#Macedonian court practice

[jeannereames]

Aside from Hephaistion, who did Alexander consider to be his friends? Is there anyone who’s been noted as someone he was close to or fond of? Were they around his age, or older, like someone like Kleitus?

No doubt Alexander’s circle changed across his lifespan. Hephaistion appears to have been a constant, and a few others, but we get mention of new friends and acquaintances now and then, also fallings-out, or deaths.

First, we should note that each Macedonian prince was accorded an “official circle” called syntrophoi (σύντροφοι), selected by the king. It means “those who were raised together with,” e.g., schooled with Alexander. His cousin Amyntas would have had the same. (I’m thinking Arrhidaios probably didn’t, but he might have, depending on his actual mental capacity, which isn’t clear.)

If we can’t be 100% certain who were Alexander’s syntrophoi, we can make a few guesses. Perdikkas, Leonnatos, Marsyas, Hektor, Lysimachos, and Seleukos all seem likely—maybe even Kassandros (although he was younger). Probably Hephaistion, although one of the places Sabine Müller and I disagree is when he met Hephaistion. She thinks they met only as adults, whereas I think Hephaistion was a syntrophos. (I won’t go into why; I simply note it.)

The ruins of the palaistra near Mieza turns out to be much bigger than we expected, suggesting there were a lot of boys sent to study with Alexander—more by far than I included in the novel. But I’d already written Dancing with the Lion by the time that excavation occurred, and I’m not sure I’d change it even if I had known, as 100 kids is a lot to keep track of! I did note the size in the Historical Note, however, at the end of book 2. Obviously if there were even 50 (never mind the possible 100), they weren’t all close to Alexander. Probably most weren’t.

Some not syntrophoi, but important to his circle, include Krateros, Philotas, Nikanor, and Ptolemy, all of whom would have been about 10-ish years older, and may have been syntrophoi (at least some) of Alexander’s older cousin Amyntas. Erigyios, Laomedon, Harpalos, and Nearchos, despite my making them Alexandros’s age in the novels, were all almost certainly older, and perhaps by some years (more than Ptolemy and Krateros). Kleitos would have been like a big brother to Alexander, too, but not a syntrophos.

Now, OF those assigned syntrophoi, who were his actual friends? Good question. Keep in mind this is just my own opinion, based on my sense of things from the sources.

In addition to Hephaistion, he seems to have been genuinely fond of Hektor (Parmenion’s youngest). I think he also liked Lysimachos, and Perdikkas. Despite the hatchet-job Ptolemy (et al.) did on Perdikkas’s reputation in the Successor Wars, after Hephaistion’s death, Perdikkas occupied the highest position still at court (with Krateros his most trusted person away from court). I’m not sure if he were actual friends with Krateros, or simply recognized him as an excellent general, Parmenion’s natural successor. If they were close at some point, I can’t imagine the friction with Hephaistion made it easy to continue. For that matter, I’m not sure Hephaistion and Krateros weren’t originally at least friendly, if not friends. The tension seems to bloom late in the campaign after Hephaistion’s rise. Another possible friend was Marsyas, who had more of a literary career than a military one. But like Ptolemy later, he could have exaggerated his importance to Alexander for prestige.

There were also people in-and-out of his personal circle who weren’t Macedonians, or soldiers. We hear less about them. And we should remember that people’s personal circle does change across time. I think most people do probably count only a handful of people as consistent, long-term friends. That’s what makes them special.

Alexander’s unique place as crown prince, then king…then simply the most powerful person in his world, would have complicated enormously who he could call a friend.

It’s why I find his attachment to Hephaistion so fascinating—a unicorn—as it seems to have been both sincere and to have weathered his rise to power. It’s also why I think his own death followed so quickly on Hephaistion’s. It’s lonely at the top. A cliché, but very true. He got lucky enough to have a trusted partner who he brought along from the beginning. When that partner died, he was rudderless. Even if he trusted Perdikkas…Perdikkas wasn’t Hephaistion. Nobody was. That emotional devastation was heightened so much more simply due to his position.

[theantonian]

Antony after Caesar

The first coin with Antony's portrait, struck within two months of Caesar's assassination. Antony is shown veiled and bearded as a sign of mourning.

Antony’s career independent of Caesar started with the Ides of March 44 BC. The murder of Caesar sent shock waves through the population, giving rise to diplomatic activities with the purpose of both conciliation and the factionalism, resulting power struggles and eventually civil war. As Caesar’s seeming successor, Antony had to strengthen his own position without provoking immediate conflict. Would he be able to lead the Republic? He held imperium of all the armed forces, which was the most important factor, not only to rise to power, but also to keep it as Sulla, Pompey and Caesar before him. Huzar notes “the fact that Caesar made Senate and Comitia truly ineffectual lies behind the helplessness of these bodies”.

After Caesar’s death Antony brilliantly took control (Cass. Dio 43.27.1; Cic. Ad. Fam. 4.6.3; 6.16; 15.3-4), while also ensuring his safety as he was guarded by his praetorian guards and 6000 veterans. In order to get the mob on his side he swayed them with his passionate speech at Caesar’s funeral by his oratorical talent and his exhibitionism. Even though Suetonius (Jul. 85) says he held no formal speech, Cicero and Plutarch (Ant. 4.3 9-4), among others, describe how he swayed the people to rage, inciting them to burn the body and buildings and assault the murderers. With the acquisition of Caesar’s papers and money Antony was in a strong position. Although Cicero accuses Antony of falsification “on a colossal scale” (Phil. 2.36), and forgery of the papers may have been possible on a practical level, it could not be proven, then or now.

Antony, however, was not deterred by the common belief that he was resorting to forgery; and a little later he obtained a sum of money from the Cretans in return for granting them, again on the authority of Caesar, future exemption from taxation. His justification is that he needed funds for the upholding of his authority, and for winning the support, for instance, of Caesar's veterans; and it is certain that, he spent the bulk of the money in the public interest.

Antony continued to use the popular assembly to ensure Rome and the empire does not fell into anarchy. Cisalpine and Transalpine Gaul for six years, and the retention of four Macedonian legions, which he transferred to Gaul. Since his campaign in Gaul (off and on between 54 and 51 BC), Antony must have realized the importance of being in control of especially Cisalpine Gaul, the “gateway to Italy".

Legislation like municipal legislation on qualifications for holding office and census regulations continued Caesar's plans. Unfortunately, we hear of his programs chiefly from his enemies. When a judiciary law extended eligibility for jury duty to men of centurion and even legionary rank and transferred the hearing of final appeals from the courts to the people, Cicero charged that Antony was packing the courts and fostering mob violence. The democratic measures were never given a fair trial, for with Antony's other measures, they were cancelled in 43 B.C. When Antony failed to hold the scheduled election of the censors owing to the unwillingness of the majority of the senate, but did issue an edict on sumptuary laws, it became the object of ridicule because of his reputation. Nevertheless, that Rome remained calm during these days of transition indicates a strength and stability in Antony's administration of the state.

[irishfederalreconnaissance]

Foes of the Charleboises, and Friends of the O'Neills

Enemies of the Chilton Macedonians (Attleboro Charleboises):

Jesus: Jesus's father, Joseph, was a retired soldier, that joined a protection racket on cemeteries.  Jesus was trying to get married, despite never practicing law, police, military, espionage, or criminal ventures.  We killed him, personally, with "The Bible".  He was the first priest, crucified, and sodomized, publicly, by Israel's new friend, Rome; the Diaspora, our concoction. 

Hitler: Adolf's family, stole a cricket term, for a play called due to the monarch of England's sporting bet calling a foul; a player cheated, to please Britain.  Hitler was trying to be an artist, on public spectacle of produce, instead of private sales within firm, with a spouse as advisor, heterosexual, or date, or a prostitute or dominatrix or close platonic business colleague.  We fired him, for wanting a widening gala of review, and having sex with female coworkers.  We had MI-6 plant a fake Jewish culture book, we ordered him to burn after inspecting the water mark.  It was in the Reichstag.  It sent all the cooks to prison, for snitching on Jews, the Wehrmacht; Lutherans.

Bundy: Ted Bundy, was raised as a CIA agent, by the children's program, but figured out he could make more money, working for France.  He got into a relationship with a lesbian, that got really fat, because he insemenated on her hymen, to break her virginity, instead of using a dildo.  He didn't like the lie, of virginity, a "popped cherry", being a masculine virtue, and instead committed rape, unaware that the woman was a poor mother, for having improper understanding of sex, and instead trying to "pick up" men; a pedophile's mother, a sperm thief of an orphan.  We changed Ted Bundy's last name, Charlebois, to Bundy, and gave kindergarteners copies of "Batman" comics, and ruined his advertising career, with children's books about him as Bruce Wayne.

Friends of the Boston O'Neills (Boston Fire Department):

Judas: Judas was Cicero of Rome's kin, through Pontius Pilate with an Arab beggar.  He was placed, as an undercover cop, to bust the Jews, a new cult in Israel, from Rome; the actor's trade, that had caused the War with Carthage, over homosexuality and bestiality and child molestation, being offensive; spread through art, depicting children's morals, instead of military theater, demonstrating how to fight others, through playwright's economic mercantile tactics.  Money, the root of all evil, Judas's cause, and Rome's, to prevent queer; morality, the common poverty of a dictator, a rapist of family.  When Judas figured out they were all humping and fucking after boxing matches and prize fights in spectacle, and gambling on wine debt rigs with cops calling matches through badges, "baal", he delivered a book to Paul, the Bible.  Jesus claimed the credit for the book, the first court room lawsuit.  Then he spent three years, wandering around, screaming about his son being a vagina, the Lord of Heaven.

Stalin: Stalin, was a military and political cadet, thousands around the Old World, raised out of literature programs of 19th century German intellectualism.  He was pranked into Seminary, by Germans, through local newsletters responding to the candidates from other countries, as potential diplomatic marriages to models and pornography actresses, a Russian idea that Stalin was enthusiastic for.  Stalin, rose to power, as a brilliant criminal and rebel and drunk and prison survivor and outcast, journeying through higher Arctic villages and around townships and cities and palaces and revolutions.  He placed himself in charge of organizing the minutes, for meetings, meaning he'd take and keep track of numbers, of the political council, in charge of giving out assignments, from winners of awards for academic excellence, to organizational bureau.  He stomped the school and class project assignment to position and award, forever, meaning that anyone with a lawsuit for fair play, ruined their firm or government post.  Now, Russia is the best forever, because they put something in TV, that the other guy does, in the enemy country, that one of theirs did due to a lawsuit assignment.  However, they save the footage, on leader and mention the military struggle.

Richard Ramirez: A psychic Mexican, Richard Ramirez's father, had insulted a historian on a college campus, despite being a construction management major himself.  The entire family was marked historians on records - counter espionage professionals - and Richard Ramirez was placed as an altar boy, a martial arts trained student by Nuns, and priests showing them how to handle firearms and military warfare implements.  However, he was not on record, as armed and dangerous, through his family.  He was brought in to advise on dozens upon dozens of cases, as an independent vigilante, without pay, living off of what work he could find in the margin community, the people he helped.  He did hard drugs, and fought the "Little Mermaid" trend of the 1960s and 1970s, out of the Viet Zen community, the use of German texts and improper disability driven religious origin study stories.  He was a savage man, eventually being arrested for a string of murders, after locating the problem to the comic book, "X-Men", and fighting Omega Red's follows; called, "The Russians", to this day.  

[pashterlengkap]

Greek minister blasts Netflix’s Alexander the Great series for depicting same-sex relationship

Alexander: The Making of a God, Netflix’s new docu-drama about Alexander the Great, is causing controversy in Greece, where some commentators and far-right leaders have slammed its depiction of the ancient Macedonian king’s same-sex relationship with one of his generals. As The Guardian notes, one recent editorial in the Greek daily newspaper Eleftheros Typos described the six-part series, which combines commentary from historians with dramatic reenactments, as “a distortion of the truth,” and cited director Oliver Stone’s 2004 film Alexander for starting “a propaganda campaign about Alexander’s homosexuality.” Related: Conservatives are outraged that Netflix’s Alexander the Great docuseries “turned him gay” “I don’t think it was Netflix that made him gay.” Dimitri Natsios, founder and leader of the far-right, anti-LGBTQ+ Niki party, went so far as to question Greece’s Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, about the series in Parliament. Natsios said the series aims to “subliminally convey the notion that homosexuality was acceptable in ancient times, an element that has no basis” and described it as “deplorable, unacceptable and unhistorical.” Stay connected to your community Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our daily newsletter. In fact, the ancients would have had no concept of homosexuality as an identity category. But same-sex relationships were tolerated and even encouraged in certain contexts, notably in the “Sacred Band of Thebes,” a troop of elite soldiers consisting of 150 pairs of male lovers. While sexual relationships between adult men were likely frowned upon in many ancient Greek cities, some modern scholars like Thomas Hubbard have suggested that the Macedonian court may have been more tolerant. Mendoni, though, seemed to agree with Natsios’s assessment, describing the Netflix series as “replete with historical inaccuracies” that demonstrate “the director’s sloppiness and poverty of scenario.” She went on to address the show’s depiction of Alexander’s life-long relationship with Hephaestion, a childhood friend who went on to become a general in his army and his personal bodyguard. “There is no mention in the sources that it goes beyond the limits of friendship, as defined by Aristotle,” Mendoni said. “But you will know that the concept of love in antiquity is broad and multidimensional. We cannot interpret either practices or persons who acted 2,300 years ago by our own measures, our own norms and assumptions. Alexander the Great, for 2,300 years, has never needed, nor does he need now, the intervention of any unsolicited protector of his historical memory or, even more, of his personality and moral standing.” Mendoni may be right in her assertion that there are no known descriptions of Alexander and Hephaestion’s relationship as explicitly sexual by their contemporaries, but many modern historians believe they were more than just friends. They were frequently compared to Patroclus and Achilles, who were also believed to be lovers, and historians like Robin Lane Fox believe their sexual relationship may have continued into adulthood. While Alexander did marry and produce an heir later in his life, historian Peter Green argues in his 2007 book Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age that there is little evidence that he had much interest in women. This is not the first time a pop culture depiction of Alexander the Great has caused an uproar in Greece. In 2004, a coalition of Greek lawyers claimed that Stone’s depiction of Alexander as bisexual in his 2004 film starring Colin Firth was defamatory and threatened to sue the director and Warner Bros. In the U.S., Alexander: The Making of a God has already sparked outrage from the usual anti-LGBTQ+ trolls on social media. Earlier this month, influential rightwing X account End Wokeness posted that Netflix had “turned… http://dlvr.it/T3FfMc

[melitaafterfeather]

I am contacting a solicitor to inform exfamily of Europeans they can transfer money if my father's inheritance via banks transfer as I won't be returning to Europe.

