The tradition of Christianity in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Mann, Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany from the coming of St. Patrick in the 5th century through the Synod of Whitby, and into the Celtic Church's twilight and incorporation into mainstream Catholicism in the 12th century.
The tradition of the Anglo-Saxon church, separate from that of the ancient Romano-Briton church, which was established by the mission of St. Augustine of Canterbury in the 6th century, and would continue to thrive until the coming of the Normans in the 11th century.
One of the oldest, and now defunct traditions in the Western church was the Punic church centered out of Carthage, which was in its zenith under luminaries like St. Augustine of Hippo Regius, Tertullian, and St. Cyprian. It would stands from the 1st century until its gradual disappearance in the 12th century.
The tradition of Frankish Christianity which would have its official start with the baptism of Clovis in 509 AD, and have special variants based upon his Gallo-Roman foundations. It would, in time, become the unique tradition of the French Catholic Church which is still active in our world.
The Visigothic church represents one of the earliest stages of the Spanish church and should be distinguished by its later Mozarabic tradition. Writers of this period in Spanish history were still drawn to influences from Rome, Constantinople, and most notably, Carthage.
Towards the last two centuries of the Western Empire, roughly between 312 and476 AD, a large number of prominent intellectuals helped shape the face of the Roman church. It is impossible to associate them with any sense of ethnicity, as these have yet to be established on the continent.
The Various Germanic peoples converted to Christian at different times, but the famously, the Saxon peoples did not converted until 776 AD. Consequently the traditions associated with the German church are of a later period, and are commonly tied to the apparatus of the Imperial German state.
The bishops of Rome have historically produced a large body of documents relating to church government, its regional synodical authority, and its relationship to other major apostolic sees. Later documents are also immersed in the politics of the French and German states, as well as the tenuous state of affairs with Constantinople.
The coming of the Slavic peoples in the 6th century caught much of the
Eastern church by surprise. There was a question of how these different
groups should be evangelized and under who's authority they should be.
For Western Slavic groups (Poles, Slovens, Moravians, Croats, Slovaks,
Bohemians, and Silesians) this would eventually means submission to
Rome, but with additional license given for their own national
identities. Many of their earliest writings reflect this, and the desire
to maintain Slavic identity while incorporating it into the Latin
church.
The
history of the churches of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland, are
unique among the Western church. Like Germany and Ireland, they were not
part of the former Roman Empire, and did not have the advantage of
Latin grammarians and educational system. What is more, as a result of the Protestant
reformation, the modern Lutheran Churches of Denmark, Sweden, and
Norway, all downplay their Catholic origin, instead placing their
historical emphasis on 16th century era reform figures. In the last
century, Catholicism has been de-criminalized and tension has decreased,
which has granted some access to historic texts which have been largely
neglected for the last five centuries.
With the abrupt end of the Roman Empire in the West, Italy descended into several centuries of political chaos. The political tension between the Ostrogoths, the Byzantines, the Lombards, and the Franks would make Italy a battlefield between various competing influences. In all of this, the Italian church would be pulled between Papal and Imperial authorities (both east and west), causing it to develop a separate and independent character of its own.
Starting in the 717, the Spanish church was able to rebound from its extensive conquest by the Caliphate. Over the next seven centuries the various Iberian kingdoms of the peninsula would create endowments and restore the various centers of learning that would help to enrich the university systems throughout Europe. The Spanish church also stands unique because of its influence by sundry intellectuals from the Arabic and Moorish world. The Spanish church would hit it's intellectual high point directly following this during the reign of Charles V.
Christianity in Persia traces its roots to the Apostolic age, with Sts. Thomas and Bartholomew allegedly transversing the Parthian Empire. The churches that they established would be collected as a federation under the Sassanian Empire, and establish the traditions of the 'Church of the East'. Many of these documents relate to the earliest period of the church under Sassanian rule, prior to the Arab conquest.
Ethiopia claims to be the second oldest Christian name in the world, with only Armenia being senior. Christianity was brought to it by the Syriac sage, St. Frumentius in the 4th century, which was quickly adopted by the court of the kings of Axum. The Monastic life of the Ethiopian church produced and maintained a number of texts which are found no where else in Christianity, particular in its extended Biblical canon.
