Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Clivedurdle · 10-05-2007, 08:00 AM

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Flavia Iulia Helena was probably born in the city of Drepanum in Bithynia. Various sources indicate that Drepanum was renamed Helenopolis by Helena's son Constantinus I to honour and to perpetuate Helena's memory (e.g., Sozom., Hist. Eccl., 2.2.5). Procopius (Aedif. 5.2.1-5) mentions that Constantine changed the name of Drepanum to Helenopolis because his mother was born there. Her year of birth may be established on Eusebius' remark (VC., 3.46) that she died at the age of about eighty years. Since she probably died in 328/9, she must have been born ca. 248/9. Helena was of low social origin. Ambrose (De obit. Theod.,42) calls her a stabularia and Eutropius (Brev. 10.2) mentions that she was born ex obscuriore matrimonio. Philostorgius (Hist. Eccl., 2.16) calls her `a common woman not different from strumpets' (cf. also Zos. 2.8.2 and 2.9.2). Constantius I Chlorus and Helena probably met in Drepanum ca. 270. It is very likely that the pair lived in concubinage, an accepted form of cohabitation for people of different social origin. In 272/3 Helena gave birth to Constantine in Naissus. It is not known whether Helena bore any other children besides Constantine. When in 289 Constantius became Caesar and married Theodora, he separated from Helena and Helena's life recedes into obscurity for us.

The gap in our knowledge about Helena's life lasts at least until 306, when the troops in York proclaimed Constantine the successor of his father. It is probable that from this time on Helena joined her son's court. Constantine's foremost residences in the West were Trier and Rome. Ceiling frescoes in the imperial palace in Trier, on which Helena possibly is depicted, as well as a lively medieval Helena tradition in Trier and its surroundings, may be an indication that Helena once lived in this northernmost, imperial residence. After Constantine had defeated Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge, Helena probably came to live in Rome. The fundus Laurentus in the south-east corner of Rome, which included the Palatium Sessorianum, a circus and public baths (later called Thermae Helenae), came into her possession. Several inscriptions (e.g., CIL, 6.1134, 1135, 1136) found in the area, are evidence for a close connection between Helena and the fundus Laurentus. So is her interest in the newly found basilica Ss. Marcellino e Pietro which was built in the area that belonged to the fundus Laurentus (Lib. Pont., I, 183), as well as the fact that she was buried in a mausoleum attached to this basilica.

Helena must have been a prominent person at the imperial court. Before 324 she held the title of Nobilissma Femina as may be concluded from coins. In 324, after Constantine's defeat of Licinius, Helena received the title of Augusta. The increase of coins - with the legend SECURITAS REIPUBLICE - and inscriptions bearing this title indicate Helena's rise in status and her prominency within the Neo-Flavian dynasty.

Although it has been suggested that from her childhood on Helena had felt great sympathy for Christianity, it is more likely that she only converted after 312 when her son Constantine began to protect and favour the Christian church. Eusebius reports that Helena was converted by Constantine and that he made her a devoted servant of God (VC, 3.47). That she once was Jewish, as suggested by the Actus Sylvestri and taken seriously by J. Vogt is most unlikely. There are indications - e.g. her sympathy for the martyr Lucian, Arius' teacher - that Helena was favourable towards Arianism.

The most memorable event of Helena's life was her journey to Palestine and the other eastern provinces in 327-328. Because of Eusebius' description of this journey (VC, 3.42-47), it is generally looked upon as a pilgrimage. Eusebius only has eyes for the religious aspects of her journey. He depicts Helena as driven by religious enthusiasm: she wants to pray at the places where Christ's feet had touched the ground, she cares for the poor and needy, she only does good deeds and is generous, and she builds churches. However, it may also be possible that her journey to the East was a political act of conciliation. People living in the East may have been dissatisfied with Constantine's radical (religious) reforms, which included e.g. the replacement of many officials by Christian dignitaries and the rigorous suppression of pagan cults. Furthermore, Constantine's popularity may have suffered severe damage from murdering his wife Fausta and his son Crispus in 326. A reason why Helena travelled to the East may therefore have been to appease the inhabitants of the eastern regions of the Empire.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/d...org/helena.htm

No Robots · 10-05-2007, 12:55 PM

Recognition of the Jewishness of Christ and the Gospels is unanimous among scholars of all stripes:

Not only is Jesus, the central figure of the Gospels, thoroughly Jewish, the Gospels themselves are Jewish to the core.—Craig A. Evans, "The Dead Sea scrolls and the Jewishness of the Gospels."

