The History of Swords

The Western Hemisphere was, in many ways, the last frontier of exploration during the end of the medieval world and into the Age of Exploration of the 1500s. For many, the Western Hemisphere at that time was not what we know today due to the belief that the nearest landmass to the Atlantic coast of Europe was the Pacific coast of Asia. But when Christopher Columbus and other European explorers who followed him discovered a new continent between Western Europe and East Asia, they also discovered many ancient pagan tribes. One of these – perhaps the most famous of pre-European America – was the dominant force in Central America. These were the Aztecs.

The 5th Century AD is one of the more bizarre times in human history. Do we still call it the Roman Empire, even though the Western Empire is dead by this point? Is the known world Christian, even though Christianity had only spread the distance of the Eastern and Western empires? Have we reached the Middle Ages yet? What do we make of the bloodshed and barbarism of this century? All of these questions relate to one of the most famous warlords in history. Known in the Christian world as the “Scourge of God,” that figure is Attila the Hun.

Secret organizations seem to pop up at almost every turn on the pages of history, but there is one that is not-so-secret and has been on the American conscience since the end of the Civil War. This organization has existed under the same name under several different iterations, with each permutation carrying the same spirit of racial terrorism as its driving force. This insidious group, which has existed in some form since late 1865, is known as the Ku Klux Klan.

Fenway Park stands out as the oldest baseball park currently in operation. When it first opened its doors in 1912 William Howard Taft sat in the White House, the Ottoman Empire was on its last legs in the Middle East, and the Titanic had only sunk days earlier.

In today’s world, the most popular weapon of choice in warfare is the firearm. But for the majority of human history, guns were not the main weapon. In fact, throughout the history of war, one weapon has traversed the scope of battle and permeated virtually all cultures. It is even used today in some combat situations. It’s known as the “King of Weapons” in warfare: the sword.

Historians sometimes like to enter into the “What if?” zone of study. Let’s embark on such a query as we explore the shadowy history of one of the most important physical pieces of history in the Biblical Age. This item was of utmost importance in the story of Israel, and it housed the very tablets that God inscribed with what are now known as the Ten Commandments. It has since been lost to history, so the question remains: Where is the Ark of the Covenant?

In the early 16th Century, German monk Martin Luther went on a quest to answer the following question: How could a sinner like himself obtain salvation? He grew up in the medieval Roman Catholic understanding of justification by works, and he came to realize the problem: there was no guarantee that mankind could ever be good enough to get to God. Eventually, in the year 1519, he found the answer to his question in Romans 1:16-17.

Angels are strange creatures. They often appear in our Christmas celebrations as cute, winged figurines but the reality is much different. Every time they appear in Scripture, their first word is always “Do not be afraid!” A good choice, since angels are likely terrifying creatures. We only meet a few angels by name, one of whom is a famous Archangel who was sent by God to foretell the birth of Christ to the Jewish girl Mary some 2000 years ago; the angel Gabriel.

One of the most beloved staples of the Christmas traditions is lights! But why do we put up lights at Christmastime? Where did this beloved tradition come from and who started it? As is usually the case with these questions, the answer may be far older than you think!

The birth of Jesus Christ is a true story with all of the elements of an epic classic. It contains scandal and cataclysmic proportions full of ancient prophesies finally fulfilled, but it’s also a tale of deep political intrigue. When the King of the Jews was born on Christmas morning, another king reigned over Judea and saw Jesus as a threat to his rule. This was the same king who resurrected the physical temple of the ancient capital city of Jerusalem: Herod the Tetrarch.