Dungeons and Dragons and Roman Legions

 

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I was having a friendly discussion with someone I know recently about whether Dinosaurs are actually dragons. In the discussion I recounted how when I was a teenager I found a book at my local library that told the account of how a Roman force encountered a dragon, fought with it and slew it at great cost, and sent its corpse back to Rome as a trophy. Of course my friend wanted to read about this account, so I tracked it down.

During one of the Punic wars, the wars between Rome and Carthage one Marcus Atilius Regulus was sent to Africa with a large force to deal with the forces of Carthage, but he and his force encountered a wholly different foe,

“Regulus and his army had landed on Cap Bon, the promontory which extends from just south of Carthage, in a north-easterly direction, towards Sicily. From there, they marched towards Carthage, which took them through hostile territory, thanks both to enemy settlements as well as the natural environment. It also forced them to march across the river Bagradas (the modern Medjerda River). It was here that they met with their enigmatic enemy.

Our oldest source for this event comes to us second hand, as a fragment, from Aulus Gellius, who copied the version of Quintus Aelius Tubero (NA 7.3). Tubero was writing in the late first century BC, while Gellius’ Attic Nights was assembled in the second century AD.

According to Tubero (source):

The consul Atilius Regulus, when encamped at the Bagradas river in Africa, fought a stubborn and fierce battle with a single serpent of extraordinary size, which had its lair in that region; that in a might struggle with the entire army the reptile was attacked for a long time with hurling engines and catapults; and that when it was finally killed, its skin, a hundred and twenty feet long, was sent to Rome.

The next earliest version of the story we have is brief in the extreme, and comes from the Periochae of Livy, summaries of the books of his Ab Urbe Condita written between the second and fourth centuries AD. Livy’s flourish, however, was the end of the first century BC through to about AD 17, placing the original source material earlier than other mentions of the incident.

In this work, we hear for Book 18 that “in Africa, Atilius Regulus killed an unnaturally enormous serpent with significant losses to his forces” (transl. Jane D. Chaplin).”[i]

The Greek accounts note that this was a dragon, of some variety. Of course, this is the response of many modern thinkers, “It should be obvious that whatever the Romans encountered was not a dragon.”[ii] But this is by no means an obvious assumption.

Of course, if you assume dragons are mythical creatures, that could never have lived with man, then of course this is a mythical or exaggerated account. However, if you believe that mankind lived alongside God’s other creations from the beginning, then this story is not only not a problem, it sounds relatively familiar and consistent with a different account. Note what we read in the book of Job,

“¹⁵ Behold, Behemoth,
    which I made as I made you;
    he eats grass like an ox.
¹⁶ Behold, his strength in his loins,
    and his power in the muscles of his belly.
¹⁷ He makes his tail stiff like a cedar;
    the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
¹⁸ His bones are tubes of bronze,
    his limbs like bars of iron.

¹⁹ “He is the first of the works of God;
    let him who made him bring near his sword!
²⁰ For the mountains yield food for him
    where all the wild beasts play.
²¹ Under the lotus plants he lies,
    in the shelter of the reeds and in the marsh.
²² For his shade the lotus trees cover him;
    the willows of the brook surround him.
²³ Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened;
    he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.
²⁴ Can one take him by his eyes,
    or pierce his nose with a snare?

41 “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook
    or press down his tongue with a cord?
² Can you put a rope in his nose
    or pierce his jaw with a hook?
³ Will he make many pleas to you?
    Will he speak to you soft words?
⁴ Will he make a covenant with you
    to take him for your servant forever?
⁵ Will you play with him as with a bird,
    or will you put him on a leash for your girls?
⁶ Will traders bargain over him?
    Will they divide him up among the merchants?
⁷ Can you fill his skin with harpoons
    or his head with fishing spears?
⁸ Lay your hands on him;
    remember the battle—you will not do it again!” (Job 40:15-41:8).

The book of Job recounts how these fantastical beasts guard the waterways and are terrifying to battle with. If you attempt battle with them, “You will not do it again!” we read.

Such accounts of large “serpents” or dragons exist all throughout history. They are written about in all ancient cultures, they are incredibly consistent, and match many observations about the habitats and sizes of known dinosaurs. I encourage you to read Dragon’s or Dinosaurs by Darek Isaacs if you want a good summary of these accounts, including the many references to dragons in the Bible.

