FRDB Archives

Freethought & Rationalism Archive

The archives are read only.


Go Back   FRDB Archives > Archives > IIDB ARCHIVE: 200X-2003, PD 2007 > IIDB Philosophical Forums (PRIOR TO JUN-2003)
Welcome, Peter Kirby.
You last visited: Today at 05:55 AM

 
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 07-24-2003, 04:52 AM   #1
Contributor
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Baltimore, MD USA
Posts: 17,432
Default Destruction of libraries by early xtians

Are there any reliable accounts of the destruction of libraries, or other repositories of knowledge by the early xtians or the early church? I know there is a great deal of debate concerning Alexandria. If someone could point me in the right direction I would be grateful.
nogods4me is offline  
Old 07-24-2003, 08:23 AM   #2
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Quezon City, Philippines
Posts: 1,994
Default

You can ask Bede, the venerable catholic apologist, or Bill, the Agnostic Pope. They have debated the issue of the pillage of the Lib of Alexandria a few times before.
Secular Pinoy is offline  
Old 07-24-2003, 04:35 PM   #3
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: the 10th planet
Posts: 5,065
Default

It seems that the only historical burning of the Library of Alexandria was done by Julius Caesar’s troops and that was by accident, they set some ships on fire in the harbor which spread to a library annex. Any damage done by Christians or Muslims is not as certain.
However the Spanish Catholic explorers to the “New” World did intentionally destroy most of the Myan written works. Oddly what few Mayan works left to us were saved by a Monk who found the destruction of history done by his fellow Christians disgusting. I can’t remember his name but the text he saved was the Pophul Vol (sp?)
Christians were much better at destroying other Christian works that they didn’t like or found heretical, Gnostic, Cathern writings, non Christian stuff they mostly ignored and let rot away.
Marduk is offline  
Old 07-24-2003, 09:00 PM   #4
Regular Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Baltimore, MD
Posts: 356
Default

On a sidenote:
The monk's name was Fr Francisco Ximenez
The Popol Vuh is a Mayan sacred book. I like its take on the creation of humans:

"They came together in darkness to think and reflect. This is how they came to decide on the right material for the creation of man. . . . Then our Makers Tepew and Q'uk'umatz began discussing the creation of our first mother and father. Their flesh was made of white and yellow corn. The arms and legs of the four men were made of corn meal."


You are what you eat!

Here's a brief summary of its principal story, The Hero Twins
Abel Stable is offline  
 

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 06:05 PM.

Top

This custom BB emulates vBulletin® Version 3.8.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2015, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.