It is sad the entire Europe has to suffer because of exfamily. Yes after your apology transfer the money complete correcting your deliberate mistake.

Solicitors ensure both opposite sides parties are satisfied. Electricity won't kill me nor you. It is a war.

Before Brexit Britain had Irish police EU who were in possession of Britain weapons. After Brexit we separated weapons police duties separated from Ireland. Nuclear weapons should not be built with other countries where the risk of separation is high.

After Brexit things changed laws changed borders closed. EU is no longer valid partner to Britain not lawful not economic.

I act per English laws. I never liked nor had use of EU nor Europe.

People who want power through immigration cheap labour are desperate to gain position cause they are gonna be revealed for crimes fraud laundering money. Immigration you can contact banks why the banks employ immigrants more than domestic citizens. Why the Government import electricity when we have British electricity. Why electricity in rented accommodation costs triple because dead people. Houses in England cost triple the price because of dead people. Not just English dead America dead Asian dead European dead. We can never resolve community issues till housing settlement of dead and illegal who are sadly in Government royals.Multiple citizenship should be single citizenship.

Sell possession refund deposit refund whatever is not yours. Contact me private or professional I am available when you book an appointment. Death to Macedonians. Death to Croatians. Death to Solvenians.Deat to Irish. Death to illicit drug abusers. Death.

I am 49 years adult still financially abused by a parent. Does anyone of adults have such experience abuse of family members ?

I know people go to court to resolve finances among families

When the court is not possible for resolution because of corruption isn't it obvious you'll ditch the family parents siblings friends lovers whomever abuses you

After millions times repeating I am not in a relationship I have no family I have no need of abusers

If you have experience of parental financial abuse which is not normal the usual practice is parents give to children

I moved country permanently in England to stay away of parental abuse an old woman bribed by uneducated like her politicians

Luka is my eldest son he is in care like a pet to his father although Luka is adult

Very bad family

I pray to Jesus Christ to kill the enemies save the children of bad adult perverts

You wouldn't believe it since birth I experience 49 years abuse

What kind of patent steals from birth children

Very shameful family

🇬🇧

[gemsofgreece]

For the longest part of its existence, the Byzantine Empire had no clear law about the inheritance of the imperial throne. This means that the empire was weirdly “democratic” in the sense that anyone could become a king regardless of background, education, status and even gender. The only thing the aspiring ruler needed was the guts and the competence to question the emperor’s power or the right of their descendant to the title and somehow survive right through it, preferably by winning the support of the public and the army. This is why some of the usurpers proved to be some of the most competent Byzantine Emperors like Basil I the Macedonian, John I Tzimiskes or Nikephoros II Phokas. And this is why of all 107 emperors that reigned in Byzantium, only 34 died peacefully in their bed, only 8 died in war or by accident and the rest were killed violently, often poisoned, strangled or mutilated.

To give you an idea, Tzimiskes was Phokas’ nephew. He ascended to the throne after he conspired with Phokas’ wife Theofano and had him killed in his sleep. This is why Phokas’ tombstone read: “He defeated everyone but a woman”.

As for Basil I, he was a random peasant from Thrace (which makes his eponym inaccurate) and he was of outstanding beauty. He had been gaining the favour of rich ladies and members of the court alike (no historian ever says what kind of favour that was) until he met Emperor Michael III and, you guessed it, Basil gained his favour when the emperor watched him wrestle with another man. He rapidly became the emperor’s confidant, companion and bodyguard. Michael had Basil to break up with his wife in order to marry the emperor’s consort who was pregnant with his child because Michael didn’t want to embarrass the Empress Eudokia who was unable to conceive. Thus, he named Basil co-emperor planning to make Basil’s child (actually HIS child) the successor of the throne. If that’s not weird enough, Basil also adopted Michael, despite being much younger than him. Soon, Michael grew fond of another courtier. Basil confronted Michael about it, who threatened to make the new courtier his new co-emperor (apparently Michael was making co-emperors left and right). After that, a night when Michael and the new courtier were drunk, Basil and his loyal men crept in and killed them, and he also cut the emperor’s hands with the sword. Basil became the Emperor and despite being just a random peasant who rose to power with questionable practices, he later proved to be one of the greatest rulers of the Byzantine Empire. He was the founder of the powerful Macedonian Dynasty.

[betawithablog]

Headcanons for the greek gods as omegas?

(I assume you mean as Omegaverse and not for them all to be Omegas cus there’s no way Ares is Omega lol)

This is gonna be the 12(.5) Olympians and the royal couple of the underworld

Zeus: Alpha, a very obvious Alpha. Leader of the Olympian pack. If we're going with the personality he has in the myths then he's the kind of douchebag Alpha who thinks it's his right to go around knotting whoever he fancies; I imagine his pheromones are pretty powerful too. Like, send-you-into-an-surprise-heat kind of powerful. If we're going with how the ancient Greeks actually saw Zeus though he's the absolute best provider. Big dad vibes towards everyone who's even a little bit younger than him (which... y’know, given that he's a god is almost everyone).

Hera: Omega. The kind of Omega that has a dominant, leader's streak; the kind born to be the leader's mate. She has that Omega's need for love and attention (which Zeus really needs to work on giving her smh) and likes to pamper her body (see: pool that she bathes in every night that somehow magically makes her not a virgin anymore... yeah idk either, blame the ancient Greeks). She does, however, lack a natural maternal instinct (see: yeeting baby Hephaestus off of mt. Olympus), so I feel like she could potentially also be a Beta.

Poseidon: Alpha. Originally he was actually the leader of the Olympian pack (no that's not a headcanon - the Macedonians actually considered Poseidon to be the head of the Olympians). I imagine him to be a kind of rugged-looking Alpha - like an strong old fisherman with rough palms and speckled grey hair - with an air of calm and control that can switch to chaotic and aggressive in an instant's notice - like the ocean itself.

Hestia: Omega. Absolutely 100% Omega. The kind of Omega who's very presence makes you feel soothed, her hugs are warm and soft (not just because she always wears fluffy cardigans), her nest is absolute perfection - beautiful, calming to be in, and cosy - and she's always got something divine (if you'll excuse the pun) in the oven. Always purring kin the kitchen. Absolute biggest mama vibes. She smells like a bakery; chocolate and pastry. Holy shit I love Hestia.

Demeter: Alpha. Considered her, perhaps, as an Omega on account of her being a fertility agriculture goddess but she just doesn't strike me as the placating, gentle type. Quite the opposite. She fought stubbornly for her daughter to remain at her side, and she's the goddess of law too - she's not the rolling-over-showing-her-neck type at all. I picture her as an absolute Unit; muscles for days from all the years harvesting crops. The no-nonsense kind of Alpha.

Aphrodite: Omega. The hypersexual kind of Omega. I believe I've seen them called 'Pack Omegas' - the type that do best when they're in a relationship with lots of people, practically (or literally) a whole pack. Also the beauty-obsessed kind of Omega. Takes ten hours to get her clothes, hair, and makeup done yet somehow she turns the whole process into a mesmerising dance. She turns everything into a mesmerising dance. Another I imagine with knock-out strong pheromones that have Alphas falling to their knees for her. She smells like roses.

Athena: Alpha. Another leader-type Alpha - literally has Athens named after her, and she's very proud of her people... despite some of the absolute nonsense she's had to witness from them throughout the ancient years. A very adept and skilled fighter and strategist - likes to know everything about a situation before rushing in. She's an incredibly supportive and wise lead Alpha, the kind that the pack feels they can go to with whatever problem they might have. I feel like she could also easily be a Beta, but she's got such a strong sense of being dominant and in charge it's hard to see her as anything but an Alpha.

Ares: Alpha. Less of a leader-type Alpha, lbr, more of a team player. The kind of Alpha that runs into things without thinking, relying on instinct and, on the battlefield, pure rage. Your average Aggressive Type Alpha who's ready to kill for anyone in his pack. Can come across as a bit of a meat head... and can be a bit of a meat head at times... Yet I imagine him as a really loving, doting mate, which initially surprises a lot of people; seeing this big burly 6ft< Alpha who smells like fire and blood smiling dopily as picks out the perfect dainty jewellery for Aphrodite.

Hephaestus: Beta. My poor poor bastard boy. Very crafty and creative (see: trapping his mother in a beautiful trick throne he built as revenge for yeeting him off the mountain as a baby). Likes to think his creations through and plan genius contraptions. He could very easily also be an Alpha, what with the fact he's a blacksmith, which is a rather Alpha job. But I guess I lean towards Beta because, even though he's a bit of a social outcast on account of his leg and general appearance, he's clearly desperate to be more socially involved with the pack and doesn't want to be a lone wolf.

Artemis: Alpha. Surprisingly nonsexual for an Alpha. Very much a lone wolf. Loves spending her days out in the forest. You wouldn't think she's an Alpha to look at her, but she'd surprise you with how strong she is. Also very good at using her opponent's strength against them. Because of her build, she's considered the protector of Omegas; most Omegas would feel very safe in her presence. She's got this mysterious edge to her that just uncontrollably draws you in... like the moon.

Apollo: Omega. Ah, sweet darling disaster bisexual... I just imagine him being very soft and sensitive (not that he can't kick ass on a battlefield, see: his involvement in the battles of the Iliad). He has an artist's soul and an angel's voice. His serenades are totally his courting gifts. I imagine him revelling in being doted on, and always eager for fuss and attention. He has a beautiful Omegan frame, and he loves decorating himself in luxurious garb and crowns of flowers and leaves. He smells like laurel and somehow also sunshine. No one knows how this is possible but he does.

Hermes: Beta. And nooo I'm not just saying that because he's my favourite and that's the dynamic I best identify with (>_>) He really is such a Beta though. I've a headcanon that Beta's love travelling and exploring and he's literally the God of that so y'know. He's also so quick thinking and witty: represented himself in a what was basically a godly court case where he was guilty of thievery and won when he was literally a baby. He's hardly ever submissive to anyone but he hardly ever uses aggression or physical force to get his way/get out of trouble. He smells like ripe strawberries and the metallic tinge of coins.

Dionysus: Beta. The eccentric, outgoing, party type Beta; wants to be surrounded by friends having a good time all the time. He smells like booze; in the morning it's a little off-putting, but in the evening its literally intoxicating. I imagine his mortal Maenads needing only his scent to drive them into a frenzy. Not the kind of Beta you'd expect to also have the Supportive Beta streak, but he absolutely does; he lives to support his friends and gives the kind of advice you don't realise is advice at first and later hits you like an epiphany, and it was exactly what you needed to hear.

Persephone: Beta. Difficult one, but I had to go with Beta because she strikes me as a very gentle, delicate goddess of spring that could easily have her classified as Omega, but in winter she's the no-nonsense, dominant queen of the underworld that could have her classified as an Alpha. Overall, I think this shows her adaptability, which is a very Beta trait. Also, she's not really as needy and dependent as an Omega traditionally is. Things might have happened to her beyond her control, but she very much took back control and has both Hades and Demeter wrapped around her little finger. Of course, she smells like pomegranates, and spring blossom.

Hades: Omega. I have such a soft spot for soft!Hades. But he's kind of the reverse of Artemis in that you would not think to look at him that he's an Omega, you'd assume he's an Alpha, especially considering his position as ruler of the underworld. But he's a softy at heart, and adores material possessions (which I consider a bit of an Omegan trait). He mopes all the way through spring and summer at the lack of Persephone's presence, cooped up in his nest the whole time until autumn rolls around and she comes back into his life. He has a very earthy scent.

bonus:

Hermaphrodite: All three! Thought I'd include Hermaphrodite because they flashed through my mind and I wondered what might be classified as intersex in a/b/o. Of course, that depends on how you hc biology for the dynamics but I thought what would perhaps make Hermaphrodite an outcast/outlier could be their body, scent, and instincts being a mix of all three dynamics.

thanks for the ask 💞

[princessmacedon]

( 👗 + No Champagne ) Lustrous fixtures of silver and gold overshone by a crowd of even brighter faces. The scene is no dime a dozen from the likes of his once war-torn homeland and to him that is to appreciate all the more, but of course the Hero-King appreciates other things as well and by much more at that—like the friendly Macedonian flower that has thought to join him at the refreshment table.

