If history repeats itself I'm so getting a dinosaur!

"If history repeats itself I'm so getting a dinosaur!"

I vaguely remember my history classes in High School.  What I remember most was that it involved memorizing a lot of meaningless dates and names for the test just so I could forget them as soon as possible.  Plus, it always seemed like my history classes were held in the afternoon, in classes that were a little dim and warm, therefor making me very sleepy (as all teenagers are).  Do I need to tell you that I only took the minimally  required history classes?  In my mind history = boring.

"If you don't know history, then you don't know anything.  You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree."

"If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday."

Now, fast forward to this year, 2013.  And, I have to say my viewpoint of history is changing.  Maybe I'm just getting older, maybe I have a little more time to breathe and ponder things than I used too.  Maybe, they just started coming out with some good historical movies that I enjoyed and those movies caused some long forgotten synapses in my brain to suddenly fire up.  Who knows?

I believe some of my renewed (or new found) interest has been a direct result of some of the experiences I have had this year.

Yesterday, in our church we had a guest speaker. Rabi Jeff Friedman has started an outreach entitled Jacob's Hope that provides Humanitarian Aid to the Jewish population all over the world.  I love his ministry, but what really struck me yesterday as he was speaking, was the way he spoke about the Biblical historical importance of the Jewish nation to modern Christianity and how it all ties together.    His insight and knowledge gave me a deeper understanding of some scriptures that I had read many times before.  But you see, when I read those verses, I didn't understand or have knowledge of the historical references, and therefore I only half understood what I was reading.  Does that make sense?  You see, understanding the historical cultural meaning was an important key to understanding fully what I was reading.  The study of history brings understanding.

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won.  There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall.  This of it-- always."

While walking through the ruins at Ephesus this summer I had another moment where I felt I could fully comprehend something I had only read about .  Our guide did a great job of explaining the importance the city of Ephesus played in history in general, and specifically in the new Testament.  Ok-  here's a little history about this city, hopefully it's not too boring for you. Ephesus had a population of roughly 300,000, it was the chief commercial city of the province, the gateway to Asia, and was considered to be the fourth greatest city in the world during New Testament times.

Library of Celsus and Gates of Mazaeus & Mithridates, Ephesus

Theater where Paul is said to have preached.  Still used today.  Ephesus

Temple of Hadrian in honor of Emperor Hadrian,  Ephesus

Commercial Agora, Ephesus

Mosaic Floor, Ephesus

Terrace Houses of the wealthy Ephesians, Ephesus

Tribute to the goddess Nike- the goddess of victory,  and yes, this is where the famous Nike swish comes from.  Ephesus

Ephesus

The city's patron goddess was Artemis.  The city had a whole industry built around the worship of Artemis--silversmiths and craftsmen made a lot of money by selling Artemis souvenirs and items to offer in sacrifice to the worship of the goddess.  There were places that sold food to those who came to visit the temple. And so on and so on.  You get it, Artemis worship was big business.  Then  along comes Paul and he begins to convert the worshipers to Christianity.  He was imprisoned for his efforts.    John also went to Ephesus to preach and spread the gospel. He spent some time in exile on the island of Patmos.  There is some debate about whether or not Mary, the mother of Jesus accompanied him there.  Timothy also spent time in Ephesus. Many parts of the New Testament were written in Ephesus.

Ephesus was important for a number of reasons.  It was the gateway city to Asia-- the perfect place to begin to spread the gospel to other parts of the earth.  Ephesus was also a place where one of the earliest revivals in history took place.  But even in places of great revival, there were hardships and pain that those preaching the gospel endured. Just walking down those same streets, gave me a deeper understanding and appreciation for those apostles who went there.   The study of history brings appreciation.

"To forget one's ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root."

"When our hearts turn to our ancestors, something changes inside us.  We feel part of something greater than ourselves."

And finally, we had two very unique opportunities to re-connect and discover parts of my sons heritage this summer.

While on a short weekend trip to Washington D.C., we took a side trip to the Virginia Scottish Highland Games festival.  We enjoyed watching various people compete in traditional games, listened to traditional Scottish bagpipe music, and we were able to talk with an historian who shed some light on the history of the Clan Clark.

We also visited Italy this summer.  What an amazing country.  We were able to view a large portion of the amazing artwork produced by some of the finest artists in history in places like Rome and Florence.  We were able to learn about modern Christianity's growth and influence in places like Rome and the Vatican City.  We enjoyed the amazing food and cultural ambience in places like Venice, the Amalfi Coast, and Capri.  It was a pleasure to sit back and listen to the language of our Benintendi ancestors.

We had a fantastic dinner here, Venice

Florence

St. Peter's, Vatican

Sorrento

Both of these experiences helped us to more closely connect to our family history.  History brings connection.

"Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it."

"Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.  That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history."

"To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic.  It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, and kindness."

So, what have I learned from history?  I have learned that in order to fully comprehend a thought or an idea, I need to understand the context in which it was written.  By that I mean, who wrote it, what was happening at the time, how does this affect future thoughts or actions., etc...  I am learning to appreciate what those before me have endured so that I might have the freedoms I do today.  I have learned how to avoid making some mistakes by looking at the mistakes made by those in the past.  I have learned that my choices have far reaching ripple effects that can continue to cause motion for generations of those who follow me.  History helps me to remember that everyone is human and that everyone makes human mistakes.

So in all, I'm learning more and more to appreciate and embrace the importance of heritage and history in my life.  What was once a boring school subject has now turned into something applicable in my life.  I can learn much about myself, about how to make good choices, about how my choices affect others, through a study of history.

So my continued challenge and my challenge to you is to passionately study history, not the dates and times, so much as the stories of those who lived it.  Discover what you can learn.  And then, apply those lessons to your life.  And maybe, just maybe, you'll begin to develop, if not a love for, at least a deep appreciation for, the lessons of history.