In this week’s reading one character I found particularly interesting was Frumentius, the “Apostle to the Abyssinians.” Frumentius was significant because his ministry lead to the conversion of the Aksum people to Christianity. Frumentius wasn’t afraid to tell people the truth; he possibly risked his own position of working for the king by spreading the gospel. His story shows us that even in moments of trial we can share are faith. They also teach us that one man can make a big difference.
In this weeks reading I thought that it was interesting that the country was christian for a time from Aksum. It is amazing that if you look in the bible you can see the the ruler of Aksum was a far descendent of King Solomon and Queen of Sheba.
On Page 172 towards the Bottom It says "In this land there are rich merchants and there is much gold and silver and amber and musk and pearls. Those of the land wear clothes of fine cotton and of silk and many fine things, and they are all black men." I found it interesting that he said that all of the men were black like he was astounded. like he had never seen a black man that was rich before.
Last but not least it seemed cool that the language of Swahili has managed to survive over time. Swahili is an amazing language and it is very complex but it dose have a cool ring to it.
What I found most interesting about this weeks reading is the part about Frumentius. I think it is so cool that he was a slave like Joseph and then rose to such a high position that he was helping to run Aksum. I think this is a good example of how God is working in every situation. In this one many became Christions. I thought this was interesting.
I thought the africans idea's of forming clans and tribes was interesting because it could be a very helpful and strengthening thing or a hurting decision. This could help strengthen their families so that they could protect one another better and from larger enemies. It could also be hurting to the families by becoming a village made up of many siblings and parents instead of a closely knit family, causing less time for them to be together. I also enjoyed reading about massive and deserted the saharan desert was! It's amazing that people lived and survived out in the middle of that wasteland.
With Islam, Christianity, and tribal religions all in Africa at the same time, it would seem likely that at some point in the last 1500 years of dictatorships, wars colonization, migration, and slave trade, one of those religions would overcome the others and become dominant. This is not so at all (at least in eastern Africa, Uganda and Kenya, where I was). There are a very large number of Christians, but at the same time an enormous amount of Muslims and some who follow traditional tribal religions. I wonder what modern African culture/religion would be like if Frumentius had never come to Africa to preach the gospel. It shows the power of an individual in God's hands.
In my reading this week I really took notice of the man named Frumentius. The similarity of his life to Joseph's tale was striking. After Joseph was sold by his brothers and made a slave in Egypt, he eventually became the second most powerful man in the land. He helped the people through the famine by storing grain. In comparison to Joseph, Frumentius was also sold as a slave and became a high-ranking official. Thanks to him, the African kingdom began to embrace Christianity. There is something I noticed that I thought was very interesting. The name Frumentius sounds extremely similar to the latin word "frumentus" which ironically means grain. While Joseph saved the people of Egypt from a famine by feeding them grain, Frumentius saved his people from hell by "feeding" them faith and God's word.
Something that I found particularly interesting in this weeks reading of “Livius Titus. The History of Rome” was the fact that from the very beginning, Rome was founded on the principles of violence and brutality. For example, the book talks about Romulus’s gruesome actions on page 18. “He mounted to the Capitol with the spoils of his dead foe borne before him on a frame constructed for that purpose. He hung them there on an oak” This was how the first temple dedicated in Rome, originated. This seems like an awfully sketchy start for concept of morality and virtue for the Romans.
After looking over this weeks reading I realized how much "Livy" really focused on the gods, the bravery and glory of Rome, and the lives of those in power. He focuses on certain religious ceremonies and rituals performed to the gods, certain individuals who acted bravely such as C. Mucius, but I never read in the Livy of a battle that the Romans lost. He writes of certain rulers and others in power such as Romulus, but never really talks about the people of Rome and how they lived. Rachel
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In this week’s reading one character I found particularly interesting was Frumentius, the “Apostle to the Abyssinians.” Frumentius was significant because his ministry lead to the conversion of the Aksum people to Christianity. Frumentius wasn’t afraid to tell people the truth; he possibly risked his own position of working for the king by spreading the gospel. His story shows us that even in moments of trial we can share are faith. They also teach us that one man can make a big difference.
In this weeks reading I thought that it was interesting that the country was christian for a time from Aksum. It is amazing that if you look in the bible you can see the the ruler of Aksum was a far descendent of King Solomon and Queen of Sheba.
On Page 172 towards the Bottom It says "In this land there are rich merchants and there is much gold and silver and amber and musk and pearls. Those of the land wear clothes of fine cotton and of silk and many fine things, and they are all black men." I found it interesting that he said that all of the men were black like he was astounded. like he had never seen a black man that was rich before.
Last but not least it seemed cool that the language of Swahili has managed to survive over time. Swahili is an amazing language and it is very complex but it dose have a cool ring to it.
What I found most interesting about this weeks reading is the part about Frumentius. I think it is so cool that he was a slave like Joseph and then rose to such a high position that he was helping to run Aksum. I think this is a good example of how God is working in every situation. In this one many became Christions. I thought this was interesting.
I thought the africans idea's of forming clans and tribes was interesting because it could be a very helpful and strengthening thing or a hurting decision. This could help strengthen their families so that they could protect one another better and from larger enemies. It could also be hurting to the families by becoming a village made up of many siblings and parents instead of a closely knit family, causing less time for them to be together. I also enjoyed reading about massive and deserted the saharan desert was! It's amazing that people lived and survived out in the middle of that wasteland.
* about how massive...
With Islam, Christianity, and tribal religions all in Africa at the same time, it would seem likely that at some point in the last 1500 years of dictatorships, wars colonization, migration, and slave trade, one of those religions would overcome the others and become dominant. This is not so at all (at least in eastern Africa, Uganda and Kenya, where I was). There are a very large number of Christians, but at the same time an enormous amount of Muslims and some who follow traditional tribal religions. I wonder what modern African culture/religion would be like if Frumentius had never come to Africa to preach the gospel. It shows the power of an individual in God's hands.
In my reading this week I really took notice of the man named Frumentius. The similarity of his life to Joseph's tale was striking. After Joseph was sold by his brothers and made a slave in Egypt, he eventually became the second most powerful man in the land. He helped the people through the famine by storing grain. In comparison to Joseph, Frumentius was also sold as a slave and became a high-ranking official. Thanks to him, the African kingdom began to embrace Christianity. There is something I noticed that I thought was very interesting. The name Frumentius sounds extremely similar to the latin word "frumentus" which ironically means grain. While Joseph saved the people of Egypt from a famine by feeding them grain, Frumentius saved his people from hell by "feeding" them faith and God's word.
Something that I found particularly interesting in this weeks reading of “Livius Titus. The History of Rome” was the fact that from the very beginning, Rome was founded on the principles of violence and brutality. For example, the book talks about Romulus’s gruesome actions on page 18. “He mounted to the Capitol with the spoils of his dead foe borne before him on a frame constructed for that purpose. He hung them there on an oak” This was how the first temple dedicated in Rome, originated. This seems like an awfully sketchy start for concept of morality and virtue for the Romans.
After looking over this weeks reading I realized how much "Livy" really focused on the gods, the bravery and glory of Rome, and the lives of those in power. He focuses on certain religious ceremonies and rituals performed to the gods, certain individuals who acted bravely such as C. Mucius, but I never read in the Livy of a battle that the Romans lost. He writes of certain rulers and others in power such as Romulus, but never really talks about the people of Rome and how they lived.
Rachel
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