“Dear Maria,” Marth greets with a look of warmth, eyes crinkled merrily at their corners as he assesses her with uncontained pride. “You appear as if you are glowing! The Red Dragoon that your sister may be, I believe we should take to calling you Macedon’s Red Rose.” Indeed; Macedon’s youngest daughter was a fine blossom of the court on this night and he was far from the only one who thought so with many eyes trained upon her.

One such pair even made daring, his attention flickers to a point behind her head as an older Fódlanese gentleman makes to approach with his sights set—a second champagne glass in hand. Much older than her. Too old. Quickly, the prince intercepts the offering with a hand raised, gentle face set in stone.

“...Ah, none for her, I’m afraid. She has redeemed her single cup already.” The excuse is probable enough, though untrue, and the Archanean lord watches on as the man slinks away. No doubt to an inspiration of some curiosity for the princess. When he circuits back to her in a moment of greater honesty, the prince sounds a tinkling laugh as if returned to his good mood. “Forgive me. I am sure the man had good intentions and I would not have wanted to spoil either night, whether his or yours, but... Well, I suppose my heart just felt it right.”

As the Ethereal Ball continues its merriment throughout the night, Maria flits about the ballroom like a hummingbird, all shimmering colors and uncatchable flights; in the time between, she returns to the sky, to her favorite blue-- to the side of the Hero-King, who, by all indications, is a gardener true. He must be, the way he shines warmth upon this rose and showers her with praise, and though her cheeks warm and her chin tucks oh so slightly down, she is sure of it: there is no other garden she would rather walk through than his, for she can see the seeds of the future he will one day sow, and they will blossom beautifully.

But here and now, she covers her smile with both hands, earnest eyes peeking up at him from atop their rose-tinted throne. The man has an inherent talent for compliments as it is, but to be compared so kindly to her sister, to bask in praise and pride... Her nose ducks beneath her makeshift shield, sweet laughter slightly muffled in its cage. Such is the way of Archanea's warmest sun, her brightest dawn-- he draws speeches from the breviloquent and silence from the silver tongued, and though Maria would never dare to consider herself the latter, she is most certainly bubbly enough to be spurred to quiet nonetheless.

It is in this fond and gentle quiet that she witnesses something curious: the sight of Marth's charm and warmth at odds with each other. He practically sparkles as he coolly stops a hand she had not even noticed from offering a drink to her, the spurned gentleman casting a forlorn glance at her as he vanishes back into the crowd. Alas, he does not have the favor of receiving a glance in turn, for Maria is looking to her friend with eyes full of questions and no answers. She understands well enough what has just happened, but it is not the what that lingers on her mind so; it is the who, and she blinks at Marth again. Almost certainly, he shielded her as Minerva would have, albeit with far more social grace. Then she wonders: would Michalis have done something like this, too, if he had stayed with them? It is no one's fault the three of them are not together, and one day they will be together again (they will, they will), but... she had hoped for what family remained to her to see her grow up. ...It is a funny feeling. She is happy, and she is sad, too. And all at once, she is grateful for the fairytale prince, for the king of a future forged, for her friend, gentle and true.

"Prince Marth?" Her hand latches, gingerly, onto his sleeve, and her smile at last returns to her face, a warmth spilling across it like the setting of the sun. It is enough-- it is more than enough-- that he sees her; she will do her utmost to see Marth, too.

"...Thank you."

[cincinnatusvirtue]

1799: The Tiger of Mysore.  A tale of an 18th century Indian superpower, British imperialism and the rise of Arthur Wellesley, future Duke of Wellington.

220 years ago in 1799, the Indian Subcontinent was divided into several different polities, both native Indian kingdoms and European colonies.  A mix of Dutch, Portuguese, French and most consequentially British.  Europeans had interacted with India off and on since the days of Alexander the Great and the Macedonian Empire and subsequent Greco-Indian kingdoms in its wake.  By the late 18th century, the great maritime powers of Europe were invested in trade with India and were more importantly invested in an arms race with one another to expand territorial and commercial influence the world over, particularly between France and Britain.  They also sought to exploit the internal fighting and power vacuums created by changes amongst the various Indian kingdoms. 

The biggest change in 18th century Indian century politics was the decline of the Mughal Empire, an Islamic empire founded in the 16th century by Turco-Mongols who laid claim to Northern India by way of conquest and subsequently ruled over most of India.  They were in the position of ruling over a mostly Hindu country, though many were converted to Islam as well.  Overtime, a caste of Hindu warriors in the western-central and southern portions of the country, called the Marathas who had served as mercenary warriors for the Mughals arose and asserted their independence.  Not only did they gain their independence they expanded their power and the military stagnation and economic exhaustion of the Mughals led to a weakening and fracturing of their power.  Further wars with Nader Shah of Persia, saw the sack of Delhi and weakening of Mughal power and wealth.  Overtime, the Maratha Empire itself became decentralized and fought amongst itself and other powers which saw its own weakening by the late 18th century.

One power that grew increasingly influential in the 18th century was located in the south of India, the Kingdom of Mysore, having for centuries been vassals of the Vijayanagara Empire but by the 16th century it gained gradual independence and rose to autonomy in the 17th and 18th centuries.  A Hindu majority country ruled by the Wodeyar dynasty, its kings however by the mid-18th century were also weakened when power was gradually handed over to its prime ministers, much like the neighboring Maratha Empire, the Wodeyars became rulers in name only, with the prime ministers exerting near total control.  Enter, the Sultans of Mysore, Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan.  Men who would change the destiny of Mysore and India in the later half of the 18th century.

Hyder Ali was a soldier and Muslim, born into the Karnataka region of southern India, where Mysore was located among other kingdoms.   Ali served essentially as did his father as mercenaries in the service of the Rajas (kings) of Mysore.  Gradually in the wake of the Rajas own weakness and the subsequent transfer of power to Mysorean prime ministers, Hyder Ali due to much military and administrative success took over the country for himself.  Becoming the de-facto if not nominal ruler of Mysore by 1761, he established a court at Srirangapatna and expanded Mysore’s power.  Ali was said to have a great memory despite his illiteracy and had great financial accounting skills, this helped to stabilize Mysore’s economy which combined with diplomatic and military prowess lead Mysore to become the leading native power in the southern portion of the subcontinent.  Ali styled himself Sultan Hyder Ali and ruled Mysore for the next twenty one years.  During this time, Mysore increasingly came into the power struggle between France and Great Britain.  The British East India Company, supported by the British government and in treaties with local Indian powers, played the local rivalries against one another and gradually began expanding its power into Southern India from its base, the Presidency of Madras.

Britain’s East India Company had formed as a state chartered enterprise alongside the French and Dutch East India Companies for control of trade in Africa and Asia, gradually this turned into colonization and two events really saw British interest in India turn from trade monopolies into gradual imperialist ventures.  The first was the Seven Years War (1756-1763) which saw Britain gain control of many of the Kingdom of France’s colonial possessions the world over, including becoming the premiere European power in India.  The second was Britain’s defeat in the American Revolution, which saw, Mysore as a co-belligerent of the Americans and their Allies of France, the Dutch Republic and Spain in coalition against Britain.  Britain’s defeat in North America and its loss of the Thirteen Colonies that made up the USA, transferred Britain’s interest of imperial focus from North America to India, becoming its eventual crown jewel, figuratively and literally.

Hyder Ali had fought a successful war against the British in the 1760′s and by 1780 war was again sounding out between Mysore in alliance with France against Britain, linked in part with the American Revolution.  Mysore would be victorious once again against the British, in no small part to the great innovation in artillery, that was Mysore’s trademark weapon, rocket artillery known as the Mysorean rocket.  The rockets were not especially accurate but were devastating if launched in numbers.  The genius of their crude design was they were iron cased attached to bamboo shafts as opposed to the paper ones used elsewhere in the world.  The soft iron casing of the rockets gave them greater range and explosive power and damage when the black powder charge exploded.  Even more frightening was the use of attaching sharp instruments to their end which could maim or kill its targets before exploding and sending shrapnel elsewhere. 1780′s Battle of Pollilur which resulted in a Mysorean victory is the first time the British were privy to the Mysorean rocket and its effects.  Britain was again defeated by 1784 on terms favorable to the Mysoreans. 

1782 saw Hyder Ali die and he was succeeded by his son Tipu Sultan, who thanks to his role in the Second Anglo-Mysore War and the use of the tiger in his personal standard became known as the “Tiger of Mysore”.  A nickname earned due to his fierce opposition to the British, his tiger hunting prowess and appreciation for symbolism of the animal.  His summer palace had ornate paintings celebrating his victory over the British at Pollilur.  Also he had a mechanical toy crank operated pipe organ made of ornate wood designed in the form of a tiger mauling a European man made for his entertainment, known as Tipu’s Tiger. 

Tipu continued his father’s mix of diplomacy and aggression in foreign affairs, playing the French and other Indian powers against the British.  He also upped the living standards of every day Mysoreans, reformed the coinage, calendar and government apparatus of his kingdom and improved the rocket artillery innovations introduced by his father.  Tipu helped make Mysore one of the absolute wealthiest countries on Earth.  Mysore became a leading agricultural and textile producer especially of fine silks.  Mysore under Tipu became so wealthy that the per capita incomes were on average higher than even in Europe in the Netherlands and Britain in the 1820′s.  Tipu also garnered controversy over his religious policies however, he was a devout Muslim himself but practically speaking ruled a Hindu majority kingdom.  He appointed many Hindus to positions of power in his administration and gave land grants to as many as 156 Hindu temples as examples of his religious tolerance.  On the other hand evidence of massacres, imprisonment and forced conversion to Islam of both Hindus from outside his kingdom as well as of Indian Christians, notably the Catholics of Mangalore and captured British soldiers are cited as evidence of his cruelty.  His legacy of religious tolerance is a matter of debate into the modern day.

Things went well for Tipu and Mysore until the Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790-1792).  This saw Mysore’s first major defeat when Britain with a coalition of Maratha Empire, Kingdom of Travancore and the Nizam of Hyderabad all with unresolved issues against Mysore defeated Tipu Sultan in the 1792 Siege of Srirangapatna, led by General Charles Cornwallis, famous for his defeat at Yorktown during the American Revolution.  This in some ways redeemed Cornwallis for his defeat in America.  The battle saw the use of Mysorean rockets en masse once more.  However, the British advanced and knowing without negotiation utter defeat was at hand, Tipu agreed to negotiate a peace.  He ceded half of Mysore’s territory divided among the British and their allies and also handed over two of his sons as hostages to Cornwallis to be cared for by the British to ensure good behavior and compliance on Tipu’s part.

Mysore never fully recovered from this defeat and it was only a matter of time before war broke out again.  The fourth and final Anglo-Mysore War broke out in 1798, now in the context of the struggle between the French Republic and British lead coalitions against the French Revolution.  Tipu turned to his traditional French allies once more.  In 1794 in touch with the French Republic under the auspices of French military officers, Tipu established the Jacobin Club of Mysore, the first Revolutionary Republican club of its kind in Indian history.  He symbolically planted a “liberty tree” in solidarity with the French and was made an honorary Citizen Tipu or Tipoo.  In 1798, French General Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt, then nominally part of the Ottoman Empire, but really under the centuries old rule of the Mameluke dynasty which French forces defeated.  Napoleon’s stated goal was to secure Egypt and the Levant as a base from which to advance onto British India and link up with Mysore and defeat the British once and for all, delivering a blow to their most precious colony which would end the war in France and Mysore’s favor.  Napoleon conquered Egypt and parts of the Levant but his fleet was defeated in the Battle of the Nile by the British Royal Navy, effectively stranding his army in the Middle East.  Though he would escape in 1799 and initiate the coup that lead to his rise as First Consul and later French Emperor coming to dominate European politics for nearly the next two decades.  Without French help, Mysore was left to its own.  Its army was still formidable and Tipu was determined but 1799 was to be the end of it all. 