There are 34 references to dragons in the KJV version of the Bible. There are countless references to them in history. But think about this, we have an actual account of a Roman legion doing battle with a dragon of some kind. How awesome is that?

I encourage you to explore this topic more, you will both be encouraged about the truth of the Scriptures, and also see that there is a whole wealth of information out there about a topic many Christians are not aware of: that man once walked, ran and fought with dinosaurs. We just called them something else.

 

References

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[i] Joshua Hall, 2018, Regulus and the Bagradas Dragon

https://www.joshobrouwers.com/articles/regulus-bagradas-dragon/

[ii] Ibid.

Dealing With Emotionally Unhealthy People

 

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The key to handling emotionally unhealthy people in your life, no matter in what context, is boundaries. You rarely need to cut such people out. In fact, I would recommend in most cases you shouldn't. If you are a Christian, it is usually best to keep a door ajar for that person, in some limited capacity. Though of course, there are people who are so dangerous to your health or mental health that you need to cut them out.  

But in most cases, all you need to do is maintain strong boundaries about when they can see you, how they can see you, and what they can speak about with you. If you do this simple thing, they will usually cut themselves out of your life.

Why?

Because unhealthy people do not have good boundaries, and they expect other people to be the same way. They will interpret you asserting your boundaries as an attack on them, almost every time. They will take it as a personal slight, and that you don’t care about them enough, or you aren’t willing to do things their way. And believe me you shouldn’t do things their way. If you do, they will seek to rule over you.

On the other side, if you see someone asserting their boundaries, affirm them in that and respect those boundaries. Chances are it will grow their respect for you, and you will have a better chance of having a good friendship or good fellowship with them. You want people in your life to have good boundaries, because such people will add to your life in various positive ways.

Boundaries are a good thing. Anyone who tells you that you need to change your boundaries to suit them, is someone who is only going to cause grief in your life. You don’t need to cut them out, if you stand firm, they will often do it for you. Sometimes, they will come around and work within your boundaries. Either way you have maintained more peace and joy, than you would have gotten by giving in just for momentary peace.

Someone you trust or respect might challenge one of your personal boundaries on a matter of principle, and it is sometimes wise to hear this and consider it. But if they are doing this because it benefits them, then you will be making a big mistake to capitulate to them. If, however, they are a respected person and they are challenging you on an issue as neutral third party, you may want to think about this, and meditate about whether you need to work on a certain issue yourself. But don’t capitulate to those who are seeking to change your boundaries for their benefit. You will regret it, because they will take that as a sign that your other boundaries can be trampled. Assert your boundaries without guilt. Life has enough trouble, without allowing unhealthy people to run rampant over you. 

Those Denying the Bible

 

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Another paragraph from a book I am writing,

"I cannot stress this enough. So many Christians are in amazement at how much the Church has capitulated to worldly social issues in recent years, and they wonder how could this have happened? It is simple, they believed a very subtle lie, that the Bible is true, but essentially out of date in its view on things like sexuality, gender roles and many other issues. Note, this lie affirms the truth of the Scriptures, but then removes the Bible from modern consideration anyway. It becomes just one of many opinions, and the least popular opinion in this modern age. But let me say this again, if you are going to defend yourself, your family, your church, or nation from the schemes of the evil one, the Bible is the most important basis of this strategy. It’s not a source text, it’s THE source text.”

A lot of people who reject the Bible's teaching will tell you they believe what it says. They just do not believe what it says means anything for them today, on a host of issues. This amounts to a creative way of saying that the Bible is wrong, and the effect is just as damaging to the church as denying the Bible is God’s word.

In fact, it would be fair to say that those who just reject the Bible outright are more honest in their views, and definitely more consistent for doing so and living like it does not matter.

If the Church wants to get back on track, it has a lot of repenting to do.

Redemption Is Not A One Off

 

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Redemption is not a one off. Sometimes God has to let his people re-experience the hardship caused by their sins, so that they might truly understand what it means to be redeemed.

Micah tells us,

“10 Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion,
    like a woman in labor,
for now you shall go out from the city
    and dwell in the open country;
    you shall go to Babylon.
There you shall be rescued;
    there the Lord will redeem you
    from the hand of your enemies” (Micah 4:10).

