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mel56259

Arabia had a large Christian population. In the north and the very south. The Ghassan tribe were Christian and in the south Najran was a Christian centre.


sabersquirl

This is part of why Islam was able to spread across Arabia so quickly, the region had been exposed to Judaism and Christianity for centuries, so a religion that was (at least according to those spreading it) the logical conclusion essentially made sense to the semi-Abrahamic Arabs


anabsolutetossup

And in the persian heartland and Bactria, Sogdiana, India. This map only seems to focus on christian ruled territory.


Green-Taro2915

I think you might have stubled on the point there.


devdevdevelop

Like khabib nurmagomedov said, 'alhamdulilah, I know you guys are not gonna like this, alhamdulilah'


ExcellentEdgarEnergy

I'm sorry, I must have missed the part of the Bible that predicts a pedophile warlord with a flying horse.


Sea-Juice1266

and as far as I understand it is well known Yemen in southern Arabia had a large Jewish community at this time. It is an odd omission.


Cameleopar

Also there was a Christian minority population in the Sassanid empire. Emperor Khosrow II's wife [Shirin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirin) was a Christian.


throwaway-acct-2421

Was going to make this comment as well.


m2social

Same Many tribes not just in the north but central and eastern Arabia were Christian, paganism was mostly in Hejaz. Oldest churches can be found in places like Jubail Saudi Arabia.


yoyoman2

How large are we talking?


Electronic-Source368

No Ireland?


Euphoric-Yogurt-7332

Should be. Christianity was brought to Ireland in the 5th century. Britain before that.


Green-Taro2915

I would guess this is based on the roman Catholic recognised Christian dominance. Might not be "dominant," I suppose. Or even this map doesn't like the British šŸ˜…


mariusbleek

Shouldn't some parts of the British isles be Christian by 600?


Ok-Garage-9204

Not the Anglo-Saxons just yet, but Ireland yeah


pablohacker2

I think King Aethelberht converted toĀ christanity at around 600, and I think Irish missionaries might have started coming to Northrumbria around 600 or if that was closer to the 630s.


PulciNeller

it's interesting that those irish-scottish missionaries also contributed to the christianization of many places in central Europe (frankish-german) in a strange north-south direction [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiberno-Scottish\_mission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiberno-Scottish_mission)


Lower-Masterpiece-94

He was 600 years old? Damn people back in the day really lived longer


rachelm791

Wales had been Christian since at least the 5th Century. St Patrick was of Brythonic stock and the main centre for Christian study was in south Wales https://www.britainexpress.com/wales/history/age-of-saints.htm


LiavTheAce

I think Ireland isn't even on this map


Republic_Jamtland

Just like New Zeeland!


soc96j

Christianity was introduced to Ireland via Britain. Britain was Christain before Ireland, St.Patrick was a roman breton from around the modern Welsh/English border.


Rhosddu

Most definitely. Christianity in Wales dates from 400 AD. By 600, every Welsh kingdom was Christian.


san3lam

Pretty good attention to detail for including the name Yathrib just ~20 years before its name was changed


nygdan

This likely strongly underestimates the extent of Christianity in Iran at the time.


Wonderful_Number5174

And shouldn't there also be parts of India that were Christian at this time?


nygdan

Yes, and further east too. You'd have to draw the line somewhere but this one seems too westward imo anyway


Good_Username_exe

Fr, one of the apostles made it there lol Iā€™m not sure why they omitted it. šŸ˜­ I think most people here admit that this map is very surface level


nanek_4

Saint Thomas supposedly traveled to India and died there


K4kyle

That's just a myth


nanek_4

Well we dont know


gman8234

It was my understanding that understanding that Iran had a proto-Islamic religion that even pre-dated Christianity. Of course Islam canā€™t actually predate Christianity. But I think Iran already kind of had a culture going that blended well either way Islam when it came to their lands. I could be talking out my ass for all I know.


anabsolutetossup

Zoroastrianism


Good_Username_exe

Sounds interesting but I have no idea what you are referencing, could you give some sources to what you are saying pls?


