Scholars have long been
intrigued by the similarities between Celtic religious traditions and those of
Egypt, Palestine and the lands of Asia Minor particularly Armenia. This
is the first comprehensive work to explore the fascinating and little-known connections
that enabled the Celts of Ireland and the western coast of Britain to remain in
constant communion with the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. Not just belief
systems, but art, literature and architecture show remarkable similarities in
the two regions. Despite the vast distances between these opposite ends of the
Christian world, extensive land and sea links were forged as a result of commerce
and the busy pilgrim routes to Rome and Jerusalem. Focusing on the 5th
to 9th centuries, a period when Europe underwent major demographic and social
upheavals, The Mediterranean Legacy provides a groundbreaking historical and cultural
insight into the secular and religious trends of the period and defines the key
role of Armenian Christianity in the development of the Celtic Christian Church.
With over 100 maps and illustrations.Jacob G. Ghazarian has focused his writings
on the medieval religio-political interactions of Mediterranean Christianity with
the West. He is also author of The Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia during the Crusades:
The Integration of Cilician Armenians with the Latins, 1080-1393.
264 pages with Illustrations Published
by Bennett & Bloom, 2006 |