Thursday March 6 Greetings! Sunny and warm – the snow is gone! I had spasms in my upper back last night, but I rested and this morning it was better. So I felt good this morning, and went to have blood drawn prior to my scheduled 6-month checkup with my regular doctor next week. When I got home, however, I decided it was a day to rest and allow my back to get better, so I did not do much during the day. But I did sit and watch life pass before my eyes – and not all of what I saw was what I had hoped for, expected, or wanted. But then, it is life… Here’s a word for today: JERUSALEM AND PALESTINE UNDER THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. Genesis 12:2 In 313 AD, when Constantine legalized Christianity, Palestine became the focal point of pilgrimages, with most of the population there becoming Christianized and adopting the Eastern Empire culture. When the Roman Empire split into two parts in 324-330 AD, Constantine of Byzantium marched into Aelia (the Roman fortress built on the ruins of Jerusalem). He rebuilt the city walls, commissioned the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and promoted Christian pilgrimages to the city. The Byzantine rule was interrupted only briefly by a Persian occupation. The region was divided into three dioceses: Palaestina Prima (Judea, Samaria, Idumea, Peraea and the coastal plain, with Caesarea as its capital), Palaestina Segunda, (Galilee, Decapolis and Golan, with Beth-Shean as its capital), and Palaestina Tertia (the Negev, with Petra as its capital). Under Byzantine rule the region became a center of Christianity, while retaining some Jewish and Samaritan influences. Then in 351 AD the remaining Jews launched another revolt, with heavy retribution from the Empire, but in 438 AD Empress Eudocia allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem to live.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 00:22:55 +0000
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