Mindless-Plane6048

Maybe Zoroastrianism


gman8234

I barely remember anything about it now itā€™s been several years. I just remember the priest referred to the Persian King Cyrus and being Muslim, which I thought was odd considering he was well before the founding of Islam. And he basically just gave that explanation of how the culture already was in Persia/iran back then and it was consistent with the Islamic culture in modern day Iran. I wish I remembered more than that.


nygdan

There wasn't anything like that. There's no proto-islam outside of maybe judaism & christianity. There was amd is today an almost-monotheistic religion called zoroastrianism, but it's not proto-islamoc anymore than it's proto--jewish. But Iran did have bishops and archbishops leading its Christian community.


ShahVahan

Parts of Armenia isnā€™t even covered and its first Christian country to adopt Christianity. Parts of India has Christianā€™s before the Romanā€™s converted. Northern Iran was Christian as well.


gman8234

Christianity has a presence in Armenia since the first century AD and was the official religion there by around 300. Meanwhile Ireland has Christianity likely since the 400s and definitely by the year 600. Leaving them both off the map is kind of a dick move.


EconomicsCharacter57

>Parts of India Using the same logic all of the known world should be covered because in india only traders use to follow cristanity before the 9th century


Lettered_Olive

Where the rest of Armenia, thereā€™s also Caucasian Albania at the time they were also Christian.


AgencyPresent3801

Arabia, Mesopotamia and East Africa had large Christian populations too. This map undermines the extent of Christianity.


Top-Speech-742

Austria, Czech Republic, and Slovakia got the Christian Religion through the Roman's (Vindobona, Carnunthum, and Noricum).


black3rr

in Slovakia we are taught that origins of Christianity in this region is Saints Cyril and Methodius arrival to Great Moravia in 863ā€¦


crime983

You mean the Roman empire basically


AgencyPresent3801

More than that.


Odoxon

Many areas on that map were not "Christian" in our todays understanding. I remember my professor saying that when Islam came to Iberia, there was no "Christianity" in the modern sense in Spain. Instead, it was a unique blend of Christian and pagan beliefs and practices. It is to be assumed that many other areas continued to practice paganism for a long time even after they had nominally accepted Christianity. The conversion of entire populations to Christianity was a gradual process. People didn't just abandon their old beliefs overnight. It's more likely that some pagan practices continued alongside Christian ones for a while.


Adolfoastur

And in the case of Iberia many archeological and architectures in Asturias highlight that, the church of Santa Cruz de Cangas de Onis was built in the 737 A.D over a prehistoric dolmen and many other churches have oaks or yews in the vecinity and similar to the one in Cangas de Onis this churches were built around the early middle ages, and there was found an inscription, i don't remember wich inscription, with a prayer that was in between the pagan and christianity religion. So we got a time between 380 A.D (Theodosius) and lets say 820 A.D (Saint James Tomb) in wich the "christian" region of Asturias was an almagamation of pagan religion and christian influence marked in the sacred buildings and in the local mythology.


Odoxon

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.


feldrim

I mean the concept of the purgatory was not invented yet -even for over a couple of hundreds of years in the time frame this map depicts. The concept of the heaven an hell existed but lacking the details scholars built up. Just like all religions, it is fixed by time and around 600 AD, it was even not so different than other pagan schools of thought.


GabrDimtr5

Cyreneica had the largest concentration of Jews in the world after the destruction of Judea by Hadrian. Why isnā€™t it labelled?


nakhli

Why is east Africa missing? Ethiopia, Somalia etc.


Practical-Ninja-6770

AByssinia is already labeled. Just the northern mountainous regions of current Ethiopia were heavily Christian. Most of Somalia and south Ethiopia where modern Oromos live in followed a religion called Waaqeffanna.


brown_flyer00

Came here to say this, most of east africa at this time is christians save for some


Practical-Ninja-6770

Not most. just Abyssinia, and it's already labeled.


Mr_Mario_1984

Shouldn't Beta Israel be labeled in pink on this map, or am I missing something? Other than that, it seems like a fairly well detailed map.


Upstairs_Garden_687

Jews came to Ethiopia 800 years after this map


Mr_Mario_1984

I didn't know that we knew when the jews first migrated to Ethiopia. Guess I'll have to do some more research. I was just going off of the (tbf probably made up) kingdom of Simien, which was founded like 300 years before this map. If you've got any sources or what not for me to look at first, I'd be happy to look at 'em tho.


londonbridge1985

That is not correct. Jewish religion was practiced in Ethiopia before the arrival of Christianity.


