Comments on: Breaking News from Syria http://www.fathersofthechurch.com/2008/01/23/breaking-news-from-syria/ Mike Aquilina's Blog Fri, 25 Jan 2013 09:36:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Carl Sommer http://www.fathersofthechurch.com/2008/01/23/breaking-news-from-syria/comment-page-1/#comment-527236 Carl Sommer Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:46:55 +0000 http://www.fathersofthechurch.com/2008/01/23/breaking-news-from-syria/#comment-527236 Thsi is a significant find indeed. For one thing, most scholars insist that the cross was not used as a Christian symbol until the fourth century, because they have no evidence of its use earlier. Well, it looks like now they have some evidence of earlier use. Secondly, I suspect (though I cannot prove it) that by the late third century large swaths of what is now Syria and Turkey had Christian majorities. The fact of an openly Christian cemetery certainly bolsters my theory. Thsi is a significant find indeed. For one thing, most scholars insist that the cross was not used as a Christian symbol until the fourth century, because they have no evidence of its use earlier. Well, it looks like now they have some evidence of earlier use.

Secondly, I suspect (though I cannot prove it) that by the late third century large swaths of what is now Syria and Turkey had Christian majorities. The fact of an openly Christian cemetery certainly bolsters my theory.

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