Micah is warning the people of Judah that they will go into exile in Babylon. They shall again be under the power of another nation, they shall again wander in the wilderness, on the journey to Babylon, and they will be banished to a foreign land where people speak a strange language and worship foreign gods, just like they were in Egypt. There they will be under the power of others, second class citizens, removed from their beloved home, and from their heritage and legacy in the land.

But Micah also notes this, “There you shall be rescued.” God is going to bring them back out of Babylon, he will rescue them and redeem them. But I cannot help but note that this line “there you shall be rescued” can be taken another way. How is that?

Well, there they shall be retaught the importance of following God’s law, of honouring their neighbour, of enacting justice, of practicing righteousness and living as the people God has called them to live. They will be disciplined in Babylon and made new. The experience will refine them and make them closer to the image God had ordained for them to reflect. “There you shall be rescued.”

The discipline of the Lord is as surely a part of our being rescued as the rescue from our troubles itself. Troubles help us cling closer to God. Troubles drive us into his arms and remind us to call on him all the more. Troubles are necessary to protect us from arrogance and wandering, so that we question ourselves and drive closer to God. God disciplines those he loves, so when troubles come do not be disheartened.  

Redemption is a one off in the sense that Jesus paid for our sins once, on the cross. That is a fact. But it is not a one off in the sense that in other ways God has to rescue is, a.k.a. redeem us, from many troubles in our lives. Sometimes of our own making, sometimes caused by the sins or evil of others. But either way, we are in constant need of being reminded how much we need to rely on God in faith and live as he would call us to live. And if we forget that, and you are truly the Lord’s, he will rescue you through trouble, so that you remember it even better in the future.

Right Wing Comedy Rising

 

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For many years there it appeared that the progressives or the left had a lock on the comedy scene. And if not them, at least the old school liberals appeared to. Going back ten or so years ago the late night comedy shows were entertaining to watch, if a little bit uncomfortable if you had conservative or right-wing views. It is not that there were not things that the right could lampoon, it just did not appear to be happening very much.

But the progressive victory over academia, media, politics and much of culture has meant that they have started to become arrogant in their approach to power and this has created an opening for right wing comedians to be anti-establishment. And so over the last few years right-wing comedians have started to rise again. 

Here is an example I was shown just today:

 Pro-Life Comedy in London (full version) | Nicholas De Santo

I know almost nothing about this comedian, I only encountered him for the first time today. I just know that this comedy spot is mint. It is very well done, and it brilliantly uses humour to prove a very important point: the modern West has become the evil they once purported to stand against.

He's not the only right-wing comedian out there, though it is understandable why he might think he is. 

Enjoy, and may the rising tide of right-wing humour continue. 

Woe To The Land Hoarders

 

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"You drive the price of rents up so that humble people are cast out onto the streets,

You store up your wealth for your latter days, having no concern for those in need now,

You shake hands with those who pass policies protecting your wealth, at the expense of those who have naught."

That is not from the Bible, I wrote that, but this is from the Bible:

"1 Woe to those who devise wickedness
and work evil on their beds!
When the morning dawns, they perform it,
because it is in the power of their hand.
2 They covet fields and seize them,
and houses, and take them away;
they oppress a man and his house,
a man and his inheritance.
3 Therefore thus says the Lord:
behold, against this family I am devising disaster,
from which you cannot remove your necks,
and you shall not walk haughtily,
for it will be a time of disaster.
4 In that day they shall take up a taunt song against you
and moan bitterly,
and say, “We are utterly ruined;
he changes the portion of my people;
how he removes it from me!
To an apostate he allots our fields.”
5 Therefore you will have none to cast the line by lot
in the assembly of the Lord.
6 “Do not preach”—thus they preach—
“one should not preach of such things;
disgrace will not overtake us.”
7 Should this be said, O house of Jacob?
Has the Lord grown impatient?
Are these his deeds?
Do not my words do good
to him who walks uprightly?
8 But lately my people have risen up as an enemy;
you strip the rich robe from those who pass by trustingly
with no thought of war.
9 The women of my people you drive out
from their delightful houses;
from their young children you take away
my splendor forever."