The British Governor-General of India in 1799 was Richard Wellesley, 2nd Earl of Mornington of the Anglo-Irish family from Dublin.  His younger brother, Arthur Wellesley, had found structure in an otherwise aimless life in a military career, fighting against the French in the Low Countries in the earlier part of the decade.  By 1797, Arthur had transferred to India to assist his brother and the British East India Company expand its power, he was made a Colonel and set out with his regiment, the 33rd Regiment of Foot infantry in spring of 1799 under a larger British force made of British regulars, British administered Indian regiments (sepoys) and supported by the Nizam of Hyderabad’s army once more, they marched on Srirangapatna once again.  The battle was a last stand and fierce, with the Mysorean rockets launched en masse one last time.  Wellesley himself suffered a minor wound, finally a breach was made in the walls of the fortress and the British advanced in, volleys of fire and hand to hand combat took place and Tipu Sultan, armed with his ornate sword and modern European blunderbuss flintlock rifle fought to the very end, killed by a musket ball lodged in his head above the right ear and lodged in his left cheek.  Wellesley himself pronounced Tipu dead upon checking his body on the scene.  The Tiger of Mysore was no more, dead aged 48 and Mysore was conquered.  In the aftermath of the battle, some British soldiers were engaging in looting and pillaging of the city and rape of Indian women.  Wellesley, later famed for the discipline he attempted to instill in his troops, had troops he found engaged in this behavior, tried and executed by hanging for their crimes.  Tipu’s body was buried honorably next to his father the following day.  His sword lost in battle later found it’s way into British hands and his automated toy organ (Tipu’s Tiger) was confiscated by the British and is on exhibit to this day in the British Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

For his part, Wellesley was made Governor of British Mysore in the wake of his victory.  His first step to military renown was achieved here.  He would stay in India for a few more years, greatly expanding British control there, most notably defeating a large army of the Maratha Empire at the Battle of Assaye in 1803.  Before he would return to Europe and face Napoleonic France in the successful Peninsular War in Spain of 1808-1814, then most famously defeating Napoleon Bonaparte himself by leading the British and Allied forces at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815,  he was made the Duke of Wellington and subsequently served as British Prime Minister.  He always remarked it was his time in India, that he truly discovered himself and learned the lessons he later applied to armies under his command against Napoleon.

One of Tipu’s and Mysore’s lasting influences on the British military and military development in general was the use of the Mysorean rockets, the British studied the iron casings and under William Congreve, developed the Congreve rocket, based on descriptions of the Mysorean originals.  The British began employing Congreve rocket regiments of artillery in Napoleonic battles as well as the War of 1812 against the United States, it helped contribute to advances in later missile and artillery technology up on through the modern day.  So while the Tiger of Mysore may long be gone, his legacy in many ways, survives.

[imaginaryelle]

Comissatio

For the prompt “park bench” by @dafan7711, which spiraled into something entirely different than I initially intended. The title comes from the Roman version of symposium and (I’m told) refers to “conversations with drinking in the late hours.” Tags include: First Kiss, Alcohol, Gratuitous abuse of miracles, 17th Century London. ~ 1.3k. This can also be read on AO3.  

-1670, London, England-

Crowley likes London. It’s always busy, always rushing along into the future and always on the edge of a fight breaking out. Good mix of people, good entertainment and night life, even if it does rain too much for his personal tastes. But sunny Spain, for example, had left a lingering sourness in his mouth that he’s still not quite forgotten, and anyway there’s something almost gravitational about London. About England in general these last few centuries, but especially London. He’s considering sticking around for a bit.

That England, and London in particular, has been Aziraphale’s main stomping ground for roughly a millennium is probably not a coincidence.

They walk in St James’ Park—newly public and re-landscaped since their last foray at court—a sort of amiable stroll in the wake of business matters duly completed. Twilight is falling, their shadows lengthening ahead of them, close enough to be arm in arm. All around, as far as Crowley can see and sense, the human landscape is shifting. Milk maids and nurses and nannys lead their charges away from the grounds, to candlelit spaces with sturdy walls and tiled roofs, and in their place come London’s night people; the criminals and secret keepers, cleaners and prostitutes, plying trades less welcome in the blazing judgment of a sunny day.

“I miss the aviary,” Aziraphale says. He’s looking over towards Birdcage Walk in a wistful sort of way, his mug of new milk and mulled wine still held half-full in one perfectly manicured hand. “The birds are beautiful. Such variety and color.” His hair falls in curls to his shoulders, drifting lightly around his face in the breeze, and Crowley can almost see him thinking about plumage, and preening, and—

“We could sneak in,” Crowley offers, halting at the edge of the path. It’s been--how long? Nearly a century? More? Since he last watched rainbows dance off angel wings. “No one’d notice.”

Aziraphale’s mouth scrunches up in indecision. The aviaries are on private land, exclusive to the King and his guests, of course. It would be Breaking A Rule, but a human one. And Crowley doesn’t need millennia of practice to see how the angel wants to.

“This time of year, they’ve probably got chicks,” he coaxes.

Wrong move. Aziraphale sighs and shakes his head. “And this time of night they’ll be sleeping. Better to let them get on with it, I think.” They start walking again. “Still, it’s a shame about the menagerie.”

“Elephants,” Crowley says, trying to scrub that wistful slant of the angel’s mouth out of his mind. There’s something there, some want, he just hasn’t found the right hook for it. “The elephants were good. And the crocodiles.” He grins at the sharp look shot his way. “Kept people on their toes.”

“I’m sure you don’t miss the camels,” Aziraphale says archly, pointedly not looking at him even as a smile tugs at his lips.

“No one misses the camels, angel.” They both of them have enough memories of musty camel smells and trudging through sand at the dawn of the world for several lifetimes, no reminders necessary.

“True.” Aziraphale agrees, and then, as if he’s been looking for something,  “Ah, here we are.” 

He veers off the path slightly, drawing Crowley in his wake to settle on a wood slat bench next to the water, just slightly hidden from casual view by a bushy fig tree that somehow escaped the most recent razing.

It’s all very … illicit, Crowley can’t help but notice. Fig tree. Twilight. London is never really quiet, but the noise seems somehow muffled here, too. And the park itself has a reputation these days. For—things. Of a decidedly non-angelic nature. That have very little to do with feathers.

Aziraphale shifts his weight until their knees are not-quite-touching, and Crowley watches him carefully. There’s a question lurking in the back of his throat, not quite parsed into words. Why are we here, perhaps, or You have something in mind, I can tell, don’t try lying to me. Unvoiced is fine. Unvoiced is better. He’s not going to muck things up twice in one evening if he can help it.

“You really should try this.” Aziraphale holds out his mug, keeping eye contact now. “It’s quite good.”

Crowley doesn’t say, What are you up to, angel? He takes the mug. He sips at the contents. It’s alright. He’s never really been much for the taste of milk, which Aziraphale knows. He passes the mug back.

“Such interesting things they come up with, aren’t there?” Aziraphale says, apropos of nothing, and takes an apparently enjoyable swallow of his own.

And then holds the mug out again, insistent even when Crowley tries to wave it away, so he accepts it with a resigned sigh.

Oh.

Mead. It’s mead this time, sweet and sparkling on his tongue. Reminds him of—Iceland, 13th century. Each of them entirely turned around and frustrated by the prospect of trying to find a specific individual human in the middle of a civil war. The autumn had been particularly stormy, he remembers. They’d spent a long night sheltering in a turf-built farmhouse. He doesn’t remember what they talked about. Sagas, maybe. The angel had been big into sagas. Probably still is. He passes the mug back and Aziraphale smiles like he has a secret. The pale creams and golds of his clothes make him look luminescent in the brightening starlight. Crowley is fading into near nonexistence in his shadow.

The next sip is rice wine, light and smooth as a spring morning in a Japanese garden, and it too carries a memory: stolen glances, watching dawn spread rosy fingers over Aziraphale’s cheek. Then a Riesling, cool and lazy as the Rhine; the high, ringing tones of a dulcimer and Aziraphale’s soft curls tumbling over his hands. Yarrow beer, bright and sharp as shared laughter and a warm shoulder leaning into his own. Conditum, rich with pepper and saffron and the sense of hands smoothing over his wings. A heady brandy and a snatch of song whispered in his ear. Pomegranate wine, achingly sweet as the sight of Aziraphale licking honey off his fingers.

They’re not even touching but oh, Crowley wants. This isn’t how it’s supposed to go. Temptation is his job. He slouches lower and extends one arm along the back of the bench. Closer. Closer. He sends back Macedonian wine and fermented date liquor. Barely beer and cider heavy with cloves and cinnamon. He watches Aziraphale drink, watches the movement of his throat as he swallows and his tongue as he licks his lips. The mug comes back and it’s the bloody syllabub again, frothy with too much cream, but this time, this time it comes with the press of sugared violets against his mouth and the sight of his own face, like looking in a mirror except he’s never felt like he wanted to ravish himself, looking in a mirror.

The mug falls from his fingers. Aziraphale makes no move to catch it and it bounces to the ground between their feet, leaving a little half-circle of milky wine in the dirt that matches the curve of the moon. Aziraphale is just … waiting. No deflection now.

“Angel,” Crowley whispers, inching closer, and Aziraphale meets him, lays a finger against his lips. No words. They’re not talking about this.

Like the nights spent in conversation and mornings of stolen time. Like feathers under his hands and curls brushing his cheek. They’re not talking about it. But Aziraphale’s finger is replaced by Aziraphale’s lips, and his hands are steady and sure, and his tongue tastes of violets.

It’s enough, Crowley tells himself, to just hold on and kiss him back. To revel a bit, in the moment of temptation realized, and to layer new memories over old ones with the glide of his tongue and the gentle nip of his teeth.

It’s enough, for now.

[androphile-archives]

"An incident involving a plot to assassinate Alexander demonstrates that homosexuality was not a practice limited to royal circles, but was apparently commonplace among the Macedonian donian military aristocracy. For some unknown reason a small group of young Macedonians aristocrats in the army became disenchanted with Alexander's leadership and so formed a plot to assassinate the king. The plot came to light when one of the conspirators, a Macedonian youth named Dimnus, told his lover, Nicomachus, about the plot. He in turn told another officer, Cebalinus, who then went to a high-ranking court official named Philotas with the information and asked for an audience with the king. Philotas told him that the king was too busy, but gave Cebalinus assurances that he would inform the king of the situation. When Cebalinus discovered the next day that the king had still not heard about it, he himself told the king the news. When an angry Alexander demanded to know why Philotas had delayed in telling him about the plot, Philotas explained that he had lent no credence to the information mation because of its source, and claimed he was reluctant to say anything out of "fear that he would be ridiculed for taking a lover's quarrel too The casual way in which the homosexual relationship of the young plotter was mentioned illustrates how ordinary such relationships must have seemed at the time."

(James Neill, The Origins and Role of Same-Sex Relations in Human Societies)

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[jeannereames]

What was Alexander’s relationship with his sisters like?

Short answer: We mostly don’t know.

Longer answer: We have some clues that he may have got on well at least with Kleopatra and Thessalonike. Kynanne is more of a crap-shoot, as she was married to his cousin and rival, Amyntas. But as Philip arranged that marriage, she had little/no say in the matter, so we just don’t know what she thought of her husband-cousin versus her brother. (Not addressing the infant Europe, as she died at just a few weeks.)

First, let me link to an article by Beth Carney, and at the end, I’ll add some links to my own prior entries that address the question too.

Elizabeth Carney, “The Sisters of Alexander the Great: Royal Relics” Historia 37.4 (1988), 385-404.*

Beth’s article discusses Argead marriage policies, and the fate of the women after ATG’s death. I know she’s changed her mind about a few things, but it’s still well worth reading.

Also, a general reminder to folks who may be new to Alexander/Macedonia … Macedonian kings practiced royal polygamy: e.g., they married for politics, not love, and had more than one wife at the same time. Philip married 7 women (the most of any Macedonian king), although there weren’t 7 wives living in the palace at once. There may have been as many as 5 at times, however.

Because of royal polygamy, they did not use the term basilissa (queen) until after Alexander’s death. The chief wife was the mother of the heir; she had the most power. Because of the rivalry inherent in such courts, a woman’s primary allegiance was to her son, not her husband. Her secondary allegiance would be to her father (if living) and/or brothers. This was not unique to Macedonia, but a feature of most courts with polygamous structures.

These are not love matches, although our later sources may present them as love matches. (These authors had their own ideological reasons for such characterizations.) Did love never come after marriage? Perhaps. It would have depended. Also, within the women’s rooms, wives may have allied with each other at points, particularly if several of them. If only two (as seems more characteristic in Macedonia, aside from Philip), they’d have been rivals seeking to produce the heir.

I state all that to explain why Alexander’s sisters may have courted their brother’s affection (and protection), after Philip’s death. Only Kleopatra had a son, and he was 12 at most at Alexander’s death.

In his final year, Philip married off Alexander’s older sister, Kynanne (d. of Audata, ergo half- Illyrian), and Alexander’s younger and only full sister, Kleopatra (d. of Olympias). Kleopatra’s wedding was literally the day before Philip’s assassination. The timing of Kynnane’s marriage is less clear, but Philip married her to Amyntas, his nephew (her cousin), some time after his own marriage to his last wife, Kleopatra Eurydike. Kynnane had a daughter by Amyntas, Hadea (later Hadea Eurydike). We’re not sure if she was born before or after her father’s execution by Alexander, but it does let us nail down her age to c. 12/13 at Alexander’s death.

After he had Amyntas executed, Alexander planned to marry Kynnane to one of his trusted allies, Langaros, king of Agriana, which lay north of Macedonia, between Paionia and Illyria. Agriana was arguably Paionian, but similar to Illyria. Ergo, this may show a bit of thoughtfulness on Alexander’s part, to match his sister to a man who wouldn’t attempt to trammel her. Recall that Illyrian women wielded more power and even fought in battle. Yet Langaros died (perhaps of injury) before Alexander could make good on that.

It would be the last time Alexander planned any nuptials for his sisters. In part because he invaded Persia not long after, but it wouldn’t have stopped him from summoning one of them if he’d really wanted to marry her off.