It remains a mystery to when Christianity came to Arabia. St. Thomas was said to have been shipwrecked in Socotra, and St. Paul is known to have spent time (likely in the Hellenized city of Petra). However, there were thriving Arab Christian communites in Najran, Mecca, and Petra, where some documents have survived to the present day. Moreover, there is also a long tradition of Catholic Christianity in the Maronite community in Lebanon.
One of the earliest genres of Christian literature, and indeed proto-fiction, is the events of the apostles' sojourns throughout the world. Most of these stem from a very late period and contain little to no accurate information. However, they do blend native legends with fantastic exoticism that would go on to influence other significant works of hagiography, such as Byzantine Synaxaria and the West's Golden Legend.
The Byzantine tradition is the tradition of Christianity that is found specifically in the Eastern Roman Empire, and partially in its broader cultural commonwealth. While various regional influences impacted the church in Asia Minor, the intellectual heavy weight of Byzantine religious thought and culture was Constantinople, with its Imperial court and university (the oldest in the world). The Byzantine church's texts have been well preserved and well propagated by Greek, Latin, and Russian scholars who has sought to preserve the traditions of the 'Christian Empire'.
The church in Egypt has roots even during the lifetime of Christ. Egyptian Christians venerate the sojourn of Christ and his family in Egypt when he was in exile hiding from Herod the Great. The Coptic church, headquartered in Alexandria has maintained vast monastic libraries and has acted as the great custodian of Christian history, despite their heavy centuries old persecution. The language of the Coptic church was maintained specifically by the church through the medieval period and well into the 16th century, before becoming exclusively liturgical.
Christianity was brought to Armenia in the 1st century AD the apostle St. Bartholomew who established much of the earliest bishoprics in the nation. Armenia also hold the supreme dignity of being the first Christian nation in the world, converting in 301 AD. Because of its antiquity and its partial isolation from the rest of Christianity, the traditions and texts of the Armenian church developed independently, and much of the oldest traditions of Christendom have been preserved in the various monastery library of the Caucus mountains.
The Syriac church is definitely linked to its sister churches in Armenia, Persia, and India. Syriac Christian continue to worship and write in the ancient tongue of the Syriac peoples, a tongue which Christ himself spoke in his own lifetime. This tradition is partially split between East Syriac texts, which were largely a function of the Church of the East, and the West Syriac texts, which are more familiar to Catholic and Orthodox audiences. Today, the light of the Syriac tradition is carried by the Assyrian and Chaldean communities in Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and abroad.
The presence of Christianity in Central Asia is a relatively small community which appears to have thrived between the 7th and 14th century along the silk road. The Christians in Transoxiana appear to be a mix of Orthodox and members of the Church of the East. Documents from Transoxiana remain relatively rare.
Christianity is said to have come to Iberia (Georgia) during the first century through the work of St. Andrew the apostle. During its existence it has held close ties with both its neighboring Armenian Apostolic church, but also by Byzantine influence. The Georgian tradition of Christianity has come down to our present age as the Georgian Orthodox Church.
The coming of the Slavic peoples in the 6th century caught much of the Eastern church by surprise. There was a question of how these different groups should be evangelized and under who's authority they should be. For South Slavic groups (Slovenes, Serbo-Croats, and Bulgars) this would eventually means incorporation into the Byzantine Commonwealth, but with additional license given for their own national identities.
The Slavic peoples who lives to the East and South found themselves drawn to the Imperial center at Constantinople, and became incorporated into the greater Byzantine commonwealth. For these groups (Rusyns, Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians), emulating the their historic ties to Constantinople was important, and demonstrating the continuity of their traditions with Byzantine was a major function of their hagiographical and ecclesial texts.
(Indo-Persian Church Collection)
Margam Kali Pattu, or "The Song of the Way," is a vibrant and poetic expression of St. Thomas Christian community, reflecting on the journey of life, faith, and the course of history. The work itself is a multifaceted folk song that intertwines themes of celebration, Christian devotion, and the trials of life. It begins with imagery of nature and dances, emphasizing harmony and collective experience. The song invokes the figure of the Apostle Thomas, highlighting compassion and the quest for spiritual enlightenment through the light of Christ. It addresses the importance of unity among the early church.The lyrics express a deep connection to the presence of God, the beauty of creation, and the aspiration for goodness through piety.