#religioushistory — Public Fediverse posts

Dialogue: The Unarmed Prophet and the Armed World

A conversation between Girolamo Savonarola and Niccolò Machiavelli

Florence. Night. The Piazza della Signoria is empty, though the stones still remember fire. The ghost of Girolamo Savonarola stands near the place where he was hanged and burned. Niccolò Machiavelli enters, older now, carrying a manuscript beneath his arm.

SAVONAROLA:
You return to the place of ashes, Messer Niccolò.

MACHIAVELLI:
Florence has many places of ashes, Fra Girolamo. Yours is only the most famous.

SAVONAROLA:
And you have made use of it.

MACHIAVELLI:
I made use of what happened. That is not the same as rejoicing in it.

SAVONAROLA:
You wrote that I was ruined because I was unarmed.

MACHIAVELLI:
Were you not?

SAVONAROLA:
I preached repentance. I called a city to righteousness. I turned hearts toward God.

MACHIAVELLI:
For a time.

SAVONAROLA:
Truth is not false because men grow tired of it.

Read the full Dialogue at PeaceGrooves.

The Aghori are Hindu ascetics who seek enlightenment by embracing death, taboo, and ritual impurity. Feared and respected, they reject conventional boundaries to pursue moksha through radical spiritual discipline.
#Aghori #HinduMysticism #Varanasi #SpiritualExtremes #AncientTraditions #ReligiousHistory #Moksha #MysticIndia
Reed more:https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/aghori-004778

The Aghori are Hindu ascetics who seek enlightenment by embracing death, taboo, and ritual impurity. Feared and respected, they reject conventional boundaries to pursue moksha through radical spiritual discipline.
#Aghori #HinduMysticism #Varanasi #SpiritualExtremes #AncientTraditions #ReligiousHistory #Moksha #MysticIndia
Reed more:https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/aghori-004778

The Aghori are Hindu ascetics who seek enlightenment by embracing death, taboo, and ritual impurity. Feared and respected, they reject conventional boundaries to pursue moksha through radical spiritual discipline.
#Aghori #HinduMysticism #Varanasi #SpiritualExtremes #AncientTraditions #ReligiousHistory #Moksha #MysticIndia
Reed more:https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/aghori-004778

The Aghori are Hindu ascetics who seek enlightenment by embracing death, taboo, and ritual impurity. Feared and respected, they reject conventional boundaries to pursue moksha through radical spiritual discipline.
#Aghori #HinduMysticism #Varanasi #SpiritualExtremes #AncientTraditions #ReligiousHistory #Moksha #MysticIndia
Reed more:https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/aghori-004778

Shroud of Turin: Ongoing Debate Fueled by New Medieval Document

A new medieval document suggests the Shroud of Turin may be a clerical fraud. Learn about the evidence and ongoing debate about its authenticity.

#ShroudOfTurin, #ReligiousHistory, #MedievalDocument, #JesusChrist, #HistoricalDebate

https://newsletter.tf/shroud-of-turin-medieval-document-clerical-fraud-debate/

Shroud of Turin: Ongoing Debate Fueled by New Medieval Document

A new medieval document suggests the Shroud of Turin may be a clerical fraud. Learn about the evidence and ongoing debate about its authenticity.

#ShroudOfTurin, #ReligiousHistory, #MedievalDocument, #JesusChrist, #HistoricalDebate

https://newsletter.tf/shroud-of-turin-medieval-document-clerical-fraud-debate/

A new medieval document suggests the Shroud of Turin, believed by some to be Jesus' burial cloth, might be a 14th-century fraud. This adds to the long-standing debate.

#ShroudOfTurin, #ReligiousHistory, #MedievalDocument, #JesusChrist, #HistoricalDebate

https://newsletter.tf/shroud-of-turin-medieval-document-clerical-fraud-debate/

A new medieval document suggests the Shroud of Turin, believed by some to be Jesus' burial cloth, might be a 14th-century fraud. This adds to the long-standing debate.

#ShroudOfTurin, #ReligiousHistory, #MedievalDocument, #JesusChrist, #HistoricalDebate

https://newsletter.tf/shroud-of-turin-medieval-document-clerical-fraud-debate/

@sovereign_media_, Black Royalty, shared the text and video below.