Kynanne raised her daughter Hadea in traditional Illyrian ways, which Alexander allowed (although he probably couldn’t have stopped her). After his death, she took off to Asia to see Hadea married to her uncle, (Philip III) Arrhidaios. Kynanne was murdered by Perdikkas’s brother Alkestas, because Perdikkas (then regent) didn’t want the marriage. BUT the army (who liked and respected Kynanne) forced Alkestas to allow it anyway. Hadea (now) Eurydike and Philip III Arrhidaios eventually fell under Kassandros’s authority/possession, where she/they opposed Olympias and baby Alexander IV (and Roxane).

It was inevitable that the co-kingship that followed ATG’s death wouldn’t hold, and Hadea, who clearly wore the pants, wasn’t about to step aside for her cousin Alexander IV. Nor did Kassandros want them to, as he could control them. He couldn’t control Olympias. Yet none of that would necessarily reflect how Kynanne and Hadea had felt about their brother/uncle during his lifetime.

So, we must say the jury is out on Kynanne’s relationship with Alexander.

But for Kleopatra and Thessalonike, I do believe we have enough hints that they cared for him and he for them.

Kleopatra’s husband (another Alexander, of Epiros) died in combat in Italy in 332—around the time Alexander was besieging Tyre and Gaza, or four years after their marriage. In that time, Kleopatra produced two children, a girl (Kadmea) and a boy (Neoptolemos). The girl was named to honor her uncle’s victory over Thebes,** which happened at the tail-end of 335. As Alexander of Macedon and Alexander of Epiros both left on separate campaigns in 334, the boy would have to have been fathered not long after Kadmea was born. (It’s possible that Alexander of Epiros didn’t get to Italy until 333.)

After Alexander of Epiros’s death, Kleopatra did not marry again, although after her brother died, she had a couple marriage offers/offered marriage herself. She was THE prize during the early Successor wars…the full sister of Alexander.

Two titbits might suggest she was close to him (even if he didn’t marry her off again). First, the name of her first child is for his victory, not one by her husband. Sure, Alexander of Epiros didn’t have a battle victory at that point to name her for…but he could have insisted on a family name. Instead, he let Kleopatra give the child a name celebrating Alexander of Macedon’s victory. I suspect she fought for that.

Second, an anecdote reports that when Alexander was told his sister was having an affair some years after she’d become a widow, he reportedly replied, “Well, she ought to have a little fun.” This, btw, was viewed as a bad answer…e.g., he didn’t properly discipline her. As Alexander was constantly used for moral lessons (good or bad), we should take it with a grain of salt. But it’s possible his approximate reaction was preserved and became fodder for moralizing about those wild, half-barbarian Macedonians from the north…couldn’t keep their women in check!

As for Thessalonike, data here is also circumstantial. She stayed with Olympias after Alexander’s death and was never married until after Olympias herself was killed by Kassandros—who then forced her to marry him to cement his claim to the Macedonian throne. She had a sad life, at least in her latter years. Her eldest son (Philip) wasn’t healthy and died not long after he became king. Her second son (Antipatros) and her last son (Alexandros) apparently hated each other. After Philip’s death, Thessalonike argued that Antipatros should co-rule with the younger Alexandros. So Antipatros killed his mother! (Matricide, folks, is SUPER-bad.) Then Alexandros killed Antipatros, and was eventually killed in turn by Demetrios Poliorketes.

Well, if Justin can be trusted, and there are problems with Justin. Ergo, it’s possible that internecine spate of murders didn’t go the way Justin reports.

Yet the naming of her youngest boy may tell a story, along with her insistence that he co-rule with his brother.

There’s also the legend of Mermaid Thessalonike, but we can’t take that as any sort of evidence.

Here are some additional posts that also talk about the sisters:

“Writing Kleopatra and Alexander’s Other Sisters” — Although aimed primarily at the novels, it obviously must deal with the girls as historical persons. Pretty short for me.

“What Philip Thought about His Other Children” — A sideways take on this same question. Not long.

“On Amyntas” — About Alexander’s older cousin, his real rival for the throne when Philp was assassinated. Also discusses Kynanne as a matter-of-course. Not long.

“On Kassandros” — Mostly about Antipatros’s son Kassandros, who had Alexander IV murdered, but also discusses Thessalonike, who he forced to marry him. Relatively long.

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* The link takes you to academia.edu, where, by clicking on Beth’s name, you can find more of her articles. Keep in mind the woman has something north of 150, many on women, PLUS a bunch of books. Not everything is uploaded due to copyright, but several of her older articles are, such as this one.

** It was something of a “thing,” at least in Macedon, for daughters to be named in honor of their father’s victories. Kynanne not so much, but Kleopatra means “Glory of Her Father,” and both Thessalonike (Victory in Thessaly) and Europe (Victory in Europe) reflected their father’s triumphs.

[outoftheforestshow]

