SEARCHING FOR LOVE

Nothing can make the heart rest

Except that which it thinks best

A heart is unrest when it’s on search

Curious and panting until it meets a match

So lonely it is for a single heart

It doesn’t care unless for the right

For no heart is made to be alone

The other it must find that looks like a clone

It has no freedom, it has no choice

Sometimes it finds and tends to rejoice

Only later to find out that it is not the right

And it feels hurt, distressed and not alright

When eventually it finds the right One

With joy it celebrates as though it has won

This is a quest of the heart in human life

And when the story is told, Men laugh.

So it is when a heart is in need

Searching for the other on which to lean

Just like comedy it’s joyous at the end

Because with the right One it won’t pretend

It is a truth that all heart do search,

And will not rest until they find their match

It appears like a problem until it is solved

Because this is what is means to search for love.

BE STRONG…

Until your dream is born

Relent not for its cowardice

Sooner your sufferings will be gone

As a friend it is an advice.

Never mind when no one is behind,

Worry not they will come when it is right.

Humans love it sweet, it’s our kind

So it is a matter of time, be bright.

No one tells you it’s easy

So be out of your comfort zone

Work for your blessings and be ready

For in this struggle you’re not alone

The world is but a stage, they say

Men and Women mere dancers

Until you return to the clay

You must be strong for it matters.

The Christian Persecution under Emperor Severus Septimus (145 - 211 AD)

Ø  Introduction

Ø  His early life

Ø  Rise to power

Ø  Christian Persecutions Under Severus Septimus

Ø  Conclusion and End of Severus’ Reign

Introduction:

Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire occurred intermittently over a period of over two centuries until the year 313 AD when the Roman Emperors Constantine the Great and Licinius jointly promulgated the Edict of Milan which legalized the Christian religion. The persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire was carried out by the state and also by local authorities on a sporadic, ad hoc basis, often at the whims of local communities. Starting in 250, empire-wide persecution took place by decree of the emperor Decius. The edict was in force for eighteen months, during which time some Christians were killed while others apostatized to escape execution.

These persecutions heavily influenced the development of Christianity, shaping Christian theology and the structure of the Church. Among other things, persecution gave rise to many saints' cults and these contributed to the rapid spread of Christianity and sparked written explanations of the Christian religion[1]. Here we shall focus on the persecution of Christians under the Emperor Severus Septimus from 193AD to 211AD.

His early life:

Lucius Severus Septimus was born in Leptis Magna in the Roman province of Africa (a prominent city in Roman Libya). His father Publius Septimus Geta held no major political status but he had two cousins, Publius Septimus Aper and Gaius Septimus Severus, who served as consuls under the Emperor Antoninus Pius (138 – 161). He had Italian Roman ancestry from his mother’s side, Fulvia Pia and descended from Punic – also Libyan forbears on his father’s side.

Septimius Severus grew up in the town of Leptis Magna. He spoke the local Punic language fluently, but he was also educated in Latin and Greek, which he spoke with a slight accent. Little else is known of the young Severus' education, but according to Cassius Dio the boy had been eager for more education than he had actually got. Presumably Severus received lessons in oratory: at age 17 he gave his first public speech.[2]

Rise to Power:

Around 162 Septimius Severus set out for Rome seeking a public career. At the recommendation of his relative Gaius Septimius Severus, the emperor Marcus Aurelius (reigned 161-180) granted him entry into the senatorial ranks. Membership of the senatorial order was a prerequisite to attain positions within the cursus honorum and to gain entry into the Roman Senate. At the time of Emperor Marcus Aurelius he was the State Attorney (Advocatus fisci). In 191 AD Severus was made Governor of Pannonia Superior by Emperor Commodus at the advice of Quintus Aemilius Laetus, prefect of the Praetorian Guard. However, commodus was assassinated the following year. Pertinax was acclaimed emperor, but he was then killed by his Praetorian guard in early 193. In response to the murder of Pertinax, Severus was proclaimed Emperor at Carnuntum by his region XIV Gemina. As an emperor he took the name Caesar Lucius Septimius Severus Eusebes Pertinax Augustus. He was the 21st Emperor of the Roman Empire.