No one in mainstream New Testament scholarship denies that Jesus was a Jew.—William Arnal, The Symbolic Jesus: Historical Scholarship, Judaism, and the Construction of Contemporary Identity, p. 5.

Clivedurdle · 10-05-2007, 01:08 PM

Except it would seem to be a very strange Judaism that directly attacks the main tenets of Judaism!

I do see it as using Judaism as a backcloth for something very different and alien to Judaism.

It is blasphemous from start to finish to any Jew.

And all the mainstream writers seeing this have all been brought up in the xianised west with its continuous history of anti semitism - so steeped in it it is very difficult to see. Hitler was not an aberration but an extreme interpretation.

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25Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children

No Robots · 10-05-2007, 01:17 PM

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Originally Posted by Clivedurdle

It is blasphemous from start to finish to any Jew.

Many Jews disagree with you.

Clivedurdle · 10-05-2007, 01:24 PM

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Originally Posted by No Robots

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clivedurdle

It is blasphemous from start to finish to any Jew.

Many Jews disagree with you.

Quote:

Of these Messianic claimants, only one, Jesus of Nazareth, so impressed His disciples that He became their Messiah. And He did so after the very crucifixion which should have refuted His claims decisively. But it was not Jesus’ life which proved beyond question that He was the Messiah, the Christ. It was His resurrection. (Ellis Rivkin, Professor of Jewish history at Hebrew Union College)

Unbiased source I see!

No Robots · 10-05-2007, 01:32 PM

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Originally Posted by Clivedurdle

Unbiased source I see!

Well, he is Jewish, and as such is quite likely to believe in resurrection.

Sarai · 10-05-2007, 03:11 PM

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Originally Posted by No Robots

Recognition of the Jewishness of Christ and the Gospels is unanimous among scholars of all stripes:

Every single scholar throughout all history and the world!? WOW!

Seriously, I haven't seen where anyone here said that Jesus (whether a character in fiction or a real individual) was NOT a Jew. I've seen people question whether the authors of the Gospels were Jewish, and whether or not the New Testament itself could be considered a is Jewish book.

Sarai

No Robots · 10-05-2007, 03:14 PM

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Originally Posted by Sarai

I've seen people question whether the authors of the Gospels were Jewish, and whether or not the New Testament itself could be considered a is Jewish book.

Well, then, please do cite a few.

Sarai · 10-05-2007, 04:07 PM

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Originally Posted by dog-on

The over-all disdain shown toward the creator and his law, which is evident in Galatians, leads me to the view that the author was more than likely not a Jew.

Dog-on, I agree there's something suspect about his "Jewishness". I'm just going to throw out an idea that occurred to me, but please remember, I'm new to this, so I'm not as well-versed in NT as some others here. I know that Paul is supposedly "from Tarsus". Does it actually say anywhere whether or not he was born there? Or how long his family had been there?

I ask because in a couple of places he identifies Herodians as his relatives, which would make him, at least peripherally, Herodian, too. The Herods came from Edom, and were only nominally Jewish. They had been forcibly converted shortly before (during the Hasmonean era) when the king decided forced conversion would be a good way to keep the Edomites from taking up arms against him. (Yeah, great idea!) According to Jewish history, the Edomites became Jews essentially in name only. The Jews in the area considered Herodians highly suspect as "Jews"; in fact, many didn't consider the Herodians Jews at all because of this and their close ties with Rome. This would help to explain Paul's familiarity with Judaism as well as his animosity to it. Just a thought...

Sarai

Sarai · 10-05-2007, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by No Robots

Well, then, please do cite a few.

Just re-read the thread--I'm sure you'll see the pertinent posts. You might also be interested in Dr. Rivkin's book, What Crucified Jesus: Messianism, Pharisaism, and the Development of Christianity (or via: amazon.co.uk) where you'll find the entire quote in its proper context, rather than a loaded sound-bite on an Evangelical Christian front group's website.

Sarai

10-05-2007, 12:55 PM	#122
No Robots Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Edmonton Posts: 5,679	Recognition of the Jewishness of Christ and the Gospels is unanimous among scholars of all stripes: Not only is Jesus, the central figure of the Gospels, thoroughly Jewish, the Gospels themselves are Jewish to the core.—Craig A. Evans, "The Dead Sea scrolls and the Jewishness of the Gospels." No one in mainstream New Testament scholarship denies that Jesus was a Jew.—William Arnal, The Symbolic Jesus: Historical Scholarship, Judaism, and the Construction of Contemporary Identity, p. 5.

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