Letter From Birmingham Jail A U G U S T   1 9 6 3  by Martin Luther King, Jr

 From the Birmingham jail, where he was imprisoned as a participant in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote in longhand the letter which follows. It was his response to a public statement of concern and caution issued by eight white religious leaders of the South. Dr. King, who was born in 1929, did his undergraduate work at Morehouse College; attended the integrated Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, one of six black pupils among a hundred students, and the president of his class; and won a fellowship to Boston University for his Ph.D. WHILE confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling our present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom, if ever, do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all of the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would be engaged in little else in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms. I think I should give the reason for my being in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the argument of "outsiders coming in." I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every Southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We have some eighty-five affiliate organizations all across the South, one being the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. Whenever necessary and possible, we share staff, educational and financial resources with our affiliates. Several months ago our local affiliate here in Birmingham invited us to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct-action program if such were deemed necessary. We readily consented, and when the hour came we lived up to our promises. So I am here, along with several members of my staff, because we were invited here. I am here because I have basic organizational ties here. Beyond this, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the eighth-century prophets left their little villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their hometowns; and just as the Apostle Paul left his little village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to practically every hamlet and city of the Greco-Roman world, I too am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my particular hometown. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid. Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider. You deplore the demonstrations that are presently taking place in Birmingham. But I am sorry that your statement did not express a similar concern for the conditions that brought the demonstrations into being. I am sure that each of you would want to go beyond the superficial social analyst who looks merely at effects and does not grapple with underlying causes. I would not hesitate to say that it is unfortunate that so-called demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham at this time, but I would say in more emphatic terms that it is even more unfortunate that the white power structure of this city left the Negro community with no other alternative. IN ANY nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action. We have gone through all of these steps in Birmingham. There can be no gainsaying of the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community. Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Its ugly record of police brutality is known in every section of this country. Its unjust treatment of Negroes in the courts is a notorious reality. There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in this nation. These are the hard, brutal, and unbelievable facts. On the basis of them, Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the city fathers. But the political leaders consistently refused to engage in good-faith negotiation. Then came the opportunity last September to talk with some of the leaders of the economic community. In these negotiating sessions certain promises were made by the merchants, such as the promise to remove the humiliating racial signs from the stores. On the basis of these promises, Reverend Shuttlesworth and the leaders of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights agreed to call a moratorium on any type of demonstration. As the weeks and months unfolded, we realized that we were the victims of a broken promise. The signs remained. As in so many experiences of the past, we were confronted with blasted hopes, and the dark shadow of a deep disappointment settled upon us. So we had no alternative except that of preparing for direct action, whereby we would present our very bodies as a means of laying our case before the conscience of the local and national community. We were not unmindful of the difficulties involved. So we decided to go through a process of self-purification. We Letter From Birmingham Jail 2 started having workshops on nonviolence and repeatedly asked ourselves the questions, "Are you able to accept blows without retaliating?" and "Are you able to endure the ordeals of jail?" We decided to set our direct-action program around the Easter season, realizing that, with exception of Christmas, this was the largest shopping period of the year. Knowing that a strong economic withdrawal program would be the by-product of direct action, we felt that this was the best time to bring pressure on the merchants for the needed changes. Then it occurred to us that the March election was ahead, and so we speedily decided to postpone action until after election day. When we discovered that Mr. Conner was in the runoff, we decided again to postpone action so that the demonstration could not be used to cloud the issues. At this time we agreed to begin our nonviolent witness the day after the runoff. This reveals that we did not move irresponsibly into direct action. We, too, wanted to see Mr. Conner defeated, so we went through postponement after postponement to aid in this community need. After this we felt that direct action could be delayed no longer. You may well ask, "Why direct action, why sit-ins, marches, and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?" You are exactly right in your call for negotiation. Indeed, this is the purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has consistently refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. I just referred to the creation of tension as a part of the work of the nonviolent resister. This may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly worked and preached against violent tension, but there is a type of constructive nonviolent tension that is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need of having nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men to rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. So, the purpose of direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. We therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in the tragic attempt to live in monologue rather than dialogue. One of the basic points in your statement is that our acts are untimely. Some have asked, "Why didn't you give the new administration time to act?" The only answer that I can give to this inquiry is that the new administration must be prodded about as much as the outgoing one before it acts. We will be sadly mistaken if we feel that the election of Mr. Boutwell will bring the millennium to Birmingham. While Mr. Boutwell is much more articulate and gentle than Mr. Conner, they are both segregationists, dedicated to the task of maintaining the status quo. The hope I see in Mr. Boutwell is that he will be reasonable enough to see the futility of massive resistance to desegregation. But he will not see this without pressure from the devotees of civil rights. My friends, I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal and nonviolent pressure. History is the long and tragic story of the fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture; but, as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups are more immoral than individuals. We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have never yet engaged in a direct-action movement that was "well timed" according to the timetable of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word "wait." It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This "wait" has almost always meant "never." It has been a tranquilizing thalidomide, relieving the emotional stress for a moment, only to give birth to an ill-formed infant of frustration. We must come to see with the distinguished jurist of yesterday that "justice too long delayed is justice denied." We have waited for more than three hundred and forty years for our God-given and constitutional rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward the goal of political independence, and we still creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward the gaining of a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. I guess it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say "wait." But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she cannot go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see the depressing clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky, and see her begin to distort her little personality by unconsciously developing a bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son asking in agonizing pathos, "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?"; when you take a cross-country drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading "white" and "colored"; when your first name becomes "nigger" and your middle name becomes "boy" (however old you are) and your last name becomes "John," and when your wife and mother are never given the respected title "Mrs."; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never knowing what to expect next, and plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of "nobodyness" -- then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over and men are no longer willing to be plunged into an abyss of injustice where they experience the bleakness of corroding despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience. Letter From Birmingham Jail 3 YOU express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern. Since we so diligently urge people to obey the Supreme Court's decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools, it is rather strange and paradoxical to find us consciously breaking laws. One may well ask, "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer is found in the fact that there are two types of laws: there are just laws, and there are unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "An unjust law is no law at all." Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine when a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law, or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas, an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. To use the words of Martin Buber, the great Jewish philosopher, segregation substitutes an "I - it" relationship for the "I - thou" relationship and ends up relegating persons to the status of things. So segregation is not only politically, economically, and sociologically unsound, but it is morally wrong and sinful. Paul Tillich has said that sin is separation. Isn't segregation an existential expression of man's tragic separation, an expression of his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? So I can urge men to obey the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court because it is morally right, and I can urge them to disobey segregation ordinances because they are morally wrong. Let us turn to a more concrete example of just and unjust laws. An unjust law is a code that a majority inflicts on a minority that is not binding on itself. This is difference made legal. On the other hand, a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow, and that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness made legal. Let me give another explanation. An unjust law is a code inflicted upon a minority which that minority had no part in enacting or creating because it did not have the unhampered right to vote. Who can say that the legislature of Alabama which set up the segregation laws was democratically elected? Throughout the state of Alabama all types of conniving methods are used to prevent Negroes from becoming registered voters, and there are some counties without a single Negro registered to vote, despite the fact that the Negroes constitute a majority of the population. Can any law set up in such a state be considered democratically structured? These are just a few examples of unjust and just laws. There are some instances when a law is just on its face and unjust in its application. For instance, I was arrested Friday on a charge of parading without a permit. Now, there is nothing wrong with an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade, but when the ordinance is used to preserve segregation and to deny citizens the First Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and peaceful protest, then it becomes unjust. Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was seen sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar because a higher moral law was involved. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks before submitting to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire. To a degree, academic freedom is a reality today because Socrates practiced civil disobedience. We can never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. But I am sure that if I had lived in Germany during that time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers even though it was illegal. If I lived in a Communist country today where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I believe I would openly advocate disobeying these anti-religious laws. I MUST make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizens Councillor or the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says, "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can't agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically feels that he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by the myth of time; and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection. In your statement you asserted that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate violence. But can this assertion be logically made? Isn't this like condemning the robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery? Isn't this like condemning Socrates because his unswerving commitment to truth and his philosophical delvings precipitated the misguided popular mind to make him drink the hemlock? Isn't this like condemning Jesus because His unique God-consciousness and never-ceasing devotion to His will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion? We must come to see, as federal courts have consistently affirmed, that it is immoral to urge an individual to withdraw his efforts to gain his basic constitutional rights because the quest precipitates violence. Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber. Letter From Birmingham Jail 4 I had also hoped that the white moderate would reject the myth of time. I received a letter this morning from a white brother in Texas which said, "All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually, but is it possible that you are in too great of a religious hurry? It has taken Christianity almost 2000 years to accomplish what it has. The teachings of Christ take time to come to earth." All that is said here grows out of a tragic misconception of time. It is the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. Actually, time is neutral. It can be used either destructively or constructively. I am coming to feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. We must come to see that human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and persistent work of men willing to be coworkers with God, and without this hard work time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. YOU spoke of our activity in Birmingham as extreme. At first I was rather disappointed that fellow clergymen would see my nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist. I started thinking about the fact that I stand in the middle of two opposing forces in the Negro community. One is a force of complacency made up of Negroes who, as a result of long years of oppression, have been so completely drained of self-respect and a sense of "somebodyness" that they have adjusted to segregation, and, on the other hand, of a few Negroes in the middle class who, because of a degree of academic and economic security and because at points they profit by segregation, have unconsciously become insensitive to the problems of the masses. The other force is one of bitterness and hatred and comes perilously close to advocating violence. It is expressed in the various black nationalist groups that are springing up over the nation, the largest and best known being Elijah Muhammad's Muslim movement. This movement is nourished by the contemporary frustration over the continued existence of racial discrimination. It is made up of people who have lost faith in America, who have absolutely repudiated Christianity, and who have concluded that the white man is an incurable devil. I have tried to stand between these two forces, saying that we need not follow the do-nothingism of the complacent or the hatred and despair of the black nationalist. There is a more excellent way, of love and nonviolent protest. I'm grateful to God that, through the Negro church, the dimension of nonviolence entered our struggle. If this philosophy had not emerged, I am convinced that by now many streets of the South would be flowing with floods of blood. And I am further convinced that if our white brothers dismiss as "rabble-rousers" and "outside agitators" those of us who are working through the channels of nonviolent direct action and refuse to support our nonviolent efforts, millions of Negroes, out of frustration and despair, will seek solace and security in black nationalist ideologies, a development that will lead inevitably to a frightening racial nightmare. Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The urge for freedom will eventually come. This is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom; something without has reminded him that he can gain it. Consciously and unconsciously, he has been swept in by what the Germans call the Zeitgeist, and with his black brothers of Africa and his brown and yellow brothers of Asia, South America, and the Caribbean, he is moving with a sense of cosmic urgency toward the promised land of racial justice. Recognizing this vital urge that has engulfed the Negro community, one should readily understand public demonstrations. The Negro has many pent-up resentments and latent frustrations. He has to get them out. So let him march sometime; let him have his prayer pilgrimages to the city hall; understand why he must have sitins and freedom rides. If his repressed emotions do not come out in these nonviolent ways, they will come out in ominous expressions of violence. This is not a threat; it is a fact of history. So I have not said to my people, "Get rid of your discontent." But I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled through the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. Now this approach is being dismissed as extremist. I must admit that I was initially disappointed in being so categorized. But as I continued to think about the matter, I gradually gained a bit of satisfaction from being considered an extremist. Was not Jesus an extremist in love? -- "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you." Was not Amos an extremist for justice? -- "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." Was not Paul an extremist for the gospel of Jesus Christ? -- "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an extremist? -- "Here I stand; I can do no other so help me God." Was not John Bunyan an extremist? -- "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a mockery of my conscience." Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremist? -- "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." Was not Thomas Jefferson an extremist? -- "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." So the question is not whether we will be extremist, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate, or will we be extremists for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice, or will we be extremists for the cause of justice? I had hoped that the white moderate would see this. Maybe I was too optimistic. Maybe I expected too much. I guess I should have realized that few members of a race that has oppressed another race can understand or appreciate the deep groans and passionate yearnings of those that have been oppressed, and still fewer have the vision to see that injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent, and determined action. I am thankful, however, that some of our white brothers have grasped the meaning of this social revolution and committed themselves to it. They are still all too small in quantity, but they are big in quality. Some, like Ralph McGill, Lillian Smith, Harry Golden, and James Dabbs, have written about our struggle in eloquent, prophetic, and understanding terms. Others have marched with us down nameless streets of the South. They sat in with us at lunch counters and rode in with us on the freedom rides. They have languished in filthy roach-infested jails, suffering the abuse and brutality of angry policemen who see them as "dirty nigger lovers." They, unlike many of their moderate brothers, have recognized the urgency of the moment and sensed the need for powerful "action" antidotes to combat the disease of segregation. Letter From Birmingham Jail 5 LET me rush on to mention my other disappointment. I have been disappointed with the white church and its leadership. Of course, there are some notable exceptions. I am not unmindful of the fact that each of you has taken some significant stands on this issue. I commend you, Reverend Stallings, for your Christian stand this past Sunday in welcoming Negroes to your Baptist Church worship service on a nonsegregated basis. I commend the Catholic leaders of this state for integrating Springhill College several years ago. But despite these notable exceptions, I must honestly reiterate that I have been disappointed with the church. I do not say that as one of those negative critics who can always find something wrong with the church. I say it as a minister of the gospel who loves the church, who was nurtured in its bosom, who has been sustained by its Spiritual blessings, and who will remain true to it as long as the cord of life shall lengthen. I had the strange feeling when I was suddenly catapulted into the leadership of the bus protest in Montgomery several years ago that we would have the support of the white church. I felt that the white ministers, priests, and rabbis of the South would be some of our strongest allies. Instead, some few have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders; all too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained-glass windows. In spite of my shattered dreams of the past, I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and with deep moral concern serve as the channel through which our just grievances could get to the power structure. I had hoped that each of you would understand. But again I have been disappointed. I have heard numerous religious leaders of the South call upon their worshipers to comply with a desegregation decision because it is the law, but I have longed to hear white ministers say, follow this decree because integration is morally right and the Negro is your brother. In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churches stand on the sidelines and merely mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard so many ministers say, "Those are social issues which the gospel has nothing to do with," and I have watched so many churches commit themselves to a completely otherworldly religion which made a strange distinction between bodies and souls, the sacred and the secular. There was a time when the church was very powerful. It was during that period that the early Christians rejoiced when they were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was the thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Wherever the early Christians entered a town the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought to convict them for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators." But they went on with the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven" and had to obey God rather than man. They were small in number but big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." They brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contest. Things are different now. The contemporary church is so often a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. It is so often the arch supporter of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's often vocal sanction of things as they are. But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If the church of today does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authentic ring, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. I meet young people every day whose disappointment with the church has risen to outright disgust. I hope the church as a whole will meet the challenge of this decisive hour. But even if the church does not come to the aid of justice, I have no despair about the future. I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle in Birmingham, even if our motives are presently misunderstood. We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom. Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with the destiny of America. Before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson scratched across the pages of history the majestic word of the Declaration of Independence, we were here. For more than two centuries our foreparents labored here without wages; they made cotton king; and they built the homes of their masters in the midst of brutal injustice and shameful humiliation -- and yet out of a bottomless vitality our people continue to thrive and develop. If the inexpressible cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail. We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands. I must close now. But before closing I am impelled to mention one other point in your statement that troubled me profoundly. You warmly commended the Birmingham police force for keeping "order" and "preventing violence." I don't believe you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen its angry violent dogs literally biting six unarmed, nonviolent Negroes. I don't believe you would so quickly commend the policemen if you would observe their ugly and inhuman treatment of Negroes here in the city jail; if you would watch them push and curse old Negro women and young Negro girls; if you would see them slap and kick old Negro men and young boys, if you would observe them, as they did on two occasions, refusing to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together. I'm sorry that I can't join you in your praise for the police department. Letter From Birmingham Jail 6 It is true that they have been rather disciplined in their public handling of the demonstrators. In this sense they have been publicly "nonviolent." But for what purpose? To preserve the evil system of segregation. Over the last few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. So I have tried to make it clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or even more, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends. I wish you had commended the Negro demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer, and their amazing discipline in the midst of the most inhuman provocation. One day the South will recognize its real heroes. They will be the James Merediths, courageously and with a majestic sense of purpose facing jeering and hostile mobs and the agonizing loneliness that characterizes the life of the pioneer. They will be old, oppressed, battered Negro women, symbolized in a seventy-two-year-old woman of Montgomery, Alabama, who rose up with a sense of dignity and with her people decided not to ride the segregated buses, and responded to one who inquired about her tiredness with ungrammatical profundity, "My feets is tired, but my soul is rested." They will be young high school and college students, young ministers of the gospel and a host of their elders courageously and nonviolently sitting in at lunch counters and willingly going to jail for conscience's sake. One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters they were in reality standing up for the best in the American dream and the most sacred values in our Judeo-Christian heritage. Never before have I written a letter this long -- or should I say a book? I'm afraid that it is much too long to take your precious time. I can assure you that it would have been much shorter if I had been writing from a comfortable desk, but what else is there to do when you are alone for days in the dull monotony of a narrow jail cell other than write long letters, think strange thoughts, and pray long prayers? If I have said anything in this letter that is an understatement of the truth and is indicative of an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything in this letter that is an overstatement of the truth and is indicative of my having a patience that makes me patient with anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me. Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood, MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright © 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. All rights reserved. The Atlantic Monthly; August 1963; The Negro Is Your Brother; Volume 212, No. 2; pages 78 - 88.

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Sat., Feb. 19, 2022

February 19_February 6

SAINT PHOTIUS, PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE (891)

Saint Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople, “the Church’s far-gleaming beacon,” lived during the ninth century, and came from a family of zealous Christians. His father Sergius died as a martyr in defense of holy icons. Saint Photius received an excellent education and, since his family was related to the imperial house, he occupied the position of first state secretary in the Senate. His contemporaries said of him: “He so distinguished himself with knowledge in almost all the secular sciences, that it rightfully might be possible to take into account the glory of his age and compare it with the ancients.”

Michael, the young successor to the throne, and Saint Cyril, the future Enlightener of the Slavs, were taught by him. His deep Christian piety protected Saint Photius from being seduced by the charms of court life. With all his soul, he yearned for monasticism.

In 857 Bardas, who ruled with Emperor Michael, deposed Patriarch Ignatius (October 23) from the See of Constantinople. The bishops, knowing the piety and extensive knowledge of Photius, informed the emperor that he was a man worthy to occupy the archpastoral throne. Saint Photius accepted the proposal with humility. He passed through all the clerical ranks in six days. On the day of the Nativity of Christ, he was consecrated bishop and elevated to the patriarchal throne.

Soon, however, discord arose within the Church, stirred up by the removal of Patriarch Ignatius from office. The Synod of 861 was called to end the unrest, at which the deposition of Ignatius and the installation of Photius as patriarch were confirmed.

Pope Nicholas I, whose envoys were present at this council, hoped that by recognizing Photius as patriarch he could subordinate him to his power. When the new patriarch proved unsubmissive, Nicholas anathematized Photius at a Roman council.

Until the end of his life Saint Photius was a firm opponent of papal intrigues and designs upon the Orthodox Church of the East. In 864, Bulgaria voluntarily converted to Christianity. The Bulgarian prince Boris was baptized by Patriarch Photius himself. Later, Saint Photius sent an archbishop and priests to baptize the Bulgarian people. In 865, Saints Cyril and Methodius were sent to preach Christ in the Slavonic language. However, the partisans of the Pope incited the Bulgarians against the Orthodox missionaries.

The calamitous situation in Bulgaria developed because an invasion by the Germans forced them to seek help in the West, and the Bulgarian prince requested the Pope to send his bishops. When they arrived in Bulgaria, the papal legates began to substitute Latin teachings and customs in place of Orthodox belief and practice. Saint Photius, as a firm defender of truth and denouncer of falsehood, wrote an encyclical informing the Eastern bishops of the Pope’s actions, indicating that the departure of the Roman Church from Orthodoxy was not only in ritual, but also in its confession of faith. A council was convened, censuring the arrogance of the West.

In 867, Basil the Macedonian seized the imperial throne, after murdering the emperor Michael. Saint Photius denounced the murderer and would not permit him to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Therefore, he was removed from the patriarchal throne and locked in a monastery under guard, and Patriarch Ignatius was restored to his position.

The Synod of 869 met to investigate the conduct of Saint Photius. This council took place with the participation of papal legates, who demanded that the participants sign a document (Libellus) condemning Photius and recognizing the primacy of the Pope. The Eastern bishops would not agree to this, and argued with the legates. Summoned to the council, Saint Photius met all the accusations of the legates with a dignified silence. Only when the judges asked him whether he wished to repent did he reply, “Why do you consider yourselves judges?” After long disputes, the opponents of Photius were victorious. Although their judgment was baseless, they anathematized Patriarch Photius and the bishops defending him. The saint was sent to prison for seven years, and by his own testimony, he thanked the Lord for patiently enduring His judges.

During this time the Latin clergy were expelled from Bulgaria, and Patriarch Ignatius sent his bishops there. In 879, two years after the death of Patriarch Ignatius, another council was summoned (many consider it the Eighth Ecumenical Council), and again Saint Photius was acknowledged as the lawful archpastor of the Church of Constantinople. Pope John VIII, who knew Photius personally, declared through his envoys that the former papal decisions about Photius were annulled. The council acknowledged the unalterable character of the Nicean-Constantinople Creed, rejecting the Latin distortion (“filioque”), and acknowledging the independence and equality of both thrones and both churches (Western and Eastern). The council decided to abolish Latin usages and rituals in the Bulgarian church introduced by the Roman clergy, who ended their activities there.