Micah 2:1-9

Doesn't sound very different to our day does it?

It is in our power* to stop the rising homelessness, and bring house prices and rents back into the reach of the ordinary hard working family man, and the young renting couple, and the new recent uni-graduate just starting their career. It is in our power, but it is not in the will of our leaders or the most affluent and influential of our people. So-sad-too-bad is the attitude.

So, to was it the attitude of Israel in its latter years before the exile. And their nation suffered decline and defeat as a result. What makes us think we are so special God would let us get away with what he disapproved of in his own people?  

* By power, I mean the government has the theoretical political power to do something and the population has the theoretical political influence through lobbying and voting to demand something is done, but neither is interested or really willing to use that power or influence justly. We are apathetic.

What Created Western Civilisation?

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A couple of days ago I wrote a piece for my blog titled: What Ended Western Civilisation? I hypothesized about what some future historians would surmise were the chief causes of the decline of the West. But this time I want people to consider something else, what created western civilisation.

It was a combination of things:

-        The legacy of Greek Philosophy and Roman Law,

-        With the nations of Europe,

-        Combined with Christianity.

These three pillars are what made the West. None of these three alone were sufficient, all three of them together were necessary.

But I’d also like to note something else. Christianity is not just responsible for helping create Western civilisation, it is also responsible for creating the nations of Europe and giving them their sense of national, rather than simply tribal, identity.

Here is a good example of how this came about shared on the Kings and General’s channel: How the Norse Became Christian. This video gives a brief summary of how Christianity made the Scandinavian nations. Note how much the commentator emphasizes how Christianity helped make entire nations understand their national identity.

There is a wicked trend in the church today for many Christian intellectuals to say that nationalism is in opposition to Christianity. But the remarkable thing about this comment is that it shows how ignorant many Christian thinkers are of how Christianity helped the nations of Europe understand their national identities.

This happened in similar ways across the West. Missionaries would move into a pagan area, share the gospel with leaders of nations, kings and nobles, and once converted these kings and nobles would lend their power to the conversion of their peoples, as much as was possible. Within a few generations these nations were then centering their understanding of their identity around the Lord Jesus Christ. In this process entire peoples would come to understand their shared heritage and identity, and entire nations, such as Denmark and Norway, among many others, were formed.

A good example of how this would happen is that once a Church network had established itself in a nation, the church would begin the task of translating the Bible into the dominant local language of the people. This happened across the West.

Modern Protestant missionaries and Bible translators tend to practice a rather inefficient policy of seeking to translate the Bible into the heart language of every tribal group they can come into contact with. You may have heard such advocates talk about how there are so-many thousands of unreached people groups with no bible in their language. What they are referring to here is the existence of tiny tribal groups with variations of languages often related to other localized tribal languages. These Protestants will then seek to devote time and resources to getting a Bible to every single one of these small tribal groups. This takes a lot of time and energy, and has to be repeated for every one of these tribal groups.

The medieval church took a far wiser approach. They would tend to translate the Bible into the dominant language of an entire collection of tribes, say in Norway, or Bulgaria, or Russia. Then they would teach the leading men of these peoples to read and write this language, along with Latin or Greek, and this would have the effect of within a whole generation or two an entire nation was forged with a shared identity around Christ, the Church, and their shared national language. This was a far more successful way of bringing nations to Christ. It reached more people at a faster rate, and had the side effect of helping forge national identities across Europe.

Of course, nations and national identities existed before Christianity, but Christianity helped many nations to formalize their national identities and expressions. Which is really fitting because it is God who created the nations, and therefore, it makes sense that his Church would help formerly pagan nations assert their identities.

Many Protestants will have some issues with some of the strategies of the early Church around converting nations. But it must be said that the medieval church had a far better record of converting nations, than the modern Protestant Church. This is just a fact, and therefore we should learn from these aspects of their strategy which are consistent with God’s word.

Nationalism is not only not in opposition to Christianity. Christianity made itself a servant of the nationalist spirit again and again in the past in order to direct peoples, as nations, to place themselves in submission to Christ. This is the end goal of Christian Nationalism; that nations would lift up the glory of Christ, the Kings of Kings, as supreme. This is also a key pillar of authentic western civilisation.