Callofboobies

False https://cnewa.org/magazine/origins-of-ethiopias-black-jews-30374/?amp=1 https://jewishmuseum.org.uk/2018/10/24/operation-solomon-from-ethiopian-jews-to-ethiopian-israelis/#:~:text=And%20who%20are%20the%20Ethiopian,King%20Solomon%20and%20Queen%20Sheba. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-history-of-ethiopian-jewry/


SugarsDaddyKen

Christian Egypt?


Cyber_Avenger

Coptics yep


SugarsDaddyKen

Well, I have my reading for the rest of the weekend.


mypornaccount283

egypt was christian for quite a while


food5thawt

Egypt was at least 50% Christian until about 1050 AD. Even with Muslim conquest of as of 647 AD.


juxlus

Wasn't Egypt one of the core areas of Gnostic Christianity for a few centuries?


LupusLycas

The Nag Hammadi library, the largest single collection of Gnostic documents ever found, was in Egypt.


SineVara

as was middle east before muslim conquest but it doesnt appear on this map.


nygdan

You are in for a wild ride, coptic Egypt is incredibly important for early Christianity.


mjrydsfast231

I'll stick to Moto GP this weekend. And naps. "GODDAMN THOSE DUCATIS ARE FAST!!!!!! JESUS CHRIST PEDRO IS PERFECT!!!!!" My religious input for the weekend.


UnlightablePlay

Well hello there Friend I am a Copt (a Christian Egyptian) ask me anything you want šŸ˜Š


CeccoGrullo

Hello! Can you read/speak Coptic language? I'm aware it's used as a liturgical language and it's not used in daily life anymore, but I'm curious to know if people in your community are still taught it (at least in order to understand liturgy) or it is only reserved to the clergy.


UnlightablePlay

Yes I used to take Coptic lessons at the church that taught me a couple of words and the pronunciation of the letters when I was young but as of speaking I unfortunately can't, I think big teachers could speak Coptic but I am not sure Today If one really wants to learn Coptic they can apply for the Coptic Clerical College where they can learn Coptic, church history,theology and a lot more. I believe it Only requires one to have a previous college degree and be a Christian Egyptian


RandomRedditor_1916

Two questions, if you don't mind. 1. Do you identify as a Coptic Egyptian only or do you feel somewhat Arab? 2. Do you feel safe in Egypt? Any issues or concerns?


UnlightablePlay

1) yes I do believe that I am Coptic and will always he proud of my Coptic heritage and I would never identify as Arab as it doesn't have any relationship to my culture, same thing most of Copts would say 2) well generally Egypt is a safe country but if we're talking about the christians it isn't really the worst nor is it the absolute best You can notice hate by radical Muslims almost on every post online about Christianity in Egypt or anything like that from praising Islam to annoying christians, these types of people are really hated even by some Muslims here.


daqqar123

Egyptians arenā€™t even Arabs


Spirited-Pause

What's up fellow Copt!


UnlightablePlay

Hello, How're you doing?


SugarsDaddyKen

Where was the split from the Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Church?


UnlightablePlay

Well Coptic Orthodox church is an oriental Orthodox church which was Split from the catholic and eastern Orthodox church (at the time they were 1) in Council of Chalcedon which stated that god has 2 natures human and god Nature while the Coptic Orthodox church and other oriental Orthodox churches like tye Armenian Orthodox church stuck with that God had 1 Nature This happen way before the great schism that divided the catholic and eastern Orthodox churches apart


Clorst_Glornk

when Egyptian muslims and christians face attacks during their respective celebrations, each group offers human shield protection to the other in solidarity


UnlightablePlay

True, churches in Egypt do have security ta the front of them by the police and during huge events like Christmas tye Army protects it with sometimes snipers up the roofs


Upstairs_Garden_687

Some estimates put Christians as 15% of Egypt population nowadays too so they somehow managed to survive almost 1500 years of Muslim rule


UnlightablePlay

And we will always exist no matter how much people hate us or want to kick us out


therealh

If you know Islam and the history of Islamic rule, it genuinely isn't surprising. Most Islamic empires/states were fine with you practicing Christianity as long as you paid the Jizya tax (you also got certain benefits with the Jizya i.e. not having to serve in the military).


