www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology I am the greatest of all!

.... sinners that is. Ha, ha. Made ya' look.

Have a blessed weekend.

Dear Greatest of All,
Thanks for the comic relief - but I'm sure we can find people who have committed more impressive sins! Incognitus

Eric:

You got me.....I thought Muhammed Ali converted!

Slava Isusu Christu!
Glenn
;-)##

Dear Friends,

I too have a claim to the connection "great."

My name is "Alexander" after all . . .

But I really have no pretensions whatever . . .

Alexander R

OF course not Alex - we all know that
:p

Anhelyna

Yeah, well my name, Karen, is the Scandinavian form of Catherine. So I too have a claim on the title "the Great." Yeah, right... the great sinner, to be appropriate. :rolleyes:

Dear Karen,

I thought that "Karen" was a feminine form of "Charles?" Whatever!

Yes, and the Church refers to St Catherine of Alexandria as "the Great Martyr" as well.

The wheel, as you know, is her symbol as she was broken on it for defeating, and converting, 100 pagan philosophers in open debate on Christianity.

The philosophers were martyred with her and are saints too.

And, if Anhelyna is listening too, , the Greeks did not call Alexander the "Great" but the "Invincible."

The Romans are the ones who coined the later title for the Great one .

I have a large medallion of Alexander the Great with his Star of Vergina that I carry around.

I understand that it is popular for Greeks to wear these on their necks and otherwise display them.

Alex

Yup Alex - I'm listening


Now explain that one please - oh not the medalion [ I know what those are ] but the <<Star of Vergina>>

Lopsided Amhelyna

Dear Anhelyna,

Yes, here is a picture of the Star:

http://www.cc.ece.ntua.gr/~conster/PageData/golden_star.htm

The Star was originally eight-pointed - the other eight points were added later to underscore the brilliance of the original eight points.

It represents the sun and universality - and so fits in well with Alexander's vision.

It could very well be that the eight pointed star of Alexander was the basis of the eight pointed Greek Cross.

This was what was on the helmets of Constantine's soldiers when Constantine gave it a Christian interpretation.

The later Orthodox eight-bar cross maintained the eight points as well - the numerical number of "Jesus" in any event.

If this is so, then the Union Jack is also a form of the Star of Vergina.

It was King Lysimachus who portrayed Alexander with the horns of the Egyptian high god, Amun-Ra - the standard depiction today.

Alexander was declared Amun's son by Egypt and accepted as its Pharaoh after defeating Darius' great army. There was no way Egypt was going to tangle with "Big Al"

Alex

Don't you just love the way that Alex answers a question with info that gives rise to another ?? The true teacher

OK thanks for that - now how about

<<............The later Orthodox eight-bar cross maintained the eight points as well........... >>

Huh

Anhelyna

Dear Anhelyna,

No teacher here! But if a school wants to hire me as such, I'm right there!

Yes, the three-bar Orthodox Cross with slanted foot-rest has eight points on it.

Start at the top and count each exposed end all the way around - eight points exactly.

Three-bar Orthodox Crosses are also often called "eight-point Crosses."

And so is the Constantinian Cross which is probably (at least I like to think so) descended from the original Star of Vergina of Alexander the Great.

The Celtic Christians esteemed Alexander and one monk in your neck of the woods, I believe, composed a prayer said to be by Alexander (which can hardly be true).

It is in Alexander Carmichael's collection of Celtic prayers and hymns.

Alex

Funny you mention St. Catherine of Alexandria... her icon is prominently displayed in my prayer corner... I like her... she was a gutsy lass! And she apparently liked to argue and debate, like me. :-)

God bless!

Ah - light dawns !!

But now for the next one ........

who was the monk from my neck of the woods ?

Though I can see why you have reservations about the veracity of that story Time scale seems a little adrift methinks

Anhelyna

Dear Karen,

I was the best man for a wedding for friends Tony and Catherine a while back.

I gave them icons of ther patron Saints.

I then turned to Tony and publicly said, "Remember, Tony, Catherine wears a crown . . ."

Alex