Christian Persecution under Severus Septimus:

At the beginning of Severus’ reign, Emperor Trajan’s policy toward the Christians were still valid, that is, Christians were only to be punished if they refused to worship the emperor and the gods, but they were not be sought out. Therefore, persecution was inconsistent, local and sporadic. But faced with internal dissidence and external threats, Severus felt the need to promote religious harmony by promoting syncretism and by possibly issuing an edict that punished conversion to Judaism and Christianity.

A number of persecutions of Christians occurred in the Roman Empire during the reign of Septimus Severus and are traditionally attributed to Severus by the early Christian community. Early church historian Eusebius describes Severus as a persecutor,[3]  but the Christian apologist Tertullian states that Severus was well disposed towards Christians,[4] employed a Christian as his personal physician and had personally intervened to save several high-born Christians known to him from "the mob".[5] Eusebius' description of Severus as a persecutor likely derives merely from the fact that numerous persecutions occurred during his reign, including those known in the Roman martyrology as the martyrs of Madaura and Perpetua and Felicity in the Roman province of Africa, but these were probably as the result of local persecutions rather than empire-wide actions or decrees by Severus.[6]

The most famous martyrdom of that time is that of Perpetua and Felicitas, which probably took place in 203AD. The account of their martyrdom comes from the pen of Tertulian. The martyrs were five catechumens – this agrees with what is known of the policies of Septimus Severus, which prohibited the conversion to Christianity. Some of the five people were in their teens – they were charged not with being Christians, but with recently converting, and thus disobeying the imperial edict. Perpetua was the heroine of the martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas. She was a well-to-do woman nursing her child. Her companions were the Slaves Felicitas, and Revocatus and two other young men, Saturninus and Secundulus. A great deal of the text of martyrdom is placed on the lips of Perpetua, and it is believed that she has spoken most of these words.

Another significant martyrdom during the reign of Severus was the martyrdom of Leonides ho legomenos Origenous Pater (popularly known as Origin’s father), according to Eusebius probably at the tenth year of Severus’ reign.

Conclusion and End of Severus’ Reign:

Severus’ campaign cut short when he fell fatally ill. He withdrew to Eboracum (York) and died there in 211 AD. He is famously said to have given to his sons: “be harmonious, enrich the soldiers, and scorn all other men” before he died at Eboracum on Feb. 4, 211.

Upon his death in 211, Severus was deified by the senate and succeded by his sons, Caracalla and Geta, who were advised by his wife Julia Domna.

REFERENCES

Birley, Anthony R. ( 1999), Septimus Severus: African Emperor, London: Routlege. ISBN 0415165911.

Gonzalez, Justo L. (2010), the Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Tabbernee, William (2007), Fake Prophecy and Polluted Sacraments: Ecclesiastical and Imperial reactions to Montanism (Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae) Brill. ISBN 978-9004158191.

Tertullian, Ad Scapulam, IV.5-6

Eusebius, Historia Ecclesiastica, VI.1.1

http://www.wikipedia.com/persecutions_in_the_Roman_empire/html

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[1] http://www.wikipedia.com/persecutions_in_the_Roman_empire/html

[2] Cf. Birley, Anthony R. (1999) [1971]. Septimius Severus: The African Emperor. London: Routledge,  pp 34 -35.

[3] Cf. Eusebius, Historia Ecclesiastica, VI.1.1

[4] (Latin) Tertullian, Ad Scapulam, IV.5-6

[5] Cf. Tabbernee, William (2007). Fake Prophecy and Polluted Sacraments: Ecclesiastical and Imperial Reactions to Montanism (Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae). Brill. P.184

[6] Ibid.