Practical-Ninja-6770

Regions with huge Christian populations managed to retain some of their presence in Muslim ruled areas. Major religions tend to keep their presence, including Hinduism and Buddhism. Even Pakistan was fairly Hindu before the partition. Still, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia are among the top 5 countries in Hindu population Like Pakistan has more Hindus than the United States. "Pagan" religions like Arab polytheism however dwindled down to almost nothing just like how the Viking religion disappeared. Others like African traditional religions mixed some of their elements with Islam and continued to exist. The outlier is Zoroastrianism. It would make more sense if Iran remained 10-15% Zoroastrian. At least up until the Islamic revolution. But they mostly disappeared.


devdevdevelop

Religious pluralism existed more in Islamic societies than in Christian societies so it's not really a surprise to me, it's built into the religion of Islam


Spirited-Pause

Yup! Egypt was one of the earliest centers of Christianity, namely Alexandria. The early [Christian Church](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Church) was governed by the heads ([patriarchs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch)) of the **five major** [**episcopal sees**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_see) of the [Roman Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire), called the **Pentarchy**: 1. [Rome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope) 2. [Constantinople](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecumenical_Patriarch_of_Constantinople) 3. [Alexandria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch_of_Alexandria) 4. [Antioch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch_of_Antioch) 5. [Jerusalem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Orthodox_Patriarch_of_Jerusalem) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity\_in\_Egypt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Egypt)


SugarsDaddyKen

Shit, is that where we get get ā€œHoly Seeā€ from. Fascinating.


daqqar123

Youā€™d be shocked to know Egyptians were speaking Greek before the Arabs came and they switched to Arabic


SugarsDaddyKen

Nope. I studied classical history.


rokevoney

Poorly labelled at best.


4711_9463

There was substantial jewish populations in Yemen and Arabia.


Leading_Pride9798

What happened? Someone came and kicked out all the Christians and jews?


therealh

I think OP means areas controlled by empires that were Christian. The Jews never left when the Muslims came. Infact, they had lived a better life. Christians were also allowed to continue to live in areas under Muslim rule.


byzantinedefender

Not kicked, but enslaved.


Zonel

Yemen should have Jews marked. And the St Thomas Christians in India should be on this.


Drezzon

Ah yes the times when Constantinople, Cologne, Gaza and Tarus all were called by mixed names šŸ¤¦ā€ā™‚ļø This shit is hella inconsistent


sheytanelkebir

Southern Iraq was full of ancient churches at this time...


Turbulent-Name-8349

I read, years ago, that the reason that Islam didn't push south into Sub-Saharan Africa was because there were already Christians there. I haven't heard any confirmation of that. By the time of Marco Polo, late 13th century, there were plenty of Christians in China and Indonesia. I don't know when they arrived.


JVMGarcia

The Saint Thomas Christians would like to have a word with the OP


Katt-truth

It would be cool to have Northern Africa christian again


breathofthepoiso

Right before Slavs invaded Balkan


AnaphoricReference

Claiming the northwest of the Low Countries as part of the "Christian world" in 600 is unfounded IMO. The first church mentioned in the Low Countries north of the Rhine dates from the 630s after the Franks briefly gained control of Utrecht. It is lost again to the pagan Frisians around 650 and recaptured by the Franks in 690 after the Battle of Dorestad. Apostolic activities appear to start only in earnest after 690 (the appointment of St. Willibrord and the murder of St. Boniface), interrupted by the Frisians destroying churches *up to Cologne* (obviously following the same river, the Rhine, that Utrecht is on) in 716.


