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| Photo by Eric S. Kounce |
According to Space.com, a currently-visible, 62-miles-wide and 14,400-feet-deep lunar crater is named after Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria from 385 to 412 CE. This, however, is nowhere near the depth of the hole that Theophilus dug for those whom he deemed to be heretics. He was therefore (not surprisingly) described by cynical historian Edward Gibbon as “the perpetual enemy of peace and virtue…”
What was the perceived “problem” that Theophilus had claimed to be solving with his violent campaigns? In a word – Paganism.
Wikipedia reports that Theophilus became the Coptic Pope at a time when the two strong Egyptian factions
(newly-dominant Christians and traditionally-established Pagans) were at the height of discord. Therefore – when a previously-hidden Pagan temple was discovered in 391, Theophilus literally seized the opportunity to prevail. He did so by publicly disparaging the contents of this temple to the point of provoking the Pagans into an attack.
Theophilus then counterattacked by “exerting himself to the utmost.” This last phrase was the Greek church
historian Scholasticus’ way of saying that Theophilus was not only instrumental in looting the Mithraeum, but also in destroying the Serapeum (which had housed one of the Alexandria library’s irreplaceable collections).
When Christians long ago settled in Egypt, they too were cruelly persecuted. Today’s headlines reveal continued intense conflicts amongst Egypt’s major factions. If Egypt (and Earth itself) is to thrive (or even survive), these ancient hostilities must be worked through peacefully.
Otherwise, we could all end up as instant-crater dust right here on Earth.
Resources
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110209/sc_space/besttimetoobservefebruarysmoonisnow
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theophilus_of_Alexandria
Copyright February 11, 2011 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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