TAKE AND TIME

TAKE AND TIME

Life is just like TAKE and TIME. In fact life is all about TAKE and TIME. Why? Some words can be so powerful you know. I can’t even remember what I was looking for in the Dictionary before I stumbled into these words. Ok. I remember now, I was looking-up for the correct spelling of the word TYPHOID. Of course, it is a  common word but just pronounce it now and try to write down your pronunciation if you are sincere to yourself , then you wouldn’t have to blame me. I use that word almost more often especially whenever I feel some headache or feverish. At such times I will always remember MALARIA and TYPHOID, I think they are the most common names in the African Hospitals especially here in Nigeria if am not mistaken. But unlike Malaria, Typhoid will always have to make me think he is Malaria, so confusing that it is as if they have the same symptoms. That is just by the way.

So as I was trying to confirm my spelling, I met the word TAKE. A common word that we use almost all the time more than we can ever remember or recount; but I was about to ignore it but discovered that the Dictionary left a whole lot of two to three pages for that small and short word, just four letters for Christ’s sake. Oh my! It got up to Forty two (42) different meanings and more, for what! It keeps changing meanings whenever it meets any word no matter how small they are, either before it or after it. Everything around it means a lot. For instance it keeps changing meanings like this, Take-in and Intake. They sound almost alike or they almost mean the same thing but figure it out yourself and you will understand better. The word TAKE keep meeting up other words and other groups of words and it keeps shifting its meanings that even the Great Dictionary had no choice than offer up her precious pages, well…that’s life I guess.

I know am not making sense…don’t blame me please; you are not the first person to find out. I am forced at times to agree with John Locke and his philosopher Friends that our minds are Tabula Raza at birth, but not senses right? So I got some senses. Though I can’t make one because I am not God, Only God can create and make some senses you know…this guy is drunk.

I kept on searching for the correct spelling of the word TYPHOID. As I was scrolling down through the rolls of T words, I met yet another powerful and mysterious word, TIME. Wow, it’s as if all these short powerful words are always four lettered. (Learn to respect short people, they can be mysterious. Just check out these words, Take, Time, Love, Hate, Evil, Good, etc powerful I guess, small but mighty). The Dictionary also left two pages or more for it. That small word you know. Of course we all know the meaning of the word TIME. We use it every time, some of us if not all even philosophize over it (Philosophy of Time). But I think that word is more than philosophy itself…wait, wait, wait a second, don’t crucify me yet, I don’t even know what I am saying. I guess one of my Jokes got into prints.

Yes, the word TIME, have almost the same powers (if not more) with the word TAKE. Just any word beside them changes their meaning, either before them or after them. Just try and put any word beside them and see what I am talking about. And so it is with our lives. Put anything beside it and it makes a lot of difference, what matters is the kind of things you put beside your life. Don’t even try to ask me what I mean because I don’t know.

That was not what led me to the dictionary. I went to the dictionary to find out the correct spelling of the word TYPHOID. Every time I keep treating Malaria and Typhoid. Then I have been asking myself are these two Bad Guys so close like that, are they brothers or what, they kept appearing together. Nawa o. If so, that means their parent will be mean too. I guess we will need to ask the infirmarians or a Doctor. I pray I will never see their parent in my life.

Just like this Malaria and Typhoid sometimes called just Malaria-Typhoid by Doctors and Nurses when they appear at the same time in an individual. You need also to bring these words TAKE and TIME together in your life so that they become one word. Maybe you just have to make them marry each other and become ‘TAKETIME’. They seem so incompatible but they just have to marry themselves anyway, it isn’t my fault. They just have to TAKETIME, they will learn to be together.

You have to take TAKETIME in your life too, because everything gonna be alright. In everything you do, just Take your Time. It is important for You and Me. We will understand life better as we TAKE OUR TIME.

                                                                                                G. Mark C.