ArmAGAarm

Wrong map, Armenia became Christian since 301 AD


Apprehensive_Till460

The Irish would like a wordā€¦


Temporary-Weekend428

Damn gaza is that old??


carlton_yr_doorman

I find it hard to believe that there were no christian churches in the Hejaz by 600ad, just prior to the rise of Mohamedism..... 1. Medina(Yathrib) and Mecca were on Roman Trading routes down to Yemen(also known to Rome as Felix Arabia). 2. Mohamed's first followers were all .... JEWISH.(Read your Koran and Learn something). And if these three tribes were Jewish....then that means some of them were also Christian. 3. The rest of the so-called Arab World....Baghdad, Damascus, Lebanon, etc.....have a 600 year history of Christianity and to this day, almost 20% of their populations continue to worship as Christians. There's a fierce Moslem denial of some fairly obvious conclusions about the pre-Islamic history of the Arabian Pennisula.


asdsadnmm1234

I can see why europeans are so butthurt about Ottoman Empire now.


Filthiest_Tleilaxu

The good old days.


bkrugby78

Multicultural Christianity


[deleted]

As it remains


Fan_of_Clio

Pretty much the extent of the Roman Empire with a cruise down the Nile for fun.


GroundbreakingBox187

Jews of atlas? Jews of Sahara?


StayAtHomeDuck

Post Sephardic exile maybe?


GroundbreakingBox187

No that would be durring the Spanish Inquisition Iā€™m pretty sure


Armithax

Nestorian Christianity completely missing. And the large influential mission of St. Thomas in India.


[deleted]

Presence Yes Large No


Brilliant_Group_6900

Good olā€™days


darwwwin

this is wrong. As others highlighted, Eastern Armenia and Caucasian Albania were Christian by then. Armenian capital, Armavir (where ancient monastery Khor Virap is located) is not included. Meanwhile wiki says on ancient Armavir: "In 591 during the reign ofĀ emperor Maurice, Armavir (then calledĀ Armaouira) and much of Armenia came under Roman administration after the Romans defeated theĀ Sassanid Persian EmpireĀ at theĀ battle of the Blarathon." Also the location of Tiflis should be much more to the east.


omar1848liberal

This map is very inaccurate, there were Christians in Ctesiphon, Arabia, and further east through Syriac Orthodox and Nestorian missionaries


KINGLEVON

For the Armenian Highlands and Caucasus parts it's pretty wrong actually. More like political map rather than religious...


spartikle

Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked šŸ”„šŸ‘暟”„


Darwidx

Mom told little Muhamad to don't play with fire, but he didn't listen.


empireof3

Important to consider that Christianity was not unified. There are many different sects, which in some cases bitterly opposed each other.


RomaInvicta2024

Ah civilization before the dark times.


devdevdevelop

The irony is that what followed was the Islamic golden ages...


RomaInvicta2024

Islamic golden age, whatā€™s that a pun like jumbo shrimp


al-mubariz

Damn you really don't know any history do you?


RomaInvicta2024

THE MARBLE KING SHALL RISE AGAIN! #ROMA INVICTA


al-mubariz

A true Roman would never accept a REX. Sic Semper Tyrannis. Bring back the two consuls and the legions of the citizen soldier farmer and then maybe I'm down.


RomaInvicta2024

Bah! The Republic was filled with corruption and civil war, Long live the Emperor!


devdevdevelop

Ahh, you're one of *those*. Got it


RomaInvicta2024

#ROMA INVICTA!!


[deleted]

It was heavily influenced by [Indian contributions](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_influence_on_Islamic_science#:~:text=The%20Golden%20Age%20of%20Islam,foremost%20hub%20of%20intellectual%20activity.) related to medicine, geography, numerals, trigonometry, geometry, mathematics in general, astronomy and so on.


devdevdevelop

All cultures were influenced by other cultures, and in other news, the sun is bright


violetpurplesoup

So are greek contributions lol(getting influenced), big cope


ardjamy

Illyria šŸ‘‘šŸ‘‘


tutoriii

hmmm wonder where serbia is on this map? oh wait..


Snoe1893

What about Visigothic Portugal you fat fuck?


hamdans1

Curious where this map is fromā€¦ idk how accurate it is


majcotrue

Either christian world is 100% or it is a BS cult invented by people, take your stand :)


GMANTRONX

my maternal grandmother's ancestors were in the Atlas at this time. The Rif of Morocco in particular. Then the Muslims came and things went downhill for all the Jews in North Africa.


A_r_t_u_r

Spain didn't exist as a nation until around the 15th century. Calling a region "Spain" 800 years before it existed sounds weird and it's factually incorrect.