Happy New Year!

Rosh Hashanah started two days ago (September 4, 2013)The year is 5774 20130

3761 B.C.5774

2013 B.C.

From Black Legend to…

Massachusetts Bay Colony Macedonia in the Time of Paul

Acts• The Acts of the Apostles (Ancient Greek: Πράξεις τῶν

Ἀποστόλων, Práxeis tôn Apostólōn; Latin: Acta Apostolorum), often referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age.

• Acts tells the story of the Early Christian church, with particular emphasis on the ministry of the apostles Simon Peter and Paul of Tarsus, who are the central figures of the middle and later chapters of the book. The early chapters, set in Jerusalem, discuss Jesus' Resurrection, his Ascension, the Day of Pentecost, and the start of the apostles' ministry. The later chapters discuss Paul's conversion, his ministry, and finally his arrest, imprisonment, and trip to Rome. A major theme of the book is the expansion of the Holy Spirit's work from the Jews, centering in Jerusalem, to the Gentiles throughout the Roman Empire.

Acts 16:9

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: There stood a man of Macedonia and prayed him, saying 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.‘

(The Macedonians were some of the first Christian converts in Europe)

The Original 17CMassachusetts Bay Colony Seal

The Puritan Fantasy

• Puritans claimed to have found naked men who greeted them with open arms, peaceably, with weapons exposed and arrows facing down.

• The “savage” pleads “share with us the good news of your savior, who will be our Lord. We have here an empty land, an Eden, yours for the taking.”

The Reality

• Perhaps as much as 90% of the native population may have died in the first few decades of English settlement

• Few colonists had time to preach to the Indians

• Some created “praying towns” for the Indians, but most were suspicious that the “converts” were just homeless, free-loaders looking for handouts in a time of chaos and dislocation

The Reality

• John Eliot (minister of Roxbury) in the 1650s and 1660s managed to convert several hundred Indians to Christianity. When he tried to preach to Philip (the Wampanoag chief), Philip ripped a button off Eliot’s coat, held it up before his eyes and told Eliot that he cared for his gospel just as much as he cared for that button.

War, Blood and Guts in the 17C

• The Powhatan Wars (Virginia)• The Pequot War (Connecticut)• King Phillip’s War (Massachusetts)

King (?) Philip (?)