Time to confess my feelings about St. Augustine's ConfessionsInstagram: @germaniapod

Between 374 and 394, the actions of St. Ambrose of Milan and Emperor Theodosius the Great had a major impact on the integration of the Christian Church with State policy that reverberated through history for 1500 years.Instagram: @germaniapod

The story of Wulfias (c.310-380), the bishop of the Christians to the Getic people and the creator of the Gothic alphabet.Instagram: @germaniapod

In May 325, Emperor Constantine called a council of bishops together outside of Nicomedia to settle doctrinal disputes and align the followers of Christ under a universal catholic church. This was to end the ongoing conflict between Arius and Athanasius. While history remembers this ecumenical council as a unifying moment for Christians, it did not really play out that way in the immediate aftermath.Instagram: @germaniapod

The decentralized nature of the early Christian communities meant that a lot of different beliefs about the nature of God and Jesus were proposed and preached. The name that is now associated with the heresies more than any other was Arius, a presbyter from Libya. Instagram: @germaniapod

After the death of Jesus, most assumed that he and his followers would never be heard from again. Well, you know what happens when you assume...Instagram: @germaniapod

What kind of world was Jesus born into? And what message to he have to deliver to it?Instagram: @germaniapod

Herod the Great ruled Judea for 33 years and had a large role in creating the world that Jesus of Nazareth was born into.   That was a world going through religious transformation, social upheaval, government-sponsored violence, and high taxes.Select Sources:Gelb, Norman. “Herod the Great: Statesman. Visionary. Tyrant.” Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2013.https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herod-king-of-JudaeaInstagram: @germaniapod

A quick run through 3,000 years of the Jewish faith. Sources:www.biblegateway.com Gelb, Norman. “Herod the Great: Statesman. Visionary. Tyrant.” Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2013.Ilan, Tal. “Shelamziyyon Alexandra.” The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/shelamziyyon-alexandra#:~:text=Queen%20Shelamziyyon%20Alexandra%20ruled%20Judea,that%20had%20supported%20her%20husband.Instagram: @germaniapod

In the late 4th century, the Germans finally toppled the Roman Empire - no one was more surprised than the Germans.Instagram: @germaniapod