...CIA - by its own decision - exerted a tremendous amount of influence over growth and spread of certain religious doctrines across

(1/5)

#blackhistory #religioushistory #christianhistory #neocolonialism #blackmastodon

#bookchallenge #alphabetchallenge Y is for The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson #AltHistory #TheBlackDeath #plague #plaguetales #14thcentury #Worldbuilding #ReligiousHistory #religiousevolution #colonialism #IndigenousPower #technology #booksky #bookstagram #booktok #ttrpgpodcast #gamemastersbookclub https://www.k-squareproductions.com/gmbc

Why would a perfect God create an imperfect world?

Ancient Gnostics had a radical answer: He didn't.

The biblical creator was actually a flawed cosmic entity unaware of higher divine realms.

Discover the heresy that changed everything 🔥
https://www.ancient-origins.net/cosmic-rebellion-ancient-mystics-declared-creator-god-tyrant-00102332

#AncientOrigins #Gnosticism #AncientHistory #NagHammadi #ReligiousHistory #Demiurge #ForbiddenKnowledge #AncientMysteries

On October 31 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.

I find the humanist Erasmus much more congenial than Luther, so I regret that the failure of a humanist inspired internal reform of the church empowered fanatics both Protestant and Roman Catholic .

Neither Rome nor Geneva but...

Image - Portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam Writing -- Hans Holbein the Younger -- 1523

#MartinLuther #ReligiousHistory #History #Reformation #DesideriusErasmus
#Erasmus #Luther #EarlyModern #Humanism

On October 31 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.

I find the humanist Erasmus much more congenial than Luther, so I regret that the failure of a humanist inspired internal reform of the church empowered fanatics both Protestant and Roman Catholic .

Neither Rome nor Geneva but...

Image - Portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam Writing -- Hans Holbein the Younger -- 1523

#MartinLuther #ReligiousHistory #History #Reformation #DesideriusErasmus
#Erasmus #Luther #EarlyModern #Humanism

On October 31 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.

I find the humanist Erasmus much more congenial than Luther, so I regret that the failure of a humanist inspired internal reform of the church empowered fanatics both Protestant and Roman Catholic .

Neither Rome nor Geneva but...

Image - Portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam Writing -- Hans Holbein the Younger -- 1523

#MartinLuther #ReligiousHistory #History #Reformation #DesideriusErasmus
#Erasmus #Luther #EarlyModern #Humanism

On October 31 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.

I find the humanist Erasmus much more congenial than Luther, so I regret that the failure of a humanist inspired internal reform of the church empowered fanatics both Protestant and Roman Catholic .

Neither Rome nor Geneva but...

Image - Portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam Writing -- Hans Holbein the Younger -- 1523

#MartinLuther #ReligiousHistory #History #Reformation #DesideriusErasmus
#Erasmus #Luther #EarlyModern #Humanism

On October 31 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.

I find the humanist Erasmus much more congenial than Luther, so I regret that the failure of a humanist inspired internal reform of the church empowered fanatics both Protestant and Roman Catholic .

Neither Rome nor Geneva but...

Image - Portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam Writing -- Hans Holbein the Younger -- 1523

#MartinLuther #ReligiousHistory #History #Reformation #DesideriusErasmus
#Erasmus #Luther #EarlyModern #Humanism

I've just finished reading Jonathan Spence's "The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci", an inventively organized study of the life of a leading early Jesuit missionary in Ming China.

Now I want to read something substantial on the Rites Controversy.

Suggestions welcome!

#History #ReligiousHistory #ChineseHistory #China #Jesuits #RitesControversy #MatteoRicci #SocietyOfJesus #ChineseChristianity #MingDynasty

I've just finished reading Jonathan Spence's "The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci", an inventively organized study of the life of a leading early Jesuit missionary in Ming China.

Now I want to read something substantial on the Rites Controversy.

Suggestions welcome!

#History #ReligiousHistory #ChineseHistory #China #Jesuits #RitesControversy #MatteoRicci #SocietyOfJesus #ChineseChristianity #MingDynasty

I've just finished reading Jonathan Spence's "The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci", an inventively organized study of the life of a leading early Jesuit missionary in Ming China.

Now I want to read something substantial on the Rites Controversy.

Suggestions welcome!

#History #ReligiousHistory #ChineseHistory #China #Jesuits #RitesControversy #MatteoRicci #SocietyOfJesus #ChineseChristianity #MingDynasty

I've just finished reading Jonathan Spence's "The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci", an inventively organized study of the life of a leading early Jesuit missionary in Ming China.

Now I want to read something substantial on the Rites Controversy.

Suggestions welcome!

#History #ReligiousHistory #ChineseHistory #China #Jesuits #RitesControversy #MatteoRicci #SocietyOfJesus #ChineseChristianity #MingDynasty

I've just finished reading Jonathan Spence's "The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci", an inventively organized study of the life of a leading early Jesuit missionary in Ming China.

