true cross has been found, by Helena.

But why would you want it? Do Protestants believe in holy relics? What is your theology for or against? (Please note theology. How does your for/against view help explain God?)


However, from an Orthodox view...
The longing for holy relics is imbedded in us. It is also God blessed. Elisha asked for the holy relic of Elijah's cloak. Aarons rod that budded, the bowl of manna and the ten commandments (all holy relics) were kept in a God designed reliquary. They proceeded the people in processional. They were not to be touched, on point of death. Holy objects indeed. And lest we forget a NT relic, the cloths and aprons that Paul used (Acts 19:12).

God the Creator became part of His creation. By doing so He blessed His creation, His material world.

Protestant?

Not at all...

Historian & Antiquarian

 

[Sphinx777]

which church do you mean? Seeing as 'church' can be applied to the Methodist Church.. the Anglican Church.. the Catholic Church... The Presbyterian Church..(there are many more)

or maybe you mean the scriptural identity of church as an assembly or congregation.. and in that case the assembly I go to I don't think would be that fussed over having a relic from the past.. seeing as in history people have basically worshipped those kinds of things !

from

NZguy

I mean, recovered and restored to the public eye, perhaps in a museum...

 

[Sphinx777]

I'd like to see the Hagia Sophia restored as a church.

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[E.C.]

The Hagia Sophia would be great.

First order of business: removing those minarets!


It would be nice if the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other holy sites in Palestine did not have to be divided as they are.

 

[nzguy]

ah.. for the public eye.. ok um well ..

yeah I think maybe original manuscripts also.. but not the apocrapha ones (I think I spelled apocrapha wrong).. like Matthew Mark Luke and John and Paul's writings

I mean they already have enough copies of manuscripts from different places to know the copies we have now are sound and accurate but ya some originals would be cool.

 

[Krelian]

Oh!

That's an easy one.
I would like for the Ark of the Covenant to be found.
In the first place, it would be a find that could be enjoyed by Christians, Moslems, and Jews.
In the second place, you would be getting four items for one

By finding the Ark of the Covenant, you are also finding the two tables of the Ten Commandments, Aaron's rod, and a few pieces of manna

See? Four for the price of one.

...Of course, if you tried to open it, I guess there would be the possibility that you die.
So, I guess it's kind of useless, that four-for-one thing XD

 

[Sphinx777]

Oh!

That's an easy one.
I would like for the Ark of the Covenant to be found.
In the first place, it would be a find that could be enjoyed by Christians, Moslems, and Jews.
In the second place, you would be getting four items for one

By finding the Ark of the Covenant, you are also finding the two tables of the Ten Commandments, Aaron's rod, and a few pieces of manna

See? Four for the price of one.

...Of course, if you tried to open it, I guess there would be the possibility that you die.
So, I guess it's kind of useless, that four-for-one thing XD

Raiders of the Lost Ark was so awesome... old movies like that are true treasures...

 

[Krelian]

Raiders of the Lost Ark was so awesome...

I'll have to take your word on that

 

[LamorakDesGalis]

Its fun to think about restoring the well known Christian antiquities. Last month though I got a chance to see a lot of early Christian "everyday" type of art. I went to a museum which had a fascinating exhibit called Picturing the Bible: The Earliest Christian Art.

The common thread for the items they had on display were Biblical scenes, or symbols like Chi-Ro. There were rings, plates, statues, sarcophagi, coins, and even illustrated Bibles. The illustrated Bibles were beautiful - or at least the pages on display from the one which was mostly destroyed in a fire. Some of the art was inscribed in Greek and some of it in Latin.

Typically a plate or sarcophagus had multiple scenes, but these scenes were related to a theme such as the resurrection. It was all so fascinating to me and really fueled my interest in Christian art. I was so intrigued by it all I spent 3+ hours going through everything.

LDG

 

[E.C.]

Oh!

That's an easy one.
I would like for the Ark of the Covenant to be found.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Our_Lady_Mary_of_Zion

Its fun to think about restoring the well known Christian antiquities. Last month though I got a chance to see a lot of early Christian "everyday" type of art. I went to a museum which had a fascinating exhibit called Picturing the Bible: The Earliest Christian Art.

The common thread for the items they had on display were Biblical scenes, or symbols like Chi-Ro. There were rings, plates, statues, sarcophagi, coins, and even illustrated Bibles. The illustrated Bibles were beautiful - or at least the pages on display from the one which was mostly destroyed in a fire. Some of the art was inscribed in Greek and some of it in Latin.

Typically a plate or sarcophagus had multiple scenes, but these scenes were related to a theme such as the resurrection. It was all so fascinating to me and really fueled my interest in Christian art. I was so intrigued by it all I spent 3+ hours going through everything.

LDG

Question; where there icons in this exhibit?

 

[LamorakDesGalis]

Question; where there icons in this exhibit?

I did not see any icons there. There were some rare art "on loan" from places, but most of the art was from the 2nd-5th centuries. I did see the silver "David plates" that dates to the 7th century and was from the reign of my favorite Byzantine emperor Heraclius. There was a cross reliquary, given by Byzantine emperor Justin II to Pope John III. That cross was still impressive even though it had been plundered and modified over the centuries. And there was a beautiful silver reliquary, from Milan I think.

I'd be interested in knowing what is currently regarded as the earliest surviving icon or icons. Unfortunately I think a lot of the earliest ones were probably destroyed in the iconoclast controvesies of the 700-800s.


LDG

 

[E.C.]

I'd be interested in knowing what is currently regarded as the earliest surviving icon or icons. Unfortunately I think a lot of the earliest ones were probably destroyed in the iconoclast controvesies of the 700-800s.


LDG

Actually, quite a few survived. I believe that places such as Mt. Athos and St. Katherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai have a few collections of pre-iconoclasm icons.

 

[LamorakDesGalis]

Actually, quite a few survived. I believe that places such as Mt. Athos and St. Katherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai have a few collections of pre-iconoclasm icons.

Interesting...I'll have to google to see if there are pictures of them...


LDG

 

[Peter]

Protestant? Not at all...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historian & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiquarian

But you didn't answer the question? Why? Why would it "be neat" or any other words you can ascribe to it? What would you do with it, build an end table?

What is your theology for Holy relics?

 

[Sphinx777]

But you didn't answer the question? Why? Why would it "be neat" or any other words you can ascribe to it?

What is your theology for Holy relics?

I'd probably end up donating them to a
Catholic or Orthodox church where
they would be truly appreciated
and displayed to the faithful for
veneration...

What would you do with it, build an end table?