Crete: Biblical Traditions, Churches and Monasteries :: Free Descriptive Essay About A Place

Crete: Biblical Traditions, Churches and Monasteries Crete has long been known for its isolation caused by the mountains and the seas ; As a result of its landscape, it has been always identified as independent.? (Dubin 241). However, the mountains and the seas could not keep away the various foreign powers, occupations, and the religious impact these forces have had on this beautiful island.? History has shown that its island form has not kept Crete safe from outside forces; In fact, it is often considered to be a microcosm of a continent.? Just like a mini-continent, Crete has a diverse religious history that is fluid and ever changing with hundreds of years and layers of religious history.? ?Crete has always been steeped with religious importance, especially to the western world.? In fact, it was here in Crete where many believed that Zeus (the Roman god) was born and raised. (Psilakis 7) The caves in Crete are not only famous for the brethren who have made Christian dwelling, but also for being where the mythical gods lived as well.? Crete was also very important in early Christianity; The Apostle Paul around 64 CE (during his third apostolic trip) visited Crete. ( Theocharis, Detorakis) Paul later entrusted Titus to oversee the duty of the Christianizing the island.? However, the church in Crete has experienced many internal and external stresses on the church, much of it due to the friction of the island.? These tensions, however, have not impacted the religious strength and stamina of it island.? Crete is famous for their? ?Ten surmountable martyrs? who were martyred under persecution of Decious, Crete around 249-251 AD.( Theocharis, Detorakis)? So? famous and rever ed are these Cretians, that whenever the Byzantine wrote about the island of Crete, they were almost always mentioned.? The ?ten surmountable martyrs? are indicative of the strength, notoriety, and torments that the Cretian church and its members have embodied through history. HISTORY ?Despite the enthusiastic missionaries of early Crete, it was not until the peace came (under the Pax Romana) that Christianity really flourished in Crete.? It was between the 5th and 7th centuries when the church could flourish under the prosperity of the Byzantine empires of Constantinople. (Tucker 527) It was during this time that the Orthodox Church flourished. Unfortunately, later occupations and invasions have destroyed much of this epoch in Crete?s church history. ?Much of the Crete?s church history, however, is representative of constant change and not stagnancy.