Now I want to read something substantial on the Rites Controversy.

Suggestions welcome!

#History #ReligiousHistory #ChineseHistory #China #Jesuits #RitesControversy #MatteoRicci #SocietyOfJesus #ChineseChristianity #MingDynasty

#QuestionOfTheWeek: Any religious leaders in your family tree?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT3SjrzWfzA&list=PLEqK4ICkQWXQXODTRG6UGGZ4cmXiMRmD4
Ministers, rabbis, priests, imams, nuns, monks—share your discoveries!
#CollaborativeGenealogy #ReligiousHistory

Biserica Ortodoxă Română: Romanian Orthodox Church launches digital archive of over 60,000 cultural artifacts. “The Romanian Patriarchate has launched a major project to digitise the cultural heritage of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Romanians will gain online access to over 60,000 historical books, manuscripts, documents, and other valuable items from churches across the country.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/07/26/biserica-ortodoxa-romana-romanian-orthodox-church-launches-digital-archive-of-over-60000-cultural-artifacts/

Biserica Ortodoxă Română: Romanian Orthodox Church launches digital archive of over 60,000 cultural artifacts. “The Romanian Patriarchate has launched a major project to digitise the cultural heritage of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Romanians will gain online access to over 60,000 historical books, manuscripts, documents, and other valuable items from churches across the country.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/07/26/biserica-ortodoxa-romana-romanian-orthodox-church-launches-digital-archive-of-over-60000-cultural-artifacts/

@jemmesedi A "comprehensive, critically intelligent, challenging and original book, which genuinely breaks new ground in mapping the religious history of Europe."
#RowanWilliams #BookReview

#ReligiousHistory #theology @religion @religioushistory @bookstodon

#Sex, #Sin and #Christianity

This video explores the deep and often controversial relationship between sex, sin, and Christianity. Why has sexuality been so tightly controlled by religious teachings? How did natural human desires become labeled as sinful?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai-9JMdnrnY

#SexAndSin
#ChristianityExplained
#ReligiousHistory
#LogicOverFaith
#AtheistPerspective
#SexualMorality
#ReligiousControl

Explore Elijah's journey in ancient Israel, where pride and faith collide! Witness Elijah's self-assuredness as he faces King Ahab and challenges the prophets of Baal. Discover Obadiah's loyalty and the clash between belief and duty in this powerful biblical narrative. We uncover Elijah's 'Me' Syndrome and its impact. #Elijah #BibleStudy #Prophets #OldTestament #Ahab #Jezebel #Faith #Israel #ReligiousHistory #Christianity

Witness the epic showdown as Elijah fearlessly challenges the prophets of Baal in ancient Israel! Our video showcases the audacious taunts and the ultimate sacrificial duel. See if the prophets can ignite their sacrifice, or if Elijah's God will prevail! Prepare for a thrilling biblical drama! #Elijah #BaalProphets #BiblicalDrama #SacrificialDuel #BibleStories #OldTestament #Faith #Israel #ReligiousHistory #AncientTimes

Working with religious boundaries that change over time? OHM might be the place for you. You can store, collaborate, and see boundaries in their historical context.

Here's an animation of the history of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Territorial_evolution_of_the_Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Cincinnati.webm

#HGIS #ReligiousHistory #CatholicHistory #Cincinnati

Episcopal News Service: Virginia Humanities awards grant to digitize colonial era vestry books. “The project, entitled Laying the Leavy & Keeping the Poor: Lynnhaven & Elizabeth City Parish Records, 1723-1831, will digitize and make public the content of vestry books of two parishes in Virginia’s Tidewater: Lynnhaven Parish (established pre-1643) and Elizabeth City Parish (established […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/07/07/episcopal-news-service-virginia-humanities-awards-grant-to-digitize-colonial-era-vestry-books/

Earliest verified mention of YHWH. Mesha Stele c. 2,790 calBP (840 BCE)

#ReligiousHistory #ReligiousStudies

Abraham Lincoln knew the Christian Bible well, but surprisingly, he was never baptized or joined any church. His approach to religion was influenced by the diversity of religious communities in #Springfield, #Illinois, something I learned while doing research for the National Park Service at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site.
#AbrahamLincoln #LincolnHome #history #ReligiousHistory #ReligiousStudies #NationalParks #NationalParkService
https://www.sacredwonderland.us/religious-world-of-lincoln/

#Histodons and other scholarly #Humanities folks --

Has anyone done any serious work on Charles Erskine Scott Wood's religious thought and life? (Or anti-religious, as the case may be...)

