The Rise of Constantinople
By Houston
September 19, 2016

The barbarians were fatal for the Western Roman Empire, so it was imminent that this massive empire would fall. The stunned people were melancholy because they had lost their land. Interestingly, some intrepid parts of the Eastern Roman Empire, which had a brilliant capital city called Constantinople, withstood the tenacious attacks of the barbarians: this was called the Byzantine Empire.

In 527, Justinian the Great, who wanted to restore the glory of the Roman Empire, rose to power. So, his resolved armies fought and recaptured some land that had been stolen. This emperor intently gathered Roman laws into the Justinian Code, which made all the laws around his kingdom the same. Justinian’s once desecrated and dilapidated empire flourished, and Constantinople became the most majestic city in the world.

Augustine the Tenacious
By Houston
September 26, 2016

Ambling along the bumpy, filthy cobblestone streets of Rome on a misty morning, Pope Gregory heard the rattling and clanking of chains, and the cruel screeching spewed forth from the traders. He witnessed the tears on the distraught, melancholy faces of the people on the blocks. The pope knew he had arrived in the fetid slave market.

The pope was stunned by something he saw: three slave boys, whose hair and skin were almost pure white. The intrigued, but bewildered pope sternly asked the slave traders from where the children came.

“They came from the island of Britain,” scoffed the traders. “They are called Anglo-Saxons.”

“No one should have to be a slave,” snapped the pope crossly, rebuking the slave traders for participating in the fatal business. “I’ll buy all three.”

He took the fatigued children home and kindly asked them about their land and their religion. Sadly, they didn’t know anything about God or the Bible.

Pope Gregory, who was downhearted, wanted to send missionaries to Southern England and asked Augustine to lead the massive effort. He and 40 monks, who were resolved to extol the virtues of Christianity, sailed to Britain. Upon arrival, they saw the king, who asked them why they were there.

“We are Christians,” Augustine intrepidly said, “and we’re here to tell your people about the Lord.”

The king generously acknowledged that they could live in Canterbury and preach. Many Anglo-Saxons were converted. In fact, on Christmas 597, Augustine baptized thousands. The pope sent more monks, who built churches all over Southern England. The pope also made the tenacious Augustine the Archbishop of Canterbury. Consequently, he is known as the Apostle of England.

An Eternally Remembered King
By Zeke
September 24, 2018

Gilgamesh, who was the king of Urek, was a strong and brave ruler, but he was not content. He crossed the stunning Euphrates River, enormous deserts, and climbed vastly huge cliffs to find the man who could tell him about the plant of life. Gilgamesh learned that the life-giving twig was in the sea, so he started the drastically long journey to find it to henceforth live forever.

On his boat, Gilgamesh could smell the salt from the ocean and saw a radiant glow in the water. He determinedly jumped in and grabbed the shrub, which was covered with prickly thorns. As the king was traveling home, he could feel the dripping sweat on his hairy body, sense the mist from a nearby river, and stopped to take a swim in a pond. He put the plant on a rock, but a slick slithering serpent sucked up the slimy shrub and shed its scary scales. Gilgamesh was in despair! He decided to go back to Urek.

Just then an eagle majestically swooped down and took Gilgamesh on his back, showing him the city he’d made great from the sky. The bird, who was wise and kind, said the king would not have eternal life, but that he would live forever in the hearts of his people.