Under Emperor Basil’s successor, Leo, Saint Photius again endured false denunciations, and was accused of speaking against the emperor. Again deposed from his See in 886, the saint completed the course of his life in 891. He was buried at the monastery of Eremia.

The Orthodox Church venerates Saint Photius as a “pillar and foundation of the Church,” an “inspired guide of the Orthodox,” and a wise theologian. He left behind several works, exposing the errors of the Latins, refuting soul-destroying heresies, explicating Holy Scripture, and exploring many aspects of the Faith.

THE MONKS BARSONOPHIOS THE GREAT AND JOHN THE PROPHET (6th c.)

Saints Barsanuphius the Great and John the Prophet lived during the sixth century during the reign of the emperor Justinian I (483-565). They lived in asceticism at the monastery of Abba Seridus in Palestine, near the city of Gaza.

Saint Barsanuphius was born in Egypt (the year of his birth is unknown). From his youth, he began to lead an ascetic life. Arriving at the cenobitic monastery of Abba Seridus, he built a small cell outside the monastery. Here he lived in solitude.

Later, Saint John, disciple of Saint Barsanuphius, lived in this cell for eighteen years until his death. Saint John imitated his teacher in silence, ascetic deeds and in virtue. Because of his gift of clairvoyance, he was known as “the Prophet.”

After a certain time, Saint Barsanuphius built another cell near the monastery. At the beginning of his solitude, the monastery sent him only three loaves of bread per week. He dwelt for fifty years in work and ascetic deeds.

When Patriarch Eustochios of Jerusalem heard about the ascetical life of Saint Barsanuphius, it seemed unbelievable to him. He wanted to see Barsanuphius for himself, so he and his companions tried to dig under the wall, and to enter the monk’s cell from beneath. Those attempting to enter were almost burned by flames suddenly bursting forth from the cell.

In his hermitage Saint Barsanuphius devoted himeself entirely to prayer, and he attained a high degree of spiritual perfection. We have manuscript accounts about the life, the deeds and talents of Saints Barsanuphius and John. During the lifetime of Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (November 15), they were translated into the Moldavian and Slavonic languages. The publication of these manuscripts, and also their translation into the Russian language, was done in the nineteenth century by the Elders of Optina’s Entry of the Theotokos Monastery.

The precepts of Saints Barsanuphius and John clearly show the degree of their moral perfection, and their love for people, but contain scant facts about their lives. We do not know exactly when Saint Barsanuphius died. Some sources say the year of his death was 563, others say more cautiously before the year 600.

After spending a long time in seclusion, Saint Barsanuphius thereafter and until the death of Saint John the Prophet began to serve others by instructing them on the path to salvation, as Abba Dorotheus (June 5) testifies. Saint Barsanuphius replied to questioners through Saint John, sometimes instructing him to give the answers, or even through Abba Seridus (August 13), who wrote down the saint’s answers.

In the answers of Saints Barsanuphius and John the Prophet, who were guides in the spiritual life not only for their contemporaries, but also for succeeding generations, it is clearly possible to see the monks’ gradual spiritual ascent “from strength to strength.”

By deeds of fasting, silence, guarding the heart, and unceasing prayer, Saint Barsanuphius attained the heights of humility, reasoning and fiery love. The Lord gave him the gifts of discernment, clairvoyance, and wonderworking. By the power of his prayers, he was able to free the souls of people from sins. Sometimes, he took the sins of others upon himself.

The venerable one knew the dispositions of hearts, therefore he gave advice according to the spiritual state of each person. In the Name of the Lord he raised the dead, he cast out demons, and healed incurable illnesses. Things that he blessed received divine power and grace (for example, kukol or furrow-weed took away a monk’s headache). Even the name of Abba Barsanuphius, when invoked mentally, gave help to those who called upon it.

Through the prayers of Saint Barsanuphius, God sent rain upon the earth, withdrawing His wrath from the multitudes of the people. The saint’s predictions always came true. Thus, he predicted that a certain monk, the Elder Euthymius the Silent, would be placed with him in a single grave, which indeed came to pass.Saint Barsanuphius acquired these gifts after many years of patiently enduring great temptations and illness.

(Besides the Orthodox ascetic Barsanuphius the Great, there was another Barsanuphius, a Monophysite heretic. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, anathematized him in his “Confession of Faith,” sent to the Sixth Ecumenical Council).

We do not know when Saint Barsanuphius arrived at the monastery of Abba Seridus, nor anything about the home and family of Saint John the Prophet. Following the instructions of Saint Barsanuphius, John attained the heights of perfection, and became like his teacher in all things. Out of humility, he sent those who came to him with questions to Abba Barsanuphius.

Saint John foresaw and predicted many things, even his own death a week after the death of Abba Seridus. Abba Elian, the young igumen of this monastery, begged John to remain with him for two more weeks, in order to teach him the Rule and how to govern the monastery. Saint John fulfilled his request and died after two weeks.

Saint Barsanuphius the Great survived his disciple and friend, but after St. John's death embraced complete silence and refused to give answers to anyone. These two ascetics have left the soul-profiting book, GUIDANCE TOWARD SPIRITUAL LIFE: ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS OF DISCIPLES by the Holy Monastic Fathers Barsanuphius and John as their spiritual legacy. This book was known to many saints who lived at a later time, as evidenced by the wrings of Saint Theodore the Studite (November 11 and January 26), the hieromonk Nikon Chernogorets (+ 1060), Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12), and other Orthodox ascetics and writers.

LUKE 20:46-21:4

46 Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 47 who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.

1 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So He said, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1-9

1But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

[architectnews]

Prishtina Sports Hall, Kosovo

Prishtina Sports Hall, Kosovo Building Development, European Contemporary Leisure Center, Architecture Images

Prishtina Sports Hall in Kosovo

23 Sep 2021

Design: ENOTA & OUD+ Architects

Location: Pristina, Kosovo

Prishtina Sports Hall

The new Sports Hall is situated next to an existing bus station which represents a recognizable landmark in the larger urban area of Prishtina. Particularly noticeable is the elliptical traffic loop that runs around the bus station and defines the larger urban context. The proposal for the new sports hall maintains this relationship by positioning the building inside the elliptical traffic loop which maintains the bus station as the focus of the space.

The hall is positioned on the northeast corner which preserves the largest possible area for a public plaza that is a multi-purpose outdoor space used by the neighboring communities of Kalabria and Dardania. The entire public plaza is free from vehicular traffic. The organic design of various paved and green areas gives the space a recognizable character which facilitates user interaction. Urban equipment, such as lights and benches further emphasize the plaza design.

A typical placement of the sports hall on the ground, with a traditional dome roof, would result in a tall building, which is out of proportion compared to the surrounding area. Furthermore, such an arrangement would leave the ground floor occupied by services, such as storage, HVAC, MEP, changing rooms etc.

Pushing the building down by one floor, all the service areas are submerged underground. The main concourse is easy to reach since it is now only one level above ground. This puts the roof only two levels up and makes it accessible by pedestrians, transforming it into an open public space offering views to the city of Prishtina.

The arrangement of traffic and communication flows around the building is the main driver for the formal concept. A circular spiral is cut into the surface of the plaza, much like one would cut a piece of paper, and then pulled upward to form a loop of pathways around the building. A split double helix facilitates a large flow of people around the building and upwards, providing external access to all parts of the sports hall.

Smaller pockets of public space are created at various intersections of the spiral, allowing for placement of bars and restaurants that serve both the interior and exterior of the hall. The combination of the double spiral with triangular support structure gives the sports hall a recognizable, attractive appearance and creates a new landmark for the city of Prishtina.

Inside the hall, there are two possible seating arrangements. The smaller one with 3500 seats allows for a larger handball court or three parallel basketball courts. With extendable tribunes, the 3500 seating arrangement can enlarge up to 5000 spectators for high level basketball competitions. This flexible arrangement allows for multi-purpose use of the sport hall which can accommodate large sports competitions as well as fairs, concerts and smaller sports club activities.

The sports hall provides a clear separation of public areas and areas accessible to the media, players, VIP guests and staff. The main public entrance is provided from the large exterior plaza. From the entrance hall, spectators can ascend two grand staircases to the main concourse. Alternatively, depending on the nature of the event within the sports hall, access to the concourse is also possible via external ramps.

These ramps connect the outdoor plaza directly to the concourse, facilitating the flow of large crowds in and out of the building. The ramps touch down in two isolated areas, allowing for ticketing and access control.

The structure of the building is divided into two parts. The basement is constructed with perimeter and load bearing walls in reinforced concrete. Above ground, the façade ramps are supported by a triangular grid of steel columns that follow the irregular ellipsoid geometry. At the roof level, the steel columns support a compression ring which carries a cable tension roof above the main hall.

Sports Hall in Pristina, Kosovo – Building Information

Architecture: ENOTA & OUD+ Architects

project Prishtina Sports Hall type open international competition, first prize year 2021 status in progress

size 12.553 sqm site 76.573 sqm footprint 9.448 sqm

client Prishtina Municipality location Prishtina, Kosovo coordinates 42°39’03.8″N 21°08’44.1″E

project team ENOTA (Dean Lah, Milan Tomac, Jurij Ličen, Nuša Završnik Šilec, Polona Ruparčič, Rasmus Skov, Urska Malič, Eva Javornik, Peter Sovinc, Eva Tomac, Sara Mežik, Jakob Kajzer, Sara Ambruš), OUD+ Architects (Bekim Ramku, Nol Binakaj, Zana Bokshi, Gresa Morina, Marigona Derguti)

collaborators Spacer (visualizations), Luka Jančič (physical model)

Prishtina Sports Hall, Kosovo Building images / information received 230921

Kosovo Buildings

Location: Pristina, Republic of Kosovo, South East Europe

New Kosovan Architecture

Contemporary Kosovan Architectural Selection

Kosovan Architecture Designs

Prizren Pavilion Design: Senat Haliti photos : S. Haliti & M. Azizi EU Pavilion Building in Kosovo

International Design Competition for Central City Square of Rahovec image courtesy of architects practice Central City Square of Rahovec Design Competition

Central Mosque of Pristina

Central Mosque of Prishtina Building

Central Mosque of Prishtina Design

Embassy Buildings

Embassy Buildings

Parliament Building of the German Speaking Community, Belgium Parliament Building of the German Speaking Community in Belgium

Netherlands Embassy, Berlin Design: Rem Koolhaas, OMA Architects Dutch Embassy Berlin

US Embassy Building, England KieranTimberlake American Embassy Building London

Embassies of the Nordic Countries, Berlin Masterplan Design: Berger + Parkkinen Nordic Embassies Buildings Complex

Buildings in countries close by

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Montenegro Buildings

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Comments / photos for the Prishtina Sports Hall, Kosovo – New Kosovo Architecture page welcome

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[dfroza]

A willingness of the heart to be open to welcoming the Spirit of truth

is a sacred baptism within.

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 19th chapter of the book of Acts that illuminates this as well as the fault of people who were involved in idolatrous practices:

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul’s overland journey brought him back to Ephesus. He encountered a group of about a dozen disciples there.

Paul: Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?

John’s Disciples: We’ve never heard about the Holy Spirit.

Paul: Well then, what kind of ceremonial washing through baptism did you receive?

John’s Disciples: We received the ritual cleansing of baptism that John taught.

Paul: John taught the truth—that people should be baptized with renewed thinking and turn toward God. But he also taught that the people should believe in the One whose way he was preparing, that is, Jesus the Anointed.

As soon as they heard this, they were baptized, this time in the name of our Lord Jesus. When Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them in the same way the original disciples experienced at Pentecost: they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

For three months, Paul continued his standard practice: he went week by week to the synagogue, speaking with great confidence, arguing with great persuasiveness, proclaiming the kingdom of God. Once again, some members of the synagogue refused to believe and insulted the Way publicly before the whole synagogue community. Paul withdrew and took those with him who had become disciples. For the next two years, he used the public lecture hall of Tyrannus, presenting the Word of the Lord every day, debating with all who would come. As a result, everyone in the region, whether Jews or Greeks, heard the message. Meanwhile, God did amazing miracles through Paul. People would take a handkerchief or article of clothing that had touched Paul’s skin and bring it to their sick friends or relatives, and the patients would be cured of their diseases or released from the evil spirits that oppressed them.

Some itinerant Jewish exorcists noticed Paul’s success in this regard, so they tried to use the name of Jesus, the King, in an exorcism they were performing.

Imagine this: There are seven of them, all sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva, gathered around a demonized man in a house.

One of the Jewish Exorcists: I command you to depart, by the Jesus proclaimed by Paul!

Evil Spirit: Jesus I know. Paul I know. But who are you?

Then the man leaps up, attacks them all, rips off their clothing, and beats them so badly that they run out of the house stark naked and covered in bruises.

Word of this strange event spread throughout Ephesus among both Jews and Greeks. Everyone was shocked and realized that the name of Jesus was indeed powerful and praiseworthy. As a result, a number of people involved in various occult practices came to faith. They confessed their secret practices and rituals. Some of them had considerable libraries about their magic arts; they piled up their books and burned them publicly. Someone estimated the value of the books to be 50,000 silver coins. Again, word spread, and the message of the Lord overcame resistance and spread powerfully.

Eventually Paul felt he should move on again. The Holy Spirit confirmed that he should first travel through Macedonia and Achaia and then return to Jerusalem.