I may be overlooking something obvious and don't have all my books with me... I could see him potentially surfacing in Leigh Eric Schmidt's work on religious liberalism, for instance, or maybe even Lears' No Place Of Grace.

But off the top of my head, I don't recall anything extensive.

Spent part of the morning reading excerpts from CESW's long poem "The Poet in the Desert," and while the work is super stodgy, the thought is fascinating, esp. alongside his "Heavenly Lectures." I'd love to read something that tries to place him in a broader intellectual/religious context.

Any tips are welcome, feel free to boost.

#CharlesErskineScottWood #ReligiousHistory #USReligiousHistory #Religiodons

Rebel Hearts is a hidden gem. It tells the story of the radical Catholic nuns in 1960s Los Angeles whose faith, defiance and activism turned the Church upside-down. They marched at Selma with MLK and they still fight for social justice today. Their story is incredible and it will fill you and your students with hope and fire. 4/n

https://journeysinfilm.org/product/rebel-hearts/

#LosAngeles #LA #Catholicism #CatholicHistory #Nuns #ChurchHistory #ReligiousHistory #USHistory #Protests #ProtestHistory #CivilDisobedience #Histodons #Education #Homeschooling @film

The Most Absurd #Beliefs People Actually Follow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1DI5yN2B_8

#Atheism #ReligiousHistory #Philosophy

Why do so many people still cling to beliefs that defy #logic, #evidence, and basic #commonsense?

In this video, we dive deep into some of the most #bizarre, #irrational, and downright #absurd beliefs that millions around the world still take seriously — from ancient #superstitions and #magicalthinking to modern-day #religiousdoctrines that contradict #reality.

Do #Bible #Scholars Just Make Stuff Up?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjYkiQkF0ds

#ReligionHistory #AncientHistory #BiblicalArchaeology #HistoricalJesus #ReligiousOrigins #AncientMysteries #EarlyChristianity #BiblicalHistory #AncientTexts #ReligiousStudies #AncientReligions #LostGospels #BiblicalMyths #ReligiousHistory #AncientMyths #ComparativeReligion #HistoricalResearch #AncientSecrets #BiblicalControversies #ReligiousEvolution #HistoricalEvidence #AncientBooks #Exvangelical #Skeptic #Atheist #Agnostic

The most misunderstood Bible verse? All scripture?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUytpJ8c9OU

#ReligionHistory #AncientHistory #BiblicalArchaeology #HistoricalJesus #ReligiousOrigins #AncientMysteries #EarlyChristianity #BiblicalHistory #AncientTexts #HistoricalControversy #ReligiousStudies #AncientReligions #LostGospels #BiblicalMyths #ReligiousHistory #AncientMyths #ComparativeReligion #HistoricalResearch #AncientSecrets #BiblicalControversies #ReligiousEvolution #HistoricalEvidence #AncientBooks

Explore the Sadducees' futile attempts to halt Jesus's teachings! Witness their failed plots and the unstoppable growth of believers. Discover how their disbelief fueled the movement's expansion. Join us as we delve into this pivotal religious clash! #ReligiousHistory #Sadducees #JesusTeachings #BiblicalHistory #FaithVsDoubt #ReligiousLeaders #ChristianGrowth #TheGospels #AncientHistory #SpiritualWarfare

5 Messed Up #Bible Details -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-8BgASPom4

#exvangelical #deconstruction #ReligionHistory #AncientHistory #BiblicalArchaeology #HistoricalJesus #ReligiousOrigins #AncientMysteries #EarlyChristianity #BiblicalHistory #AncientTexts #HistoricalControversy #ReligiousStudies #AncientReligions #LostGospels #BiblicalMyths #ReligiousHistory #AncientMyths #ComparativeReligion #HistoricalResearch #AncientSecrets #BiblicalControversies #ReligiousEvolution #SUNDAYSCHOOL

Coming up 22-25 May - the 2024 Wiles Lectures will be given by Prof Alexandra Walsham on ‘The Persecution of the Tongue: Speech, Silence, and Religious Coexistence in Early Modern England’. Free event: All welcome. More info at: https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/happ/Events/annual-lectures/wiles-lecture-series/ #QUB #histodons #ReligiousHistory

Coming up 22-25 May - the 2024 Wiles Lectures will be given by Prof Alexandra Walsham on ‘The Persecution of the Tongue: Speech, Silence, and Religious Coexistence in Early Modern England’. Free event: All welcome. More info at: https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/happ/Events/annual-lectures/wiles-lecture-series/ #QUB #histodons #ReligiousHistory

