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Short History of Byzantium
Short History of Byzantium | John Julius Norwich
9 posts | 3 read | 1 reading | 1 to read
At a moment when the splendors of Byzantine art are being rediscovered and celebrated in America, John Julius Norwich has brought together in this remarkable edition the most important and fascinating events of his dazzling trilogy of the rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire. With wit, intelligence and an unerring eye for riveting detail, Lord Norwich tells the dramatic history of Byzantium from its beginnings in AD 330 when Constantine the Great moved the imperial capital from Rome to the site of an old Greek port in Asia Minor called Byzantium and renamed it Constantinople, to its rise as the first and most long-lasting Christian empire, to its final heroic days and eventual defeat by the Turks in 1453. It was a history marked by tremendous change and drama: the adoption of Christianity by the Greco-Roman world; the fall of Rome and its empire; the defeat by the Seljuk Turks at Manzikert in 1071; the reigns of Constantine, Theodosius the Great, Justinian and Basil II. There were centuries of bloodshed in which the empire struggled for its life; centuries of controversy in which men argued about the nature of Christ and the Church; centuries of scholarship in which ancient culture was kept alive and preserved by scribes; and, most of all, centuries of creativity in which the Byzantine genius brought forth art and architecture inspired by a depth of spirituality unparalleled in any other age. After more than fourteen centuries, the ever-dazzling brilliance of the mosaics of Ravenna and the ethereal splendor of the great church of St. Sophia in Istanbul still have the power to take one's breath away.
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Owls31092
Short History of Byzantium | John Julius Norwich
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Owls31092
Short History of Byzantium | John Julius Norwich
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Part 3 (finally): Doctrine was not necessarily questioned by the regular public back then, but I look at it now as an adult in 2025 and ask myself what was written solely for a political purpose, and if there is a God, what God would want us to believe? I am not a theologian by any means, but I still question doctrine to an extent, and I question the origins and motivations of fundamental beliefs because of these councils.

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Owls31092
Short History of Byzantium | John Julius Norwich
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Part 2: In Catholic school, we learned that the councils were called by church leaders due to a fundamental question that needed to be answered, but it was solved peacefully and the church reinstated its authority…

But as we‘ve learned in A Short History of Byzantium, church councils were highly political, and the outcome often depended on how many people from each side attended the council.

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Owls31092
Short History of Byzantium | John Julius Norwich
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Part 1: Let‘s talk about ecumenical councils, particularly what their purpose was, what Catholic school said they were, and what they actually were. Whenever there was a conflict in the church, someone in a position of power, many times the emperor, would decree an ecumenical council. The council was a meeting of bishops to discuss the question presented, and the Holy Spirit was supposed to come down and guide the council to the right answer…

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Owls31092
Short History of Byzantium | John Julius Norwich
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We‘re going to pull a little bit from the last book we read because I see parallels: What parallels do you see between the hippodrome mob rebellion and the January 6 insurrection we read about in The Divider? I see parallels, but I want to know what you all think. #thedivider #ashorthistoryofbyzantium #johnjuliusnorwich #peterbaker #susanglasser #donaldtrump #joebiden #justinian #theodora #byzantium #byzantineempire #insurrection #rebellion

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Owls31092
Short History of Byzantium | John Julius Norwich
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New word alert- Homooussios is used to describe Jesus and God as one. Constantine the Great inserted this word into Christian doctrine at the Council of Nicaea to counter Aries of Alexandria who told followers Jesus is not God. #ashorthistoryofbyzantium #johnjuliusnorwich #councilofnicaea #constantinethegreat #byzantineempire #homoousios #arianism #christianity #churchhistory #worldhistory #europeanhistory #history

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Owls31092
Short History of Byzantium | John Julius Norwich
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I keep thinking about how Constantine created laws and legislation that was influenced by Christianity, but never mentioned it or Christ. It reminds me of my reversion to Islam and how I started doing things that were more in line with Islam before I started thinking about reverting. Constantine‘s decision was most likely political, but it makes me wonder if he was starting to adopt a Christian lifestyle before thinking about converting.

review
Trace
Short History of Byzantium | John Julius Norwich
Mehso-so

I would recommend reading his three volume work this is far too compressed which makes the timeline sound repetitive.

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Vansa
Short History of Byzantium | John Julius Norwich
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#sundayfunday @ozma.of.oz
1.The Byzantine EMpire
2.THis was an empire that lasted nearly a millennium,and I know barely anything about it!The Ottoman Empire and the GOlden Horde are other fascinations of mine.
3.Tagged book was recommended to me by a fellow quizzer.
Other people's answers have been so interesting,such a huge TBR now!!

RosePressedPages Those are all such interesting topics! I hope to learn more too! 3y
BookmarkTavern Wow! The Byzantine Empire sounds really cool! Thank you for sharing! 3y
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