Paul: I must eventually see Rome.

So he sent Timothy and Erastus, two of his helpers, ahead to Macedonia while he stayed a while longer in Asia. It was during this time that a major incident occurred involving the Way.

An idol maker named Demetrius had a profitable business, for himself and for others, making silver shrines for Artemis (also known as Diana by the Romans), one of the deities worshiped in Ephesus.

Picture this: Demetrius calls a meeting of all the artisans who are similarly employed in idol making. Everyone in the idol industry comes together.

Demetrius: Men, we are all colleagues in this fine line of work. We’re making a good living doing what we’re doing. But we’d better wake up, or we’re all going to go broke.

You’ve heard about this fellow Paul. Here in Ephesus, he’s already convinced a large number of people to give up using idols. He tells them that our products are worthless. He’s been doing this same kind of thing almost everywhere in Asia. It’s bad enough that he is slandering our fine and honorable profession, but do you see where this will lead? If his lies catch on, the temple of Artemis itself will be called a fraud. The great goddess of our region, the majestic deity who is revered here in Asia and around the world, will be disgraced.

The crowd goes wild with rage. They start chanting.

Crowd: Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!

Soon the whole city is filled with confusion, and a mob forms. They find Paul’s Macedonian travel companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, and drag them to the theater. Paul wants to go confront the crowd and protect his friends, but the disciples hold him back. Even some provincial officials of Asia who are friendly to Paul send him an urgent message, warning him to stay away from the theater.

Enraged voices are shouting on top of each other, some saying one thing, some saying something else. The crowd is completely out of control. Most of the people don’t even know what caused the commotion in the first place. Some of the Jewish people push a man named Alexander to the front of the crowd, hoping he can calm the disturbance. He raises his hands to silence the crowd and gets a few sentences out; but then the crowd realizes he’s a Jew, and once again they start chanting.

Crowd: Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!

For two solid hours they keep the chant going.

Finally the town clerk manages to calm the crowd.

Town Clerk: My fellow citizens of Ephesus, everyone in the world knows that our great city is the caretaker of the temple of Artemis! Everyone knows that we are the home of the great statue that fell from heaven! Our status as the economic center of the idolmaking industry is not in danger, so please, calm down. Don’t do anything rash. The men whom you have seized aren’t temple robbers, nor have they blasphemed our great goddess. If Demetrius and the artisans who share his important trade have a legal complaint, don’t bring it here to the theater; take it to the courts—they’re open today. If you need to charge someone with a crime or launch an inquiry, take the matter to the regional judges. We need to do this according to regulations, or we’ll all be charged with rioting. This kind of behavior can’t be justified.

So he succeeds in dispersing the crowd.

The Book of Acts, Chapter 19 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 10th chapter of the book (scroll) of Isaiah that points to God’s Justice:

How awful it will be for those who mandate wickedness

and legalize oppression, denying justice to the needy,

Taking away the rights of the poor among My people.

Such leaders intend to make helpless widows and orphans their prey.

How will you opportunists handle the day of reckoning?

What will you do when trouble comes from far away?

Will you run away from the disaster you caused?

Who will help you? Where will you leave all your wealth?

You, too, must cower among the captives

or fall among the dead.

Still, God’s anger smolders. His hand is raised; there’s more to come.

Hah! God has determined to let loose a punishing disaster like you’ve never seen.

Eternal One: How awful it will be for Assyria, the rod of My anger,

as they come crashing in on you; the club they bear is My fury.

I am sending Assyria against a nation that refuses to act rightly,

delegating it to humble a people who have frustrated

and infuriated Me by their blithe dismissal.

Assyria will snatch their wealth, seize their treasures,

and trample over them like mud in the streets.

But they will get cocky. Assyria has its own intentions for destruction,

to move against other people and other places to cut them down.

The victories make them think they’re invincible:

The king of Assyria says:

“Aren’t all of my princes destined to be kings?

Calno fell just like Carchemish.

I took Hamath as easily as Arpad. Samaria, too, fell like Damascus.

My powerful hand has reached out to subdue kingdom after kingdom

whose idols were more famous and respected than those in Jerusalem and Samaria.

Now I will move in and take over Jerusalem and her idols

as easily as I did in Samaria.”

God will punish Assyria and its king for their blasphemous rants and arrogant self-satisfaction once my Lord has finished using them to accomplish His purposes here on Zion and in Jerusalem.

Assyrian King: I am so smart, so strong, so knowledgeable.

I am clearly superior to everyone else,

Moving easily into other countries and using them to suit my needs,

taking their treasures at will and humbling their citizens.

I just reach out and take the land and the riches I want—

from all over the earth—as easily as one gathers eggs from a nest.

They don’t flap their wings;

they don’t make a sound, while they look on helplessly.

But wow, are they ever mistaken! Assyria seems to think it has used God.

Can an ax take credit instead of the one who swings it?

Is a saw better than the one who uses it?

Only if a club or rod can move on its own.

So the Lord, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies,

will afflict Assyria’s brawny soldiers with disease,

And they will waste away to nothing.

God will kindle a roaring fire beneath Assyria’s fleeting glory.

The light of God’s people will be like a fire that burns up

the thorns and briars in a single day.

The Holy One will become a flame and make an end of all of Assyria’s schemes.

God will consume the grandeur of his forest and fruitful fields;

He will consume both body and soul,

as when the sick grow weak and waste away.

So few trees will remain of his glorious forest

that a child could count them.

Then, the few that remain of Israel,

that handful of Jacob’s people who escape,

Will finally quit depending on the power of others

(others who abuse and take advantage of them)

And will instead lean on the Eternal One, the Holy One of Israel.

This remnant of Jacob’s people who endure and escape the great destruction

will come back to the Mighty One, to the embrace of God.

But don’t doubt—though the number of the people of Israel

are like the sand of the sea,

Only a remnant of them will be rescued and return to survive.

For destruction is sure—the matter settled—God is absolutely right to do so.

For the Lord, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies,

will carry out His destructive decree over the whole land.

But as for the Holy City, Zion, the Lord, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, has this to say:

Eternal One: Listen, My people living in Zion. Don’t be afraid of Assyria even though that great and terrible nation batters and wounds you, presses its weight and might against you as Egypt once did. Don’t worry. It won’t be long until My anger against you will be over, and I’ll turn it instead in Assyria’s direction.

The Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, will lash Assyria with His whip; and Assyria will feel the crushing power of God’s judgment just as the Midianites did at the rock of Oreb, just as the Egyptians did when Moses raised his staff and drowned Pharaoh’s army in the sea. When that time comes, all the weight of Assyria will be lifted off of your shoulders; its yoke will be removed from your neck, and the burden of their assault and demands will evaporate, and you’ll be free.

Oh, sure, first you’ll feel that terrible force coming on you from the north

through Aiath and then Migron; at Michmash, they store their gear;

They take the mountain pass, and camp at Geba for the night;

closer they come as Ramah trembles;

Saul’s town Gibeah flees before them.

Cry out, Gallim! Heed the warning, Laishah!

Poor Anathoth!

Madmenah is on the run.

So, too, are the citizens of Gebim.

But today, they will stop their march at Nob

and shake their fists at beautiful Mount Zion, the mountain of Jerusalem.

But wait, look! The Lord, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, will protect you;

He will cut the arrogant and self-serving down to size.

With terrifying power He will prune Assyria’s branches,

hack down the high and mighty, and humble all those who think they’re so great.

He will wield the ax and cut down the brushy undergrowth of the forest;

even the cedars of Lebanon fall before the Mighty One’s blow.

The Book of Isaiah, Chapter 10 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for friday, june 18 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about seeking and facing truth:

As followers of the God of Truth (אלוהי האמת), we are responsible to “do truth” (עשה את האמת) and to reject what is false (1 John 4:6). As Yeshua said, "For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world -- to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice" (John 18:37). This means that we have a moral and spiritual duty to think clearly and not to abuse our minds (Phil. 4:8; Rom. 12:2). The LORD will help us to do this, as Yeshua said: "I will ask the Father, and he will give you a Helper (παράκλητος, someone "called to one's side"), to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth (i.e., ruach ha’emet: רוח האמת), whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him" (John 14:16-17). The Spirit of Truth helps us "discern what is the will of God, what is good, acceptable, and perfect" (Rom. 12:2) and empowers us to take “every thought captive” to the reality of God’s Presence (2 Cor. 10:4-5). Truth is connected to memory - both in our personal histories as well as the history of God's redemptive actions performed on our behalf. Truth is described as “a-letheia” (ἀλήθεια), literally meaning “not forgetfulness...” Hence we are constantly commanded to remember what God has done for us and to "diligently repeat" (ושׁננתם לבניך) the truth to our children (Deut. 6:4-9). Similarly, the Spirit of Truth brings to remembrance the words of Yeshua to our hearts (John 14:26).

Followers of Yeshua are commanded to love the truth (אוהב את האמת) and to think clearly about their faith. The ministry of reconciliation (τὴν διακονίαν τῆς καταλλαγῆς) is defined as “the word of truth, by the power of God, through weapons of righteousness” (2 Cor. 5:18, 6:7). Indeed, the word of truth (τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας) is a synonym for the “gospel of salvation” itself (Eph. 1:13; Col. 1:5; James 1:18). We are saved by Yeshua, who is the “way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). God commands all people to believe this truth (Acts 17:30-31; 1 Tim. 2:4). People perish because “they refuse to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10-12). Therefore we see that the issue of truth is central to salvation itself....

Genuine teshuvah (repentance) implies that we will change our thinking in order to be transformed by God's truth. The follower of Messiah “cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth” (2 Cor. 13:8). During this Season of Teshuvah (i.e., the "Three Weeks of Sorrow") may God help us all to think clearly and to turn our thoughts to Him. May He protect us from the vanity of a darkened mind and from all distractions that attempt to seduce us away from Him. May the LORD give us the purity of heart to know and do His will in the truth. Amen. [Hebrew for Christians]

6.17.21 • Facebook

and another about purity of heart:

Every one of us is a teacher of sorts, proclaiming through our personal choices what we believe to be true. False teachers are those whose choices “teach” that there is no God, no eternal life, no meaning to life, and ultimately, no real hope... It cannot be any other way, for we all teach by our choices; we communicate by our assumptions of what we regard is of “ultimate concern.” Postmodern philosophy never answered any of the haunting existential questions of life, such as: What is reality? Why is there something rather than nothing? What is the purpose of life? What happens when we die? Who am I? Do moral choices matter? and so on, but instead merely reinterpreted the hunger for meaning to be about power and control... Nonsense! People may evade the great questions of life by pretending they are unknowable, but Scripture attests that all people are created in God’s image and are intuitively aware of God’s reality and power: “For His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made; so they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20). We have a sacred duty to honor God’s truth and that implies we bear a sacred animosity toward lies and false teaching. “Do not be deceived: associating with false teaching corrupts good character” (1 Cor. 15:33). We hate sin because it wounds and kills the soul. Think straight; awaken to the holiness of life; turn away from vain thoughts and lies; embrace the truth of God's salvation.

Every day we make decisions regarding good and evil, and therefore every day we are deciding (i.e., proclaiming, teaching, and attesting) our faith to others. The issue is not whether we love or whether we hate, but what we love and what we hate....

Followers of Yeshua must love the truth and abhor the lie. Tolerating sin in a world ripe for judgment is a tacit form of "collaboration" with the enemy... Indeed, the only thing regarded as intolerable in the devil's world is the objection that people have a supposed "liberty" to sin. But the LORD is clear on this point: those who call evil good and good evil are doomed. Therefore we are enjoined: “O you who love the LORD, hate evil” (Psalm 97:10). Yes, hate what is evil and love what is good (Amos 5:15). The connection between loving God and hating evil is repeated in the New Testament: “Let your love be genuine (ἀνυπόκριτος, without a “mask” put on): abhor what is evil; cling to what is good (Rom. 12:9). If we truly love the LORD, let us walk in the awe of His great Name by hating what is evil. "God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity" (2 Tim. 2:19). [Hebrew for Christians]

6.18.21 • Facebook

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

June 18, 2021

The Obedient Christ

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8)

The only begotten Son of God substituted Himself for all humanity to save them from the righteous judgment of a thrice-holy Creator.

Jesus found Himself “in fashion as a man,” which therefore made it possible for Him to humble Himself and to become obedient to the death that had been ordained for Him prior to the very foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20).

Perhaps it is too much to suggest that Jesus “woke up” when He “found” Himself in Mary’s womb, but it is certain that He “increased in wisdom” (Luke 2:52) as He grew in “stature.” Basically, because He “became” human, He experienced the normal increase in awareness and experience that all of us do.

The difference was, obviously, that He “humbled” Himself, even though He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Christ’s sinless behavior could have easily “exalted” Him as His wisdom and miracles became known throughout Israel. Indeed, many tried to make Him king.

Isaiah prophetically records the mindset of the Lord many years before He actually entered Jerusalem: “I set my face like a flint” (Isaiah 50:7). Later, Jesus told His disciples, “I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!” (Luke 12:50).

Finally, the obedience of our Lord Jesus, understood fully and deeply at Gethsemane, was fully accomplished, “even the death of the cross.” May our hearts never forget or tire of these great truths. HMM III