Coming up 22-25 May - the 2024 Wiles Lectures will be given by Prof Alexandra Walsham on ‘The Persecution of the Tongue: Speech, Silence, and Religious Coexistence in Early Modern England’. Free event: All welcome. More info at: https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/happ/Events/annual-lectures/wiles-lecture-series/ #QUB #histodons #ReligiousHistory

Coming up 22-25 May - the 2024 Wiles Lectures will be given by Prof Alexandra Walsham on ‘The Persecution of the Tongue: Speech, Silence, and Religious Coexistence in Early Modern England’. Free event: All welcome. More info at: https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/happ/Events/annual-lectures/wiles-lecture-series/ #QUB #histodons #ReligiousHistory

Thanks to everyone who supported last week's #Wiles Lectures by Prof Alexandra Walsham. Recordings of her 4 lectures on ‘The Persecution of the Tongue: Speech, Silence, and Religious Coexistence in Early Modern England’ are now available at: https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/happ/Events/annual-lectures/wiles-lecture-series/ #histodons #ReligiousHistory

Another informative piece by Joshua J. Mark (one of my sources for "Women in the Ancient World"). Also, ever wonder where #Christianity got some of their ideas about the #afterlife? Pretty much, they took what they wanted (or what was popular), then banned the Rites.

The #EleusinianMysteries: The Rites of #Demeter

by Joshua J. Mark
published on 18 January 2012

"The #RitesOfEleusis, or the Eleusinian Mysteries, were the secret rituals of the mystery school of #Eleusis and were observed regularly from c. 1600 BCE - 392 CE. Exactly what this mystic ritual was no one knows; but why the ancient Greeks participated in it can be understood by the testimonials of the initiated.

"The Eleusinian Mysteries, held each year at Eleusis, Greece, fourteen miles northwest of Athens, were so important to the Greeks that, until the arrival of the Romans, The Sacred Way (the road from Athens to Eleusis) was the only road, not a goat path, in all of central Greece. The mysteries celebrated the story of Demeter and #Persephone but, as the initiated were sworn to secrecy on pain of death as to the details of the ritual, we do not know what form these rituals took. We do know, though, that those who participated in the mysteries were forever changed for the better and that they no longer feared death.

"The rituals were based on a symbolic reading of the story of Demeter and Persephone and provided initiates with a vision of the afterlife so powerful that it changed the way they saw the world and their place in it. Participants were freed from a fear of death through the recognition that they were immortal souls temporarily in mortal bodies. In the same way that Persephone went down to the land of the dead and returned to that of the living each year, so would every human being die only to live again on another plane of existence or in another body."

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/32/the-eleusinian-mysteries-the-rites-of-demeter/

#ReligiousHistory #AncientGreece #AncientRome #Eschatology #ImmortalSoul #Hallucinogens

Religion Italy - Italy - Depone Tiara Pontificia Nella Mani di S Bartolomeo IV Abate Di Grottaferrata - CPA

https://www.cpaphil.com/en/products/pages/1?search=religion

#ReligiousHistory #CatholicTradition #VaticanHistory #ChristianHeritage #HistoricPostcard #ItalyCollectibles #ChristianArt #AntiquePostcard

Some hashtags that relate to my interests are:

#churchHistory #religiousHistory #digitalReligion #churchAndState #ecclesiasticalLaw #religiousArts #evangelicalism #Anglicanism #anglocatholicism #ecumenism #theology

#webArchiving #digitalHistory #digitalHumanities #OpenAccess #digitisation #academicPublishing

Is the newly re-displayed body of Saint Teresa of Ávila in Spain a sacred mystery or a fascinating natural phenomenon? A centuries-old testament to faith and/or science! #SaintTeresa #Spain #Catholicism #History #Miracle #Science #ReligiousHistory https://activite-paranormale.net/news/read/19843/sacred-mystery-or-natural-phenomenon-body-of-saint-teresa-of-avila-displayed-again-in-spain

#AbrahamLincoln had a puzzling relationship to #religion. For several years, I researched the role of religion in his life for the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in #Springfield, #Illinois. In 2021, my research focused on religion in the early decades of Springfield’s history through the period of Lincoln’s residency there, which had a formative impact on Lincoln’s own religious faith.

#history #LincolnHomeNationalHistoricSite #ReligiousHistory #ReligiousStudies

https://www.sacredwonderland.us/religious-world-of-lincoln/